How to Choose Your Refrigerator

Refrigerators come in a wide variety of styles and with a number of features to choose from. Consumers should consider their unique needs when choosing what kind of refrigerator is best for the types of food they store. Here are some tips on how to choose your refrigerator.

Steps

1
Decide what style refrigerator you want.
- Choose a top-freezer refrigerator if you want a basic, economical choice. These traditionally styled refrigerators tend to have fewer features, but they're usually cheaper than other options. They also have wide shelves, but most adults will have to bend down to reach the refrigerator section.
- Pick a bottom-freezer refrigerator if you want your refrigerator shelves to be easier to see and reach. Most adults will have to bend over to reach the freezer section, but that part of the unit tends to be used less often. Bottom-freezer refrigerators may have either a single door or 2 side-by-side French doors for the refrigerator compartment. The French door-style refrigerators tend to be more expensive.
- Select a side-by-side refrigerator if you have a narrow space in your kitchen because this style offers more narrow options when compared to others. Some models, though, have shelves that are too narrow to hold a wide container (such as a pizza box).
- Choose a built-in refrigerator if you want a sleek look. These come in a variety of door configurations, and doors can hold panels that match your cabinetry. However, they tend to be small and are more expensive than other options. Cabinet-depth refrigerators are a less-expensive alternative to built-in models, but they stick out a few inches farther and are still smaller than freestanding refrigerators.
- Consider a refrigerator drawer if you need extra refrigeration space in your kitchen. They aren't big enough to serve as a primary refrigerator for most households because they’re intended to hold specialty items such as beverages. They cost significantly more per cubic foot (liter) than other refrigerators.
- Choose a compact refrigerator if there is no space for a full-size refrigerator, they are also ideal for your bedroom, dorm room, basement, or home office.
- If you are running a business in the food and beverage sector, then you must go for a commercial freezer. Commercial upright freezers are useful for businesses that carry the bulk load of their stock. Freezers can create less space than other types of fridges and are designed to retain quality. Product wastage correlates to reduced financial loss, which is a positive outcome for any business.^{[1]XResearch source}
Since these need to be hooked up to your plumbing system, the location of the refrigerator within your kitchen relative to existing pipes is important. Some units offer built-in water filtration as well; if you choose 1 of these, be sure to find out how much replacement filters cost and how easily available they are in your area. Refrigerators with these features also tend to require repair more often than those without them.
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Refrigerators have tags inside that indicate their storage capacity. However, anywhere from 20 to 35 percent of that space may be unusable. Top-freezer models tend to have the least unusable space; side-by-side units have the most.
4
Choose what features you want in the interior of your refrigerator.
- Pick a unit with adjustable shelves and door bins if storage flexibility is important to you. Some units have shelves that split, pull out, or have a crank to move them up and down. Deep door bins allow you to store bulkier items such as milk jugs.
- Choose a unit with specialty drawers if you want to keep your refrigerator organized. Some units have drawers for wine or canned beverages. Others have full-extension drawers that allow you to access items more easily in the back. Many refrigerators have drawers with separate temperature or humidity controls to store items such as meat, fruits, and vegetables in their optimum storage conditions.
Check to see which brands have repair services available in your area.
Home improvement stores, department stores, and appliance stores typically have a large selection of options. Check local listings to see if your area has an appliance outlet store, which usually sells floor models and units with scratches, dents, or other cosmetic blemishes. These stores can provide significant cost savings. Be sure to check the energy-efficiency rating of each unit, since that will affect your utility bills.
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Question
Does it matter if the fridge sticks out further than the oven?
Louisa G.
Community Answer
Only if you are concerned about space.
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