Or all the different combinations of styles and features you might find.
Have you ever considered how many different styles of refrigerators there are? Or what about the number of features manufacturers have come up with? While we can’t claim we have all of them, we do have quite a few. This week we’re taking a look at the wide world of refrigerators to help you pin down the type of refrigerator that will serve you best.
Styles of Refrigerators
Let’s start off looking at the 5 major styles of refrigerators and two specialty variants.
Freezerless Refrigerators - The One Trick Pony
Many people these days are choosing to go for a refrigerator that doesn’t have a freezer attached. For some it’s because they’ve moved away from frozen foods. For others they have so much in the way of frozen meal prep that they need a separate full freezer. Whichever you are, this might be a good refrigerator choice for you. It also is very useful in creating an intriguing look in your kitchen by separating the two appliances.
Top Freezer - The Classic
This is your standard refrigerator. It’s smaller than most of the others on this list, both in terms of the refrigerator space and the freezer. This just means it’s the ideal refrigerator for small families or someone living on their own. This is typically a “no frills” type of refrigerator, so all of the features below are unlikely to be available. The upside here is that they can be purchased in a wide range of colors (even more than what we’ve listed in the finishes). They are also remarkably energy efficient having been around for so long and optimized the most over that time span. You also would have a much easier time of covering them with a wrap since they don’t have many features to cut around.
Bottom Freezer - More Space!
In terms of space, this is the next step up from a top freezer. Both the refrigerator and freezer are a little wider, and they have drawers instead of shelves keeping things visible. They also will typically include several features like a built in water and ice dispenser as well as being counter depth if you want. Per usual these features are going to cost you a bit more, but that’s typically considered worth it by larger families who are looking for more food storage.
Side by Side - The Innovator
Side by sides are built so that you can work in both the fridge and freezer simultaneously. You can put up or take out food and see what you have very easily. They come in several different sizes and proportions of refrigerator versus freezer. We advise taking time to see which side of a fridge you use more so that you can make the choice that will best fit your family.
French Door - The Popular One
If you went shopping for a refrigerator prior to the pandemic, you probably saw French door refrigerators everywhere. They have become the most popular style for several reasons. They are wonderfully customizable in terms of their shelving, allowing for you to store taller items that you normally wouldn’t be able to. They have door bins and deep freezers, even more so than the bottom freezer. They are also arranged in such a way that you’re not wasting time hunting through the shelves looking for what you need. Instead you can open one or both doors, look around and grab what you need.
Specialty Refrigerators
While these aren’t something most of us would go after for a standard kitchen fridge, they do have their place.
The Mini - Compact Doesn’t Mean Pointless
Repeat after us, these aren’t just for college students. You can use them all over your house. Keep them in the kitchen as a dedicated beverage fridge. You can use them in your bar or your movie room for when you have guests over. Then you can keep food prepped ahead of a night in without having to rush off in the middle of things.
Wine- When You Need Control
If you really enjoy wine, then you know the need for keeping them at a stable temperature. If you’re living in Texas, you probably don’t have a deep cellar to keep them in. While most people feel that you can keep your wine, it’s not exactly ideal for long term storage. Your fridge is much colder than wine likes, and nowhere near humid enough. A wine refrigerator on the other hand is specifically engineered to allow for controlling those features.
Features For Your Refrigerator
Now that we’ve looked at all of the main ‘types’ of refrigerators, let's take a look at the features that you might want.
Water Features All Refrigerators Need
Ice and Water In Door
During a hot summer is there anything better than being able to walk inside, go straight to your fridge and immediately grab some ice water? We didn’t think so. This is one of the most popular, and thus most common, features in a refrigerator.
Keurig K Cup Brewing
If you’re the type of person who has contemplated installing a coffee IV occasionally, this might be the feature you’ve been looking for. With a coffee maker built into your fridge you never have to worry about having to fill the aquifer. You can also free up counter space without having to give up anything.
Design Features You’ll Want for Your Refrigerator
These are all of the things that affect how the refrigerator looks.
Flexible 4 Door
This is a refrigerator that is intended to help you save your food. With four separate areas you can control what goes where in your fridge and how cold it needs to be. You can even use the bottom drawers for extra fridge space if you need more of that and less freezer space.
Counter Depth
If you’re worried about the flow of traffic in your kitchen, or the design, this might be the feature you’ve been looking for. A refrigerator that is counter depth is going to be slightly wider than standard, but is going to be shallower than usual. Make sure that when you order one you measure very carefully, to ensure a seamless design.
Small Spaces
If you need something larger than a mini fridge, but you don’t want a full fridge, you might look at a compact fridge. Much like with a counter depth refrigerator, many people choose these for how they will fit into the design of their kitchen. Just make sure to spend time measuring. Not only in terms of “where will this fit” but also in terms of “is this enough fridge space for me.”
Smudge proof
Smudge proofing means that an appliance has a special coating applied to it to make it easier to clean fingerprints. Whether you obsess over keeping your appliances spotless, or you just don’t want to fight with them to keep them clean, this is a useful feature.
Wheels
Think about the last time someone you know had to move a refrigerator. Whether it was for cleaning or moving, did they say it was light? No. People regularly get injured trying to move refrigerators, even if all they need is to grab something that rolled behind. So if you don’t have Thor standing around ready to help, wheels make things easier. They won’t rip up your flooring, and you won’t have to empty all of the food out just to move your refrigerator.
Door in Door
Do you have pets or small children? Do they like to stand or lay right in front of your refrigerator when you need a drink? That’s the exact reason this was invented. (Ok, maybe not, but as pet people we like to believe so.) Now you can store all of your drinks in one spot, and even a few snacks, and you don’t have to open the whole fridge, or make the dog move.
Adjusts for Bottle Size
Sometimes you have a guest that brings an extremely tall bottle of wine. Or you have a cake that needs to be stored and it’s 4 layers tall. Being able to move around the shelves and drawers of your refrigerator means there’s nothing you won’t be able to store. (How much you’ll have to move to do so, well that we can’t help with.)
Technology Features For Your Refrigerator
They might not all be cutting edge, but we guarantee they’ll help your kitchen run more smoothly.
Door Alarm
How many times have you gently nudged your refrigerator or freezer door only to turn around and find it’s still open? Or to find out that it didn’t latch and now your food is thawed? Door alarms are your saving grace then. We both love and hate them because they’re noisy, but they really do mean you’re not going to be leaving your fridge open unintentionally.
Smart Refrigerators
Ah, a smart refrigerator. We’ve talked about these in the past, but they do have their uses. Being able to program your fridge to run a defrost cycle during the night for example. They also have ones that have cameras inside them so that you can see what you have when you run to the store. There’s dozens of new features coming out every year for ‘smart’ refrigerators, so if you want to stay on the cutting edge, you might consider this.
Child Lock
Kids get into everything. It’s a well known fact. This includes refrigerators. Luckily, refrigerator designers are also aware of this and have included this feature. Whether you need to worry about your toddler climbing the shelves like a jungle gym, or digging into the cake you put on the middle shelf, this is the feature you want.
So, what do you think? Are you going to start measuring and hunting for a new refrigerator? Or are you happy with what you’ve got? Let us know over on our Facebook page.
If you ended up here because your refrigerator is broken however, please feel free to give us a call. If you live in Frisco or the surrounding area, we want to help. You can reach us by calling at ((214) 599-0055) or by visiting our webpage and setting up an appointment.