Choosing A Refrigerator - Freezer

Choosing The Right Refrigerator

Function and beauty. That's the goal in choosing the right refrigerator. With today's wide choice of options, it is easy to find a refrigerator-freezer combination that satisfies both convenience and design theme of your kitchen. There are many brands of refrigerators from which to choose. Among some of the best highest rated brands are Amana, Kenmore, Kitchen Aid, Bosch and Sub Zero. A great European brand is Gaggenau which is known for its "built-in" look.

Before making a decision, be sure the allowable space is sufficient enough to accommodate the refrigerator of choice. You must consider the width of the refrigerator and enough clearance to conveniently open and close the doors. Consider the following types and styles of refrigerators.

Top Freezer Units. Refrigerators with the freezer portions located at the top are the most popular choice and generally feature the most storage space. Top freezer units are usually the most affordable. Having the freezer at eye level is convenient but that also forces refrigerator compartments much lower causing a lot of bending over.

Bottom Freezer Units. Just like the name implies, the freezer portion is at the bottom. The generally have less storage space versus the top freezer units. They are generally more convenient since the most often used refrigerator items are at eye level which requires less bending over. But that means bending over to reach the freezer portion.

Side-By Side Units. The refrigerator will be on one side and the freezer on the other side. Since the doors will be more narrow than those on the bottom and top units, it could be an advantage in kitchens with space constraints. Since the freezer and refrigerator compartments are more narrow, the side-by-sides do not accommodate wide, rigid items. They are not the best from a usable storage space point of view.

Cabinet Depth Units. These units are built to a more shallow depth so panels can be added to aesthetically match the flow of cabinet design. Since they are more shallow, storage space if victimized. Most cabinet depth units are side- by-side refrigerator-freezer units.

Built-In Units. They are expensive, but if you want the wow factor, this is the refrigerator of choice. They are more stylish but lack in function because they are typically more shallow versus the top and bottom options and have less storage space. Obviously the decision here is one of budget and whether style is more important than function.

Drawer Type Refrigerators. These are considered as a "second refrigerator" and as "refrigerator drawers" they are designed to fit under the kitchen counter. They are small and have very limited storage space, but are ideal for soda cans and snack items that need to be refrigerated. The drawer-type units will take the load off of the main kitchen refrigerator.

Phoenix - Refrigerators & Freezers