Refrigeration -- Domestic -- Retail

What should you be looking for in a new fridge? Well, it depends on what you eat and drink. It seems obvious, but why buy a fridge with a huge freezer if you don’t eat frozen food? And if you live alone, perhaps you don’t need a monolithic sized cold room standing in the kitchen corner.

The basics are: which way do you want the door to swing, and how high/wide can the refrigerator be, given the space you have? Yes, it’s possible to change the door hinges over, but it’s better to realise you need to do this before you stock it with half a tonne of perishable goods. Next, are you a top or a bottom? Freezers on the top of a fridge are good for grabbing ice and late night pizzas; and ones with glass shelves help you order the contents. If your freezer’s on the bottom, make sure it has a pull out drawer, exposing the contents at a glance. These bottom freezers are good for fresh vegie lovers, since the vegies, usually relegated to the fridge bottom are higher up and easier to reach.

Families that use frozen and fresh foods equally will love the side by side fridge/freezer. This is a good choice for families with physically limited members who need access to both compartments without standing on a step or bending down, especially from a wheelchair. In these types if fridges, the shelf width is narrower for each side, but you’re going to need a wider fridge space than normal to accommodate the two sides. Looks matter, and stainless steel finishes are all the rage, unless you have kids with sticky fingers. Try the ‘faux’ stainless finishes that resist messy fingerprints.

Today, you can buy a fridge that reminds you when you are out of milk, has a built-in TV in the door and plays your favourite songs. Or you can play it safe with a traditional, standard white fridge; or go retro: those classic round shouldered fridges from the fifties (refurbished and re-gassed) are in high demand again with young urbanites. So many ways to be cool.