Choosing the Right Refrigerator: A Guide to Measuring Up

When it comes to choosing a new refrigerator, size matters most of the time. The appliance must fit into a certain spot in your kitchen, so it's essential to measure the width and height of the space carefully. This will help you avoid any problems with doors blocking each other or not opening properly. Fortunately, there are different door configurations that can easily eliminate these issues.

One way to ensure a smooth fit is by using a different door configuration. For instance, refrigerators with freezers on top will fit the narrowest spaces and offer the most storage for their size. However, they have wide swinging doors that may not be suitable for all kitchens. On the other hand, bottom freezers put the food you use most often at eye level, while French doors start at $1,200 and are a great option for kitchens with limited space.

If your kitchen can't fit wide swinging doors, a side-by-side refrigerator is an excellent choice. Side by sides cost around $900 and offer a more compact design that won't compromise on functionality. Another popular option is the built-in refrigerator, which gives a kitchen a more unified look by fitting flush with the kitchen cabinets. However, this type of refrigerator starts at around $5,000 or can be achieved through a cabinet depth, starting at around $1,800.

When it comes to performance, there are several factors to consider. One thing you can't determine in the store is how well a refrigerator will cool. To test this, we use special chambers that control the temperature of the surrounding air and simulate a hot summer day. We also load the freezers with frozen spinach to mimic a fully packed home freezer and drill holes for sensors to measure precisely how cold the freezer is and how evenly it cools.

To ensure that your refrigerator maintains an even temperature throughout its compartments, we also check if the meat compartment can go down to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the ideal temperature for storing meat, as it prevents moisture loss that can affect the freshness of your food. We test for this humidity loss by soaking a sponge with water and keeping it in the crisper for 48 hours, weighing the sponge before and after to see how much moisture evaporates.

Another crucial factor to consider is capacity. Refrigerators list their capacity on the label, but we measure usable space to ensure that you have enough room to store all your food. Top freezer refrigerators offer the most space for their size, while side-by-side refrigerators offer less space. To make the most of available space, look for a refrigerator with big bins on the door to hold milk jugs and pull-out shelves for easy access.

Interior noise is also an important consideration. We test each refrigerator with a noise meter to ensure that it doesn't produce too much noise. A panel of listeners also checks for annoying sounds, as cheaper models tend to be noisier than more expensive ones. Consider the interior lighting too; look for extra lights in hard-to-see places like over bins and check out newer LED lighting that's more energy-efficient.

Finally, some refrigerators come with ice and water dispensers, which can be handy but also require maintenance. Our tests show that refrigerators with ice and water dispensers vary significantly in their ice-making abilities, with some producing only a pound of ice per day while others can produce up to nine pounds. Additionally, our research indicates that refrigerators with these features are more likely to need repairs than those without them.

Ultimately, the right refrigerator for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. By considering factors such as size, performance, capacity, noise level, and ice-making ability, you can make an informed decision and find a reliable and efficient appliance that meets your requirements.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eni'm bernie dietrich and i'm here at the consumer reports labs where we test some 60 refrigerators each year we've been testing refrigerators since 1938 when they were a lot smaller when choosing a refrigerator size matters most of the time a new one has to fit into a certain spot so it's important to measure the width and the height of the space and check to see if anything will block the doors from opening a problem like this can easily be eliminated with a different door configuration the next consideration is style refrigerators with freezers on top will fit the narrowest spaces and offer the most storage for their size but they have wide swinging doors top freezers cost 500 and up refrigerators with the bottom freezer put the food you use most often at eye level bottom freezers start at seven hundred dollars and ones with french doors start at twelve hundred dollars a side by side is best for a kitchen that can't fit wide swinging doors side by sides cost nine hundred dollars and up built-in refrigerators give a kitchen a more unified look they fit flush with the kitchen cabinets but built-ins start around five thousand dollars or consider a cabinet depth for nearly the same look starting at around eighteen hundred dollars fantastic can you put a gallon storage on this performance is one thing you can't determine in the store how well does the refrigerator cool we test in these special chambers where we control the temperature of the surrounding air we use these controllers to set the temperature in the chambers we'll go as high as 110 degrees to see how well the refrigerators handle heat in a kitchen on a hot summer's day the freezers are loaded with frozen spinach to simulate a fully packed home freezer we drill holes for sensors so we can measure precisely how cold the freezer is and how evenly it cools we also arrange sensors throughout the refrigerator compartment and along the doors so we can measure the temperatures there as well then we collect the data from each of the sensors using these computers the best refrigerators will maintain the temperature evenly throughout its compartments we also check to see if the meat compartment can go down to 32 degrees that's the ideal temperature for storing meat it doesn't freeze at that temperature the way water does in the crisper drawers it's the moisture loss that can make the difference between a crisp head of lettuce or wilted leaves we test for this humidity loss by soaking a sponge with water and keeping it in the crisper for 48 hours by weighing the sponge before and after we can see how much moisture evaporates you also want a refrigerator with enough capacity to store all your food refrigerators list their capacity on the label but we measure usable space and that's often a lot less in general top freezer refrigerators offer the most space for their size and side by sides offer the least make the most of the available space by choosing a refrigerator that's well organized look for a big bin on the door to hold milk jugs and pull out shelves for easy access some shelves are just up and down or even split to hold taller items like soda bottles and glass shelves keep spills from falling through you don't want a refrigerator that makes a lot of noise no matter which one you buy we test each refrigerator with a noise meter a panel of listeners also checks for annoying sounds usually the cheapest models are the noisiest consider the interior lighting too look for extra lights in hard to see places like over the bins and check out the newer led lighting that's more energy efficient you'll also find that ice and water dispensers are available on more and more refrigerators these can be handy some now have controls to see how much water you get when it comes to ice making ability our tests show refrigerators vary a lot in how much they'll make in a day some can make only a pound while others can make nine pounds but keep in mind we found refrigerators with ice and water dispensers have been more likely to need repairs our research also shows some brands have been more reliable than others no matter what kind of refrigerator you're looking for our unbiased ratings and reliability information will help you make the best choicei'm bernie dietrich and i'm here at the consumer reports labs where we test some 60 refrigerators each year we've been testing refrigerators since 1938 when they were a lot smaller when choosing a refrigerator size matters most of the time a new one has to fit into a certain spot so it's important to measure the width and the height of the space and check to see if anything will block the doors from opening a problem like this can easily be eliminated with a different door configuration the next consideration is style refrigerators with freezers on top will fit the narrowest spaces and offer the most storage for their size but they have wide swinging doors top freezers cost 500 and up refrigerators with the bottom freezer put the food you use most often at eye level bottom freezers start at seven hundred dollars and ones with french doors start at twelve hundred dollars a side by side is best for a kitchen that can't fit wide swinging doors side by sides cost nine hundred dollars and up built-in refrigerators give a kitchen a more unified look they fit flush with the kitchen cabinets but built-ins start around five thousand dollars or consider a cabinet depth for nearly the same look starting at around eighteen hundred dollars fantastic can you put a gallon storage on this performance is one thing you can't determine in the store how well does the refrigerator cool we test in these special chambers where we control the temperature of the surrounding air we use these controllers to set the temperature in the chambers we'll go as high as 110 degrees to see how well the refrigerators handle heat in a kitchen on a hot summer's day the freezers are loaded with frozen spinach to simulate a fully packed home freezer we drill holes for sensors so we can measure precisely how cold the freezer is and how evenly it cools we also arrange sensors throughout the refrigerator compartment and along the doors so we can measure the temperatures there as well then we collect the data from each of the sensors using these computers the best refrigerators will maintain the temperature evenly throughout its compartments we also check to see if the meat compartment can go down to 32 degrees that's the ideal temperature for storing meat it doesn't freeze at that temperature the way water does in the crisper drawers it's the moisture loss that can make the difference between a crisp head of lettuce or wilted leaves we test for this humidity loss by soaking a sponge with water and keeping it in the crisper for 48 hours by weighing the sponge before and after we can see how much moisture evaporates you also want a refrigerator with enough capacity to store all your food refrigerators list their capacity on the label but we measure usable space and that's often a lot less in general top freezer refrigerators offer the most space for their size and side by sides offer the least make the most of the available space by choosing a refrigerator that's well organized look for a big bin on the door to hold milk jugs and pull out shelves for easy access some shelves are just up and down or even split to hold taller items like soda bottles and glass shelves keep spills from falling through you don't want a refrigerator that makes a lot of noise no matter which one you buy we test each refrigerator with a noise meter a panel of listeners also checks for annoying sounds usually the cheapest models are the noisiest consider the interior lighting too look for extra lights in hard to see places like over the bins and check out the newer led lighting that's more energy efficient you'll also find that ice and water dispensers are available on more and more refrigerators these can be handy some now have controls to see how much water you get when it comes to ice making ability our tests show refrigerators vary a lot in how much they'll make in a day some can make only a pound while others can make nine pounds but keep in mind we found refrigerators with ice and water dispensers have been more likely to need repairs our research also shows some brands have been more reliable than others no matter what kind of refrigerator you're looking for our unbiased ratings and reliability information will help you make the best choice\n"