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2022-04-02 07:17:58 By : Mr. leon fang

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Finding the best refrigerator for your family is a big task. Not only does it play a vital role in keeping your perishable foods fresh, it has to seamlessly blend into your kitchen decor while serving as a place to hang important reminders, photos and family artwork. And, of course, you have to look at it on a daily basis.

GE's French Door refrigerator really pops.

Even less expensive refrigerators aren’t cheap, making this a big purchase no matter how you slice it. If it’s been a minute—or ever—since you bought a fridge, you’ll be surprised to know that today’s refrigerators have lot of bells and whistles past models didn’t offer up. Water and ice dispensers are pretty common now, and some fridges even offer up smart features like the ability to hunt down recipes and surf the web.

If you’ve casually perused the refrigerator market, you already know there are a lot of options out there. These are the best of the best, from wallet-friendly fridges to top of the line appliances. There’s something in the mix for everyone.

While smart features like Wi-Fi and touchscreens can be a nice luxury, they’re not the most important features of a fridge. Maytag built this 25 cubic feet refrigerator to check all the most important boxes. It’s available in black or white, but it’s the fingerprint resistant stainless steel where this appliance shines—literally, since most messes clean easily off the finish. And the ice and water dispenser only adds $100 to the price, making it a great value.

Inside, this model has bright, energy-efficient LED lighting and a variety of temperature- and humidity-controlled zones. One of the most interesting features is the fridge’s temperature-controlled Wide-N-Fresh Deli Drawer which is oversized to accommodate large party platters and deli trays. In addition, Maytag’s PowerCold feature is a quick-chill setting you can enable when you bring groceries home to quickly get them down to their ideal temperature.

French door refrigerators are a favorite in many homes because you get a spacious cool zone on top with wide shelves and large storage bins which create lots of organizational options. GE’s take on the format includes twin chill evaporators that give you more control and accuracy over the climate in the fresh food and freezer sections. There are also humidity-controlled drawers to keep vegetables fresh and spill-proof glass shelves that keep liquids from leaking onto lower shelves.

You may also appreciate the fridge’s showcase LED lighting and in-door ice maker with an integrated water filtration system. It comes in three colors—slate black, slate and stainless steel—but the smudge- and fingerprint- proof slate black is our favorite, giving your kitchen a sleek, modern feel.

Counter-depth refrigerators are something of a paradox; with a smaller footprint so they don’t stick out past your counters for a streamlined, almost built-in look, they tend to cost a little more yet offer less storage space. But for those who value the aesthetics, the trade-off is worth it. If you’re going to spend a little more on a counter-depth fridge, you should probably make it one of the most versatile and convenient models you can buy: Samsung’s Counter Depth 4-Door Flex Food Showcase.

This fridge has four doors for French door access on both top and bottom. While it offers marginally less storage space than average, the way you can use that space is pretty compelling. The Food Showcase gives you easy access to popular items with a see-through door that opens to in-door shelves, but you still get inner shelves for larger items. And there’s a CoolSelect Plus door on the bottom which you can configure as a fridge or freezer and switch modes with the press of a button. The fridge is controlled from three independent evaporators and includes in-door ice and water with digital controls.

This Samsung Top-Freezer Refrigerator has two unique features that make it one of the best in this category. The first is a feature, fittingly named FlexZone, that allows the fridge compartment to convert freezer space into more fridge space. If you always find yourself needing an extra shelf of storage in your fridge, this feature was made for you. The other is twin cooling which maintains high levels of humidity to keep your fruits and vegetables fresher longer while also maintaining a dry freezer to lower the chances of freezer burns ruining your frozen foods.

This fridge also includes removable glass shelves, gallon door storage, humidity-controlled crispers and a slide-and-reach pantry for easy access to your favorite foods. The freezer itself features an automatic ice maker that can produce up to 3.7 pounds of ice a day. The LED lighting throughout offers a brighter and more energy-efficient way to see your food. It’s available in two finishes: stainless steel and black stainless steel.

Bottom freezers have become a lot more popular than top freezer fridges in recent years—not only does that put the lion’s share of your fresh food at eye level, but the slide-out drawer approach to the bottom freezer is usually both larger and a lot more efficient. Case in point is this Whirlpool bottom freezer fridge that has a generous 22 cubic feet of storage (15.5 for fresh food and 6.5 for frozen) with a built-in ice maker. The digital temperature controls are located in the fridge and make it easy to precisely set the climate in both food zones.

The lined glass shelves help to contain spills for quicker cleanup. It also includes bright LED lighting, humidity-controlled crispers and Whirlpool’s Accu-Chill Temperature Management System that is designed to sense the temperature of foods in the fridge and adapt, only activating the compressor when necessary to keep things sufficiently cool while also saving energy.

If you’re looking for a quality fridge well below the ticket price of $1,000, this Frigidaire Top Freezer Refrigerator is just what you need. It lists for only $720, but still has must-have fridge features. First off, the doors are reversible which means they can be installed to open on either the left or right. Left-handed folks, rejoice! Next, a single knob control inside the fridge allows for effortless temperature adjustments that’ll eliminate frozen leftovers in the back of the fridge or soupy ice cream in the freezer. Speaking of the freezer, there’s an optional ice maker so you can skip filling up ice trays.

While it is on the smaller side, this fridge wastes no space. It includes two full-width wire sliding shelves to help you organize with ease, three full-width door racks for gallon storage and two humidity-controlled drawers to keep your produce fresh. There’s also a clear compartment in the fridge door to hold your dairy items such as butter and cheese. On top, the freezer includes a wire sliding shelf and two full-width storage racks on its door that’ll keep all your frozen treats in place. It’s available in two colors: black and white.

For an appliance as large and central to the home as a refrigerator, you might think that it’s somewhat surprising that brands don’t advertise the noise level of their models, or even include the decibel level in their specs sheets. There’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for that, though: Most refrigerators are quiet enough that it’s not a serious concern. To be sure, some models are noisier than others, and the worst offenders are small and budget priced. Larger and more premium refrigerators are made with higher quality parts and materials with greater opportunities for dampening the sound of the compressor.

The Frigidaire Gallery Stainless French Door Refrigerator is notable for being especially quiet, and brings a lot of other benefits to the table as well. It’s a bottom freezer French door design with 8.7 square feet of storage space down below. An in-door water and ice dispenser adds convenience, and the interior boasts adjustable shelves with CrispSeal humidity-controlled drawers.

We’d love to whole-heartedly endorse a smart fridge. The Samsung Family Hub series, for example, is excellent in principle—it gives you an enormous, gorgeous touchscreen on one door, where you can do tablet-like things (like surf the web) but also find recipes and check the contents of your fridge. Cameras inside the fridge let you see what’s in stock in your kitchen when you’re out at the grocery store. But keep in mind you’ll pay a serious premium for these features, and they’re not particularly upgradeable. Your fridge’s smart screen, UI and apps might be obsolete well before the 20-year lifespan of the compressor and chiller expire.

All that said, if you can live with the expense and potential obsolescence of a smart fridge to have the convenience of one right now, the Samsung 4-Door French Door Family Hub Refrigerator is perhaps the best money can buy. Cameras inside the fridge combined with artificial intelligence recognize the items in your fridge so it knows what you have on hand and can suggest recipes that’ll work without a trip to the store. It can also stream music and video, show your personal calendar and serve as a digital cork board for the family to check in with one another.

All that smart tech is in addition to the fact that this is simply a great fridge. It’s got highly adjustable shelves, high-efficiency LED lighting, and a clever FlexZone drawer which you can configure with four different temperate settings and adjustable dividers for the ultimate in customizable microclimates.

This Midea Compact Refrigerator has a completely separate freezer compartment that will make you wish you had this mini fridge in college. This mini two-door top freezer fridge has features found in standard sized fridges such as two removable glass shelves, a transparent produce drawer, and an adjustable thermostat. The fridge door has a rack specifically for canned drinks and can also hold a 2-liter bottled beverage. You’ll never have to worry about half-melted ice cream pints because the top freezer will store your frozen favorites in temperatures from -11.2F to 10.4F. You can choose from three color options: black, white or stainless steel.

There are a lot of different features to consider when shopping for a fridge. Keep these in mind while you shop.

Your fridge is going to need to fit into its designated space in your kitchen. Measuring out your space in advance—including height, depth, and width—is crucial to getting your purchase right the first time. You’ll also want to leave a few inches of clearance on each side so it’s not wedged in there.

You might like a French door fridge with the freezer on the bottom, or prefer one that puts the freezer and fridge side-by-side. Other people prefer to have a classic freezer-on-top style. Knowing your wishes in advance will help you narrow down the field.

Today’s refrigerators come in a range of finishes, including some that are fingerprint resistant. Whether you want a traditional white, sleek stainless steel, or cool black, there’s a finish out there for you.

For some people, having a water and ice dispenser in the refrigerator door is a must; for others, it will go unused. Figure out in advance what your preference is.

Fridges offer up plenty of additional bells and whistles, including water filtration systems, a built-in Keurig and smart features that allow you to see inside your appliance while you’re at the store. Of course, these will cost you. You’ll want to make sure the refrigerator you choose is the right fit for your lifestyle—and budget.

Every refrigerator is different and factors like how much you use your fridge and how much of a beating it takes over the years add up. However, most fridges last, on average, about 12 years.

There are a few things that can signal it’s time to get a new fridge. If you notice your food is regularly sweaty, it can be a sign that your refrigerator isn’t able to keep up with the demand. A refrigerator that becomes loud, causes a jacked-up utility bill, or gives off heat from the back are all signs that things aren’t operating the way they should. Ditto if you find that your freezer keeps having an icy build-up that you have to chisel out, despite defrosting it. And, if you find that all of this is happening when your refrigerator is at least 10 years old, it’s definitely time to look for a new one.