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Tips & Tricks for Buying a New Fridge

Are you replacing your fridge, upgrading or getting your first fridge as you move out of home? No matter what stage you’re at, buying a new fridge is not without its set of challenges. From knowing which type or design will work for your household, the correct capacity for your needs and the technologies to consider, buying a new fridge can be easier with a simple checklist. To help you on your fridge buying journey, we’ve devised this checklist that you can use as your find your perfect fridge.

  • Size or Capacity: your fridge’s size and capacity should reflect the needs of the people in your home. The capacity of all fridges are expressed in litres (L), use the below guide to find the right capacity for your home:
    • 1-2 person household: 200-400L
    • Up to 4 people household: 400-600L
    • 5+ people household: 600-800L
  • Fridge Type: there are many fridge types available, so there’s one to suit your needs, budget and personal preference. Fridge types include:
    • Top Mount: has a freezer in the top compartment and a refrigerator in the bottom.
    • Bottom Mount: fridge style with a refrigerator on the top and a bottom freezer.
    • Side-by-Side: a refrigerator and freezer compartment are placed side by side each other.
    • French Door: a 3-door fridge that typically features a top refrigerator with 2-doors and a bottom freezer drawer.
    • 4-Door or Quad Door: this fridge has four even doors, opening up to a top refrigerator and a bottom freezer.
    • Freestanding Fridge: built to be a key standalone appliance, some Freestanding Fridges are built like a Top Mount however, most have cooling or freezing functions only. Many brands have matching Freestanding Fridges and Freezers to create a pigeon pair in your kitchen.
    • Integrated Fridge: designed to be built into your kitchen cabinetry, Integrated Fridges can be custom installed to match the materials and finishes of your kitchen cupboard.
    • Bar Fridge: compact in size, Bar Fridges are commonly waist height and are ideal for use as extra storage or for cooling snacks and drinks in the home office, garage or home cinema.
    • Chest Freezer: designed for use as extra storage for frozen items, Chest Freezers open from the top, with newer models offering hybrid cooling so that conditions can be changed from freezer to refrigerator and vice versa.

(French door vs Side-by-side)
  • Cooling Technologies: cool all your groceries, meals and treats effectively with the right cooling technologies. Common fridge cooling technologies include:
    • Frost-Free: this ensures that the fridge cools without frost forming over your food, delivering quick and easier meal preparation.
    • Even Cooling: with cold air distributed across all areas of the fridge, food remains cool and fresh for longer regardless of its position. This technology is known by many different names such as Multi Airflow, All Around Cooling and so forth.
    • Odour and Bacteria Inhibitors: designed to eliminate bacteria growth and reduce odours, these inhibitors often include filters to help keep the fridge’s interior clean and hygienic.
  • Storage Options: find a spot for storing and cooling of all your items with a range of storage compartments and options, such as:
    • Flexible cooling compartments: this new feature has been embraced by many brands and refers to the adjustable settings of the compartment or drawer so that you can change the temperatures to suit your needs. Activate the ‘freezer’ mode to store frozen items or perhaps have it on ‘chill’ mode which is great for deli meats or drinks.
    • Fresh produce drawers: with greater humidity control, these drawers are ideal for storing fruit and vegetables at their best for longer lasting freshness.
    • Adjustable shelves: mix up where you want the shelves to be and since they’re adjustable, you can easily accommodate tall items such as cakes and jugs.
    • Adjustable door pockets: move these pockets as you please to make space for bigger items like water and milk bottles, and jugs.
    • Flip up shelves: create more space as it suits you with flip up shelves, these convenient shelves aren’t readily available with all fridge types, so it is worth keeping an eye out for.
  • Controls: enjoy a variety of ways to manage your fridge’s conditions with a range of control types:
    • External digital controls: these provide a quick and fuss-free way to control your cooling without opening the fridge.
    • Internal controls: manage your fridge’s settings from inside the fridge.
    • Smart app monitoring and control: Wi-Fi enabled fridges can be controlled via an app on a compatible smart device. App-controlled fridges lets you remotely monitor and change setting, receive notifications, and troubleshoot any issues with the fridge.
  • Extras: elevate your food cooling experience with extra features like the below:
    • Water & Ice Dispenser: enjoy instant cool drinking water and ice at a touch of a button with a water and ice dispenser. There are two types of connections for water and ice dispensers: ‘always-on’ plumbed connections and a non-plumbed connection that will require refilling of the water tank.
    • Glass Door: fridges with these transparent glass panels enable you to view the contents of the fridge without opening it. In some fridge models, an inner door can be accessed behind the glass panel for quick retrieval of things like water bottles and sauce jars.
    • Smart Fridges: smart fridges with a screen deliver a world of user experiences that go beyond cooling food. You can create a family schedule, add to your online shopping list, mirror your devices and even play content like music or the TV while you’re in the kitchen.

  • Efficiency: as an ‘always on’ appliance, it’s vital that your fridge is as energy efficient as possible. To know if the fridge will be an energy saver, you should observe and compare energy ratings. Measured by ‘stars’, an energy rating will give you an indication of how energy efficient the fridge is. A higher rating means the fridge uses less energy, which is better for the environment and your wallet.
  • Colour and Surfaces: with plentiful colours and surfaces available, you’ll find one to suit your personal style and kitchen décor. Popular colours like Stainless Steel and White continue to be readily available while darker shades of Dark Stainless Steel and Black provides an elegant and sophisticated look. Vibrant fridges in Red, Blue, Yellow or Green add a pop of colour and character to the kitchen. Many fridges now also boast fingerprint resistant and matte surfaces that remain cleaner for longer. If you want your fridge to blend in with the rest of your kitchen, an integrated fridge will deliver with all the necessary functions and features, all with a customisable panel to match your kitchen.

TRENDING FRIDGES

Be inspired by our top pick fridges.

  1. SAMSUNG 684L FRENCH DOOR FRIDGE – BLACK

An ultra-spacious entertainer’s delight, this Samsung 684L French Door Fridge is also great for large families who need an all-in-one fridge solution.

  • Built-in Beverage Centre: unique to Samsung, the Beverage Centre™ features a water dispenser, as well as drinks storage and an autofill infuser water jug which ensures there’s always cool water ready to make drinks and entertain.
  • Plumbed Dual Auto Ice Maker: below in the freezer, the dual auto ice maker produces two types of ice (cubed and ice bites) so that there’s one for every purpose.
  • Spacious Storage and Wide Shelves: find cooling space for all your items with the large range of storage options which includes tempered glass shelves, door pockets and two fresh produce drawers. Below in the freezer, both sides have shelves, one freezing box and door pockets.
  1. WESTINGHOUSE 609L QUAD DOOR FRIDGE – DARK STAINLESS STEEL

Great for growing families and couples alike, this Westinghouse 609L Quad Door Fridge is perfect for those who enjoy home cooking and prefer to have lots of space.

  • Plumbed water and ice dispenser: with an always-on water connection and easy access external control panel, everyone can access fresh and cool drinking water at a touch of a button.
  • FlexSpace™ convertible compartment: with its varied temperature range between -23°C to 7°C and 5 pre-defined settings, the FlexSpace™ can be changed to meet your needs whether you need to cool snacks, chill drinks or freeze meat.
  • Extra storage solutions like SnackZone: find more space to cool the things you love, like chocolate, fruits and nuts in the dedicated SnackZone.
  1. HAIER 492L FRENCH DOOR FRIDGE – SATINA

Ideal for small to mid-sized families, this Haier 492L French Door Fridge doesn’t compromise on function with all the must-have essentials fit for purpose.

  • MyZone Adjustable Drawer: featuring three settings, this adjustable drawer’s conditions can be changed to meet your food storage needs. For example, the drawer can be used to preserve meat and seafood or chill drinks when entertaining.
  • Non-plumbed water dispenser: the whole family can access chilled filtered water in an instant with the in-door water dispenser. Being non-plumbed, the internal water tank just needs a top up without any plumbing required.
  • Three-tier freezer drawer: the freezer drawer’s three shelves makes it easier to sort out and find your frozen items. Frequently accessed items can be housed on the top drawer, with smaller items in the centre drawer while bulk buys like meat and seafood can be placed in the deep bottom drawer.

SHOP FRIDGES

FEATURED PRODUCTS

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