Refrigerator Buying Guide 2024: How to Choose the Best Fridge?

Isn’t it strange how refrigerators have become such an essential part of our daily life? This is because refrigerators keep you fresh, and you would be amazed to know that many features, styles, specifications, and maintenance factors influence your decision to buy a refrigerator.

With so many options on the market, choosing a new refrigerator can be overwhelming. This 2024 buying guide breaks down what features to look for when shopping for your next fridge.

Refrigerator Buying Guide 2024 – Key Considerations

Category	Things to Consider
Size and Configuration	– Width (standard 30” or 36”) – Layout (top freezer, bottom freezer, side-by-side, French door) – Measure space where the fridge will go – Ensure room to open doors/drawers fully – Organizational needs
Energy Efficiency	– ENERGY STAR certified models – New standards in 2024 for efficiency – Inverter compressor for consistent temps and savings
Smart Features	– Touchscreens – Internal cameras – Smart home connectivity – View contents remotely – Track expiration dates – Create shopping lists
Food Preservation	– Humidity-controlled crisper/meat drawers – Air filters to reduce spoilage/odors
Budget	– Under $1,000 to $10,000+ price range – Set a budget and find the right size features to meet needs

Types of Refrigerators

Few types of refrigerators suit perfectly different homes

• Counter-Depth

Counter-depth refrigerators are the best ones as they create a built-in look at an affordable price. They are freestanding but have a shallower depth and less capacity, allowing the refrigerator to fit appropriately with its surrounding cabinetry.

• Freestanding

The Freestanding refrigerators can stand alone as they have panels on both sides, which give a finished look from every angle. They are comparatively less expensive and have a cabinet depth of over 30″. These refrigerators have a larger storage capacity, too.

• Built-In Refrigerators

Built-in Refrigerators are finished on the front and fit flush with the surrounding cabinetry for a sleek, high-end look. They can be customized with wood cabinetry panels to meet the style of your kitchen.

What are the sizes of fridges?         

Full-Size – These Full-size refrigerators generally have measures of more than 30 cu. ft. of storage and 30″ to 36″ of width. Mostly all households use these full-size refrigerators.

Compact Refrigerators – These are the best refrigerators when you run out of space. It generally has about five cu. ft. of storage, best for small offices, bar areas, or small rooms.

Different Styling of Refrigerators

Now, let us look at the stylings of refrigerators that perfectly suit your kitchen needs and interior look.

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• Top-Freezer Refrigerator

These are the traditional and economical style refrigerators that come with lots of space. The freezer compartment matches the eye level and is just above the fridge. The typical users of this refrigerator consider this one as they can easily retrieve items from the freezer with less effort.

• French Door Refrigerator

These refrigerators have an eye-level fresh food compartment whose doors split in half vertically. These conserve energy, allowing one to open a smaller portion of the fridge. The end or bottom part can be either a pull-out drawer with bins or double-decker drawers.

• Side-by-Side Refrigerator

Side-by-side refrigerators come with two separate split compartments for frozen and fresh foods, which are next to each other. The split design is exceptionally dedicated to providing more shelves for storing your food. These refrigerators generally have more space than the average ones.

• Bottom-Freezer Refrigerators

Bottom-freezer refrigerators provide a traditional style, and the compartment is situated below the fresh food compartment, conveniently placing the new food at eye level.

• All In One

These refrigerators only provide fresh food cooling, and no freezer compartment exists. The style is usually purchased in conjunction with an all-freezer unit, which offers more storage space for fresh and frozen foods.

• All Freezers

These are only for frozen foods. They are generally the built-in freezer columns and all-refrigerator units or may stand alone for additional frozen storage space.

• Upright Freezers

This looks similar to regular refrigerators. Also, it has shelves and baskets, making frozen foods easier to organize and access.

• Under-Counter Freezer

Chest Freezers are small freezers that fit beneath the kitchen counter and usually have less than six cu—ft storage capacity.

• Chest Freezers

Chest freezers offer more storage than upright freezers as they open from the top. This is the reason why they can store bulkier food items.

Features of different types of Refrigerators

1. Flex-Zone

This Flex-zone compartment has flexible food storage options with multiple temperature settings, generally 4.

2. Air- Filtration

This Air-filtration system keeps the refrigerator odor-free by neutralizing the bacteria present.

3. Sliding Selves

These selves make access easy to all the items that are typically out of reach and also make space for tall items.

The specialty of different types of Refrigerators

• Wine Cooler

These Wine coolers are also known as “wine refrigerators.” These coolers are designed for true wine enthusiasts. These refrigerators keep wine safe from harmful UV rays and prevent premature aging by maintaining the temperature through excessive heat.

• Freestanding

These wine coolers are designed with flexibility and mobility as these are stored at your house so that you can move these coolers according to your needs from one room to another.

How to measure the size of your refrigerator?

• Height

You need to measure from the floor to the top of the hinge.

• Depth

This should include the condenser coils as much as possible, not the doors/handles.

• Width

This must add the door depth to the refrigerator depth to allow for an open-door measure.

Refrigerator Installation

• Transportation

Keep your refrigerators upright and use padded dolly blankets to protect them when transporting them.

• Location

Install your refrigerator at a place with a temperature between 55F to 110F and should be adjacent to a heat source.

• Electrical Power

Use a 115-volt grounded receptacle.

• Water Supply

Ensure that a water supply is connected to the intel, which should not leak on the supply connection or the appliance’s intel connection.

• Positioning

Place carpet strips under the legs of the refrigerator to slide it safely into place.

Maintenance Tips

• Replace the Water Filter

You should change your water filter every six months to avoid a foul taste in your ice and water. It can be unsafe to use the same water filter for too long.

• Clean the interior weekly

You can use a water and vinegar mixture to clean the door seals, using a toothbrush and scrubbing gently. This should be done weekly to keep the interior fresh.

• Adjustable Selves

These doors save self-space, and some models can also fit gallon jugs.

• Keurig K-Cup

This is unique to GE; this not only dispenses hot water for tea allows includes all accessories that will enable you to enjoy your favorite beverage selections by Keurig right from your refrigerator door.

Conclusion

With these key considerations in mind, evaluate the latest refrigerator models for 2024 and choose the best one to meet your family’s needs. Look for innovations in size, technology, food storage, and energy savings when you shop.

You can also visit the 2024 refrigerator buying guides from leading brands, including GE, Samsung, Frigidaire, and Whirlpool. These guides allow shoppers to directly compare key features, configurations, and pricing across different models. This makes determining which fridge best suits your needs and budget easier.