How to buy a fridge you won't hate
Maybe you need a new fridge or maybe you're just sick of the one you already have.
Either way shopping for a new refrigerator can be a daunting task.
But don't worry we're here to help.
Now before you start shopping you're going to want to get out the tape measure and check how much space you actually have in your kitchen.
Those width and depth and height measurements will go a long way to help narrow down your options.
You'll also wanna get familiar with the four main refrigerator styles.
Top freezers, bottom freezers, side-by-sides, and French door fridges.
If you just want a simple value then a top or bottom freezer might be your best bet.
You can get a really good one for roughly the same price as an entry level side-by-side or French door model.
Those side by sides and french doors are the more popular, fashionable choices though.
And they also boast more features than top or bottom freezers plus, as popular as they are, you'll find plenty of options to choose from.
To pick one out you'll wanna look for a fridge that matches the kitchen aesthetic your going for and you'll wanna be sure that it's big enough for your needs too.
A good rule of thumb is to pick out a fridge that has at least four to six cubic feet of storage space for each member of your household plus a few extra cubic feet of wiggle room.
Once you've got a good general sense of what kind of fridge you want and how much fridge you actually need, you'll want to start thinking about features Many of the newest models try to stick some extra utilities into the old ice box.
Everything from built in coffee makers to built in cameras.
And note isn't always easy to separate the gimmicks from the good stuff.
For my money, I'm a fan of features that make it easier to actually store things in the fridge.
And shelves like this one Slide back or fold up out of the way can be a nice help in that regard.
I also think that temperature adjustable drawers like this one, with their own presets, can be a nice luxury to look for if you want something feature rich.
Just make sure that you aren't buying features just for the sake of having features.
At the end of the day, nobody cares about the bells and whistles in your refrigerator.
All that matters is that those bells an whistle make sense to you.
As for smart fridges, expect to see more and more of them in the coming years.
Some have big flashy touch screens like this one here, loaded with fridge apps for things like Recipe support or ticking timers.
Other smart fridges are a lot more subtle.
They will have things like built-in smart-grid support or Bluetooth speakers.
Those kinds of connected features probably don't justify the extra expense on their own just yet.
But if your dream kitchen includes a flagship smart fridge.
Like the Samsung Family Hub or the LG Smart InstaView Refrigerator,
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Don't let me stop you from splurging.
They definitely do not come cheap but these are also top-of-the-line fridges that we're talking about.
One last tip, don't forget about performance.
It's not the kind of thing you can just look for as you're out on the show floor.
So you'll need to check out in-depth reviews, like the ones we post here on CNET.
Those will help you make a more informed decision and if you do your homework, you'll be able to pick out a fridge that you love for years to come.
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