The Best Side by Side Refrigerator Buying Guide
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Buying a small fridge can be a big mistake because it fills up quickly. Depending on the space in the kitchen, it is always better to buy a large one, perhaps a side by side refrigerator-freezer.
Those who have a large family or want to have a large reserve stock of foods and drinks are increasingly opting for this category of refrigerators.
Side-by-side refrigerator is characterized above all by rather large dimensions and by the presence of two vertical compartments (one dedicated to the fridge section and the other to the freezer) with doors.
These appliances are traditionally very roomy and suitable for containing large quantities of food. Usually, the minimum flow rate is around 300-400 liters. These refrigerators are, therefore, the ideal solution for families or in any case for those who like to have large stocks of fresh and frozen food.
1. Editor’s Choice – Kenmore 36″ Side-by-Side Refrigerator and Freezer
2. Best Full-Sized Refrigerator – GE GSS25GMHES Side Refrigerator
3. Best Family Hub Refrigerator – SAMSUNG RS27T5200SR Side by Side Smart Refrigerator
4. Best Temperature Managing Refrigerator – Kenmore 35.5-inch Counter-Depth Refrigerator
5. Best Combination Model – Frigidaire PROFESSIONAL Refrigerator/Freezer Combo
6. Best 4-Door Side-by-side Refrigerator – Haier 16.0 Cubic Feet 4 Door Bottom Freezer Refrigerator
7. Best Versatile Refrigerator – Summit Appliance FFRF36 Side-by-Side Refrigerator and Freezer
8. Best Commercial Refrigerator – Lucky Kitchen 52″ Double Door Side By Side Refrigerator
9. Best Quiet Refrigerator – GE GZS22DSJSS Side Refrigerator
10. Best Compact Side-by-Side Refrigerator – IGLOO FR551 2-Door 5.5 Cubic Feet Side by Side Refrigerator and Freezer
The Kenmore side-by-side refrigerator comes with an indoor automatic filtered ice maker, which ensures that you will never run out of ice. The pull-out freezer drawer is automatically designed for easy access and organization.
The refrigerator has technology and design that helps keep items at separate temperatures. This makes it ideal for storing drinks, party food, and defrosting food.
Thanks to its 25 cubic feet size, the Kenmore refrigerator can hold up to 26 grocery bags. And its sleek design allows it to match any kitchen decor and increase the beauty of your kitchen.
The GE refrigerator is one of the best refrigerators with a storage capacity of 25.4 cubic feet. It has a full cooling system that cools every corner of the fridge, keeping your food fresh for hours. It is suitable for large families.
It comes with a compressor which reduces energy consumption by 50%. It features space max technology which increases the external dimension, giving you more space to store more food inside the Samsung refrigerator. It has a vegetable box to keep fruit fresh for long hours.
It has digital inverter technology that automatically adjusts its speed to meet cooling needs. It contains a deodorizing filter that eliminates odors and preserves the natural flavor of food. It has a cool or freeze function that quickly chills groceries or drinks.
A fridge has more to offer than just the capacity and the required features. Some fridges are more stylish and equipped. If you need a model that is sleek, stylish, and smart, then this is it.
Equipped with an ice maker, a water dispenser, smart technology, and made with stainless steel material that resists fingerprint, the Samsung refrigerator has everything the family needs for food and water refrigeration/freezing.
The fridge has a 27.4 cubic feet capacity, a modern design, and has all round cooling performance. It’s fingerprint-resistant and has an adjustable top shelf.
A refrigerator with 20.6 cubic ft. total capacity, is also made of stainless steel. It has an indoor water and ice dispenser that provides fresh and filtered water and ice. So, it will be an ideal option if you occasionally organize parties and would need ice for filling your coolers or for your parties and gatherings.
It has what they call the SmartSense Temperature Management. This technology works by sensing the various shift in temperature. It then adjusts back to the ideal temperature, to keep your foods cool and fresh.
It also features the CleanFlow Filter. This works by filtering and neutralizing odors, allowing fresh air to flow through the fridge. There’s also a snack storage system for keeping your meats, snacks, cheeses, as well as dips.
This refrigerator is so huge, it looks like your wardrobe! It’s a freezer and refrigerator combination model in one system. The right side is dedicated to refrigeration while the left side is for freezing. Each side has a capacity of 19 cubic feet.
The refrigerator has a stainless steel color with a glossy finish. Made by Frigidaire, it’s a standalone model with no inverter technology. It has an electronic lock and is certified by the CSA.
The 33 inches refrigerator has an indoor water dispenser, a SpaceWise organizer, CrispSeal Crispers, an EvenTemp cooling system, a door alarm, a temperature alarm, as well as a sabbath mode.
Yet another refrigerator and freezer combo model, the Haier model has up to 16 cubic feet of total capacity. It has a full-sized freezer located at the bottom. The upper section is designed for refrigeration.
The side-by-side refrigerator which is also designed like a French door model is a counter-depth product from Haier. It has a total capacity of 16 cubic feet as well as two shelves of full width, which are made from tempered glass. There are two freezer drawers and four bins that are designed to slide out. The refrigerator is designed with the Sabbath mode, which is a forced air-cooling lighting feature.
The refrigerator has an automatic defrost feature and is certified by Energy Star.
The Summit Appliance refrigerator is a small model albeit with amazing features. It has integrated digital thermostats and LED lighting. There are locks installed from the factory for security. Also, this refrigerator has a No-Frost technology.
It is a small model that is listed to meet the NSF-7 standards. It also meets the UL-471 standard which means it is certified for use in various foodservice applications. It is an energy-saving refrigerator that features a freezer compartment that works with one compressor, added to the full refrigerator.
A versatile model, it’s a two-in-one model that is designed for use in residential places. It has a flexible design and can be built into the kitchen or deployed as a freestanding model in a 36-inch wide space.
Designed for use in the restaurant, the Lucky Kitchen is a big-capacity refrigerator with 49-cubic feet capacity. Energy Star rated refrigerator, it’s an energy-efficient model that uses a compressor cooling system. The refrigerator is also certified by the NSF and the ETL.
The side-by-side model is designed internally and externally with high-grade stainless steel material. The refrigerator is built on four casters for movability. Two of the casters are designed to be locked.
There are also shelves pre-installed to let you organize your items easily. The three adjustable shelves will be able to hold a maximum of 155 pounds of items.
Perfect for most households, this is a side-by-side refrigerator with a capacity of up to 219 cubic feet. It has a lot of room needed for use by an entire family. It has spill-proof glasses which prevents huge messes from accidental spills.
There is also an ice maker installed. This helps avoid the need of filling your ice trays and ensuring a steady ice supply. The refrigerator has a very quiet operation.
There are multi-level drawers that provide the best environment needed to store vegetables and fruits. The door alarm will notify you when the door is left partially closed or open.
This small compact side-by-side refrigerator has 5.5 cubic feet of space but still managed to have a freezer. The fridge space is 3.27 cubic feet while the freezer space is 2.30 cubic feet.
The top is made of hard plastic and is very resistant to scratches. There are up to three removable and adjustable glass shelves in the fridge with an integrated door handle. There’s also of course a refrigerator light and a crisper drawer.
In this guide, we highlight the aspects that we believe are fundamental to guide the user in choosing the best appliance of this type.
In choosing the kitchen refrigerator, the first elements to be taken into consideration are undoubtedly the capacity and overall dimensions of the appliance. This is obviously important both for evaluating the refrigerator’s ability to hold food and for calculating the space it will occupy in the kitchen.
The measurements of the side-by-side models usually oscillate between 100 and 170 cm in width of the widest models, while for the height it can be up to 180-190 cm and for the depth around 70 cm. The capacity, however, varies between 350 and 600 liters.
Today, most of the side-by-side refrigerators on the market guarantee a good energy-saving capacity. In fact, they almost all start from category A, even reaching A +++. Obviously, the more the appliance belongs to a high energy class, the higher the cost of the purchase.
However, choosing this type of appliance can be considered a sort of investment as buying a refrigerator of a higher energy level guarantees a considerable saving on the electricity bill. Remember that it is an appliance that is kept on day and night.
The cooling method of refrigerators can be:
In general, the side by side models has no frost or ventilated cooling system.
The quality of the materials is an essential factor to consider while choosing the side by side refrigerator as it is a household appliance for daily use and which generally must last for several years. The most used material for side by side refrigerators is certainly stainless steel which also gives the appliance a Hitech and modern touch.
The interior, on the other hand, is made of plastic materials made specifically to withstand low temperatures and to thermally insulate the internal compartments. When buying a refrigerator, it is important to check that the cold room is smooth and without imperfections.
As for the design, compared to French door refrigerators, the side by side refrigerators are generally characterized by aesthetic impact and contemporary style. Obviously, there are different variants and colors on the market: from stainless steel to elegant black, even to the original colored models that give the kitchen a touch of liveliness.
Most modern side-by-side refrigerators are equipped with a convenient ice and water dispenser, which is much better than mini-fridges. The appliance must be connected to the domestic water supply. In this way, you can always have fresh water and ice.
Many models are also equipped with an LCD display that, once connected to the smartphone, allows for the remote control of the appliance, for example by checking the status of the food inside.
To protect the health and safety of people, many refrigerators include accessories and technology that facilitate their use and control. These are some of the most prominent examples:
Other built-in technologies which you may consider include:
If you are disturbed by the strange noises that refrigerators usually make, look for one that does not exceed 40 decibels, so it will not wake you up at night.
When choosing a refrigerator, you will find different features available in the market, among which the following stand out:
There are different containers and accessories specially designed to make the most of the space available in a refrigerator. The best known are the following:
Always look for a refrigerator with a recognized brand that guarantees its quality for most of the years of use.
The refrigerator is one of those appliances that absolutely cannot be missing in a home. It is necessary to avoid food spoiling, especially in summer, and always to have something fresh to drink.
It may seem strange, but before knowing what to do with a refrigerator (how to use it), it is important to know what not to do with it.
Pay close attention to what we are going to tell you because, when you do otherwise, there is a risk that you will have to call a technician even before using the fridge. Once the American refrigerator has been delivered to your home, do not turn it on immediately: it is categorical to wait a few hours to allow the gas to settle.
Before deciding to buy the side by side refrigerator, you evaluated the spaces, took the measurements, and made all your calculations. Perfect, you have just the right corner. Be careful, though, because the fridge must be a few centimeters away from the wall because, at the rear, there must be enough ventilation to avoid condenser problems. And its design should match your design of the kitchen island.
Some of our readers might think that we are starting from the end, but it is not like this: knowing the rules of maintenance is a preliminary aspect in our opinion. So let’s see how to clean the side by side refrigerator. Remove the idea of using any chemical detergent from your head. For cleaning to be done regularly, you can use warm water with baking soda or vinegar. We prefer the first solution because it is odorless, but both clean thoroughly.
If you have chosen to buy a large side by side refrigerator, it is because you are probably used to buying a lot of food. This does not mean that you can fill your appliance as much as possible because otherwise, the cold air will not circulate homogeneously. As a result, you will waste electricity without properly storing food.
You have prepared enough lasagna to feed an army, but the problem is that you are only two. Not bad, lasagna is delicious and even eaten the next day. But be careful not to put it in the refrigerator when it is still hot. Wait for it to cool. This rule applies to all hot or lukewarm foods.
The choice of temperature should also depend on the external one but, in broad terms, we can say that 5° can be fine, but it is important also to know how to arrange the food or beverage to make rational use of the cold produced by the fridge. If you use it to store wine, the temperature becomes vitally important. Therefore, you can have vegetables and meat in the lower part, while in the central and upper areas, you can have meats, cheeses, milk, and all those products that normally should be kept in the fridge after opening.
Also known as the American fridge, the side-by-side refrigerator is often a very large-capacity fridge that includes both a fridge and a freezer. It is also very often called a double-door “fridge” or “refrigerator”. Indeed, this large-sized fridge has two doors (or more) and comes in a larger dimension than traditionally combined fridge-freezers. A side-by-side fridge generally has a volume of 500 liters or more.
It is, therefore, able to meet the needs of a large family of more than 4 people. A refrigerator is also a household appliance often incorporating a cool water fountain and an ice cube dispenser. However, to be able to use this functionality, the device must be directly connected to a water supply. You can also find a temperature alarm, a door alarm, a digital screen, etc. However, if you want to acquire a side-by-side fridge, you will need a kitchen (or another room) spacious enough to be able to install it in the rooms in the best conditions.
Without a doubt, one of the biggest advantages of using a side-by-side fridge is its large capacity. Indeed, it allows you to keep cold a good number of food products. Among other things, you can store fruits and vegetables, meats, fish, leftover food, drinks, etc. And this in large quantities.
We think the best large model is the Frigidaire PROFESSIONAL Refrigerator/Freezer, with its 19 cubic feet capacity on each side. Then, the Lucky Kitchen 52” Double Door Side By Side Refrigerator would be suitable for those looking for a restaurant or commercial refrigerator. But overall, we think the Kenmore 36″ Side-by-Side Refrigerator and Freezer is the overall best model.
It is difficult to think of being able to live in a house without a refrigerator. It is, in fact, an indispensable appliance, which allows you to store food longer and, in the most technologically advanced versions, to offer a series of useful functions.
Among the various models on the market and made by the best brands, side-by-side refrigerators stands out for their size. They are useful when you need a lot of space in which to store a large quantity of food for the family. We have focused on creating a buying guide specifically for this model. We have seen what features an appliance of this type must have to meet your needs. So make sure you consider them before shelling out your money on them.
This post was last modified on January 11, 2022 4:56 pm