PrintRefrigerator-freezer advice needed:
We have a vacation home which is used heavily but sporadically during the year. It goes from one to between ten-twenty people at a time and is occupied for about four months of the year. So the fridge gets heavy use for weeks at a time and then is unopened for a period of months. We like to keep it on since people drop by when they can and without much planning. And for me, I travel halfway around the world to get there and want a cold glass of wine and something I can defrost and eat when I finally arrive!
We have a Jenn-Air fridge/freezer which has been pretty much of a failure. I am looking to replace it (YEAH!!!!) and was hoping for advice. Actually I have two questions:
1) What are some good websites for reviews of major kitchen appliances, and
2) What do you look for in a fridge-freezer and what would you recommend? (Think large!)
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4 Comments:
This one has a drawer that thaws frozen meat!
http://www.bornrich.org/entry/new-sharp-refrigerator-with-thawing-mechanism/
Viking also has a beautiful 36" French Door professional refrigerator/freezer on the bottom. I don't think there is a water/ice dispenser, but some of the less expensive models do offer that feature in a smaller version of the french door. Mayta, KitchenAid, Amana, GE all have them now
PerkyMac at 11:20PM on 01/20/08
ConsumerSearch.com is a good starting place for ratings. They compile and consolidate reviews and ratings from multiple sources, addressing various purchase and need considerations.
As far as features are concerned, so much depends on your personal preferences and kitchen work style. Still... here are my own thoughts:
Bottom freezer is my preferred because I'm not in and out of it as much as the fridge. Since this is for use in a vacation home, you're even less likely to be in and out of the freezer, so that's probably worth considering.
French door is great. If they'd been available when I bought mine, I'd have gotten this feature for sure.
Because it's in a location that is frequently uninhabited I would strongly advise you to steer clear of both the automatic ice maker and the ice/water dispenser. When these things decide to malfunction, it can be a huge mess. Yes, I am speaking from my own experience, as well as that of several other family members and acquaintances. While this is not necessarily a problem in your primary home, where somebody is likely to show up and take care of it right away, it's potentially disastrous in a mostly unoccupied home.
I've heard lots of complaints -- LOTS -- about built in refrigerators. Specifically, reliability and very high cost to repair. If you were thinking along these lines, I'd say do some in-depth homework first.
Good luck!
LoCo at 12:38AM on 01/21/08
LoCo--I hear you on the ice-maker, ice/waterdispenser. That's been the culprit more than once. A block of ice forms and the freezer goes into a constant cycle of defrost. This Christmas we just turned the whole thing off. But ice in the summer is nice... what about an ice maker without dispenser? Do they make those?
Can a sub-zero hold up to these demands?
smallblondemom at 12:59AM on 01/21/08
I llove my Maytag with freezer on the bottom, it does not have a door water/ice dispenser (too many horror stories about flooding) but it has an ice maker. It is so convenient because the food is at eye level. Also, it's great looking down into the freezer. The model # is MBR2256KES, it's about two years old....love it, love it.
elaine nan at 5:44PM on 01/22/08