Sat - January 15, 2005

new fridge thoughts



We just (yesterday!) replaced a large-ish Amana bottom-mount freezer with the 25cf LG French Door model. This door configuration (with smaller clearances required to open doors) will improve the layout in our planned kitchen remodel.

Since I already had a bottom-mount freezer, that part isn't so different - except this one has the bottom shelf connected to the door (my old freezer did not). It looks deeper and I fear losing things, but I haven't moved into the freezer yet so won't comment on that.

The interior shelves slide out - I am going to make the effort to use that feature. The deli shelf is intriguing, and seems more functional than the 5-inch deep half-width deli drawer we had before although it is kind of annoying that we have to open both doors to put away a block of cheese.

My main complaint after 1 day of use: the old Amana had 1 full-width and 6 half-width door shelves, with spacers about 2 inches apart, for an amazing array of configuration options. In our new LG, only the middle shelf on each side is adjustable, and there are only 3 places for it to go. Things I've gotten used to having on the door, no longer fit, so I need to rethink my fridge organization. I'm sure I will get over it, but that's my first impression. Take home message: take a good look at the door storage configuration!

One more thing: we were prone to overloading our produce drawers during certain parts of the summer. The plastic shelf supports in our previous Amana cracked in the past year or two and had to be replaced. (Fridge was maybe 10 years old then.) When i was looking at refrigerators, it seems like most has metal brackets for standard shelves, but some were using plastic for the produce drawer runner supports. Pay attention to that feature.

Posted at 01:15 AM     Read More  


Wed - January 12, 2005

Purchase



Bought LG 25cf French Door refrigerator , white, model LRFC25750
Best Buy, 12/31/2004.

Posted at 11:45 PM     Read More  


Fri - August 20, 2004

chalkboard panel



Chalkboard panels for refrigerator from Frigo Designs.

or alternative:
Another idea: my refrigerator is at the end of the cabinet run with the side facing the dining area. My cabinetmaker is installing a floor to ceiling metal panel on that side painted in chalkboard paint (you can buy the paint anywhere - HD, Lowe's, TrueValue) and trimmed in molding. If for layout reasons your panel needs to be on the front of the refrigerator, it's pretty easy to do yourself (or have your cabinetmaker do) with sheet metal and molding. You could even apply/insert just the painted sheet metal to existing cabinet doors or appliance paneling. Such fun!

Our fridge will be in the alcove so this wouldn't work, but we could do it on the side of the bookcase...

Posted at 10:56 PM     Read More  


Wed - May 12, 2004

U-Line drawer refrigerators



See them here - not much capacity, though! Apparently GE has a wider model in the Monogram line, for a slightly lower price.

Posted at 10:49 PM     Read More  


Thu - April 29, 2004

chalkboard fridge panel!



This is cool - a chalkboard panel on a fridge ! (but where do you store the chalk??)

Posted at 03:47 PM     Read More  


Tue - April 6, 2004

fridge drawers



GE makes one now, see it here: http://www.universal-akb.com/24gemododrre1.html
Other brands: U-Line, Marvel, SubZero

There's also a Sanyo model: http://www.universal-akb.com/61cusaburesr.html
"6.1 cf Sanyo Built-in Refrigerator, SR-6100"
Sanyo web site: http://www.sanyo.com/appliances/refrigerators/index.cfm?productID=423

And one from Summit (glass doors, though): http://www.discountmaven.com/discountmaven/scr600bi.html
"Summit SCR-600BI Summit Undercounter Refrigerator with fan for built-in use"
Summit web site: http://www.summitappliance.com/

Posted at 02:26 PM     Read More  


Mon - April 5, 2004

Three door (aka "french door") refrigerators



Three door fridge - less space needed to open the fridge doors!

Announcement about a model from LG - and here's the product info page
Announcement from Maytag about Jenn-Air and Amana models

Posted at 02:25 PM     Read More  


Tue - March 30, 2004

auto defrost



I kind of despise the auto-defrost feature and what it does to food, so I wonder: does anybody make a freezer without auto-defrost??

Posted at 11:30 PM     Read More  

Capacity



"A capacity of 6cf is thought to be adequate for two people; add at least 1.5 cf for each extra person." (Kitchen Planner, p 76). Is this realistic?? Do they just mean fridge not freezer??

Posted at 11:29 PM     Read More  


Fri - March 26, 2004

All Fridge



Whirlpool makes this thing calleed the "all fridge " - no freezer! And apparently some manufacturers sell separate pieces, an "all fridge" next to an "all freezer." Not sure we would need to go that far, but once these boys start eating us out of house and home, maybe we could add an "all fridge" !

Posted at 10:25 PM     Read More  


Mon - February 9, 2004

Location and styles



The Kitchen Planner mentions putting fridge near door, "so that groceries can be brought in and unpacked easily." But seems like you need counter there instead. Plus, it doesn't seem like it will work easily with our arrangement.

Posted at 12:03 AM     Read More  


Sun - February 8, 2004

Drawer refrigeration



Matthew mentioned drawer-style refrigeration. I'd never seen or heard of it and thought it was a bizarre idea. But I've seen quite a few examples in The Kitchen Planner now, and it's starting to grow on me. I think it would be nice to have one in the island, to use primarily for produce in the summer. Matthew disagrees and thinks that "overflow" should be in basement (but ugh, having to trudge up and down stairs to get it - it needs to be handy!). Will we come to a resolution? Stay tuned!

#2 on p 38, also page 55, p 56, probably others The Kitchen Planner. Page 55 says "if space allows, keep fruit and vegetables in chiller drawers beneath the food preparation area." Does anybody but Sub-Zero make them? If we aren't doing an island, does this still make sense? Probably not.

"Vegetables stay fresh if they are stored in well-ventilated containers, such as these wooden-framed, mesh drawers, installed beneath the food preparation area." I've never seen such a thing! That would be an alternative to the fridge drawer. Would it work in a standard "room temperature" room or does it need to be in something more like a (slightly cooler) larder? (Kitchen Planner, p 56) Could we make our own?

Posted at 11:29 PM     Read More  


Thu - February 5, 2004

best non-subzero fridge?



http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0118135215561.html?24

We bought the Amana ARB9059 bottom-freezer 36" (cabinet depth) last year and we're very happy with it. It has filtered water on the inside of the refrigerator compartment (and an icemaker in the freezer drawer). It's a perfect size for the 2 of us, but you may find it small if you have kids. It looks like a built-in but it's $thousands less. We bought it online for $1590.

Also saw recommendation for Viking (cost in between Amana and Subzero), although elsewhere read that Viking doesn't have good quality assurance.

Posted at 03:57 PM     Read More  

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