Online Shopping - Buyers Guide For Refrigeration

The whole point of refrigerating and freezing is to prolong the safe-storage of food. Depending on lifestyle and eating habits you will have different requirements, and you will probably be limited in your choice by the space available in your kitchen or pantry. Style and colour is more prevalent in when making a decision towards which appliance you buy allowing you to personalise your kitchen.

REFRIGERATION - TYPE AND SPACE

You may now choose from five basic types of refrigeration appliances:

Fridge-freezers
Larder refrigerators (refrigerating space only)
Standard refrigerators (with a small freezer compartment)
Upright freezers
Chest freezers

Shopping Habits
If you tend to do one big weekly shop, buying larger packet sizes you are more likely to need a large capacity unit. Similarly if you do a monthly shop you will probably need a large freezer unit.

Eating Habits
The amount of fresh food, cooked / chilled meals and frozen food you buy will also be a key factor in which refrigeration appliance will best suit your needs.

Size of Family
If you have young children then it is likely that you will require a larger freezer space.

Style and Design
Space is a key factor. If space is limited then an upright fridge freezer or fridge is likely to be the best solution. Certain appliances can also be stored in the garage, but you will need to check the suitability of individual models. (See Climate Classification)

REFRIGERATION - PRATICAL FEATURES AND BENEFITS

Functionality and practical internal and external features will still be an overriding consideration for you. You will need to consider if the layout inside the fridge and freezer will accommodate the quantity and type of food and beverages that you buy.

REFRIGERATORS

There are two types of refrigerator; the larder fridge and the standard fridge, the latter coming with a small icebox. A larder fridge has more space than the standard fridge and is probably most suitable to someone who has a separate freezer.

REFRIGERATOR FEATURES

Automatic Defrost
The fridge cabinet is defrosted automatically without having to switch the appliance off. The defrosted water drips down the back of the cabinet where it is collected and allowed to evaporate outside the appliance. This facility is found on many refrigerators, although some can only be defrosted manually.

Temperature
Most fridges have an interior temperature of between 5 and 7 degrees Celsius. An internal dial usually controls the temperature. Some fridges have an electronic control where you select the temperature and the fridge will maintain it. Some fridges have a fan located at the rear to keep the air circulating to maintain even temperatures. The ideal temperature is 5 degrees Celsius as bacterial activity is low at this temperature.

Zoned Cooling
Inside the refrigerator cabinet different areas have different temperatures. This is beneficial because different foods have different optimum storage temperatures.

Other Refrigeration Features:

Interior Lights
Adjustable shelving (solid/tilting)
Flexible door furniture - bottle grippers
Shaped Shelves - for bottles
Beverage Accessories - drinks dispensers, ice makers
Can holders
Salad Drawer

REFRIGERATION - FREEZERS

There are three types of freezer available: the worktop-height freezer, which often sits side by side with a matching fridge; the upright freezer and the chest freezer.

Fridge-freezers comprise a larder fridge and a freezer. Whilst all sorts of fridge-freezer combinations are available the most popular is half and half with a freezer at the top or bottom. The most used cabinet should be on the top for easier access.

Freezer Temperature
All stand-alone freezers and freezer sections of two door fridges are rated 4 star. Most freezer boxes in standard fridges are rated one, two or three star although there are some four star. A four star freezer stores food at -18 degrees Celsius and can fast freeze food at -26 degrees Celsius.

Frost Free Freezing
This freezing system can be found on freezers, refrigerators and fridge freezers. A fan blows air over the evaporator to chill the air, which is then circulated around the cabinet preventing the build up of moisture on food or walls. The moist air then collects on an evaporator plate as ice. This ice melts intermittently and is allowed to run down the back of the appliance, where it gathers in a reservoir at the back. The heat from the appliance causes the moisture to evaporate into the room. Frost-free freezing has several benefits:

No need to defrost the appliance manually
Optimises storage space
Food labels are easier to read
Packages do not stick together
Operational temperatures are regulated more effectively
Food freezes faster
Make appliance more economical to run

Two-Compressor Fridge Freezers
Although a fridge freezer with two independently controlled compressors is more expensive, it will over several important benefits.

Reduces the risk of the freezer defrosting if the ambient temperature drops, especially if they are stored in a garage or outhouse.
You can defrost one, while the other is still on.
You can switch off the fridge, but leave the freezer on while on holiday.

FREEZER FEATURES

Electronic Freezer Features
Beneficial electronic features available on some freezers are also things to consider these features indicate:

The operating temperature.
Warn of technical faults if the door is left open or if defrosting is occurring.
Safe storage period - this is how long it is safe to store food in case of power failure.

Other Freezer Features:

Transparent drawers to allow quick access to food.
Fuzzy logic - this uses intelligent electronics to manage the freezer temperature to within 1 degree Celsius of the required level.

AMERICAN REFRIGERATION APPLIANCES

American fridge freezers generally have the fridge and freezer side by side and they are wider and deeper with much larger capacities.

CLIMATE CLASSIFICATION

If you wish to store your refrigerating appliance in the garage or a holiday home that is not used in the winter months then you will have to choose a suitable product. Refrigeration appliances are classified according to the climate condition within which it will operate effectively. There are 2 main refrigeration classifications:

N (Normal):- Suitable for ambient (room) temperatures from +16 to 32 degrees Celsius.
SN (Sub Normal):- Suitable for use in ambient temperatures +10 to 32 degrees Celsius.

CFC AND HCFC FREE REFRIGERATION

CFC:- All refrigeration appliances manufactured after January 1995 are CFC free. The insulating foam in refrigeration appliances is now blown with pentane instead of the CFC containing R11 as it was known.

HCFC:- Most refrigeration appliance manufacturers now use CFC free R134a for the coolant. However this contains HCFC's which although not ozone depleting are a greenhouse gas. More manufacturers now use a new coolant called R600a. This is CFC and HCFC free.

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