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American Fridge Freezer Buying Guide
American style multi door fridge freezers come in a variety of sizes and configurations to match your style, from the classic side by sides, to French Doors and sleek high-end models.
American-style fridge freezers make a real statement. They’re wider than standard fridge freezers, thanks to side-by-side doors that open outwards, and the extra-large freezer capacities. They range from 70cm to over 90cm in width.
Side by Side
The Side by Side set up is the classic American Fridge Freezer design and provides access to both an upright fridge and freezer behind two full-length doors. This style boasts a large interior with storage shelves and compartments in the doors. You will get a tall fridge on the right and a tall freezer on the left. Open either door for easily accessible food storage and flexible shelving that can be adjusted to the type of food you keep in the house most often.
The side by side style limits bending down as you can see everything in an upright position. There is also less need to rummage through the freezer drawers to investigate the contents as much of the interior is made up of open shelving, giving you easy access to frozen food whenever you need it.
French Door
French Door fridge freezers combine a freezer drawer-style system at the bottom with a double door fridge at the top. This design provides full width storage space throughout and eye level access to the fridge contents.
This style is perfect for families who want plenty of fresh food storage space and need easy access to everything inside their fridge. The doors open wide for easy unloading when you get the shopping home and for at a glance pre-dinner browsing.
The freezer drawers on these models pull out smoothly so you can see everything inside that compartment and quickly find the item you need. This is perfect for people who easily forget what is at the back of the freezer, want better frozen food organisation and easy access to long term food storage.
Four Door
The Four Door set up has a large double door fridge at the top, and a slightly smaller double door freezer at the bottom. Similar to the French door design, you’ll get easy access to the large fridge compartment for all your fresh food. This style is also sometimes referred to as a "Multi Door" design./p>
The four doors give you direct access to the part of the fridge or freezer that you need and streamlined handles or recessed door openers run the height of the appliance for a completely streamlined and stylish finish.
The immediate convenience of the Four Door design is how easily you can access any quarter of the fridge freezer without having to open wider doors fully, so you don't lose cool air in the process - saving you money on your energy bills.
Measuring Up
American fridge freezers are one of the bulkiest and heaviest home appliances you can buy. It's therefore important that you make sure you choose the right width and that it’ll definitely fit through your door.
Before you buy, check the space around where your fridge freezer will go. Will you be able to open the doors without hitting cabinets or walls? If it has large freezer drawers, can they be accessed easily? Always take your measurements in millimetres and compare them with the dimensions of your chosen appliance. A lot of brands provide detailed diagrams of the measurements, including the door clearances. It's also worth remembering that most American style fridge freezers are made with a larger depth than the standard kitchen worktop. This is to allow clearance for the appliance's doors.
If you’ve chosen a plumbed in model, you’ll need access to a water supply, which needs to be within 5 metres of the appliance to ensure it works efficiently.
You'll also need to make sure that you new fridge freezer will actually get into your property upon delivery. Measure your doorways, corridors and any tight spots like corners that may be tricky. You can take the doors off to get it through if necessary.
Ice and Water Dispensers
You may notice when browsing American Fridge Freezers that many of them are described as Plumbed or Non-Plumbed. This is because a lot of American fridge freezers feature water and ice dispensers, and some will need plumbing into a water supply, whereas others instead have a water tank or reservoir that you’ll need to fill up every now and then.
If you're looking for a fridge freezer with an ice and water dispenser, you will need to decide whether or not you want it to be plumbed. If you do decide to opt for a Plumbed model, make sure your new fridge freezer is within 5 metres of your water supply in order for the dispenser to work properly. All Plumbed models offer ice and water. Non Plumbed models offer either ice and water, or water only.
American Fridge and Freezer Features
Unless you're buying new appliances on a regular basis, you might not be familiar with the latest design and technology developments. AEGs' refrigeration models are packed with features designed to save time and energy and are designed to keep your food fresher for longer. A lot of the functions and technology seen on their models is unique to their brand, or is their special take on a popular feature.
Frost Free Technology
You never have to worry about defrosting the freezer with an American style model as all of them feature Frost Free technology. This clever feature prevents the formation of ice in the freezer. Some models also feature Total No Frost which also stops ice and moisture building up in the fridge as well as the freezer, so your fresh food is kept fresher for longer.
Built In Cameras
Some American fridge freezers come with built-in cameras so you can see what you have at home when you’re at the shop. The camera will take regular pictures of what’s inside your fridge and send them directly to your smartphone through an accompanying app. So, you can easily check whether you need to pick up that pint of milk on your way home.
Built In Wine Storage
Some more luxurious models feature a separate compartment or drawer specially designed for easy wine storage. These models, available from brands such as Liebherr and Siemens, are on the more expensive side but they do provide an all-in-one cooling solution so you don't have to make room for and buy a separate wine cooler.
In-Door Viewing Panels
American fridge freezers with glass panels let you see what’s inside without having to open the door. Some models will light up the fridge when you knock on the glass panel so you can see exactly what you’ve got without letting cool air escape. In particular, LG and Samsung both offer popular and attractive fridge freezers.
Duo Cooling
Twin or Duo Cooling uses two cooling systems, one for the fridge, and one for the freezer. This method keeps your food in each compartment fresher for longer. This is because the air in the freezer needs to be dry, while the air in your fridge needs to be wetter. Plus, you won’t have to worry about smells mixing between both sections.
Super Cooling and Super Freezing
Enjoy a rapid cooling performance. At the touch of a button found on the display panel, Super Cooling blows intensely cold air into the fridge to quickly cool your groceries or favorite drinks. Super Freezing delivers a fast blast of cold air into the freezer. Both of these clever functions are featured on many American fridge freezers.