And shallower, counter-depth fridges are big enough for most households. But in the looser, more common definition, a “counter-depth” fridge is a freestanding model that’s noticeably shallower Arctic King than a standard-depth fridge. You can find tons of these models for sale at any typical big-box appliance retailer, from every major brand, in most door configurations, at a range of prices.
This UL- and ENERGY STAR-certified refrigerator is quality built and made to last. The US federal government issues the certification to the most energy-efficient appliances available. The goal is to save you money on your utility bills when you choose the most efficient ENERGY STAR model. You’ll find a light blue and white ENERGY STAR logo on certified refrigerators or a yellow card that displays its efficiency with an estimate of how much it will cost you to run the mini fridge per year.
Think through what you want for capacity, shelving, and organization. These closely related qualities are highly important to most fridge owners. For higher-end models with specialized organization features (such as a door-in-door system or a two-drawer French-door model), size and layout were usually cited in more than 50% of reviews, and the sentiment was largely positive. If you find yourself in constant awe at how fast your fridge fills up, it may be time to consider investing in some extra real estate with a mini fridge. These compact appliances can suit any space and still have ample room to comfortably house everything from extra soda cans and wine bottles to leftovers and groceries.
This is basically destined to be a problem with most similar models, so it’s important to understand that you’re working with a very small, very inexpensively built appliance. If you don’t store 12-ounce cans, you might find that the can holder on the door becomes wasted space, and while most people agree that the freezer works well, some have found that temperature fluctuates above freezing. The back of the refrigerator compartment also tends to get colder, which you can use accordingly, but it can also be a nuisance. Compact and versatile as a fridge or freezer, Avanti’s Dual-Function mini fridge has a single shelf for easy storage and cleaning. Featuring a shelf, in-door storage, and a chiller, the Frigidaire 1.6-Cubic-Foot Compact Fridge has just enough room to store your mini fridge basics. Based on other mini fridges posted, this looks to be a pretty good deal.
Customer ratings for these pricier models often reach 4.7 stars out of five on Home Depot’s site, whereas the midrange models tend to earn closer to 4.4 stars. And according to our reader survey, brands that exclusively sell premium fridges have higher owner satisfaction than brands that sell fridges at a mix of prices. Whirlpool was one of the few brands that had enough survey responses about bottom-freezer models to be statistically significant, and the ratings were strong.
Looking to past performance also can’t account for changes in the way refrigerators are currently manufactured. We’ve learned from talking to manufacturers and touring appliance factories that components and processes and employees can change as often as every few weeks, yet the product’s model name remains the same. In other words, today’s fridge might not be exactly the same product as last month’s fridge, and there can be bad batches. You can spend a lot more than $4,000 on a fridge if you’d like to. At these high prices, you can find plenty of notable brands, some of which are sub-labels of the major brands, like JennAir , Monogram , Thermador and Gaggenau (both under Bosch’s parent company, BSH), and Dacor .
This allows you to keep an eye on your inventory and not have to stand there with the door open while fishing around or deciding what you want. As we mentioned earlier, the longer and more often you open your mini fridge door, the more you overwork the poor little built-in compressor, and the faster you shorten the appliance’s life. GE’s whirlpool mini refrigerator 3.1-Cubic-Foot mini fridge has a separate freezer and plenty of smartly-designated space for cans, food, and more. Normally $190, currently $150 which is pretty good for a 4.3 cubic foot mini fridge with a freezer compartment too (0.5 cubic feet). A mini fridge can absolutely be worth the cost, especially if you’re going off to college.
Earlier versions of this guide took that approach, but it never felt like the optimal way to tackle the topic, so we’re trying something different these days. And fridges come in so many different looks and layouts that we can’t pick the “best” ones. But based on a survey of more than 5,000 Wirecutter readers and an AI-assisted analysis of 28,000 customer reviews, we can give you guidance on how to find the fridge Arctic King that’s right for you. This mini fridge has a convenient 2-shelf fridge design with 1/2-width freezer compartment, reversible front door, adjustable thermostat and includes 4-can dispenser, 2-liter bottle storage and slide-out shelf. For the folks with a little bit more square footage—maybe you’re living in a small apartment off campus—this fridge is a lot roomier, but it won’t take up half the apartment.
Wine fridges have different dimensions to best fit your home and come in small, medium and large sizes. Small wine fridges typically range from 10 to 20 inches wide and have the capacity to handle anywhere from 2 to 40 bottles. Medium wine fridges are usually 24 inches in width and can hold around 40 to 100 bottles of wine depending on the model, while large fridges can span up to 70 inches in height and hold 100 to 200 bottles. If your top priority is to use as little energy as possible, check out the Energy Star Most Efficient list. The models there are the most energy-miserly fridges you can buy in the US. They’re mostly small, bland-looking top-freezer models, but the list also includes a few bottom-freezer and French-door models that are sizable and stylish.
French-door models always dominate the best-seller lists at major retailers, and they were by far the most widely liked of the most popular types in our reader survey. Most people seem to prefer this style because the layout is convenient, and possibly because it looks trendy. But any style can be a good fit for the right kitchen and owner. Some people prefer a side-by-side model’s no-bend freezer access and ample shelving.