I bought a new fridge freezer recently. It was tricky because of limited width, but I’m happy with the Bosch I chose (it was on special). Freezer’s at the bottom, with drawers, which I’ve grown to appreciate. I was also dubious about the bigger veggie drawer, but actually it’s great.

Smart/App:

1. Ignore the App and “buhuuu smarrrtt bad”!warning here and rather look at the brand more exactly and do your own due diligence. Is a cloud app bad? Yes,maybe. (But tbh, the amount of information given out is somewhat negligible here) BSH (Bosch-Siemens Hausgeräte, incl. Neff and Gagenau) offers HomeConnect that at least is within GDPR reach. Even better: If you already have a Home Assistant instance running there is a “Home Connect local” integration that,well, gives you the important benefits while keeping it local. Liebherr offers the “Smart Box” as an upgrade that your install yourself,but as far as I know there is no proper way to keep it offline. But Liebherr has a fair share of privacy certifications at least (and a lot to loose as loosing them for their “sidemarket” of household cooling appliances and thereby fucking over their professional market would really bite them…not that that is a guarantee, but…maybe it helps…

There are a few Asian brands that work with Tuya (which is a data security/privacy nightmare) but also support Tuya local (without cloud).

The information security risk for these solutions,especially when using proper network segmentation (which is easily done - if you aren’t into IT then get a Omada combined router and be done in 1h)… Last but not least: You can of course smarten up your fridge yourself. Get a binary door opening sensor, wireless temperature probe and most importantly a power measuring plug (Nous A1T are Tasmota based and cheap) so you can find out early if your device fucks up.

Besides that’Considering the energy prices here get the most efficient one you can afford. It will get amortization sooner than you think.

I had one with a bottom freezer and also a side by side and hated them both. A traditional top door freezer really is the best.

In my experience side by sides are the least efficient use of their space. Its hard to stack most frozen foods up tall and narrow because they slide around and will slide out the front every time you open the door. Freezer top or freezer bottom units can be packed a lot more efficiently since it maximizes horizontal space and I vastly prefer them.

“Nothing smart” is the only other appliance rule.

Something that works without WiFi.

We switched from side-by-side to a pullout drawer freezer on bottom and could not be happier. Side-by-side really limits your storage space, whereas top and bottom units allow you to store larger or unusually shaped things. And having the freezer in a drawer is clutch, way better than having it on top

It’s worth it to pay extra for anything that doesn’t need an app or WiFi connectivity.

Those are huge red flags. Avoid anything “smart” like the plauge.

Appliances with “smart features” are simply scraping your whole home, not just your phone, for data to sell to advertisers. Very often the app or even the company won’t outlive the appliance itself, so as happens frequently, in 2 years you’ll be stuck with a perfectly workable appliance that refuses to work because some server in China went offline.

Liebherr is European and good. Expensive though.

Depth is the measurement most forget, check it fits. A deeper one is a good way to get more capacity.

Make a decision on your fridge freezer split. I do a lot of batch cooking, so went for 50/50 to get more room in the freezer.

If you’re interested in energy efficiency, here’s a great video from Technology Connections!

Yes the headline is about chest freezers, but he just uses that as an example of highest possible efficiency before getting into other design of fridge/freezers

Size: height depth width… Can be easy to miss one dimension. Energy rating - obvious reasons Noise depending on the room it’s in Ergonomics - can you reach all the bits you need to… Imagine filling it with your weekly shop. - better energy rating=more insulation=less space. Doors can generally be reversed, but check. Some FFs have two compressor circuits, others only one. Can be important if keeping it in a garage. Do you need a water cooler/ice maker thing? More to clean, more to go wrong. YOUR FRIDGE DOES NOT NEED AN INTERNET CONNECTION Nor does it need funky windows & stuff Self defrost is a must. We spent ages discussing colour, now you can barely see it behind pictures & papers etc.

Think " is this a useful feature for me, or is it marketing fluff? "

Finally, while a fridge should be a long term purchase, is just a box that gets cold. Don’t lose sleep over it.

This is not helpful but I just want to kvetch. It seems like any appliances you buy nowadays are just so shitty compared to even ten years ago. Even brands that have long been reliable are so hit or miss. I have a mini-fridge that’s almost 30 years old and still works fine. I keep being tempted to buy one with a better freezer or that’s more energy-efficient but I worry it would kick the bucket and be unrepairable within 5 years.

Don’t get an in-door ice maker. If you have to have an ice maker, have it internal to the unit.

Check out what maintenance you need to do before you buy it, and how easy the maintenance will be given the space you’re putting the unit into. Like, if it’s a tight fit and surrounded on three sides, cleaning the coils might be problematic, etc.

Fridge ice machines always break first. Just don’t buy such a headache. Silicon ice cube trays are fine I don’t really get how the ice machine is all that much more convenient. You have to clean them too which IMO undoes the few seconds saved not filling an ice cube tray once a week. They can also jam with fused cubes, what a PITA!

I’ve always went with the freezer compartment below, and the fridge “on top”.

It’s just so much more convenient.

Also, go with ventilated cold if you can, there is zero ice buildup and no “cold corners” (like you find out the salad just froze in the fridge because it was stuck against one of the cold walls) with that system.

Good luck!

If you want an ice maker do NOT get an in door model. Those will freeze up and break non-stop. Get a top fridge/bottom freezer with ice maker in the freezer. There is less of a thaw freeze cycle in the integrated cube maker vs the in door version. That’s what breaks in door ice makers.