American style fridges

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The 'American' styled fridge freezer corresponds to a side-by-side opening compartment design, pictured above. The main advantage of this style of appliance is the extra storage capacity they feature and their ease of use.

On a traditional fridge freezer the freezer is placed below the fridge, this design requires a person to bend down every time they need something out of the freezer. This is not ideal for someone with a bad back, has trouble bending down, or is just plain lazy.

This side-by-side opening design should not however be confused with a retro designed fridge, which take their style from the 1950's. Smeg have themselves designed an impressive range of 50’s style refrigerators, but they would be classed as 'retro' rather than 'American' in style.

Although these double door fridge freezers take their inspiration from America, they are still designed to European standards, which has a four star rating system to grade the capability of a freezer. For a break down on the rating system see below,

• 1 star : up to -6°C. Frozen food can only be stored for up to one week.
• 2 star : up to -12°C. Frozen food can only be stored for up to one month.
• 3 star : up to -18°C. Frozen food can only be stored for up to three months.
• 4 star : up to -18°C. Frozen food can only be stored for up to one year.
  

Features to look for

The features one should expect as standard on an 'American' styled fridge freezer are as follows. A selection of external electronic controls to easily alternate the temperature within the fridge and freezer. A main stay feature of this style of appliance is a crushed ice and water dispenser placed on the freezer door.

For ease of use, this makes obtaining an ice cool refreshing drink even faster, and more easily available. Quite a few models also include a built-in water filtration system, if your tap water is murky then the filter will provide clean, quality water which can last around twelve months.

When it comes to storage in the fridge, you should expect a selection of solutions, such as an adjustable humidity crisper. This will allow to store your vegetables and fruit. Also there should be another draw which is temperature controlled for fresh meats and dairy products. This draw for meats should be cooler than the rest of the fridge.

The beauty of a side-by-side freezer and fridge is that cool air can be diverted from the freezer section into the refrigerator section, therefore draws and shelves in the fridge intended to store milk or juice can receive cooler air.