Because they can dramatically improve your day-to-day, appliances are not only the biggest financial investment you’ll make in your kitchen, they’re also the most critical. Base them on the needs of your life: Do you never have enough oven space? Are you constantly reaching to the top of the fridge for little kids? Choose your appliances well, and you’ll never want to replace them.
Finding the right model is the first step towards reducing food waste. In addition to food-preserving technology, look for one with LED lights, pull-out compartments, and a shallow shape (if you can your food, you’re more likely to it).
Top Freezer
Let us guess: Your last rental apartment had one of these? The classic style has gotten a recent boost from companies like Big Chill and Smeg, whose compact, retro-inspired models are great options for small spaces. bigchill.com, smegusa.com.
Bottom Freezer
One of the most popular options, these often have a pull- out freezer drawer to make the contents accessible. A range of sizes are available: Liebherr’s 24" model has BioFresh technology, which will keep your produce crisp for longer, and KitchenAid offers a 33" version. liebherr.com, kitchenaid.com.
Side-By-Side
This combo is often seen as a built-in. Brands like JennAir have 42" and 48" versions with “theater” lighting to enhance the food inside. For even more built-in customization, try freestanding fridge and freezer columns, like those from Hestan. jennair.com, hestan.com.
French Door
A cult favorite, this style works great in narrow spaces because it’s shallow, making it easy to see all your food inside (on the flip side, that can mean less storage than other models). Samsung’s Chef Collection also has a camera that links to your smartphone, so you’ll know if you’re low on milk. samsung.com.
Multiple Units
Riffs on the French-door style can have a bonus drawer that’s often customizable: Signature Kitchen Suite’s built-in version has a top drawer that can be set to a range of temperatures, from pantry to freezer. signaturekitchensuite.com.
Next-Level Refrigeration
These new offerings are about to change the game.
Blast Chillers
Farmers' market fans rejoice! The Irinox flash-chills and -freezes fresh foods, maintaining nutritional value so you can enjoy them year-round. irinoxhomeusa.com.
Specialty Ice Makers
U-Line’s Nugget ice makers have five settings, ranging from chewable to compacted, for every drink craving. u-line.com
Herb Cultivators
By automatically watering your microgreens and herbs, the Urban Cultivator keeps them perky— no windowsill required. urbancultivator.net.
Kitchens are Getting Smarter
Imagine this: Your fridge knows what products are inside it and suggests what to make based on those expiration dates. Then it sends that recipe (say, for lasagna) to your oven, and tells your dishwasher to prepare for a heavy wash. Major manufacturers are working toward a more convenient future.
Hate a Huge Fridge?
If your food storage style is more snacks and beverages, or you shop for fresh ingredients daily rather than making a giant weekly Costco run, you might want to go with an under-counter, drawer-style refrigerator. They take up no visual space, neatly tucking into an existing island or wall of cabinetry.
The Best Built-In Refrigerators You Can Buy in 2022
This fridge's sleek four-door design will look stunning in any kitchen, and it has some great functional features, too. The Beverage Center features both a water dispenser and AutoFill Water Pitcher. The ice maker produces two types of ice. Not to mention, you can customize the lower-right storage space to be a refrigerator or freezer.
LG Studio Wifi-Enabled Side-by-Side Built-In Refrigerator
With an ultra-large capacity of 26.5 cubic feet, this wifi-enabled fridge also includes a tall ice and water dispenser, adjustable door storage, maximized freezer space (thanks to the dispenser being in the door), and a door alarm.
PrintShield Side-by-Side Built-In Refrigerator
KitchenAid
kitchenaid.com
$11,199.00
You know KitchenAid for their iconic stand mixers, but their refrigerators are worth checking out, too. In sleek black stainless, this 48-inch-wide built-in option has tons of storage room, plus a produce preserver and PrintShield finish to keep fingerprint smudges at bay.
Bosch Benchmark Smart Counter Depth French Door Built-In Refrigerator
With three adjustable glass shelves, temperature-controlled drawers, LED lighting, and Wi-Fi capabilities, this nearly 36-inch wide smart fridge is sure to impress. It also comes with an internal ice maker and AirFresh filter. Plus, you can put it in vacation or eco modes.
Dacor Professional French Door Built-In Refrigerator
This sleek panel-ready 36-inch built-in fridge comes in two shades of stainless steel, with both Precise (for maintaining minimal temperature fluctuation) and Double Cooling Technology (to keep the moist refrigerator air from mixing with the dry freezer air) for impressive food preservation. The 3D lighting feature on this environment-friendly option is an added bonus!
Sub-Zero PRO Glass-Door Built-In Refrigerator/Freezer
This option from Sub-Zero is the ultimate in fridges. At 48 inches wide, with a glass door (perfect for knowing exactly what you've got on-hand!) along with two fridge drawers and two freezer drawers, this is the most storage—and organization—you could hope for.
Viking Professional 5 Series Bottom Freezer Built-In Refrigerator
This 36-inch bottom-freezer refrigerator features spill-proof shelves, a built-in filterless Plasmacluster Ion Air Purifier, metal door shelves (sturdier and longer-lasting than plastic!), and soft-close drawers with adjustable humidity. Plus, you can customize the panel to blend right in with your cabinets.
This may look like your average side-by-side built-in fridge from the outside, but behind that stainless steel is actually an obsidian black interior. It's about as cool and sleek as it gets, not to mention it also has multi-point LED theater lighting, a door-mounted ice dispenser, a produce preserver, and more.
BlueStar PRO French Door Built-In Refrigerator
This 36-inch option is fully equipped with celeb chef-approved features, but that's not all—the coolest thing about this built-in fridge is you can customize it in hundreds of colors, from the panels to the handles and more. BlueStar will even do custom color-matching for you, if there's a shade you just have to have—or you want to coordinate with your cabinets.
Another custom panel option, this 36-inch refrigerator has sleek glass-front metal door bins, aluminum-trimmed shelves, easy-to-reach temperature controls, and a large, full-extension freezer drawer for extra storage and easier access.
Liebherr Built-In Fridge-Freezer with NoFrost
NoFrost technology ensures that your frozen food remains ice-free in this 36-inch built-in refrigerator with SuperQuiet technology. Plus, the door has gallon storage, and its GlassLine shelves are dishwasher safe, scratch-resistant, and space-saving.
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