What Size Fridge For A Family of 4?

[ny96]

When we moved into a current house we knew that we were going to remodel the kitchen and therefore bought a cheap 18 cu ft refrigerator and one of the things I hate about it is that it’s small and hard to organize. In looking at new fridges I’m trying to figure out whether I’m being too unrealistic in thinking that an extra cu ft or 2 will make a real difference, or if my real issue is the way the fridge is laid out and organized?

[ellipses84]

I think it’s both and I can never decide what type I like best. Maybe freezer on the bottom with a top freezer tray and French doors on top with good, big compartments and drawers. An ice maker is my biggest wish. Freezer on one side / fridge in the other aren’t wide enough for large trays, but it could work if you put your standard fridge in a garage to use for that.

[libbygrl109]

I think it is a little of both. I did some reorganizing with our old fridge, and it made a little bit of a difference, but not much. We decided to go up in size for our kitchen remodel. We went from 21 or 22 to 27. There's only 3 of us, but I have a teenage boy and a baking business, so we wanted more flexibility in storage. We are still waiting for it to be installed (maybe this week?), so I can let you know then.

[nicolewi]

As big as you can make fit!

[dr.girlfriend]

I went from a traditional-depth to a counter-depth and didn't notice the difference, mostly because the space in the back was wasted. Good lighting and organization is key. HOWEVER, even better is stashing the old fridge somewhere for backup storage! We had ours in our garage at first, and now it's in the laundry room. We definitely fill both freezers and have lots of extra gallons of milk, a case of soda pre-chilled, beer that we don't drink but keep for visitors, etc. and we're only a family of 3.

[lessel]

We have a 26 cu ft one and my favorite part is that the ice maker is built into the door vs taking up space from a shelf in the fridge. The slight downside is it doesn’t make or hold a ton of ice, but we don’t really use a ton of ice. Freeing up that shelf space was big for us. The door where the ice maker is has skinny shelves, but still fits things like salad dressing and sriracha bottles.

Our is a couple years old but I think this is basically it:
www.costco.com/lg-26-cu.-ft.-wi-fi-enabled-french-door-refrigerator-with-slim-spaceplus-ice-system.product.100428424.html

[Deleted]

I would personally go as big as you can in the space that you have. Absolutely I think 2 extra cu ft would make a difference. We went from a fridge on the bottom with like 22 cu ft to a model with french doors and 27 cu ft and it feels palatial. We always more fresh food than pantry items and having all that space has been awesome.

[ny96]

Thanks for the suggestions. My H was really pushing for a Fisher & Paykel fridge, but they don’t make a counter depth panel ready fridge bigger than 16 cu ft, so I think we will go with either a Jenn Air or Thermador 20 cu ft fridge, whichever one has the better price.

[penguingrrl]

I think it depends on your usage and the set up of the fridge. Ours is a seemingly huge side-by-side that conveyed with our house and it’s awful. I can’t get large items in because it’s too narrow, but it’s also so big that stuff ends up towards the back and lost and going bad. I’ve never had so much food waste in my life than since this fridge.

[sandandsea]

I get as big as possible. I like being able to put a platter or watermelon or cake in it. I think ours is 28 and it always seems full. We like lots of cold drinks, fruit, snacks, etc. Also, at some point our kids will like eat a lot and I don’t want to buy for picky toddlers who’ve hungry become teenagers.

[InBetweenDays]

I agree about getting one as big as will fit. But we're a family of 4 with two teenagers and our 20.9 cf French Door fridge is more than adequate.

[libbygrl109]

Just wanted to update, since we can now use our fridge. I do not regret getting the big one. I transferred everything we had from our old fridge, and did a regular pre-reno grocery run, and we still have a ton of room. I used to have to basically play Tetris after each trip to get everything in, and now there seems to be a spot for everything. I did get a couple of plastic bins to keep things contained, so that helps a little, too.

[treedimensional]

We don't have kids and we have two refrigerators and a wine fridge in our kitchen.

[stemmie]

Mine is the biggest Whirlpool offers. A French Door model. I don't love the freezer as it's awkward to dig through given the configuration of my shitty kitchen. I have a freezer steps away in my garage which is great. I used to have a smaller fridge, too but I gave it away to a family member who needed/couldn't afford one and I miss it every day.

My mom has a similar model to mine in counter depth; it's fine for an 84 year old widow who mostly stores Chardonnay, White Claw and meals I bring her but it would work with my condiment crazed husband and son.

[mrsukyankee]

treedimensional, us too.

[ny96]

So in a funny turn of events we started prepping our house to sell it, and rather than changing out cabinets and countertops, we decided to play up the vintage charm of our mostly original 1940’s kitchen and purchased a Smeg refrigerator with 11cuft capacity. We are no longer selling right away and while the Smeg is still in transit, there is a 35% restocking fee. So, we will be living, for a while, with a much smaller fridge. If anyone has any tips for that, please pass them along.

[hazelden]

Jul 20, 2022 10:36:54 GMT -5 ny96 said:

So in a funny turn of events we started prepping our house to sell it, and rather than changing out cabinets and countertops, we decided to play up the vintage charm of our mostly original 1940’s kitchen and purchased a Smeg refrigerator with 11cuft capacity. We are no longer selling right away and while the Smeg is still in transit, there is a 35% restocking fee. So, we will be living, for a while, with a much smaller fridge. If anyone has any tips for that, please pass them along.

It sounds like you have a fridge now and the Smeg will be replacing it. I'd keep the old fridge and put it in the basement or garage for backstock/overflow.

One tip is that I always buy the smaller sized condiments since I don't like giant containers. Or maybe keep some shelf stable things in the cupboard, like syrup and ketchup.

We have our old full size refrigerator in our basement and it's really come in handy with the pandemic and how I've changed my shopping - fewer trips, more stocking up.