Gadgetory

maybe you need a new fridge or maybe you're just sick of the one you already have either way shopping for a new refrigerator can be a daunting task but don't worry we're here to help now before you start shopping you're gonna want to get up a tape measure and check how much space you actually have in your kitchen those width and depth and height measurements will go a long way to help narrow down your options you'll also want to get familiar with the four main refrigerator styles top freezers bottom freezers side-by-sides and French door fridges if you just want a simple value then a top or bottom freezer might be your best bet you can get a really good one for roughly the same price as an entry-level side-by-side or French door model those side by sides and French doors are the more popular fashionable choices though and they also boast more features than top or bottom freezers plus as popular as they are you'll find plenty of options to choose from to pick one out you'll want to look for a fridge that matches the kitchen aesthetic you're going for and you'll want to be sure that it's big enough for your needs too a good rule of thumb is to pick out a fridge that has at least 4 to 6 cubic feet of storage space for each member of your household plus a few extra cubic feet of wiggle room once you've got a good general sense of what kind of fridge you want and how much fridge you actually need you'll want to start thinking about features many of the newest models try to stick some extra utility into the old icebox everything from built-in coffee makers to built-in cameras and no it isn't always easy to separate the gimmicks from the good stuff for my money I'm a fan of features that make it easier to you know actually store things in the fridge and shelves like this one that slide back or fold up out of the way can be a nice help in that regard I also think that temperature adjustable drawers like this one with their own presets can be a nice luxury to look for if you want something feature-rich just make sure that you aren't buying features just for the sake of having features at the end of the day nobody cares about the bells and whistles in your refrigerator all that matters is that those bells and whistles make sense to you as for smart fridges expect to see more and more of them in the coming years some have big flashy touch screens like this one here loaded with fridge apps for things like recipe support or cooking timers other smart fridges are a lot more subtle they'll have things like built-in smart grid support or Bluetooth speakers those kinds of connected features probably don't justify the extra expense on their own just yet but if your dream kitchen includes a flagship smartphones like the Samsung family hub or the LG smart instant view refrigerator don't let me stop you from splurging it definitely do not come cheap but these are also top-of-the-line fridges that were talking about one last tip don't forget about performance it's not the kind of thing you can just look for as you're out in the show floor so you'll need to check out in-depth reviews like the ones we post here on CNET those will help you make a more informed decision and if you do your homework you'll be able to pick out a fridge that you love for years to come