4 Expert Tips To Choose A Mini Fridge

Mini fridges fulfill the refrigeration requirements of smaller and independent spaces such as dorm rooms, bedrooms, wet bars, hotel rooms, or small offices. Choose from the below types to suit your needs.

Freezer-less Single-door

These are mostly freestanding compact units. They don't have a freezer. Instead, they have a separate chiller compartment, so you don't have to compromise on your chilled drinks. Other features:

• Adjustable shelves
• Special dairy shelf
• Reversible door for right and left-handed operation
• Multi-point temperature control
• Interior lighting

Single-door freestanding mini fridges are good for you if you want an inconspicuous yet efficient fridge that sits snugly in the corner of your room or office. Choose either white or black color, which will suit any type of wall color and interior -- just in case you decide to repaint your space in the future!

Double-door with freezer

The biggest advantage of these mini fridges is a dedicated freezer compartment with a separate door. It offers these advantages:

• Convenience -- You can segregate the freezer items from the refrigerated items and store them separately
• Uncluttered interior -- You can avoid cluttering of freezer and non-freezer items in one space
• Energy conservation -- Every time you open the fridge, cold air escapes out, and the interior becomes a bit warmer. Then, the fridge has to work hard to restore the interior temperature, and this consumes additional electricity. With a double-door fridge, you avoid opening the refrigerator door unnecessarily when you want something from the freezer. Hence, you don't alter its temperature and this makes the fridge energy-efficient.
• Higher capacity -- Double-door mini fridges have a higher capacity than the single-door models

Being slim in design, they look elegant and also conserve floor space. Opt for this model if you use the freezer section frequently and if you are energy-conscious. 

Countertop outdoor mini fridges

These are the portable mini fridges that you can carry anywhere you go. They fulfill the refrigeration requirements in various situations -- on the yacht, on road trips, at the picnic, or on the BBQ counter. Apart from this, you can also carry your personal medications, beauty, and personal care items that require controlled temperature environments. Other benefits:

• Many units have efficient thermostats that enable a wide temperature range -- from 40°C below ambient temperature to 160° above.
• Easy switching between warm and cold options with a thermostat switch
• No need for grid electricity -- Being portable, they can be charged with a power bank just like your Bluetooth speakers!
• Compact looks, large-hearted interiors -- Capacities up to 20-liter storage

Many advanced models offer digital temperature reading on the door's exterior, automatic defrost, and other features.

Bonus tip: You can choose the environment-friendly models that are refrigeration and Freon-free.

Our vote is, go for the one with the freezer. Here are the compelling reasons:

• While the refrigeration compartment has temperatures between 5°C and 0°C, the freezer has a temperature of -18°C. Hence, the freezer allows you to store meats, butter, taco kits, prepared dough, and veggies such as beans and green-fingers for a long time.
• You can make ice and store ice-cube trays
• It is cost-effective in the long run

Top-freezer

Its benefits:

• Energy-efficient -- The US Department of Energy says that these refrigerators consume 20% to 25% less energy than the bottom freezers.
• Affordable -- It's cheaper than bottom freezer
• It offers more usable interior space

Bottom freezer

The contemporary mini fridges use this type of freezers because:

• More organized, with shelves and baskets as in-built facilities
• Larger shelf space, which makes it easy to store larger perishables such as unsliced turkey or pizza.
• Refrigeration compartment at eye-level -- Since the freezer moves down, you have this section at a more accessible and comfortable level. Consumer research shows that a bottom freezer also helps users to remember to use veggies in time before they become stale, since they are at eye-level and hence you don't forget to use them.

Depending on what you intend to store in your fridge, you will want to choose a different capacity for your fridge. 

Cube

They are one of the most common types, with a compact storage system designed for maximum utility. They have two or three shelves on the body and trays on the door to store water and drinks bottles.

Cube-style storage is good for individual use and will suit dorm rooms, office cubicles, and the like.

Capacity: twenty-eight to 59 liters

Mid-sized

They have larger storage space and capacity than the cube-style. Their compartments are bigger, and they have two or multiple door storage facilities. Hence, apart from bottles and cans, you can also store there chocolate bars, smaller containers, medicines, and personal care products.

Mid-sized mini fridges will suit small offices, bedrooms, and hotel rooms.

Capacity: Eighty to 96 liters

Bonus tip: Want to save money in the long run? Opt for this style. How? Despite their larger capacity, they are not significantly more expensive than the cube type. And they are more energy-efficient, so you save on energy bills.

Under-the-counter

They have the largest storage capacity in the mini fridge segment. As the name suggests, they can be placed under shop and mall counters. Their storage design has multiple horizontal shelves of adjustable height and shelves and racks of different configurations on the back of the door. You can conveniently store 500 ml aerated drinks bottles, 1-liter water bottles, smaller bottles and containers, and of course, your favorite Swiss chocolates there. Food containers, packaged food, and other edible items of varying quantities can be comfortably placed in the fridge compartment. 

Capacity: ninety-nine to 127 liters. Due to this, you can use this fridge as your spare fridge.

Considering their commercial use, these fridges often have a transparent front that enables the shop owner and the customer to view their content without opening the door.