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firstmmo

For those of you who entertain lots...refrigerator question

firstmmo
11 years ago

What size is your refrigerator?

I used to have a SXS that bothered me because I could barely put a large plate in the refridge without taking out half the contents of it. When I had parties or holidays came around, it was a constant struggle. I ended up putting an extra refrigerator in the garage to hold large salad bowls and platters. The SXS was a 36" refrigerator, so the refridge side was half that.

We are in the planning stages of a remodel and I am considering whether we need a 27" all refrigerator next to a 27" all freezer. Is 27" wide enough? My last refrigerator was 36" FD and I liked the wider opening. But I can't fit a 36" and a 27" in the new space.

My choices:
--one 36" refigerator over freezer drawers, plus two refrigerator drawers in island
--one 27" refrigerator and one 27" freezer

Which one would you choose??

Comments (11)

  • herbflavor
    11 years ago

    first choice,BUT...are the fridge drawers for guests and thus in a good spot for guests? would a beverage fridge be a good thing[we have one-helpful at various times]....would you benefit from freezer drawers instead of fridge drawers? if you want the fridge drawers,would a downstairs small upright freezer be good in the mix as well?

  • taggie
    11 years ago

    I'd pick the two 27" columns hands down if you have the room. I have the kenmore ones which are 30", and I don't think 3" less would be noticeable in practical use.

    27" is still very large; I think the interior cavity will be at least two feet wide. I can't imagine using and serving off of platters bigger than 2 feet wide. :)

    Good luck!

  • trailrunner
    11 years ago

    I have the old Twins all fridge / all freezer . Will never ever have anything else. I have full sheet pans of bagels and baskets of breads on the full size shelves and still have a ton of room . You will LOVE all fridge/freezer !! go for it. You won't believe the room .A plus that everyone also loves is that they are less deep...no mystery stuff in the back :) c

  • firstmmo
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks Herb, Taggie and Trailrunner.
    Do any of you also have refrigerator drawers?

  • deedles
    11 years ago

    We're going with the Frigidaire all-fridge and Summit freezer drawers, very excited for the all-fridge!. I had a 36 sxs, now have a 36 FD which is good, but this time around need counter depth hence the all fridge.

  • malhgold
    11 years ago

    I have the Thermador 24" frig/freezer columns and 24" refrigerator drawers. I don't entertain alot, but it is a pain when I have stuff that needs to go in the frig because I am always moving everything around on the shelves. I'm not sure if the 27" wide would be significantly better as you could probably still only fit one plate/platter per shelf. However, I am not a big fan of freezer drawers on the bottom of a frig either. Just don't think they hold alot. I guess I would look at the size of what you typically would put in the frig and if you could fit 2 of those plates/platters on a shelf in the 27" or not.

  • phiwwy
    11 years ago

    I have the 48" subzero (side by side) and a supplemental 15" Uline beverage fridge. LOVE this combo! Have not run out of space, even with platters, a large turkey, and other holiday dishes. I don't like glass doors because of the lost space on the inside of the door. I can fit everything and then some.

  • taggie
    11 years ago

    We have a fridge drawer and freezer drawer in addition to the all fridge and freezers. The drawers work well for us as they're located at the beverage center where we like to have ice and frozen fruit for smoothies, and milk & cream for smoothies and coffee.

    The drawers are kind of a pain for other stuff though, honestly. I thought we'd end up keeping general beverages in that drawer as well but it really doesn't work well for that so we prefer to keep beverages in the main fridge. Think of storing pop and beer in a 12" deep drawer instead of at eye level on a shelf and you'll understand what I mean.

    In your shoes I would go with the 27" columns and then a separate real beverage fridge (not drawers) to keep the beverages out of the main fridge and nearer to entertaining area.

    Good luck whatever you decide.

  • romy718
    11 years ago

    I am in the middle of the planning stage of a kitchen remodel...I have been a lurker for about 2 years. I had planned to have a 36" integrated refrigerator with 2 freezer drawers on the bottom and add 2 refrigerator drawers to my island. This would have given me 18.8 cu ft. of refrig and 6.9 cu ft of freezer space. I recently decided to do a refrigerator armoire look with two 27" Subzero 700 TCI units, refrigerator on top, 2 freezer drawers on the bottom of each unit. This will give me 20.4 cu ft of refrigerator space and 10.2 cu ft of freezer space. I was afraid the 36" unit and 2 refrigerator drawers was not going to be enough freezer space. If you like the look of 2 drawers on the bottom (instead of the columns), SZ also has 27" units with 2 drawers on the bottom that can be all refrigerator or all freezer.
    Good luck!

  • firstmmo
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Good suggestions! I am now definitely thinking about a bev fridge in our buffet area along with the wine refrigerator. Maybe that's a better solution than the drawers. Maybe like this:
    {{!gwi}}

    I like Romy's thought too about the two 27" with refridge on top of both, which would also give me four freezer drawers. I don't actually keep too much in my freezer and while probably similar in cu inches to the 27" all refrigerator/freezers, it would prevent some bending over.

    OT: mahlgold, I have been trying to find your kitchen pictures! I want to do a built-in shelf area like you have above the counter on the side wall of your kitchen. I can't seem to find them. Can you post a link?

  • taggie
    11 years ago

    Ooooh I like those side by side bev/wine fridges a lot! They will definitely be more functional than fridge drawers for your usage.

    I also like Romy's idea of the side by side subzeros for the way you use the space. We have the all freezer and I wouldn't trade it, but we do use all of the freezer space. If you don't use the freezer as much, the big advantage to the side-by-side subzeros is that you'll have more fridge shelving and double the produce drawer space, which sounds like it might be a better fit for you.

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