Side-by-side v. over-under

[Fat Guy]

Perhaps we can assemble in one place the arguments for the various configurations of refrigerator: side-by-side, top-freezer, bottom-freezer, any other available configurations. All I've known for the past 15 years is top-freezer, which everybody seems to think is the absolute worst arrangement. What am I missing out on?

[kristin_71]

My parents have a side by side upstairs and a top freezer in the basement. My mom doesn't like the side by side much, but it came with the house. Side by side lacks seriously in space, although I know there are newer models that are more spacious.I also know someone who had their ice machine develop a leak and they were not aware of it. Lets just say the refridge was no longer in the kitchen where it should have been. I have looked at the bottom freezers and really like them. Easier to organize and see what you have on hand.

[Dora S]

My family used to own a refrigerator with the following layout: Double-door top refrigerator compartment, middle drawer vegetable compartment and bottom drawer freezer compartment. It was really convenient! Unfortunately when we shifted, Dad decided to get a new fridge and so we got a side-by-side, which was a big mistake While it looks big on the outside, it is really cramped inside... (ended up getting a smaller fridge as well to ease its load...!)

Bottom freezers are the way to go, as we don't open the freezer as often as the fridge. It is easier to assess your food stock in the fridge without having to bend down and peer in, which is the case for top freezer types...

[Hiroyuki]

My present fridge:

Top: Double-door refrigerator compartment

Middle left: Drawer ice cube compartment

Middle right: Drawer optical partial freezing compartment

Below them:

Drawer vegetable compartment

Bottom: Drawer freezer compartment

A photo can be found here.

The compressor is located in the upper part, unlike in conventional models, so the freezer at the bottom is spacious.

Anyway, I like my present fridge.

[phaelon56]

All I've known for the past 15 years is top-freezer, which everybody seems to think is the absolute worst arrangement. What am I missing out on?

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What you're missing out on is bottom-freezer! Side-by-side is a woefully poor design. Not enough room for large or bulky items in the freezer side or on the fridge side.

Bottom freezer makes so much sense. Most of us spend far less time going in and out of the freezer than we do in the fridge. Why be hunching over or bending down so often when you don't need to? I remain bafffled as to why there are so few bottom freezer models on the market.

[Marigene]

Single door with bottom pull out drawer.

[Jaymes]

Hard for me to understand all these folks talking about how the side-by-side has so little space. People, you DO know they come in various sizes, don't you?

My first side-by-side did fit that description. For one thing, I couldn't get that big glass baking dish/sheet cake dish (that we all have) in it. So, no frozen desserts for that year.

But then I got a big side-by-side. I simply would not ever again have any other type.

My 'co-madre' (a wonderful Spanish word that means the mother-in-law of one of my children) has a bottom freezer. She gripes all the time about bending down and digging back into that cold box to find stuff.

With a side-by-side, you have shelves conveniently located at eye level for both your fridge and your freezer.

You say there's not enough space for you? Duh. Get a bigger one. I can get half a side of beef in the freezer in mine.

[Mayhaw Man]

Side by sides aren't worth anything. They're not wide enough nor are the compartments large enough to hold any kind of real life sized containers-or something like a turkey or some other large item. You have to give up valuable real estate to do stuff like freeze the bowl for the ice cream maker, etc. and just generally there isn't enough space.

I don't have alot of preference on the top and bottom freezer argument, but one or the other is miles away better than side by side-at least the ones that I have come into contact with.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Hard for me to understand all these folks talking about how the side-by-side has so little space.  People, you DO know they come in various sizes, don't you?

My first side-by-side did fit that description.  For one thing, I couldn't get that big glass baking dish/sheet cake dish (that we all have) in it.  So, no frozen desserts for that year.

But then I got a big side-by-side.  I simply would not ever again have any other type.

My 'co-madre' (a wonderful Spanish word that means the mother-in-law of one of my children) has a bottom freezer.  She gripes all the time about bending down and digging back into that cold box to find stuff.

With a side-by-side, you have shelves conveniently located at eye level for both your fridge and your freezer.

You say there's not enough space for you?  Duh.  Get a bigger one.  I can get half a side of beef in the freezer in mine.

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I'm with you... although my current two fridges are freezer-top, I miss my old side-by-side which had door compartments that could fit gallon containers of milk. I loved having multiple layers in the freezer which the top- and/or bottom-models don't contain. My folks had a bottom fridge and my mother could never see what was on the bottom.

[Jaymes]

Side by sides aren't worth anything. They're not wide enough nor are the compartments large enough to hold any kind of real life sized containers-or something like a turkey or some other large item.

I'll say it again. I am totally bumfuzzled at these remarks. Not only is my side-by-size large enough to hold a turkey, but one of my favorite cost-saving tricks is to buy THREE turkeys at Thanksgiving when they're a loss leader.

We eat the one, of course, and then I save the other two to smoke during the summer.

Three turkeys. And I still have enough space to store a dead astronaut if I had to.

[Dave Weinstein]

When we moved a couple of years ago, I went ahead and splurged on a French Door fridge. It's a freezer on the bottom, with two doors on the top that open into one large refridgerator compartment.

Add the full sized freezer in the garage, and the spare free fridge I picked up for charcuterie a few months back, and I'm set.

[Fat Guy]

I've got to say, the thing I love about the top-freezer is that, surely, it's the best possible arrangement for the freezer. Everything is at eye level, and the freezer runs the entire width of the cabinet. It has a shelf, a drawer, door shelves -- it's quite versatile. The problem is that the bottom of the refrigerator cabinet is to near the floor. It's not a huge problem -- the bottom is made up of two produce drawers, and the bottom door shelf holds tall items like Champagne bottles. So you don't get to actual refrigerator shelves until you're up a foot or so. Still, it's kind of a pain digging around the bottom.

I think, assuming infinite space, side-by-side sounds compelling, but let's assume a kitchen that doesn't have infinite space. I mean, if you truly have infinite space, you should have two refrigerators (refrigerator only), two dedicated freezers, a wine refrigerator and a vegetable/fruit refrigerator. But assuming you only have like 42" or so of width -- maybe that's how your cabinetry is built, or maybe it's a small house or apartment kitchen -- the question gets back to which design makes the best use of that amount of space.

[Fat Guy]

Make that 36" width.

[Fat Guy]

The one advantage I can see of the French door units is that by splitting the door down the middle you create a situation where the two narrower doors don't swing out as far. This might be important in a narrow galley kitchen. Then again you still need to be able to pull that drawer out from under. Plus you can't put the fridge flush against a wall because you need to swing doors both ways. Is there some advantage I'm missing?

[Fat Guy]

I should also note, top-freezer models are CHEAP.

[K8memphis]

If space is an issue, there's an air flow consideration too. The air vent can be in the front or the back depending on how much space you have in terms of depth from the wall. So if the vent is in the back you need to set it farther away from the wall. We have a walkway in front of ours so that was an issue for us. Had to have the vent in the front so we could push the frige all the way back to the wall.

I took my largest cake board with me to make sure I could fit my cakes in there. Interestingly enough, the cheapest frige had the most room, makes sense though. The fewer bells and whistles, the more actual room you have. I have both a bottom freezer on one and top freezer on the other.

If you took a large deli size platter to place into most side by sides, it just doesn't work. If you get a cadillac side by side maybe, but while there are beaucoups cubic inches in there it's North & South space rather than platter friendly East West space. So it's just a personal choice of whether hanging beef is your goal, or keeping platters chilled would be more important.

Also, if your frige sweats inside, (not the normal condensation) you can possibly install a heater to dry that up. It's a flat metallic thing.

Umm, I've never used one but those drawer style under counter friges seem really cool. But probably are a pain to reach down into??

Just some chilling thoughts for you.

[Jaymes]

I'm not at home, but I just measured my parents' fridge. We all have side-by-sides, although theirs is not quite so large as mine.

My parents' fridge is 36" across the front. The inside of the freezer is 13" across, so most dishes will lay flat. True, you couldn't get a large deli platter to lay flat in it, but since it's also 19" deep and 5' high, I'll bet I could get fifteen turkeys in there. And I don't ever have need to freeze deli platters anyway.

The interior of the refrigerator portion is 19" wide, which is a pretty big deli platter. I can and do store deli platters in mine all the time.

So I can keep platters chilled AND hang beef.

Edited February 7, 2007 by Jaymes (log)

[Mayhaw Man]

I am nothing if not bumfuzzling.

In my current kitchen, I have a side by side. It has a huge refrigerator and I suppose what amounts to a standard size freezer. The square inch thing is probably pretty large, but in terms of practical storage space, especially when taking air flow into account, it's just not large enough to be my only freezer. Happily, I have a big chest freezer that takes the overflow, so, generally, the only thing in my side by side is stuff that I might use pretty regularly.

What I meant when I mentioned turkeys (or any other oddly shaped food) is that it makes for a messy freezer when I am trying to cram the frozen leftovers in on top of whatever else that I have in there. Also, this particular model has an ice maker in it, making it even smaller. I believe that it would probably be much more useful were it not for the icemaker and all the mechanical junk that goes along with the water and ice in the door feature-which I never use. I am an old school, reach in and get the ice, kind of guy.

[Jaymes]

What I meant when I mentioned turkeys (or any other oddly shaped food) is that it makes for a messy freezer when I am trying to cram the frozen leftovers in on top of whatever else that I have in there.

But Brooks, I just don't get why you mentioned the turkey thing only in connection with side-by-sides. I mean, doesn't an "oddly-shaped" food" make for a "messy freezer" when you are "trying to cram the frozen leftovers in on top of whatever else" you have in a top- or bottom-freezer fridge as well?

Unless, of course, the top-freezer fridge comes with some sort of attachment that squeezes the frozen turkey or other "oddly-shaped food" into a form more convenient for storage.

Frankly (having owned many different types of fridges) if anything, I think the side-by-side is MORE suitable for storing oddly-shaped food, because you have so many shelves.

Edited February 7, 2007 by Jaymes (log)

[srhcb]

The one advantage I can see of the French door units is that by splitting the door down the middle you create a situation where the two narrower doors don't swing out as far.

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If the side-by-sides are French Doors, are the over-unders Dutch Doors?

SB (has "Dutch", just ..... because)

[Country Cook]

Freezer top over under is my preference. As a country boy who shops twice a month frozen food is an important part of my diet, and being tall I would not want to bend over and ponder my meal selection all the time .

I also think it is important to only use what you need, one new energy efficient fridge no freezer or back up fridge saves me 2 KWh/month.

[markk]

I have a 31" side by side, because it had to replace the original top-freezer model that came in my apartment kitchen. Either side is woefully inadequate in width, and I find it totally frustrating. A friend of mine has the same fridge, much wider model in his house, and it seems sooo much better to me.

[Jaymes]

I have a 31" side by side, because it had to replace the original top-freezer model that came in my apartment kitchen.  Either side is woefully inadequate in width, and I find it totally frustrating.  A friend of mine has the same fridge, much wider model in his house, and it seems sooo much better to me.

I totally agree with this. If you can't get a large side-by-side, don't get one. "Frustrating" is the correct word. But if you have space for at least a 36-incher, for my money, that's the way to go.

[Pam R]

I regret getting a bottom freezer. Stuff goes in and is never seen again. I was much happier with a top freezer that I could see into.

[phaelon56]

I had a bottom freezer unit once - left in a house that I had purchased - and loved it. It was old and eventually went belly up. Since then my experience has tended to be with top freezer models because I seem to keep ending up getting them for free (more or less - the most recent house I purchased had a brand new stiove and fridge - neither of which I'm that fond of but they were part of the deal).

As for side-by-sides - my experience has been with the narrower variety that had ice maker, water in the door etc. and IMHO the configurationw as not as space efficient as top or bottom freezer models I've used.

And yes I'll admit that a larger model likely solves all the problems but many of us have limitations on both space and budget that make a larger side-by-side impractical or impossible (my kitchen has a 31" fridge space and to make it bigger I'd have to cut the counter and remove my peculiar little 24" undersized dishwasher).