Tips to choose the perfect double door refrigerator

Refrigerators are as commonplace as any other appliance or gadget in homes the world over today. Naturally so, bearing in mind how they are indispensable, and any household is incomplete without one, whether to store food, ice, medicines, drinks, or just about any other consumable. While they are available in a number of different designs with different capacities and features, the most popular type, by far, in a country such as ours, is the double door refrigerator.

What is a double door refrigerator?

While in a single door refrigerator, the refrigerator and freezer are in the same compartment, which results in a smaller freezer capacity and the fridge having to work overtime to keep things cool, such is not the case with a double door refrigerator. In a double door refrigerator, each compartment- the freezer and the refrigerator are segregated and have their own doors, thus allowing the device to effectively maintain the appropriate temperature in both sections with ease. Secondly, a dedicated freezer compartment also means a larger capacity, meaning more foodstuffs can be stored in the freezer if needed.

Things to keep in mind while buying a double door refrigerator

Size

While buying a refrigerator, the first and most important consideration is indeed its capacity. Double door refrigerators typically have a capacity of between 230 and 500 litres, making it ideal for families of anywhere between three and five members. For larger families of between four and five though, double door refrigerators with capacities of between 500 and 700 litres are ideal.

Bottom vs Top Freezers

Depending upon the brand and price, double door refrigerators are mainly of two types- one with the freezer section on the top and one with the bottom freezer refrigerators. Double door refrigerators with freezers on the bottom tend to have a larger storage capacity which is more prudent for commercial applications.

Frost free technology

Single door refrigerators mostly use direct cooling technology with natural convection while double door refrigerators are mostly equipped with frost free technology and cooling fans. The enhanced cooling in double door refrigerators owing to the cooling fans preserves food for longer periods of time, and also ensures that the freezer requires less scrubbing to remove ice, as compared to single door refrigerators. However, one must bear in mind, that frost free refrigerators also tend to consume more power as compared to traditional direct cooling technology refrigerators.

Besides frost free technology and increased storage capacity though, there are also certain other features one should keep an eye out for while buying a double door refrigerator.

Inverter technology

The most such important feature is perhaps inverter technology. Refrigerators with inverter compressors can control the temperature inside the refrigerator and freezer precisely, adjusting the compressor to low and high speeds based on the surrounding temperature, operating mode temperature variations caused by opening and closing doors.

Smart connectivity

A second feature, rather a kind of refrigerator in itself, one must look for are smart refrigerators. Available in a variety of seizes, smart refrigerators can do just about anything from allowing one to see what food is inside without requiring them to physically open the door, to setting reminders and creating lists to buy groceries, receive calls and attend calls via in-built microphones and speakers, respond to emails and texts, check for the weather outside, or the news, or even enjoy your favourite music, movies and TV shows while cooking in your kitchen and doing errands around the house. Moreover, you can turn on and off the refrigerator while you’re away and travelling for long periods of time via a smartphone app, to ensure your refrigerator doesn’t consume any more power than required, thereby burning a hole in your pocket.

While the vast number of options may often leave you overwhelmed while looking for a new refrigerator, the above are just a few pointers you can keep in mind while searching for a double door model so as to help you make the right choice and get the maximum bang for your buck.