My fridge, that is! When Paul and I bought our first home in June, this year, the very first thing to break on us was the fridge. Not to fret, we were fully expecting that, it was original to the house (to the tune of 1958, no less). I had already spent plenty of time researching appliances, having numerous hours with my feet up, "preparing" for the birth of our second child in September. My Mom and I were out the door in no time, and on our way to Lowe's with a specific fridge in mind. What much of my research found was that side-by-side and french door fridges are large. In general, too large for older galley kitchens like mine. I love the quaintness of our cooking space, but no longer do current styles lend easily to a 50+ year old space, nave for a few brands. To my great luck and pleasure, Lowe's carries the KitchenAid side-by-side fridge in as small as 21.5 cubic feet. We purchased the 21.8 (model: KSRV22FVSS), which fits perfectly where the old fridge went.
My husband was adamant that it have in-door ice and water. To be honest, I could have gone either way, but I'm soooo glad I listened to him. It tastes great, and when they say the filter lasts at LEAST six months, they are not kidding! I use the water for everything from cooking, topping off the fishbowl, and 1-2 pots of decaf coffee a day (some might call that an addiction... DH calls it endearing!). Best of all, my four year old drinks more water because she can get it for herself (child lock can be turned on if you prefer). Some reviews had stated that you lose freezer space with this feature, but I have yet to see it. Just 3 weeks ago, we had over 500 ounces of bagged milk (for the baby), a 21 pound turkey (Gobble!Gobble!), 6 pounds cooked ground beef, 9 pounds cooked chicken, 4 bags of fruit, 5 of veggies, and two buckets of extra ice (for the upcoming holiday celebration). Still, there was room to spare!
The fridge compartment offers deep shelves (moderate sized sheet cakes are no problem) made from sturdy clear plastic, allowing ample lighting, to make all your food look zuper zexy! The door compartments are equally impressive and could easily store gallons sizes of milk (although the FDA would not recommend you do that...), and a healthy sized dairy box on the top. Each shifts easily from the brackets to customize the space to suit your needs, yet holds its strength. Additionally, this model comes with three drawers: Meat, humidity control, and temperate. The meat is large enough to fit roughly 2 weeks of lunch meats and cheese for our family of 3.5 (one nursing, while I eat an additional 500 cals to cover it), while dinner meats are usually cooked ahead and frozen. I like the humidity controlled drawer for sensitive fruits and veggies like celery, spinach, and nectarines, as well as keeping refrigerated bread and biscuits . Foods like apples, carrots, and peppers fair extremely well in the temperature controlled drawer, which can also be utilized for fresh meats.
When purchasing a fridge, there are a few aesthetics to consider. White and Black finishes are more likely to be in stock, or have faster delivery dates. When choosing Satina or Stainless Steel, consider that Satina doesn't smudge... but scratches (like those from magnets) show easier. If opting for Stainless Steel, you will always pay more for "full" SS, versus "Door-only." We choose Door-only, which has black sides, and are satisfied with it's appearance. Needless to say, the whole family has been completely satisfied with the purchase, and I look forward to completing with kitchen when we replace the range and oven.
Happy shopping!!
*Mamma Kiki*
