Let’s say you have dinner one night at your neighbors’ house and find that they keep their food in a 60” stainless steel built-in side-by-side refrigerator. This mammoth fridge may entice you to purchase something similar, but first ask yourself this: What kind of refrigerator do I really need?

There are four main styles of refrigerators: top-freezer, bottom-freezer, side-by-side and all refrigerator/freezers. All these styles have slight variations and should be chosen based on your fresh and frozen food needs. In order to determine which refrigerator style you need, ask yourself a few questions: How much food storage do I need? Do I store more fresh or frozen foods? Or both?

The most traditional style of refrigerator is the top-freezer, which many people have welcomed in their homes for years. Top-freezer refrigerators offer better organization and more usable space, with capacities that range up to 22 cubic feet. The top-mount refrigerator, as it is also called, is generally less expensive than a bottom-freezer or a side by-side refrigerator. The only drawback to the top-freezer is you have to bend down to reach your fresh food.

A bottom-freezer refrigerator is the reverse configuration of the top-freezer, but often with a freezer drawer instead of a door. Some bottom-mount refrigerators come with either a single door or French doors (two doors opening on opposite hinges to reveal the fresh food compartment). Lately, bottom-freezer refrigerators have been becoming more popular than their top counterparts, as they are more energy efficient and have up to 26 cubic feet capacity. The drawback to bottom-freezers is that you have to stoop to get your frozen food—but most consumers typically use their fresh food compartments more often anyways.

Side-by-side refrigerators are exactly what they sound like, refrigerators with fresh and frozen food compartments adjacent to each other. Many side-by-sides have an ice/water dispenser on the freezer side and typically have more shelves for better organization. However, these shelves are much narrower than in other styles and make storing large items, like party platters and large pots, much harder.

Lastly, we have all refrigerator/freezers. An all refrigerator unit has no freezer compartment, and therefore, more room for fresh food. Likewise, an all freezer units has no refrigeration compartment, just a freezer compartment. These can be paired together to maximize both refrigeration and freezer space. You can also purchase a separate chest freezer in addition to your refrigerator if you need more space for frozen foods.

Remember when it comes to refrigerator style, everything boils down to how much and what kind of food you need to preserve (we are talking about food preservation units, after all). So, now you are briefed on the different styles of refrigerators, you have more choices to make. For instance, how you’d like to install your refrigerator (freestanding or built-in), what features you want, what color you’d like and more. The options are endless.

Guest Blogger: Scott Steinhardt (http://www.ajmadison.com)