Haute Refrigerators for Cool Kitchens?

An eye and cork-popping kitchen needs lots of space for chilling out–and intuitive appliance manufacturers are producing ahead of the curve.

The latest refrigerators are wired and interactive, where the cook can watch a cooking show, or refrigerated storage drawers can be switched from fridge to freezer with the flip of a switch. The options are exciting, but the first step in deciding which refrigeration system to choose begins with determining how much cooled space is needed.

How to determine how much refrigeration (sans freezer) is suggested? Multiply the number of people in the household by five, and you will have the number of cubic refrigerated needed for that particular home. If you are a Costco or other warehouse club shopper, you might want to up the multiplier to six–or even seven. On the other hand, if you live near a farmer’s or Whole Foods Market, you may shop daily for your sustenance. In that case, use a multiplier of four.

Who is offering the latest in home refrigerators? Subzero would likely lead the pack with its ($12,000) sleek stainless 3×3 refrigerator and freezer compartments. Thermador would be not far behind with its divisible refrigerator and freezer compartments that can be independently installed throughout the fortunate kitchen. Finally, Samsung enters as a finalist with its side-by-side configuration featuring four compartments, each with its own thermostat.

Need to switch from fridge-to-freezer in a flash? This Samsung beauty allows the two bottom drawers the flexibility to make this switch!

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