frost free for a fridge freezer, is it worth it?

pathtofreedom

I need to buy a fridge freezer for my new place next week. I am used to having them seperate but they won't fit like that in my new kitchen.

So I'm thinking a 50/50 split is probably best as I live alone and want room to batch cook and freeze things really.

I haven't had a fridge freezer since uni though, from what I remember we had to defrost it a lot as otherwise the fridge part would warm up.

I've seen the more expensive fridge freezers use this frost free system that is meant to stop that I believe.

Are fridge freezers in general better now so you don't have to defrost them multiple times a year, or is the frost free worth paying the extra money for?

As an aside what about non plumbed water dispensers? Or should I just stick to a jug in the fridge so it isn't taking up space in the door.

PasturesNew

I bought my first fridge/freezer nearly 2 years ago, it's the sort you have to defrost yourself, by hand, with pre-planning. I've not done it once and it doesn't need it yet. It's got no ice build up at all to speak of. Just a thin bit round the freezing element.

I wanted a frost-free one to start with, but they're extra.

I live alone and where I went wrong was by not going into shops to check/see how big they were. The freezer bit sounded huge when I ordered it, but it's quite small ... and the fridge part's barely used as it usually contains just a tub of marg, some cheese and 1-2 other items.

lush_walrus

Yes, I would never go for anything other thank frost free

Brynsam

There are two problems (apart from extra cost) with frost-free fridge freezers: they are much noisier than the 'standard' sort and their storage capacity in the freezer section is smaller because of the extra mechanisms needed.

I've had both and would never have a frost-free one again. Defrosting my freezer takes about 15 minutes, once every 6 to 8 months.

pathtofreedom

Brynsam wrote: »

There are two problems (apart from extra cost) with frost-free fridge freezers: they are much noisier than the 'standard' sort and their storage capacity in the freezer section is smaller because of the extra mechanisms needed.

I've had both and would never have a frost-free one again. Defrosting my freezer takes about 15 minutes, once every 6 to 8 months.

Thanks for the input. I have an ancient upright freezer currently, which is always making weird noises. As well as an under the counter fridge. Where I'm moving too though there is only one space which is why I'm looking into what to buy when I move.

I was thinking maybe this one as it looks like it has a big freezer, I might try and go look at it in curries tomorrow. I need to measure the space too once I've moved in to make sure it will fit ok.

http://ao.com/product/ld85f1k-indesit-fridge-freezer-black-37255-28.aspx?cmredirectionvalue=INDESIT%20LD85F1K

moneysaver

Do not buy from Curry's. Extremely poor customer service.


Moneysaver.

cattie

All of the fridge-freezers I've owned over the past 20yrs have been Frost Free. The one draw back with them is that should any food item actually touch the back of the fridge, it has a tendency to partially freeze. So say for instance, a 6 pack of tomatoes touches the back of the fridge, the 2 tomatoes touching the fridge wall will partially freeze.

Also, any foods contained in cardboard packaging that touches the back of the fridge tends to result in the cardboard getting wet & soggy. I used to think that these drawbacks were confined to only integrated appliances, but now having a free standing fridge-freezer, I am finding the same thing happens.

The ideal situation would be to buy a fridge that has more internal space than you really need so that you can always leave a gap between the rear wall & food items, but of course, due to space limitations, this isn't always possible.

I know I'd never want to have a fridge that I had to defrost again, so yes, definitely worth paying a bit extra for.

WantToBeSE

I would never go back to having a freezer that ISN'T frost free! Mine is not noisy at all, never have any problems at all with it.