Under Counter Refrigerator

Do you need more refrigeration in your kitchen? Ever thought about an under counter refrigerator for your kitchen? Another great thing about these refrigerators is you can get more cold storage next to your food prep area. Which will further increase the functionality of your kitchen.

Getting more cold storage near your prep area is a great way to lessen the foot traffic around your main fridge. This is especially useful if there is more than one cook in the kitchen on a regular basis. After all no one wants to have to clamber over someone to get to the refrigerator. OK this may be an exaggeration but it does make sense to split up the kitchen into work spaces, and storing vegetables and other smaller items near the prep area is a good idea.

One thing may prevent you from installing an under counter refrigerator and that would be, not enough cabinet space. If you have limited cabinet space in your kitchen then this refrigerator may not be a good idea. An excellent place to have one of these refrigerators is in the island. The island is a more and more popular place to have appliances like dishwashers and these under counter refrigerators.

The storage capacity of these fridges are from 2 to 6 cubic feet, and also come in commercial quality. The storage may seem small but a little goes a long way. Although it may not be feasible to use these refrigerators to store leftovers, they are perfect for storing vegetables and other smaller items.

An under counter refrigerator is also perfect for keeping beverages cold. By using a smaller fridge to store beverages it will keep your main refrigerator from being opened as much. 

You may also be interested in getting an under counter wine refrigerator. These fridges are small and will keep up to 20 bottles of wine at the perfect temperature. Plus they will free up room in your main fridge, and not have the ups and downs in temps from the frequent opening of the main refrigerator doors. 

Under counter wine refrigerators can also have have separate areas in the fridge to store different wines. Some wines require special temperatures for optimal flavor and also for longer life of the wine. They accomplish the different temps by computer controlling the temps inside of the fridge, and also by separating the fridge into sections for easier controlling of the temperatures.

If you would like one of these compact refrigerators, it's best to plan for them in the beginning stages of your remodel. It is possible to install one of these fridges in an existing kitchen but extensive deconstruction of the lower cabinets may be necessary to get the fridge to fit. 

Which in turn will most likely require the removal of the countertop and/ or a section of the cabinets. So in my opinion it's not a good idea to install one after the kitchen is already in place, but of course this your decision.

Some of these refrigerators also come with very small freezer section. Again my opinion is not to get one with a freezer if you plan to use this fridge only in your kitchen. Why? Because it is unnecessary and will only make the smaller fridge less functional. After all you already have a freezer in your main fridge that will hold a ton more than one of these little under counter refrigerator's freezers.

In closing, if you would like to get more functionality in your kitchen, a separate smaller fridge near your prep area will definitely help. I would only recommend installing one if it's planned for in the design phase and not after the kitchen is already in place.

But if your heart is set on installing one in an existing kitchen, then I say go for it but plan on spending a considerable amount of time and money to get the space needed to install one. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, and you may have a dead space in your kitchen that would fit one of these under counter refrigerators perfectly. This will not be the case with most kitchens though.