There are some luxury purchases that everyone knows how to buy
. For diamonds you look for clarity, for holidays it is an exclusive location and for wine it is the vintage, but what should you look for in a fridge freezer? To help you decide here are three things to look out for in high end cooling appliances.
Special features - The flagship models from luxury brands always have something that makes them stand out. By looking at these you can normally get a good idea of what the brand sees as being a priority. For example Siemens have an integrated plasma screen TV in their top model because they value technical innovation while AEG have annexed a 39 bottle wine cellar onto theirs as they pride themselves on appreciating the finer things in life.
Extra storage - Compartments with separate access are fast becoming the thing to have. Extra doors that lead into specialised areas have been cropping up in show kitchens across the industry. LG do an American style fridge freezer with a nudge-to-open minibar but the undisputed king of multiple access has to be the four door Hotpoint Quadrio.
Style - If a unit looks good then do not expect it to come with extra storage or special features. The most tasteful (and most expensive) refrigerators are always amongst the most simple. Even brands like Smeg who are known for their distinctive, chunky style have eschewed their trademark design in favour of something less intrusive.
Of course just because a machine meets all three requirements above (or more usually just two out of three) it might still be junk. The very basic criteria on which all cooling appliances should be judged are capacity, noise level and power.
In American fridge freezers it usually follows that the bigger the capacity the better the machine whereas for European styles there is no clear distinction. Always choose a capacity that is suitable for your household by aiming to have between 60 and 80 litres (two or three cubic feet) of space per adult.
Noise level is important because as well as acting as a good indicator of the quality of the machine (less noise correlates well with better build quality) it can have a direct impact on your life. There is nothing worse than a noisy, buzzing fridge if you have a wooden floor in an open plan kitchen/living space.
Unlike many other appliances the power of a fridge freezer is hard to judge. To be on the safe side you should always opt for a unit with a fast or turbo-freeze. This is because when food freezes the size of the ice crystals that form directly affects the change in taste. A powerful freezer with a turbo function means smaller crystals which make for less loss of flavour.