Doors and shelves

Doors

• Most fridges give you the choice of which side the door opens when you buy, or allow you to change it later.
• Some models have door-closing mechanisms for fridge and freezer. This helps avoid the situation of the door sitting slightly open with no one noticing. Some also have an alarm that sounds if you leave the door open.
• It's handy to be able to get all the trays and baskets out without having to open the doors any wider than 90°.  Many people have their fridges in a corner, so when the doors are open 90° they are hard against the wall.
• Side-by-side models don't offer a choice of the side which doors open. As well, the doors on this type of fridge-freezer may get in the way of using drawers and shelves if the doors cannot open to an angle well beyond 90°.

Shelves

• Most models have a good range of positions for shelves, but they must be fully removed before being reinserted. Many can't be pulled out unless the door is opened well beyond 90°.
• Solid shelves are an improvement on wire grill shelves. They stop spills dribbling all the way through the fridge, they make those spills less likely anyway because they provide a more stable surface, and they are easier to wipe clean.

Drawers

Easier to load, harder to find small items in the bottom. If the door cannot open beyond 90°, you may not be able to pull the drawer out far enough to reach the back.

Extra storage features

Most models come with a range of extra  features. Consider what your needs are, and any special food requirements you have.

Butter conditioners
These used to be a standard feature of New Zealand fridges, but they seem to have gone the way of the dinosaurs. We think that's a good thing. Butter conditioners lower a fridge's energy efficiency, and they don't necessarily keep butter at a useful temperature anyway. If you want to keep butter a bit warmer, use the dairy compartment in the door.

Chillers
These are genuinely useful. Ideal for storing meat or super cooling the beer. They provide cooler storage (just above 0°C) than the rest of the fridge, so are good for storing meat and fish. They also prevent the food dripping onto other food and contaminating it. Some models have a separate control for the chiller.

Crisper
We measure the humidity in the crisper, which is a guide to how well unwrapped vegetables will stay fresh. Crispers need to have a lid that seals properly, so the humidity is contained. Some models have a special humidity control so you can get it just right.

Can dispenser
Not a very common feature, but we like it! A handy wire under-shelf rack partitioned into three rows: you take one of the front cans and the rest roll forward. New Zealand beer cans (330mL) and soft drink cans (355mL) will fit, but the slightly larger Aussie beer cans (375mL) won't.

Separate vegetable drawers
Having a third compartment can make access to the vegies more convenient. But unless it has an airtight lid, it will not function as a proper vegetable crisper. Vegetables not in a crisper should be wrapped before storing: the easiest option is to use the bags supplied by supermarkets in the vegetable section.

Containers
Side-by-side models tend to have more self-enclosed containers than vertical models. These make fridge storage tidy (and more hygienic), but they also take up space and can make access a bit harder.