Freezer temperatures in all mini fridges tend to fluctuate a lot. That’s probably because it’s fundamentally inefficient to have an unsealed freezer shelf inside a compartment that’s mostly just a fridge. In our tests, we recorded pretty wide temperature fluctuations in the WHS-65L’s freezer, which jumped from 11 to 21 degrees Fahrenheit, and 10 to 20 degrees at a lower setting. Those shifts in temperature are substantial enough to cause slight freezer burn within a few days, affecting the taste and texture of food. And because the freezer never came close to reaching the 0-degree threshold for safe, long-term meat storage in our tests, you’ll have to find a better place to keep your venison steaks for the winter. To select our best mini fridges, we relied on our years of experience testing refrigerators and in-depth knowledge of the category.
Generally, the larger the refrigerator, the greater the energy consumption. I looked at this fridge this morning, and I found the specs (4.3 cu.ft) suspect. Target has another Whirlpool with the exact same dimensions listing 3.5 cu.ft. And the video included on the page actually “slips up” and opens saying 3.5 cu.ft, while showing the WH43S1E model number (later in the video is says “4.3 cubic feet” when showing the closed fridge box). The extra 0.8 cu.ft might only be good for obliquely packaged food. Based on other mini fridges posted, this looks to be a pretty good deal.
To help you find the perfect mini fridge for your budget and needs, I put together a list of the five best models you can buy. I’ve broken down their features and price points so you can compare and choose the one that is the best fit for your home, office, or dorm. Whether you need a fridge for the garage, dorm room, or office, the Whirlpool 4.3 cu. This Energy Star rated compact refrigerator has an adjustable thermostat, allowing you to have control over how cold your items stay. The fridge has a seven-can dispenser built in, and is tall enough inside to hold two-liter bottles. The interior glass shelf is adjustable for space optimizing, and the interior light helps you make sure you grab the right item out of the fridge.
Stainless steel pots and pans are a great addition to every kitchen. They look gorgeous, last a lifetime, and can be used for everything from steaming rice to braising chicken to simmering soup. This model bears the EnergyStar label and should only cost about $25 a year to run. You may have to defrost the freezer, an “ancient” procedure that may not be familiar to you. It involves turning the fridge off and allowing all the ice that builds up on the walls of the freezer to melt off.
The goal is to save you money on your utility bills when you choose the most efficient ENERGY STAR model. You’ll find a light blue and white ENERGY STAR logo on certified refrigerators or a yellow card that displays its efficiency with an estimate of how much it will cost you to run the mini fridge per year. A mini fridge can absolutely be worth the cost, especially if you’re going off to college. Having a small refrigerator in your dorm room makes it easy to keep fresh food and cool drinks on hand between classes or when you just can’t bring yourself to eat another meal in the dining hall. Mini fridges are also great for use at home when you might need a bit of extra cold storage for groceries like meat, drinks, and vegetables. The LED interior light uses a motion sensor to automatically turn on as you approach.
So we resigned ourselves to renting from Buddy’s, a place a friend of mine recommended that she had used before. It was $60 by the week or $200 by the month, no contract, no ding to my credit and they had it out within the whirlpool mini refrigerator hour, which I found impressive. Sad thing is, we had Geek Squad on one new product and I found out that it actually would have covered the fridge. I had to repair my old fridge every few months towards the end of its life.
This refrigerator is Energy Star Certified and has a total capacity of up to 5.1 cu. ZDNET’s recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews whirlpool mini refrigerator sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. If you are interested in purchasing a small orundercounter refrigerator to save space in your home, Whirlpool brand offers a variety of units to suit your needs.
In Food Studies, Nutrition and Public Health from New York University and trained in culinary arts at the Natural Gourmet Institute. Eva had a little blue mini fridge in her bedroom in middle school so she always had a chilled beverage at her disposal. This Cooseon Mini Fridge is a great option if you’re looking for a place to store skincare products to help preserve their shelf-life or to chill a jade roller for extra de-puffing power. The illuminated mirror on the front of the fridge is a convenient bonus for bathrooms and vanities. We love how lightweight it is to carry and that you can even use it in your car thanks to its DC adapter.
In another test we gauged how much stuff we could fit in, which has as much to do with the shelving layout as with the manufacturer’s claimed capacity. But that isn’t the only experience we’ve had testing mini fridges. Both the editor of this guide and I used to cover appliances for Reviewed.com, and we did a couple of mini fridge roundups together in 2012 and 2013.
If space isn’t necessarily the deciding factor, and you’re going to be using the fridge a lot, you should consider a full-sized refrigerator on the more affordable side. From stainless steel to beautiful wood to dramatic lighting, you’ll find it here. If you buy a new refrigerator, be sure to recycle your old one. Many appliance retailers will pick up and recycle your old refrigerator when you purchase a new one.