Am I mad to consider an under counter fridge?

[omnishambles]

Ok so bear with me. Tiny kitchen - 8x8 or something so a U-shape with the door at the bottom. sink and back door on the right hand side, so far so normal.

The present owners have a normal size fridge freezer at the end of the worktop on the left. I think I need to claw back some worktop and cupboard space/light by having an under counter fridge and putting up lots of shelves above/continuing the worktop.

At the moment there are probably about 2 cupboards for food - nothing else and a very small amount of worktop.

I think I can live with an under counter fridge as we only buy weekly and can be much more organised - there isnt any processed food or drinks taking up space, and not much meat, it is all dairy and veg.

What do you think?

[Cakeandmarshmallows]

I manage with under the counter fridge no problem, have done for five years. Two adults in house and we manage fine, I try to be organised and neat and sometimes it works.... lol!

[teaiseverything]

We have one (rented property) and it does us fine. Takes some organising sometimes (Christmas time with lots of swearing) but does the job.

[PerfectlySymmetricalButtocks]

I had an under counter fridge in a flat we lived in when I was a single parent with DD. I suggest you only get one if you're not going to put much in it. Not if you're a family of 4.

[OutyMcOutface]

I wouldn’t (sore back) but if you don’t mind the regular bending down to get stuff then go for it.

[Needmoresleep]

We did this, trading a fridge freezer for an under counter fridge and more workspace. Right decision though much easier now the kids have left home.

[omnishambles]

Hmm we are a family of 4 with a teenage boy too - though he mostly lives on cereal which at the moment there isnt a cupboard for.

Normally I wouldn't want a small fridge at all but I think I need to choose between the fridge and the other storage/worktops.

This house is very close to supermarkets as well btw.

Outy - dh is worried about the bending thing as well. I think its horses for courses as atm the top 2 shelves of the fridge are unknown to me anyway as I'm a short ass.

Of course there will be the expense and hassle of sticking a bit of worktop over the top of it as well.

[bagsofbats]

Family of 4 with an under counter fridge (small chest freezer in the garage) here. It only gets tricky at Christmas.

[Whatthefoxgoingon]

Wouldn’t work for us. We’d have to be shopping for food every other day, we eat a lot of fresh veg and fruit. I’ve had one as a single person and it was plenty then (apart from the annoying bending over which I don’t miss) I’d look for a very slim fridge instead, and squeeze a chest freezer elsewhere.

[omnishambles]

We will have a under counter size freezer in the shed - this is all fridge so not one with a tiny ice box thing. .

We have mountains of kale as well as dh is one of Those People so maybe I'm just being impractical.

Sigh. I was so looking forward to having my own place - god knows I've waited long enough but all these decisions!

[specialsubject]

new kitchen will have the current freestanding fridge incorporated, only as now it will be at waist height and we'll leave space so the next fridge can be a bit wider.

With only two of us we don't need a yank monster. Plus we have a chest freezer.

[SmurfOrTerf]

Whatthefox why do you keep your fruit and veg in the freezer ?
We manage fine with an under the counter fridge

[AromaticSpices]

There might be a double width under-counter fridge you could consider? We had an under-counter fridge/freezer when it was just DH, me and baby but don't think i would have enough space now. But a double width one might work if you can find one, sounds like you could do with the counter space. Having the whole fridge down low wasn't an issue, it was more the size of it.

Failing that have you thought about other less traditional ways of increasing worktop space? A handy fold-up table which can nestle next to the fixed space, or worktop-on-wheels affair which is wheeled out when you're preparing a lot of food? Have a look on some of the more innovative kitchenwear company websites like maybe Joseph Joseph or even IKEA for neat worktop/storage solutions.

[Okaynowimconfused]

My parents managed. Even when there was a total of 3 adults, 2 teens and a child living there.

[omnishambles]

Aromatic - yes I looked at those expensive double width drawer ones bu the space is only the standard 60cm.

There isn't any floor space to put anything freestanding- it would have to be in the dining room and wheeled in and there isn't any space in there either. I'm worried about where on earth the bin will go there is so little room but let's leave that for now!

[RandomMess]

I chose undercounter fridge to maximise worktop space, no regrets!!

Can you not move your current FF out to where the freezer lives?

[Whatthefoxgoingon]

Keeps fresher longer smurf. Keep it in the vegetable drawer. Also I like cold fruit.

[Whatthefoxgoingon]

Well if there really is no space, then you don’t have a choice. You will have to manage with the under counter fridge.

[flumpybear]

Do you have room for a fridge freezer elsewhere like utility room or garage? I have a small fridge in my kitchen but larger fridge freezer in the garage which can be a faff but better than having to go shopping all the time

[IfNot]

I did exactly what you are describing-chose worktop over fridge space. We are a small family, so it's fine for us. EXCEPT CHRISTMAS when there isn't enough wine and tupperware space.
I have though about buying a mini fridge as well to put...somewhere...for Christmas excess. (Not sure where!)
The freezer holds a bag of frozen peas, oven chips and fish fingers, and thats about it, so there's no batch cooking in this house (thank Christ).
I have a veggie trolley thingy and shelves, and shop little and often.
If you think about it, its really only milk, drinks, meat and fish that need to be refrigerated.

[DasPepe]

Nope there is a Bosch fridge which has pull out drawers.

It's called easy access. This is the first I could find a pic of: www.dr-electric.co.uk/products/28

It has no shelves on the door, so looks a bit like a freezer. But you pull out each drawer so it is easy to acces AND things stay where you put them because you never rummage through even when full

[omnishambles]

Yes, I think I will have to bite the bullet and go for it. I do weekend batch cooking of things like daal and it gets stored in a big jar in the current fridge (dh has a thing about plastic, don't start me on about it).

The freezer is in a cupboard outside so no space for a fridge freezer.

Dh also likes cold fruit. This is slightly irrelevant but he is already moaning that all his frozen blackberries will be outside to which I said if he was working then we could be buying a bigger house and we had a mini grump. Anyway, I digress.

[Whatthefoxgoingon]

Pish. If my DH grumbles about anything, I tell him to come up with a solution or put up and shut up! I’m mean like that

[MrsEricBana]

We have had this for last 19 years. I have teenagers. I'd say not ideal as not huge and ducking down is involved BUT it's fine and in your case I'd definitely go for it (Not that I haven't had dreams about huge American fridge freezers with...quiver...ice machines)