Fridges and freezers - integrated or not ?

[didireallysaythat]

We currently have a fridge freezer. It's fine. However it's not big enough. We're planning a kitchen extension next year so I'm thinking about getting a separate (maybe integrated, maybe not?) fridge and freezer - and getting the freezer this year so that I can fill it up with stuff from the allotment/garden. Ultimately the current fridge freezer could go in the garage as a backup/place for christmas overfill.

So I've a couple of questions. Integrated (means hidden behind a built in kitchen door i think?) or not ? Brand ? Itf we bought it now, the freezer would have to spend this year in the garage which I think means that the freezer would have to be a beko as it's the only brand I've found that works a low ambient temperatures.

Suggestions ? Recommendations ? What should I be looking for ? And where to buy it ? I like the idea of ice and chilled water but to be honest as long as I can get a freezer with an ice cube shelf I'll be happy..

I don't like integrated appliances, they are more difficult to put in/take out and especially tiresome when you want to replace with a new one that is not quite the same size.

If you have an appliance in the garage, it may as well be a big freezer because you will not want to pop out to fetch a bottle of milk from a fridge.

Here we have two big FFs, one in the kitchen, obv, and the other in the futility room which is next to the front door so handy for putting shopping away.

Bekos are good value, but check reviews as some models are surprisingly good, others not.

We are having ours built in, rather than integrated, so it will fit in to a special cabinet space and our joiner will build some bespoke cabinetry around it (think a 30cm wine rack on its side iyswim) That way we can have bigger capacity 70/30 ff (and a separate undercounter freezer in the utility) and still no awkward gaps to clean.

I'm with PigletJohn on this one - integrated appliances may look fine at the start when everything is new and gleaming but they can be the very devil if they go wrong. I know that in this house (which had an integrated oven when we moved in) my electric oven blew up more or less and I was restricted for size reasons to one replacement type unless I was prepared to redo most of the kitchen - which I couldn't afford even if I'd wanted it.

I have a FF in the kitchen but a freezer in the downstairs store cupboard next to the laundry. That arrangement seems to work fine.

I agree, integrated appliances are a pain in the ass. Our integrated fridge freezer is totally crap and will cost a fortune to replace. I have bought a freestanding fridge and freezer that we are using instead. May well turn it back to a cupboard. The dishwasher is going too. God knows how much that will cost. I wouldn't have put in built in appliances but they were already here when we moved in.

Thank you all ! Right, non integrated fridge and freezer it is. I think I'm going to get a full height freezer and then a full height fridge rather than go the two fridge freezer route ala Piglet John only because our freezer section is only 2.5 drawers - fridge freezers always compromise the freezer space and its this that I need more.

OK then. Other than beko (which gets either great reviews or causes your house to burn down, little in between) are there other brands I should consider ? And is this an appliances online, curry's or John Lewis purchase ?

Siemens and Bosch come out very well on Which. Have both here, from JL who often have special offers on Siemens.

They are both made by BSH which is their jointly-owned appliance company, so equally reliable. Siemens aims somewhat upmarket but there is an overlap in ranges and some machines are the same apart from the badge. Others may have more whizzo features on the Siemens,

p.s.

Although they look similar, one of ours has push-buttons for temperature, fast chill and fast freeze; and the other has a knob for the fridge part. Buttons are better, preferably with a 24-hour auto reset timer.

Beko are the only brand so far that I can find quoting use at low temperatures. Our garage gets down to 4C over the winter (damn the insulation on the boiler).

"Which" says
The frost-free Beko TFFS577APW is a tall slimline freezer that's 55cm wide and 179cm tall, ... is a great freezer that's cheap to run.
scored 76%

The tall Beko TFF546APS (and TFF546APW) upright freezer is cheap to buy...great at the basic business of freezing food and keeping it frozen. But it's a real energy guzzler, and it won't keep food safely frozen for long in a power cut.
Scored 55%

Piglet John many thanks for looking them up on Which? I'm not wedded to Beko but until I can find another brand that tolerates cold garages I don't think there's much choice ?

Thank you

I'm I favour of integrated!
We bought standard sizes when we built our kitchen units, so all we would need would be a new door front. Or not bother if we decided to get non integrated.

The problem with integrated, I've found, is that something that is 'standard' one year can be quickly discarded by the manufacturer in favour of another model. (Or even no model at all.) It's usually OK if you buy a replacement fast - if the appliance goes down quickly - but leave it a couple of years and you might be in trouble trying to source something suitable. Manufacturers are ruthless in these matters.

PS - and it's not limited to white goods. I was talking to my roofer, recently, and his tales of trying to source replacement roof tiles were cautionary. If you're having a roof tiled, it's a good idea to ask for some spare tiles to store just in case.