I love my side by side. 25 Sq.Ft. The freezer is wide enough to just fit a large frozen pizza box. I freeze things like lasagna in smaller containers than the original 10X13 baking pan. Bags of frozen veg get tossed into the large bin on the bottom. I have never attempted to put a large roasting pan in the refrig. section but a big platter fits. I wouldn't go back to the bending into the lower freezer or bowing down every time I go in the fridge. Commonly used items are kept on higher shelves and can be grabbed quickly.

When shopping for a new fridge take your biggest lasagna pan with you and see if it fits. (And check to see if a turkey will fit.)

Only had a side by side once....hated it. Was happy to leave it behind when we moved. On the other hand, you would probably be okay with it as long as you keep your old refrigerator in the garage for lasagna or any other big casseroles or meats that you have.

We had a side-by-side once and it was almost okay. We were a family of 5 at the time, 2 adults and 3 children. Ours was equally split: 50% freezer and 50% refrigerator. We found that we needed more refrigerator space than freezer. That unit was replaced by the conventional freezer on top and refrigerated space on bottom. The wider space of both parts was more convenient for us.

We could use a small freezer to take advantage of sales or purchases of large quantities, but do not have space for one in our kitchen. The refrigerator with freezer space at top has been the best compromise for us.

I have had several side by side and loved them. The one in my flood house I had special ordered a large one from Lowes. It was the largest and we had a hard time getting it in the house and in the kitchen. I do not like the freezer on the bottom. My sister has one and hates it. I can't get to it in my chair. I can't stand and bend over long enough to dig deep into it. The side by side is much easier.

We had a side by side in an apartment. Hated it. It's for storing small things only. I buy big boxes of easily made foods at Costco. I'm sure they would not fit.

The take away, as I see it, is a frig is not one size fits all. We would never buy big boxes of food from Cosco. Raven can't use a bottom freezer, but if I can't have a side by side, that is what I would want.

Think about what you use and go from there.

We have a pigeon pair, which is a fridge and a freezer side by side but separate units, so each is full size. I love it and have for nearly 20 years.

What Maddielee said. When out looking, take your lasagna pan and a pizza box and physically check what will fit.

Have never had a side-by-side, but I do like the freezer at the bottom. Next one will have freezer at the bottom and double doors on top.

I've pretty much already ruled out the french door one. I use the freezer too much to want to be bending over looking for stuff. I also don't care about ice machines. I'm perfectly fine with the old fashioned ice cube trays. All the bad reviews seem to be leaking ice/water makers anyway. I may just end up getting the biggest freezer on top that will fit in my space.

Interesting colleen, I've never heard the phrase "pigeon pair". Maybe more common in Oz? We have separate fridge and freezer units at our main house, each the size of a regular fridge overall, but they're completely separate and not adjacent. They're on opposite sides of the kitchen from one another. A bit unnecessary because we keep little in the freezer so it's mostly empty.

I don't like ice makers either. Even though the water is filtered, it still creeps me out. I use very little ice so I use trays. I've I'm having people over, I pick up a bag of ice. I have a freezer bottom, one door on top and very happy with it. Nothing fancy, Average sized Kenmore.

Like Colleenoz, in our last home we had a full size fridge only (no freezer) in the kitchen and a full size fridge in our Laundry/Pantry room. I love, loved it. In the past I've had a side-by-side and in my current home a bottom freezer and both have their flaws. We just recently crammed a small freezer into our spare room 😏.

I had a side by side way back in the 70's. While I didn't hate it, (it was a step up from what I had before it), I have never bought another one. I bought the refrigerator I have now about 6 or 7 years ago, after a lot of shopping, looking, researching, etc. It's a 4 door, double doors on top, pull out drawer in the middle and pull out freezer drawer on the bottom. I don't like it, I LOVE it! Everything in it is easy for me to get to. It easily accommodates anything I have put in it, frozen pizza boxes included. I have not tried to put a large roasting pan in it, but I think it would fit. I don't know what size pan you use for lasagna, but the 9" X 13" pan I use is no problem at all.

Yes, I do have to bend over to get things out of the freezer, but that's not a problem for me. It's not something I do multiple times a day. I don't have to bend over to see what's in the crisper drawers or what's in the back of the lowest shelves. That is something I often do multiple times a day.

As someone above said, a refrigerator is not a one-size-fits all sort of thing. So take your time shopping, researching, analyzing how you use it, etc. You sure don't want to spend that much money on something you'll regret!

Rusty

We were in a condo for a year while we had our house redone. It had a side by side. When it came time to choose our new fridge, I said I'll take anything as long as it's not a side by side. Hated is not a strong enough word for how I felt about it.

I like ice makers, both of our units have them. Internally, not through the door.

I toss out the ice every few days so it's always fresh.

I've been looking on Lowe's website and now Pieratt's. I like the way the freezer on the bottom with the drawer in the middle ones look but not sure I would like to use them. I may just have to go look at them in person.

I was concerned about the usability of the space esp in the freezer on a side by side, so we went with a french door...fridge on top, freezer on bottom, doors don't take up too much depth when open. We're happy with that style.

Kathleen, weren't you military? Lowes gives a 10% discount to people with a military ID.

Moni, I am not retired military, though. I wonder if they'd take my driver's license with the Veteran stamp on it?

So, been looking at 4 door French door type fridges on-line. I am wondering if this is the answer. The freezer is on the bottom but has pull out drawers. One is just under $1000 with no ice machine but some of the reviews aren't great, the other is just under $1500 with better reviews. Only problem is they are both stainless steel, which I don't really like.

Pizzas seem to be designed to fit into side by side freezers! I actually like the freezer of our side by side. I use FridgeBinz to organize it, they seem to work better here than in our old top freezer.

The fridge side, I'm not such a fan. We have assigned spots for almost everything so we can leave one shelf for random stuff, like a lasagna pan.

One problem with freezers having a vertical door is that they dump the cold air every time opened.

That not only uses more power, but having warm air being cooled many times may cause the frozen goods to deteriorate more quickly.

ole joyful

Elmer, "pigeon pair" is a commonly used expression here- originally it meant "a boy and a girl" when someone enquired about the gender of your children, "Oh, I have a pigeon pair" meant you had one of each. Then the expression was migrated to mean one each of a complementary pair of items, as in a fridge and a freezer with the doors hung so that they each open from the inside edge to the outside.

There is also quite a wide variance in real life capacity versus stated capacity in different refrigerator styles. And the more bells and whistles and rounded corners the worse it gets. I also measured some fridge shelves when I was shopping and some have such a large dripless lip that you can barely fit a dinner plate sitting on the actual glass part. More doors, less inside space. More adjustable shelves equal less area to actually place food. I still like the conveniences of adjustable bins and things and I happen to love the look of French Door Fridges but I was surprised to find that the Plain Jane GE I bought as a backup fridge at 20 square feet with full length door shelves hold tons more than the larger French Door on my wish list in the coming year or the 22.5 top freezer fridge it replaced that had adjustable bins etc.

Here's a guide to capacity. Be sure to scroll down to the illustrations.

https://www.consumerreports.org/refrigerators/why-refrigerator-capacity-claims-dont-add-up/

I have an old standard fridge and freezer on top. We bought the largest one they had, never have been sorry. I have a freezer on the bottom in garage fridge, do not like it. But it was free and not used daily.

Besides storage, look at ease of cleaning inside and out. Will you be able to get to all the nooks, seams, and crannies that hold liquid or crumbs.

Re Military discount. You don’t have to be retired military. If your license doesn’t work, Take a copy of your DD214 into the store.

I didn't like the side-by-side. I ended up giving it to my son and buying a model with the freezer on the bottom. However, my daughter loves her high-end Samsung side-by-side.

Edited to say my daughter's is a French door model. And also . . . what happened to the price of refrigerators?? Granted, I haven't looked at new ones in a while, but I'm shocked at what I saw this morning when I checked our appliance store's website.

Alisande, they are outrageous. I love the look of the Tuscan colored Samsung fridge but they are huge and I don't think I need that much fridge. Also the price tag. Not spending $3000 on a fridge...not even spending $2000 on one. Especially when they all seem to break and leak water after a month or so. I'm definitely not getting an ice maker no matter what. I do want to go and see if Lowes has the four door, freezer on the bottom fridge. After I see it in person will decide on it or a normal, freezer on the top type. Thanks for all the replies.

If an ice maker leaks, it's most often because of sub-par installation work, not because of the appliance.

Kath....Do you have an "Appliance Factory Outlet"? I can get a Samsung French Door SS for $600. They sell scratch n'dent. I get the A class, with a little dent down low the cabinets will cover....and it's new, under warranty. Has ice in the lower freezer. You can turn it to "off" if you don't want it.

Nicole, I think there is a furniture outlet store in the nearest big city but not sure about appliances. Will check it out.

Only had a side-by-side once and I swore I would never have another. Such an ill-used waste of space. You cannot get anything large/wide in either side. At the time, we had 3 kids so I was often preparing large portions, the kids had pizza boxes, and it just didn’t work. We finally bought a cheap 2nd fridge for the garage and used it for our overflow and large items and drinks. I couldn’t wait to get rid of the clunker side-by.

IMO, and depending on your width accommodation, you get more space with a freezer on bottom, single door, or maybe a simple French door with bottom freezer. So convenient. You just have to consider your own personal lifestyle and what you freeze and store.

Edited to add, we just bought the 21.something cubic foot (maybe it’s 22 I can’t recall) French door Kitchen Aid counter depth and it’s plenty big enough for DH and I.

We used to have a side by side here but replaced it with a freezer bottom drawer, middle drawer that I use for cold cuts, cheese, and fresh vegetables, and French doors at the top. This has been the best configuration for me. However, we do have a full size freezer and a full size fridge in the garage (a pigeon pair like Colleen mentioned). I tend to keep the freezer in the garage filled, and I might use things from it more often if it were in the house, but there is no room. There is not much in the refrigerator in the garage - it is mainly for overflow and for when I make things that take up a lot of space temporarily while I am making them.

We have a side by side in our vacation house, and it is fine for that, but that house also has a wine fridge plus a beer fridge, which were left by the previous owners. For them, Happy Hour lasted 24 hours, and they had a sign to that effect. I don't use the freezer there for very much, but I did put a few leftover there and found them convenient to have.

At first, I thought "Frigde" was some new European brand name that I had never heard of, and so I did not open this thread until today.

I went to Lowes today and looked for the 4 door Frigidaire I liked on-line. They didn't have one on display. I did look at similar style Samsungs with ice makers and they weren't great. I didn't like the freezer portion and they were between $4000 and $6000. I did find a basic, freezer on top Samsung in black stainless steel that was so pretty and loved the roominess inside. Have to go to work now but will check out the reviews for it on-line. I just don't know about buying a black stainless steel appliance when I'm planning to put in white cabinets. It might look okay? I have to google some pictures later too.

We have the Samsung 4 dr. It must be 7-8 years old. It’s enormous! Please excuse the chip mess on top. I need to put, my

ice Apple basket back up there.

lisa, I like that configuration, but it looks way too big for me (and my space) and I'm sure costs tons more than I'd be willing to pay.

I would not buy another side by side unless that’s all that fit in my space. Although I’ve never had one with the freezer on the bottom, that makes the most sense to me. Everything you use most frequently is at eye level.

I have heard only bad things about Samsung and LG fridges. I’d keep looking.

Here's mine, which is Kitchenaid

shown with doors closed, but the inside looks identical to Lisa's. I'm pretty sure we did not pay more than $2k for it. I think it also the same age as Lisa's. When it was five years old, I had to replace the icemaker, but I did that myself for about $110.00. My favorite thing about it is the center drawer.

I did look at the French door fridges when at Lowes. They're okay and I would probably like the middle drawer but when I opened the bottom freezer drawer I thought I would find it annoying to get in there to find things. Some of them were kind of dirty and it made me think about how annoying it would be to try and get down that far and clean in there. I know you don't clean the freezer out as much as the fridge but the deep bins just looked like they wouldn't be user friendly.

Sadly the Samsung I was looking at has temperature issues according to a lot of the reviews. I found another one like it but it has an ice machine in it. Back to square one.

"...but when I opened the bottom freezer drawer I thought I would find it annoying to get in there to find things."

Kath, that's my issue since I don't want to have to dig for anything. Our current fridge is side-by-side and from the previous owners. It was new when we moved in 6 years ago, so we kept it. It's plenty big for the two of us...27 cubic ft, I think. However, it's not counter depth which I will get when this one needs replacing. I guess that might require freezer digging...?

Lars I actually removed one shelf because it wasn’t really needed. It made the shelves too close together. Curious if yours had the same number on the left side. The picture is minus the shelf. Never missed it. A big plus for us is being easily able to fit a giant pizza box in the fridge. We order extra on Friday nights so we can reheat it for lunch on the weekend. I don’t need to wipe out the freezer often but it’s not difficult for me. I did it last week. I’m 57. Our chest freezer in the garage is over 20 years old and plastic under the lid is breaking off. I plan on replacing it this month and switching to an upright. The chest is a nightmare to keep organized. The bottom freezer is like a dream imo. I can see everything easily.

The people that hate the side by side must be buying units that are too small! I had a side by side in Arkansas and it was SO MUCH BETTER than the top freezer unit I had before in Florida! I now have another top freezer unit and it is just way too small even though it's a big unit. The side by side held all of our food without even needing a seperate freezer!

Over the years I have had more than one side by side. I never really cared for them, but because of where the refrigerator had to be at the time, that was what we had to get. Now I have two French door Samsung refrigerators and I do like them very much. One is down in my kitchen which I seldom use now and one on the upper level where I am most all the time.

Sue

We have a second up right freezer down stairs so I have always been happy with a side by side and have had three. I like the shelves and not everything all stacked up on itself. Truth is--if you don' t like it--it won't be a forever purchase. All the energy efficiency stuff they put on them blows them motors with in 5-8 years.

The space for my fridge is only 36 inches, max. There is no way to change it. Even though I liked my Kenmore side by side, that is why the shelf spaces are small. It did hold more than my current top freezer Whirlpool. It just seemed better organized. The big pizza boxes were put in my garage freezer, which was just outside the kitchen door.

If you have a tract floor plan, like I do, built in the 1960 to 1990 range, the space unless you were very lucky, was only 36 inches. Sink and refrigerator spaces were 36 inches wide. Stove 30 inches and dishwasher spaces were 24 inches wide.

"The people that hate the side by side must be buying units that are too small!"

That could be part of it. My mom had kind of a small one that she really disliked. I would never have bought one myself, but our house came with a new one that is big enough.

I bought my Samsung 4 door in 2013, it looks exactly like Lisa's. I absolutely LOVE it! A year or so ago, I had a problem with the ice maker freezing up, but Samsung replaced it, no problem.

The shelf above the one Lisa removed can be folded up, making plenty of room for taller bottles, etc. The top shelf on the right can be pulled forward to make it easier to reach things on the back of it. The drawer has sliding dividers in it to help keep things organized. I also like the fact that the temperature of the drawer can be set separate from the refrigerator. I love that drawer!

Everything I use everyday is at eye level, very easy to see and very handy.

The bottom freezer is actually very easy to access. 'Digging' something from the bottom it is no worse than getting something from the back of a top freezer.

It was the right choice for me!

Rusty

We have black stainless steel appliances with white cabinets. Love the look!

I had a side by side years ago and hated it. Now I have the french doors with freezer on the bottom. Love it. We got a set at Lowe's for a great price - stove, fridge and dishwasher. Everything is only 2 years old so I know there could be problems to come, but as of now, everything looks and works great.

We also have the indoor ice/water maker - LOVE it!