Why go all the way to the campus cafeteria or dorm lobby for a cold drink when you can easily just get it out of this mini fridge in the corner of your room? Trust us, your kids will thank you and so will their new roommate. Note that this appliance does manually defrost, meaning you need to chip away at ice buildup once it’s become 1/4 inch thick. The instructions are all laid out in the user manual, and the process will take a few hours.
Two real pluses are the light and the quiet compressor . The refrigerator interior get quite cold enough (down to 25 deg. F at max setting, no food). The design of the bottom shelf (actually a half-shelf) is disappointing in that a gallon jug will not fit without moving that shelf. The freezer compartment does not get that cold even at maximum setting. The latter two items take one star from an otherwise good mini fridge.
You’ll also find fridges that come with glass or wire shelves. Wire shelves allow for more efficient air flow while glass shelves are great at containing spills. This mini fridge has the same must-have features whirlpool mini refrigerator that many others offer, but it has them all in one place. You don’t have to pick and choose between freezer space or adjustable temperature control—the Black + Decker Compact Refrigerator has both.
Some mini fridges automatically defrost or are frost-free, so they don’t require any maintenance on your part. If you opt for this type of model, you’ll need to unload your food, unplug the machine, and chip away at the frost from time to time. Be aware of the reversible door, which can be hard to adjust. The unit also has mechanical controls that can be less precise than electronic ones. Otherwise, you can find this mini fridge by Summit Appliance in a stainless steel or black finish and happily complete your home project. When you open the door, you’ll get a better glimpse at the adjustable shelves.
They won’t work for anything else, so if you don’t drink sparkling water or fizzy drinks, this may not be the best pick for you. An interior light allows you to see what’s in your mini fridge by illuminating the shelving and bins. It’s not a total necessity but is certainly handy if you’re reaching Frigidaire fridge for a snack or drink at night. An interior light can be positioned at the top of a unit near the temperature controls or at the back. It can include an LED strip or a single bulb and is most effective when items are not blocking it. In addition, it’s key to look at how the mini fridge defrosts.
There are models with no freezer, a top-door freezer (which has a very similar look and feel of a full-size, top-freezer refrigerator), and an internal freezer. The most spacious of these options is the top-door freezer. Typically, they can hold a pint of ice cream comfortably. You’ll want to make your decision based on what you want to store. The manual does recommend giving room-temperature drinks about two to three hours to completely chill after you’ve added them in. (To speed up this process, you can always pre-chill your items before popping them into the interior.) However, this detail shouldn’t be worrisome.