Buying guide for Best mini fridges

The term “mini fridge” may invoke happy memories from your college dorm room days. Indeed, this pint-sized refrigerator serves a noble purpose in a cramped dorm room where every inch of precious space counts.

But even after your college days are over, a mini fridge may have a place in your life. Perhaps you’d like to keep your favorite snacks stashed near the basement rec room. Or perhaps your primary refrigerator doesn’t have enough space for your favorite sports drinks or alcoholic beverages. A mini fridge could store these items, leaving room for other food in your kitchen refrigerator.

If you’re going to invest in a mini fridge, it’s important to understand how these units differ from full-sized units.

When measuring your home for a mini fridge, allow for some free space behind the unit. Without free air flow around the unit, it won’t operate as efficiently as it could.

Mini fridge designs

Not all mini fridges are made equally. Some are designed to store all types of food; others are made specifically for the refrigeration of alcoholic drinks. These are the most common types:

Cube refrigerator

A “cube” is the most common type of mini fridge that you’ll find. Its square shape fits easily beneath low counters and in tight spaces. Because it’s not tall, a cube-style mini fridge may not work well with taller items like gallon jugs.

Beverage refrigerator

A simple beverage mini fridge is typically quite small. It’s designed to hold anywhere from 12 to 30 cans of soda or beer.

Its temperature control is not consistent enough to store food.

Travel refrigerator

A travel mini fridge is designed for use in a vehicle. It can run from the vehicle’s AC adaptor, which means it draws power from the car battery.

However, some of these units draw a lot of power, so you shouldn’t run them when the car is turned off.

Undercounter refrigerator

This style of mini fridge, sometimes called a mid-sized mini fridge, fits under a countertop. It serves well as a bar fridge or a second refrigerator in the kitchen.

Compared to other designs, its energy efficiency is usually better. However, this is also the most expensive type of mini fridge.

Wine refrigerator

The typical wine mini fridge showcases a pleasant design, as it’s meant to be seen. Glass doors may showcase the bottles inside.

To protect the wine’s temperature, a double pane of glass in the door is a good idea.

You may want to consider a fridge with a tinted glass door in order to keep UV light from striking the wine.

Mini fridge capacity

It’s important to select a mini fridge that fits your space. But it must also have the capacity to hold the items you want to chill. The market offers mini fridges of several different capacities.

Up to 1.5 cubic feet

You can expect to fit roughly 30 to 45 12-ounce cans in a cube-shaped fridge with a capacity of 1.5 cubic feet. Don’t expect a mini fridge with a capacity smaller than this to hold anything more than several cans of beer or soda in the door, though. Furthermore, this type of fridge won’t easily accommodate tall items —  unless you’re willing to remove shelves, which further reduces the unit’s capacity. You’ll rarely find freezer space in a unit of this size, but if the fridge does have a freezer, it’s likely to hold an ice cube tray and not much more.

1.5 to 3 cubic feet

The market offers quite a few designs in this capacity range, most of which hold roughly 45 to 60 12-ounce cans and supply at least some freezer space.
It’s easier to accommodate tall items in a fridge within this range. You might even be able to squeeze in a gallon jug on its side, though it could leak if positioned that way.

Over 3 cubic feet

A mini fridge with more than three cubic feet of storage space typically fits items of multiple sizes. Gallon jugs may fit, for example.
What’s more, units of this capacity often can hold larger items inside the door, like a half gallon of milk. You should be able to fit roughly 55-75 12-ounce cans in a fridge like this.

Other features to consider

Don’t limit your consideration of mini fridges to design and capacity. Here are a few other features to consider when shopping for a mini fridge:

Door depth

Having a door that can hold half-gallon jugs could serve you well. But some mini fridge doors are shallow and can only hold 12-ounce cans. Take into consideration the depth of the door when choosing a unit.

Limitations

Depending on where you’re planning to situate your mini fridge, there may be limitations on what model you can use. For example, some college dormitories limit the capacity of the unit. The school might also require dorm appliances to be Energy Star compliant.

Multiple capacities

Some manufacturers create mini fridge models in multiple capacities. This means that if you like a particular model, you may be able to find it in the perfect size for your needs. Top-selling manufacturers such as Danby and Midea make some of their models in multiple sizes.

Reversible doors

A reversible door comes in handy if you must squeeze your mini fridge into a particular space. You can then adjust the door to open in the direction that makes the most sense for your room layout.

Weight

Mini fridges weigh anywhere from 30 to 100 pounds. If you plan to move your mini fridge often, this information proves helpful. For example, if you’re planning to take a mini fridge with you while living in a dorm, you might prefer something on the lighter side so you don’t have to struggle moving it in and out.

Price

Mini fridges cost anywhere from $50 to $300. Units with a larger interior tend to cost more. Specialty fridges (wine fridges, appliances with larger freezers) may also cost more.

Cost of operation

You might be surprised at the cost of operating a mini fridge. These units are not as energy efficient as full-sized refrigerators. Expect to pay anywhere from $25 to $60 on yearly electricity costs associated with your mini fridge. (This amount is only slightly less than a full-sized fridge.)

Mini fridges constructed in the past several years are subject to federal energy usage standards. This means they will run more efficiently and require a lower cost of operation than older units.

FAQ

Q. Why would I want a mini fridge? I’m not a college student anymore.

A. A mini fridge certainly fits in well with the college and apartment-dwelling crowd, but these handy appliances suit a lot of other populations, too. You may wish to store cold drinks in an office or in your family rec room. Or perhaps you need an overflow area for food storage when your regular refrigerator is full.

Q. I want a small refrigerator with precise temperature control. What are my options?

A. If you want a mini fridge with accurate temperature control, don’t select the smallest unit you can find. In most cases, the smallest mini fridges (in terms of capacity) can’t precisely control temperatures. Instead, consider a larger mini fridge (often called a “mid-size” mini fridge), most of which have a capacity of three cubic feet or more. These units frequently have a temperature control dial similar to what you’d find on a full-sized model.

Q. When selecting a mini fridge for wine storage, what should I consider?

A. Because different types of wine taste best at different temperatures, precision is required for a wine mini fridge. Red wines should be served at temperatures between 55°F and 65°F. White wines taste best at temperatures between 45°F and 55°F. So if you have both types of wine on hand, consider a unit with two sections that have separate temperature controls. And make sure the fridge can hold the number of bottles you’d like to have on hand. Some units hold as few as three or four bottles of wine; others can hold a dozen or more.

Q. What are some of the drawbacks of mini fridges?

A. The most obvious drawback to a mini fridge is its small size. You won’t be able to store as much food or drink in a mini fridge as you could in a full-sized refrigerator. And many mini fridges have a limited freezer space — or no freezer space at all.

Mini fridges eat a lot of power, too; they simply aren’t as energy efficient as a larger refrigerator. And although they consume a lot of electricity, some mini fridges with freezers cannot reach a low enough temperature to safely store meat.