I am in the middle of shopping for a house. I am not going to lie, I like nice things and sadly my budget does not allow for some of the nice things that I want, namely, my dream kitchen. I would love to have a Wolf 48” range with a griddle and an amazing SubZero built in refrigerator, but in reality, this is out of reach. For this reason, when I heard about the new Frigidaire built-in refrigerator and freezer, I was quite excited. After learning more about them, I know that when I find my house, while it may not have that perfect (for me, anyway) kitchen, it will have one that functions like one — and will look equally amazing.
So, back to this new Frigidaire fridge (FPRU19F8WF) and freezer(FPFU19F8WF)… Let’s first talk about the looks. Clean design ✅ Built-in ✅ Seamless ✅ Just what you are looking for in a high-end refrigerator, right? It looks very professional, with its solid, stainless steel front and nice, professional tubular handle which is capped on the top and bottom with stainless steel as well. There is an optional trim kit accessory that is designed to complete the built-in look. This gives you the ability to place the refrigerator next to the freezer, or apart, depending on the design of your kitchen. There is something about the looks of separated refrigerator and freezer compartments in a kitchen that just screams luxury. Frigidaire’s stainless steel finish also resists fingerprints and cleans incredibly easy.
We have established, now, that this refrigerator and freezer pair look amazing. But it takes more than that to be a part of a luxury or gourmet kitchen. How does this combo work?
One of the most important parts of your refrigerator system is going to be the compressor. The compressor is both a pump and a motor. When the computer system in your refrigerator detects a temperature rise above the set point, the compressor will kick in and draw in cold refrigerant cooled gas and pumps out the hot gas, which allows the heat to disperse though the surrounding air outside of the unit. As the gas cools, it turns liquid and then moves through the refrigerator or freezer coils, cooling the surrounding air, lowering the ambient temperature of the interior of the refrigerator or freezer. This is an over-simplified version of a working compressor, but it will do for what we are talking about here. Both of the Frigidaire units come with a variable speed compressor that will react quickly to normal temperature fluctuations and will constantly circulate cold air throughout the interior of the freezer or refrigerator compartment. Consistent temperatures within your compartments are key for preserving your food and keeping it fresh for longer. With this compressor, it will also help reduce freezer burn. Most importantly, variable speed compressors don’t kick on and kick off like a traditional home refrigerator’s compressor would. This results in quieter operation and increased durability as the variable speed compressor isn’t exposed to the traditional wear of an ordinary compressor’s on/off operation.
Another key to fresh food preservation is removal of ethylene gas. Ethylene gas is naturally released from fresh fruits and vegetables as they ripen and age. It will also accelerate the ripening and aging of other fruits and vegetables that are in the same compartment. The Frigidaire refrigerator has a CrispSeal crisper which has an ethylene absorbing filter that reduces the amount of ethylene gas in the crisper compartment, extending the life and managing the ripening process of the fruits and vegetables that are in the crisper. Added to that, there is an auto humidity technology included that removes excess moisture, further extending the freshness of your produce.
The refrigerator unit has a built-in, internal water dispenser, to provide you pure, filtered water from the interior of your refrigerator, leaving the exterior clean and professional. The included PurePour water filter reduces up to 99% of contaminants and cuts down on plastics and saves the cost of bottled water. The freezer has a nice, easy access, glide out icemaker. Pure filtered ice will always be on hand in the dual bin, built-in ice maker that is super easy to remove. This ice maker can make up to 4.5 pounds of ice per day, to ensure you have enough ice for your smoothies, cocktails or lemonade for even the hottest summer days.
While both the refrigerator and freezer have a superb seal, this comes into play more so in the freezer, where if your power goes out, the seal is tight enough and the insulation is great enough that colds the cold enough to keep your items frozen for over two days. The doors on each unit also close automatically and if for some reason they don’t, there is an automatic door alarm that sounds to alert you that you need to fully close the door.
One last thing about preservation and food freshness. The refrigerator offers, what Frigidaire calls, the PureAir Ultra II Air Filter. This filter is located centrally in the top of the refrigerator and is better at removing odors than baking soda.
Moving on to the interior, it is evenly lit with a sleek and evenly distributed LED lighting system that evenly lights the shelves, bins and crisper. The temperature controls, visible when you open the door beneath one of the crispers, are digital and LED lit as well. Super easy to use and further adds to the Frigidaire refrigerator and freezer’s premium look.
Organizationally, the interior of both the refrigerator and the freezer are a dream. Not only do they look fantastic, with metallic trimmed, dark tinted drawers and glass shelves, but they are set up in such a way that they are incredibly useful as well. The refrigerator can accommodate up to seven bags of groceries, pretty much eliminating a second fridge in the garage. There is a full width, slide-out glass shelf in the center of the refrigerator for larger trays or other oversize items.
On the freezer unit, the interior can fill with up to 6 bags of groceries (remember, one shelf is taken up with the dual bin icemaker), as well as stainless steel shelving and moveable dark tinted door bins that are trimmed in metal. The bottom drawers are split into to two separate units and there is also a soft freeze drawer, ideal for ice cream. No more bent spoons! (Is that just me? It can’t be.)
Now, when I buy my house, I will not have to worry about that perfect kitchen, since I know that I will never be able to afford that. This refrigerator and freezer pair are the best priced pair on the market with updated details that that keep your food fresher, longer, as well as looking like something out of a chef’s kitchen. While available under the Frigidaire brand initially, these built-in units will also be available under the Electrolux brand with the same features and benefits and in an even higher end interior finish.
Come see us at Metropolitan Appliance at anytime and we can give you more information on this built-in refrigerator and freezer pair. We will be happy to help with any of your kitchen appliance needs!