Hey Fellow Whole Food Chickadees!

It has become apparent to me that my current fridge/freezer combo is not working for me. It has a ton of nook and crannies but not many wide open spaces in it. I have tried maneuvering the shelves and what not to no avail really. To make matters worse, fruits and veggies are frozen if they get shoved to the back. My current fridge is 13 years old and I want to replace it.

This weekend I began to explore some options as I looked through new fridges in the stores. My first thought was opting for an french door with two pull out freezer drawers. It would provide 20 cubic feet of fridge space. There are different models but basically I am looking at around $2500 for this choice. I then inquired about whether or not a fridge only was available--no freezer in it at all--no water, no ice--just fridge. I discovered for about 1K, I can have a commercial one that would easily provide me the space I want without any nooks or crannies. The unit is stainless (which I want) and the shelving inside (4 shelves total) is stainless. The sides are black. There are no shelves on the door. It is definitely commercial looking--as u would expect to see in a restaurant or bakery. It offers slightly more fridge space than the $2500 option mentioned above.

I realize this is not a traditional option but I do think it's one that supports my lifestyle and that of my family. Plus, the price is right. Because of the wide open expanse inside the fridge, I went to the container store and priced different containers (mostly large) to fill with staples--differing fruits and vegetables mostly. As far as there being no water on the unit, it doesn't bother me. I could have a refillable water jug inside or put a filter on my sink. I could theoretically put ice in my freezer in the utility room. I don't use that many condiments so the shelving isn't that concerning to me either.

Has anyone had a fridge only in their kitchen before? Am I forgetting anything that would be a drawback here? How weird would you think it would be to have a commercial fridge only in a residential kitchen?

Sounds great to me! I have an upright freezer, as my husband hunts, and fully intend to go to the "full fridge" option when I remodel my kitchen. While I'm not entirely "whole foods", I do usually spend about $50 a week before I get out of the produce department! And I never have enough room in there. Unfortunately, my current side-by-side probably has a good 5 years left on it. And it's a fairly good one, so I can't justify replacing it.

I got a water cooler a few months ago due to an ecoli contamination in the water supply, and almost never use the water on the fridge any more. The only thing I'll miss is an automatic ice maker, and ice in the kitchen. Assuming the utility room isn't the other end of the house, I think it's a very workable option.

jelder..thank you...I just want to make sure I am not making a mistake

I also have a full-sized upright freezer in my utility room which is just off my kitchen.

If it works for your family that would be great but, I always use my freezer. In the summer I freeze my own fruit for the rest of the year because it is cheeper that way. If it works for you that would be great though! Maybe if you have space or budget that allows you could keep your old fridge and put it in the garage for water, extra milk large pots of soup and frozen foods.. Just an idea

TBG, I hear you, I don't know how people with families do it with normal refrigerator/freezers. Mine is always full, just for me. I mean, it's cheap and not huge, but still. One person!

I think this is an excellent idea. I had been looking at how I could get a larger capacity fridge into my space and I haven't had any luck. I never thought about going commercial. I have an upright freezer in the corner of the kitchen so I wouldn't need one on the fridge.

Thanks for the idea.

I also don't have a water or ice cube dispense, my fridge is old.

Here's what I did. I bought one of those giant jugs of Carlo Rosie wine at the liquor store.



And (after drinking it of course, ha) cleaned it out real well - and now I use it for water in the fridge. I just fill it up and keep it in there. The glass is safer than plastic, and it holds a LOT of water. Easy to pour too

We've looked at the fridge only option as well. Our problem is space, otherwise we'd be there. I think that the next time we replace ours we will adjust the cabinets so one will fit. We have friends with one and they love it. And you could use a container to stand the condiments in so that they don't end up all over the place. Good choic.

When I was young my mom did a TON of bulk buying and we had a big kitchen. We had a full fridge like the one you're talking about, and then we also had a full freezer of the same size. It was spectacular!

I think as long as you have a chest freezer of some sort nearby for ice and everyday stuff, and maybe an extra one in the basement for more long term freezing, you'd do fine. Personally I love those huge fridges. And only YOU know how much you use a freezer.

Up here in Wisconsin we use the garage and the back porch for most of our freezing in the winter! In the summer I start to feel the pinch of freezer space...