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Many new refrigerators have features designed to keep food fresher longer and help cut down on wasted, wilted produce that ends up forgotten on a back shelf or in a bottom drawer. The new features include produce-preserving filters, humidity regulating drawers, and convertible compartments that switch from refrigerator to freezer mode. Consumer Reports found these food-storage innovations on some of the top-performing models in our tests. To earn top scores, refrigerators must be energy-efficient and keep temperatures consistent.
If your family uses the refrigerator a lot, you might appreciate a hidden door-in-door compartment. It allows you easy access to go-to staples without letting food-preserving cold air escape from the main compartment. The feature has become popular on French-door refrigerators but is showing up on other models, too. Smart picks with door-in-door compartments
Many crispers now have controls that maintain optimum humidity to keep produce fresher. (Fruits that ripen quickly tend to need low humidity, and veggies that easily wilt generally need high humidity.) Certain models also have temperature-controlled compartments that can be set cooler than the rest of your refrigerator, which can come in handy when chilling drinks for a party. Smart picks with temperature-controlled drawers:
Traditional refrigerators with one evaporator exchange airflow with the freezer, which can dry things out, causing crisper drawers to lose moisture. New dual-evaporator cooling systems maintain the two sections separately. Our tests have found that two evaporators are better than one at maintaining optimal humidity in the refrigerator chamber, which can help food stay at its peak of freshness longer. This setup also prevents odors from migrating between the freezer and refrigerator sections, so your ice cubes won't taste like salmon or other smelly foods. Smart picks with dual evaporators:
Beyond humidity controls, even more advanced features are showing up on crisper drawers. For example, Kenmore's AirTight Crisper is designed to delay wilting thanks to a special gasket and dimpled surface that the company claims helps retain moisture in produce. Certain KitchenAid and Whirlpool models have a filter in the crisper that is claimed to absorb the ripeness-speeding ethylene gas that many fruits and veggies give off—as long as you replace the filter every six months. Smart picks with enhanced crisper drawers:
—Adapted from ShopSmart magazine
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