To store your weekly shop, fresh food and a few frozen portions in one appliance, start by comparing fridge-freezers and looking at the usable capacity of each compartment separately. If freezer space is your priority, consider a separate freezer alongside a fridge. And if you regularly need to store large dishes, a multi-door fridge could be a good fit, provided its dimensions and energy consumption suit your home.
If you need to store a week’s worth of fresh and frozen food without making room for a second appliance, compare the usable capacity of both compartments in a fridge-freezer. Que Choisir recommends choosing a capacity to suit the size of your household and how often you shop.
Batch-cooked meals call for proper freezer space, rather than a small freezer compartment. Make sure there’s enough room to store portions without overfilling the appliance, and check the temperatures in line with Anses recommendations.
A multi-door fridge can make it easier to store large dishes and bulky shopping. Before choosing this format, measure its depth, the route to your kitchen and the space needed to open the doors.
The right format depends first on how much space your frozen food needs compared with your fresh food, and then on how much room you actually have for the appliance.
Worth considering: if you rarely freeze food or already have a separate freezer.
The trade-off: a small freezer compartment won’t provide enough capacity if you regularly freeze portions.
Worth considering: if you want to keep fresh shopping and a moderate amount of frozen food in one appliance.
The trade-off: the freezer compartment may be too small if you regularly store a lot of portions.
Worth considering: if you often store large dishes and want more spacious storage areas.
The trade-off: check that its width, delivery route and energy consumption suit your home.
Worth considering: if batch-cooked portions and frozen food shopping call for plenty of separate freezer space.
The trade-off: you’ll need space for a second appliance and should compare the energy consumption of both.
| Consideration | What to check | Who should consider it? |
|---|---|---|
| How capacity is divided | Compare the usable capacity of the fridge and freezer separately, rather than looking only at their combined capacity. | When my weekly shop includes both fresh food and a few portions to freeze, I want enough room in each compartment; around 36 % of consumers in this group would prioritise this balance. |
| Freezer capacity | Think about how much space your portions, containers and frozen food take up after your biggest shop, then check the freezer’s usable capacity. | If I batch-cook a lot of meals, freezer space determines how much I can store; nearly 29 % of consumers in this group would make it their priority. |
| Installation | Measure the space and delivery route; allow for the doors to open and the clearances specified in the instruction manual. | In a narrow kitchen, I need to be able to install and open the appliance without blocking the way; this would be the top priority for around 21 % of consumers in this group. |
| Energy consumption and maintenance | Compare the stated annual kWh consumption and noise levels of similar models with similar capacities; check the defrosting requirements. | Once I have enough storage space, I want to keep energy consumption, noise or defrosting to a minimum; around 14 % of consumers in this group would prioritise these practical considerations. |
A large appliance may leave too little room for frozen food. Que Choisir describes standard fridge-freezers as typically dividing their capacity between around two-thirds for refrigeration and one-third for freezing.
Compare the usable capacity of each compartment with the contents of your shopping and the portions you want to store.
An appliance that’s ideal for large dishes may still be too wide for your kitchen or unable to fit through the entrances to your home.
Measure doorways, corridors and corners along the delivery route, then check the packaged dimensions with the retailer.
A difficult route can make delivery and installation more complicated.
The small freezer compartment in some single-door fridges may not be suitable for regularly storing batch-cooked meals and frozen food, as Que Choisir points out.
For this kind of use, check the capacity of a proper freezer compartment or consider a separate appliance.
A feature designed to reduce frost doesn’t replace temperature checks or ensure there’s enough airflow inside the compartments.
Follow the appliance instructions and Anses recommendations: in particular, check that the coldest part of the fridge is at 4 °C and the freezer is at −18 °C, and avoid overfilling the storage areas.
Bosch offers freestanding and built-in fridge-freezers that combine fresh and frozen food storage in one appliance.
The CNd 5704 fridge-freezer is a tall model designed to offer plenty of space for fresh and frozen food without the width of a multi-door fridge.
Samsung multi-door fridges are aimed in particular at kitchens with room for a wide appliance and households that store large dishes.
Beko upright freezers are worth considering if you need more freezer space than you’d get in a fridge-freezer.
Whirlpool offers freestanding and built-in fridge-freezers with different layouts for fresh and frozen food.
Que Choisir suggests starting with 100 to 150 l for one person, then allowing an extra 50 l for each additional person. If you also plan to store batch-cooked meals, check the usable capacity of the fridge and freezer separately, based on how much you actually store.
A small freezer compartment isn’t the best choice if frozen portions and other frozen food regularly take up a lot of space. Que Choisir distinguishes this from the separate freezer compartment in a fridge-freezer; compare the capacity of that compartment, or of a separate freezer, with your needs.
Anses recommends 4 °C in the coldest part of the fridge and −18 °C for home freezing. Check the temperatures as instructed in the manual and avoid overfilling the appliance: freezing doesn’t eliminate most micro-organisms.
Compare their energy ratings and stated annual consumption in kWh, ideally between models of a similar type and capacity. According to information published by the French Ministry of the Economy on 6 June 2025, energy labels apply to fridges sold in France, including online; check the exact model number on the label.
Measure the space and every part of the route to your kitchen, then confirm the packaged dimensions and any delivery or removal services offered by the retailer. Also check the terms of any commercial warranty offered for the model you’ve chosen.