To store prepared meals for several days, start by working out the largest amount you’ll need to keep chilled and frozen. A fridge-freezer or a fridge with a freezer compartment will suit you if each section has room for your supplies. If you’re short on fridge space, compare larger fridges; if your frozen food is taking up too much room, consider adding an upright or chest freezer, depending on the space you have and how you want to access your food. The Anses also recommends leaving room for cold air to circulate inside the fridge: a larger capacity doesn’t mean you can skip organising your food.
If cooked dishes and ingredients take up several shelves for a few days, start by looking at the fridge’s usable capacity and the space you actually have for your containers. The Anses recommends keeping perishable foods in the coldest part of the fridge and making sure the air can circulate freely.
If you freeze home-cooked meals or buy frozen food in bulk, compare the freezer capacity separately from the fridge capacity. Check the drawer layout too, and look at the model’s stated freezing capacity if you often add a lot of food at once.
If space is limited or you need a built-in appliance, measure the width, height and depth, and check the clearances specified in the manual. The door opening direction and the split between fridge and freezer space matter just as much as the advertised total capacity.
First, estimate the maximum amount of fresh meals and frozen portions you need to store. Then compare it with the capacity of each compartment and the space available at home.
| Priority | What to check | To suit my needs |
|---|---|---|
| Separate capacities | Compare the usable capacity in litres for the fridge and freezer, rather than looking at the total alone. The European Commission says the energy label shows storage capacities separately. | Most of my meals stay chilled: a larger fridge could give me the extra space I need. If it’s my frozen portions that fill the compartment, I need to look at its capacity or consider a separate appliance. |
| Cold zone | Check the manual to find the coldest part of the fridge and how to check its temperature. The Anses recommends a temperature of 0 to +4 °C in this area; for domestic freezers, it recommends −18 °C. | I want to be able to put meat, fish and cooked meals in the right zone, without assuming that the displayed temperature applies to every shelf. |
| Storage layout | Check the shelf heights, drawer sizes and space for your containers. The Anses says that overfilling a fridge can stop cold air from circulating properly. | When I have several meals in the fridge, I need to be able to store them without cramming the food in or losing access to the coldest zone. |
| Freezer type | Compare the space each type takes up and how easy it is to reach your food: drawers in an upright freezer or the open interior of a chest freezer. Check the freezing capacity in kg/24 h if you often add a lot of food at once. | I freeze portions that I want to find easily, or I’d rather have more room for bulky food: the internal layout will help me choose between an upright and a chest freezer. |
| Installation | Check the dimensions, installation type, door opening and ventilation clearances in the manual. If you’re putting the appliance in an unheated room, check the permitted ambient temperature range for the exact model. | An extra appliance needs to fit in my home and work in the room where I plan to install it; capacity alone won’t answer those questions. |
| Everyday use | For appliances with a type and capacity that suit your needs, compare the energy rating, annual consumption in kWh and noise level in dB on the European energy label. | If I add a freezer or choose a larger appliance, I want to take its stated energy consumption and noise level into account, particularly if it’s near a living space. |
Two appliances with a similar total capacity can offer very different amounts of space for fresh and frozen food. A large fridge-freezer won’t necessarily solve the problem if its freezer is already full.
Count the containers, portions and frozen food you have during a particularly busy week, then compare the usable capacity of each compartment separately.
The Anses recommends not overfilling the fridge so that cold air can circulate, especially when prepared meals are taking up several shelves.
Make room for your meals without cramming in perishable foods, and use the manual to find the coldest zone.
A frost-management feature doesn’t replace checking the temperature or storing food correctly. The Anses recommends −18 °C for domestic freezing and advises keeping air circulating freely inside the fridge.
Think of frost management as a maintenance feature. Check the temperature settings, temperature guidance and food storage instructions separately.
The permitted ambient temperature depends on the model. For example, Beko claims that its HSM14540 chest freezer, which features Freezer Guard, can operate at temperatures as low as −15 °C. This doesn’t apply to all freezers.
Before choosing a garage or cellar, check the permitted ambient temperature range and ventilation clearances for the specific appliance.
These models show some of the different capacity splits and storage layouts available. Their features don’t necessarily apply to the rest of each brand’s range.
Bosch offers fridge-freezers and upright freezers, with product specifications that let you compare fresh and frozen storage separately.
Liebherr’s product specifications show examples of fridge-freezers with different total capacities and storage features.
Beko offers, among other options, a built-in fridge-freezer and a chest freezer for different installation requirements.
This fridge-freezer combines fresh and frozen storage in one appliance. Compare its internal layout with the amount of food you keep in each section.
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If you want to keep chilled meals and frozen portions in one appliance, compare the 70/30 split with the amount of food you usually store. It’s listed as 54 cm wide and 176 cm tall. Before installation, check the manual for the required clearances, the location of the coldest zone and the defrosting instructions.
Keep these perishable foods in the coldest zone specified in the manual. The Anses recommends a temperature of 0 to +4 °C in this area of the fridge; check the temperature rather than relying on the setting alone.
A larger fridge is mainly useful if you need more space for fresh food. If frozen portions already fill the freezer compartment, compare the usable freezer capacities instead: the European energy label shows storage capacities separately.
No. It’s a frost-management feature, not a substitute for checking the temperature. For chilled food, follow the manual to find the coldest zone and avoid overfilling the fridge, as the Anses recommends.
Only if the model’s installation requirements allow for the garage’s ambient temperature. Beko claims that its HSM14540 chest freezer can operate at temperatures as low as −15 °C, but this feature doesn’t automatically apply to other appliances. Check the manual and permitted temperature range.
For the domestic fridges and freezers covered by the scheme, the European label shows details including the A to G energy rating, annual consumption, storage capacities and noise level. Compare these details across appliances with a type and capacity split that suit your needs, rather than choosing based on the energy rating alone.