I’ve been wrong about refrigerators my whole life.
I was always so blasé about it, defending my “any fridge will do” attitude. Even when I first bought my own “brand new” one, I would point to the first model with a lower bracket that would fit in the hole in my apartment, chanting “she’ll do.”
I found the more expensive models to be mostly aesthetically focused and a bit pretentious.
And when I became a mother myself, the idea of fancy household appliances felt like a joke, or something reserved for people in a much higher tax bracket.
Then LG called – and offered me the chance to try their new slim French door series – a selection of sexy designs made to fit into smaller gaps found in most kitchens in Metro Sydney and Melbourne.
The range starts at $2,500 – well above what I would have considered ‘within budget’. There’s even a $3,500 option with a ‘knock knock’ feature, so you can see what’s inside without opening the door.
They promised it would change my life, so I accepted the offer, but I did state that I didn’t consider a refrigerator a refrigerator and asked for the cheaper option.
The sleek black four-door unit was crammed through the front door of my house and wheeled down the hallway, where it landed neatly in its designated spot in the kitchen.
I’ve found the fridge to be big enough for all of our groceries – and even for bulk cooking and meal prep
It also looks good, something I never really wanted to achieve in my motherhood years
Three weeks later I finally realized how wrong I had been.
And it started with my fruits and vegetables.
They didn’t wrinkle after a few days, in fact, they looked like they had just been washed and removed.
A week later they were no longer slimy and disgusting. I used to joke about the fact that less desirable fruits and vegetables end up in the fridge to die, but that is no longer the case.
I put a red bell pepper in the crisper drawer the day I installed it, thinking it would probably go untouched by the family and that it would be a perfect experiment to test the refrigerator’s promise of staying fresh longer.
These photos were taken eight weeks apart. I am impressed with how well the peppers have been preserved in the crisper drawer.
Eight weeks later, it still looks—and smells—like a bell pepper.
I have not thrown away a single piece of fruit or vegetable, not even strawberries from the supermarket, which often went bad after a day or two.
On paper the 506L fridge isn’t ‘that’ much bigger than my previous one – about 80L including freezer.
But it feels huge, the space is well thought out and everything has a place. I’m happy to report that it even looks a little nice – despite everyone in the house having full access.
The freezer is a game changer. I can put meal prep on one side without worrying about it going to waste because I can see everything easily.
On the other hand, side dishes such as vegetables and late night foods such as hash browns or dumplings are served.
And I don’t have to worry about making room for ice cream.
The ice maker makes the ice while I use it. I chose a model without a water connection, so I only have to keep an eye on the tray. I do replace the tray about once a week, even if it is not empty.
The ice cream machine was a huge hit and was covered in fingerprints from five year olds for a few weeks, but we never ran out.
I remember when the first water-connected refrigerators came on the market when I was young, and I also remember how filthy they were.
But LG has addressed that problem with this model.
Normally I don’t have time to organise my fruits and vegetables in any way – I just rinse them and put them back in the packaging – but now they last much longer
The freezer drawers are spacious and I can see everything without having to take everything out
The ice and water for the dispenser come from this container that I wash every week
The UV LED light built into the water dispenser automatically removes up to 99.99%* of bacteria from the water sprayer.
Mine still looks squeaky clean.
The fridge not only saves me money on groceries – it is also very economical and has a 4.5 star rating. It is expected to use only 373 kW/h of electricity per year.
That’s less than the refrigerator I bought before, which only had a three-star energy rating and far fewer features.
The LG model can also be paired with your phone, so you can adjust the temperature on the go or in preparation for grocery shopping.
This refrigerator is a great size for a family of four, and I think it would work well for larger families as well.
Not only does it look great, it does what it’s supposed to do – and I have to admit, it’s better than ‘any fridge out there’.