Kitchen Aid RefrigeratorABOUT THE KITCHEN AID REFRIGERATOR EFFICIENCY AND MORE Refrigerator energy efficiency has really improved in recent years, with better insulation, better door seals, and improvements in compressor design and temperature control. Well at least this is the case on quality refrigerators. These often improved gains in energy efficiency gains have often led to poor food storage issues in the poorer makes of refrigerators. The energy saving methods used in some cheaper refrigerators makes and models achieve this by simply having longer compressor-off cycles, and this has the effect of causing the internal temperature inside the refrigerator to fluctuate with quite wide temperature ranges. So beware what the energy label says. Its all in the thermostat they use. The perfect indicator of temperature stability is that of ice-cream within the freezer compartment. In these wide temperature swings it starts to thaw during the off cycle and then forms those characteristic gritty crystals when it refreezes again. This is also seen in many frozen foods, in particular those stored in the door rack sections where temperature is a little higher. You can set the refrigerator and freezer temperatures but you have no real control over these large temperature swings as the refrigeration compressor stops and starts, and likewise control over the poor temperature uniformity. In many cases you end up setting the temperature lower than it should be then you end up with a freeze thaw cycle within the refrigerator, something I always battle with. Poor temperature uniformity can mean that an average 3°C in the fresh food compartment may be greater than 5°C in other parts of the fridge space, and most commonly this is in the door shelf. Have you ever wondered why the milk seems to go sour faster than expected? Usually this is in the door shelf area. A quality made refrigerator will maintain constant and steady temperatures as the compressor cycles on and off. They will also maintain even temperatures throughout the fridge and the freezer compartments.
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