Everyone Had One In The '80s: The Appliance That Changed Our Kitchens Forever

Modern-day kitchen appliances have evolved significantly in the last decade. As technology has improved, we've seen a rise in high-tech kitchen appliance trends that have completely transformed the way we cook. Notably, the refrigerator has experienced some of the most significant advancements. With so many changes, it's easy to forget the refrigerator improvement that impacted the heart of our kitchens forever — the refrigerator-freezer combo model.

Refrigerators have been around in some form for over a century, but combining a refrigerator and freezer together developed later. The first iteration of this model was invented in 1913, when Fred Wolf designed a home refrigerator built on top of an icebox. In the '40s, home freezers became more popular as the frozen food industry grew. It was around this time that manufacturers began to add freezer compartments to fridges that were large enough to store food instead of just ice cube trays. By the '80s, fridge-freezer combos had become a standard feature in most kitchens.

While there are a number of retro appliances that should make a comeback in our homes, the fridge-freezer combo is one that clearly never fell out of style. In fact, it's become the standard model for most refrigerators on the market today. Shoppers who are considering a new refrigerator have their choice of a number of different fridge-freezer models.

These days, the French-door refrigerator is the most popular option for consumers. This model has two top doors that open to the refrigerated section, while a pull-out drawer opens to a large chest freezer on the bottom. Side-by-side models are also very common today, with the fridge and freezer compartments standing vertically next to each other.

Finally, top-freezer and bottom-freezer fridges are some of the most reliable models on the market today. As their names suggest, these models dedicate freezer space either on top of or below the refrigerator section. If you're searching for highly-rated refrigerators that are worth every penny, top-freezer refrigerators are usually the most affordable options available.