Editing Refrigerator (section)

{{Short description|Appliance for cold food storage}}
{{redirect|Fridge|other uses|Fridge (disambiguation)|and|Refrigerator (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Infobox product
| title            = Refrigerator
| logo             = 
| logo_caption     = 
| logo_alt         = 
| image            = A Samsung Refrigerator.jpg
| image_size       = 
| alt              = 
| caption          = Exterior of a modern refrigerator
| type             = [[Home appliance|Appliance]]
| inventor         = 
| inception        = {{start date and age|1913}}
| manufacturer     = Various
| available        = Globally
| current supplier = 
| last production  = 
| models           = 
| slogan           = 
| website          = 
| notes            = 
}}

[[File:Open refrigerator with food at night.jpg|thumb|Food in a refrigerator with its door open]]

A '''refrigerator''', commonly shortened to '''fridge''', is a commercial and [[home appliance]] consisting of a [[thermal insulation|thermally insulated]] compartment and a [[heat pump]] (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so that its inside is cooled to a temperature below the room temperature.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peavitt |first=Helen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rZ0wDwAAQBAJ&dq=refrigerator,+colloquially+fridge&pg=PA8 |title=Refrigerator: The Story of Cool in the Kitchen |date=2017-11-15 |publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=978-1-78023-797-8 |pages=8 |language=en}}</ref> [[Refrigeration]] is an essential [[Food preservation|food storage technique]] around the world.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Aung |first1=Myo Min |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8feVEAAAQBAJ&dq=Refrigeration+is+an+essential+food+storage+technique+around+the+world&pg=PA46 |title=Cold Chain Management |last2=Chang |first2=Yoon Seok |date=2022-10-11 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-031-09567-2 |pages=46 |language=en}}</ref> The low temperature reduces the reproduction rate of [[bacteria]], so the refrigerator lowers the rate of [[Food spoilage|spoilage]]. A refrigerator maintains a temperature a few degrees above the [[freezing point]] of water. The optimal temperature range for perishable food storage is {{convert|3|to|5|C|F}}.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090213114520/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bloom/actions/fridgefreezertips.shtml Keep your fridge-freezer clean and ice-free]. ''BBC''. 30 April 2008</ref> A '''freezer''' is a specialized refrigerator, or portion of a refrigerator, that maintains its contents’ temperature below the [[freezing point]] of water.<ref>{{Cite book |last=R |first=Rajesh Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=41X0DwAAQBAJ&dq=A+similar+device+that+maintains+a+temperature+below+the+freezing+point+of+water+is+called+a+freezer.&pg=PA117 |title=Basics of Mechanical Engineering |date=2020-08-01 |publisher=Jyothis Publishers |isbn=978-93-5254-883-5 |pages=117 |language=en}}</ref> The refrigerator replaced the [[icebox]], which had been a common household appliance for almost a century and a half. The United States [[Food and Drug Administration]] recommends that the refrigerator be kept at or below {{cvt|40|°F|C|order=flip}} and that the freezer be regulated at {{cvt|0|°F|C|order=flip}}.<ref name="fda.gov">.
[https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/are-you-storing-food-safely#:~:text=Keep%20your%20appliances%20at%20the,Check%20temperatures%20periodically Are You Storing Food Safely?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305041356/https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/are-you-storing-food-safely#:~:text=Keep%20your%20appliances%20at%20the,Check%20temperatures%20periodically |date=5 March 2022 }}
 ''FDA''. 9 February 2021</ref>

The first cooling systems for food involved ice.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Accorsi |first1=Riccardo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iC6dDwAAQBAJ&dq=The+first+cooling+systems+for+food+involved+ice&pg=PA189 |title=Sustainable Food Supply Chains: Planning, Design, and Control through Interdisciplinary Methodologies |last2=Manzini |first2=Riccardo |date=2019-06-12 |publisher=Academic Press |isbn=978-0-12-813412-2 |pages=189 |language=en}}</ref> Artificial refrigeration began in the mid-1750s, and developed in the early 1800s.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Traitler |first1=Helmut |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1lU8DwAAQBAJ&dq=Artificial+refrigeration+began+in+the+mid-1750s,+and+developed+in+the+early+1800s&pg=PA120 |title=Megatrends in Food and Agriculture: Technology, Water Use and Nutrition |last2=Dubois |first2=Michel J. F. |last3=Heikes |first3=Keith |last4=Petiard |first4=Vincent |last5=Zilberman |first5=David |date=2018-02-05 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-119-39114-2 |pages=120 |language=en}}</ref> In 1834, the first working [[vapor-compression refrigeration]] system, using the same technology seen in [[air conditioners]], was built.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yahia |first=Elhadi M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0PKiDwAAQBAJ&dq=In+1834,+the+first+working+vapor-compression+refrigeration,+using+the+same+technology+seen+in+air+conditioners,+system+was+built&pg=PA212 |title=Postharvest Technology of Perishable Horticultural Commodities |date=2019-07-16 |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |isbn=978-0-12-813277-7 |pages=212 |language=en}}</ref> The first commercial [[Icemaker|ice-making machine]] was invented in 1854.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Zhang |first1=Ce |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ItLHDwAAQBAJ&dq=The+first+commercial+ice-making+machine+was+invented+in+1854.&pg=PA117 |title=A History of Mechanical Engineering |last2=Yang |first2=Jianming |date=2020-01-03 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-981-15-0833-2 |pages=117 |language=en}}</ref> In 1913, refrigerators for home use were invented.<ref>{{Cite book |last=O'Reilly |first=Catherine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zmMtAgAAQBAJ&dq=In+1913,+refrigerators+for+home+use+were+invented&pg=PT108 |title=Did Thomas Crapper Really Invent the Toilet?: The Inventions That Changed Our Homes and Our Lives |date=2008-11-17 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. |isbn=978-1-62873-278-8 |language=en}}</ref> In 1923 [[Frigidaire]] introduced the first self-contained unit. The introduction of [[Freon]] in the 1920s expanded the refrigerator market during the 1930s. Home freezers as separate compartments (larger than necessary just for ice cubes) were introduced in 1940. [[Frozen food]]s, previously a luxury item, became commonplace.

Freezer units are used in households as well as in industry and commerce. Commercial refrigerator and freezer units were in use for almost 40 years prior to the common home models. The freezer-over-refrigerator style had been the basic style since the 1940s, until modern, side-by-side refrigerators broke the trend. A vapor compression cycle is used in most household refrigerators, refrigerator–freezers and freezers. Newer refrigerators may include [[Auto-defrost|automatic defrosting]], chilled water, and ice from a dispenser in the door.

Domestic refrigerators and freezers for food storage are made in a range of sizes. Among the smallest are Peltier-type refrigerators designed to chill beverages. A large domestic refrigerator stands as tall as a person and may be about {{convert|1|m|spell=in}} wide with a capacity of {{cvt|0.6|m3}}. Refrigerators and freezers may be free standing, or built into a kitchen. The refrigerator allows the modern household to keep food fresh for longer than before. Freezers allow people to buy perishable food in bulk and eat it at leisure, and make [[economies of scale|bulk purchases]].