How a Smart Refrigerator Can Keep You from Losing Your Cool

From stocking our snacks to keeping our foods fresh year-round, our fridges keep us from losing our momentum. And with mobile-app connectivity, they can do even more.

When your kitchen is so full of holiday foods, including leftovers aplenty in Tupperware, charcuterie offerings, cocktail ingredients, and so many other items you’ve started to lose track, don’t lose your cool! Let your smart fridge help you keep calm and not sweat the small things piling up in the kitchen.

To avoid becoming like the Grinch, check out our guide to see if splurging on a smart refrigerator is a worthwhile investment for your household and lifestyle. Well, unlike the fate of your dairy in one of our fridges, we’ll spoil it for you: It is.

Here are some other unique benefits of owning a WiFi-enabled refrigerator from a few of our most popular brands. They are bound to make your heart grow three sizes.

Below, our experts listed our 7 favorite perks of owning a smart refrigerator. Since smart features may vary across brands and models, be sure to read user manuals closely to see whether a product has some or all of these capabilities.

1. You can remotely monitor and control your appliance.

As is the case with all other smart appliances, you can sync most WiFi-enabled refrigerators with a smartphone or tablet. Thanks to an interior-facing smart fridge camera, some models allow you to keep track of what you need by being able to view inside your fridge from your smartphone, even when you are away from home.

Select models even send alerts to your phone whenever your refrigerator’s internal temperature rises above normal. And in some cases, you can even troubleshoot issues via your smart device to keep your appliance running its best.

2. You can use voice control for the ultimate handsfree experience.

Virtual assistants in our appliances and electronics mean you can control or activate features as you wish by saying it out loud. Whether you’re using a built-in assistant, Amazon Alexa, or Google Assistant, some smart refrigerators can function as your personal sous chef.

3. You can keep track of expiration dates.

The future is here. Thanks to more recent innovations, you can have a smart fridge that checks expiration dates of most of your groceries—using your smartphone, you can label these foods appropriately or have your appliance suggest recipes according to these expiration dates. LG and Samsung are two of the most prominent appliance brands to feature this function.

4. You can easily compile a shopping list.

On some models, you can easily add items to your virtual shopping list via voice command or from the interactive touchscreen panel on the door of the appliance.

5. You can browse the internet.

Depending on the model, some smart refrigerators have a built-in browser that allows you to use your appliance like a tablet or smartphone for surfing the web.

Imagine being able to play your favorite music on demand from your WiFi-enabled fridge at any time. Or picture shopping for your food directly from your refrigerator, thereby creating a convenient hub for dealing with all your grocery needs all in one place. Or perhaps, try to ponder the possibilities behind viewing videos and recipes on how to make the entrée or dessert you want.

6. You can create a virtual bulletin board for family memos.

On certain fridge models with a touchscreen panel, you can keep handwritten notes that can be easily edited at any time. In some cases, you can organize your family schedule on a conveniently interactive calendar.

7. You can control other smart devices.

Best of all, you can set up other smart devices with your smart refrigerator so you can control them all from one place, whether you’re looking to sync your smart home security, send recipes to your smart oven, or alter the temperature settings on your smart thermostat.

Now, here are some of our top-rated offerings from our most trusted brands.

Café

Acclaimed for its line of chic appliances, Café doesn’t disappoint with smart refrigerators that exude form and function. The high-end Café™ 22.2 Cu. Ft. Stainless Steel Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator (CYE22TP2MS1) has us believing in love at first sight with sleek vertical handles (which you can customize in a brushed black, bronze, copper, or stainless steel finish) and a smooth stainless steel finish (which you can additionally modify in matte black or white).

This Café fridge comes with WiFi Connect and Keurig K-Cup brewing on the outside of the door, so you can have your coffee to be ready when you are. With its LCD touchscreen and compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, you can schedule your coffee to be ready as soon as you get out of bed.

Yes, you can use your voice or smart device to preheat water to precise temperatures and measurements from your refrigerator while you relax in another part of the house. Aside from coffee, you can also steep a relaxing herbal tea or prepare a light and fluffy couscous. And if you crave a refreshing glass of water with crushed ice on demand, this smart refrigerator can do that, too.

Luxury meets practicality when you can receive service notifications and “door open” alarms sent straight to your smartphone. In short, Café refrigerators make it easy: easy to organize; easy to maintain; easy to put your personality on display.

LG

We can see your dreams, and we know there is a smart-fridge glass door in that picture. Brought to you by LG, InstaView™ Door-in-Door® refrigerators have a sleek glass panel that allows you to see inside the easy-access door without letting the cold air out. Simply knock twice on the glass to illuminate the contents within. That’s right—you can raid the fridge without losing your cool.

The LG 27.60 Cu. Ft. French Door Refrigerator (LMXS28596S and LMXS28596D) does this and more. For built-in peace of mind, this smart refrigerator comes with Proactive Customer Care, activated when you download the SmartThinQ® app and connect your smart appliance. Get recommended maintenance tips and usage reports to help keep your appliances running at their best—and receive alerts for potential problems before they arise. 

And yes, you can connect Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to operate smart features with your voice. From making extra ice for your dinner party to getting smartphone notifications when the door is left open, you can use the SmartThinQ® app to control key appliance functions.

Samsung

If the kitchen is the heart of the home, a smart refrigerator from Samsung is the pulse. The interactive Family Hub™ touchscreen makes this appliance the Swiss Army knife of your kitchen, from allowing you to create grocery lists that sync to your smartphone and control home automation devices and other smart appliances, like your washer and dryer, to receive end-of-cycle notifications.

If that’s not impressive enough, the Family Hub™ lets you stream your favorite music directly. Listening to Christmas music as you’re baking cookies? Yes, please! Manage your family’s calendars, share photos, use voice commands to alter the thermostat, check on your front-door security cameras for package thieves, set lights—and more.

The Samsung 27.7 Cu. Ft. Fingerprint Resistant French Door Refrigerator (RF28R7551SR and RF28R7551SG) even allows you to use your smartphone to control the temperature of your appliance. Yes, with this Samsung fridge, you can customize the temperature by drawer or compartment, as the FlexZone Drawer comes with four different temperature settings.

Don’t lose your cool this holiday season. As you check out our catalog of top-notch refrigerators, don’t hesitate to contact our friendly staff at Spencer’s TV & Appliance. Call or visit us today! We are always happy to help.