Our American style fridge freezer is one kitchen appliance I do not regret purchasing although I did have fun and games trying to install it. I would recommend them to anyone with the space. I have a family of four to feed, and found very quickly that this style of fridge, with the side my side doors rather than one over the other seems to fit almost twice the contents of our previous conventional fridge-freezer. Capacity aside, it comes with a lot of extra bonus features, including ice-making which is great not just in summer but all year round as it can dispense crushed ice and chilled water at will.

My partner loves it as its frost free and has several different zones which keep contents at different temperatures, making it very versatile when it comes to chilling my beers, the weeks? vegetables deep freezing meat and fish.

If you are considering buying an American fridge freezer, I have a few tips to help you in your planning and installation - things that nobody told me.

When installing your new fridge freezer, keep it upright and allow at least six hours before switching on for the coolant to settle inside. Let new freezers stand overnight before loading with food to let them reach the correct temperature.

Firstly, if your new fridge freezer comes with water on tap or an ice dispenser, then you will need it to be plumbed in to the cold water supply. I recommend hiring a plumber to do this as brazing may be required, and you will want to avoid leaks and constant adjustments, especially if you are fitting your fridge freezer in a cupboard.

Also, it's advisable to allow a gap of at least half a centimetre at the top, back and sides, not only to allow for adjustments in the event of a leek, but also to allow the heat produced during heat exchange to be ventilated. According to a friend of mine who I called on as he's a refrigeration engineer, a lack of space to facilitate ventilation will cause the fridges pump and motor to needlessly work harder, resulting in faster frost build-up and a shorter life expectancy.

Also, measure up before you buy. These fridges are big. While you should be able to get them in through the frond door, you may have a bottleneck on route to the kitchen as I did. Consider alternatives entry approaches. Ultimately, I got my fridge into the kitchen through the back alleyway and through the garden door due to and archway leading to the kitchen. Fitting an American-style fridge freezer in a British sized kitchen or house can be a tight squeeze given their width and height.

All challenges aside, if you can afford it and fit it in the house, I strongly recommend the model these fridges as the match my family's lifestyle by allowing us to do one big shop a month, comes packed with labour saving features last but not least - looks really good in the kitchen.