The thinking is that all current refrigerators keep food cold. High-end fridges are different looking, and have two compressors vs. one compressor, possibley two evaporators. Some people think the high-end fridges keep food "fresh" longer, but I don't like my fresh produce to remain in any fridge for that long, so that wasn't an issue for me when I selected my fridge.

On the other hand, different cooktops do cook differently- power levels are different, ability to perform different functions in the oven, and on the cooktop (for example, ability to simmer) differ greatly from low-end to high-end. Same with dishwashers - although not everyone needs a top-of-the-line Miele, the fact is better (i.e. more expensive) dishwashers clean better than less expensive ones.

You can fit more in the same linear space with a cheap fridge. That's what finally sold me. I was prepared to get the large built in until I realized I could stuff in more food in a 36" standard depth cheap fridge, plus get some more cabinetry/counter out of the deal. (I'm also short and don't like those tall fridges!)

I can change my mind later and reconfigure the fridge area if I get jealous of the Jonses.

I'm pretty sure I'm the one who posted the advice you questioned. SJHockeyfan said it very succinctly. Here's the longer version: There are some features of high end fridges that do make them "better". It's good enough that people do buy them. OTOH, the improvements are marginal, and the increased cost to obtain those features is exponential. Forgetting the fabulous lighting, framed glass shelves, air filters, temperature controlled zones, etc., the high end fridges have much more even cooling than your standard big box store fridge, just like high end ovens generally have much more even heating. Even heating in an oven is not essential--people love their AGA cookers for instance, and those are notoriously much warmer closer to the firebox--but even heating in an oven will greatly improve your enjoyment of cooking. Not freezing the lettuce is important, but even fridges that do that trick have spots where the lettuce doesn't freeze. Once you know what goes where best, it all just works. Is it even better if it doesn't matter where you put something? Sure! But is it worth the money? Not as much as for a better oven.

Most dishwashers do an okay to good job of washing dishes, but when people don't like their dishwashers it has a greater impact. Some are easier to load, fit your particular dishes better, etc., and others can be very frustrating to use. A lot of the cleaning quality comes from the detergent nowadays, due to regulations. However, how well a DW cleans dishes that are close together, partially stacked/leaning etc., depends on the machine. Since there's so much frustration with dishwashers out there, I say it's worth getting one that doesn't annoy you. Most people aren't annoyed by their fridges, so again, fridge comes last.

All of this is very general, of course. If you rarely use an oven, for example, and when you do it's for a covered pot, you might want to sacrifice quality there, and spend more to get some features on a fridge that you'd use more.

Keep in mind, all of this is based on a closed budget. If your budget will flex to get all of the things you really want, then how much you spend where is beside the point. You might love the Electrolux oven or BlueStar range, neither of which is top priced, but both of which are well regarded, but decide you need SubZero fridges. So long as you're getting what you want, that's what's important. The rankings I gave are for where to trim your budget, if your needs are typical, if you can't make it stretch to everything on your want list.

I'm looking at fridge and freezer columns too. Have you looked at the Frigidaire or Electrolux Icon 32" wide, 72" tall all fridge and all freezer units? With the trim kit, the Frigidaires come out to be around $3,200, and with the trim kit they become 75" - 79" tall. Thermador, Miele, etc. are 84" tall. The Electrolux ones have a trim kit that makes it 84" tall if you need to fit it in an opening you already have. Both the Frigidaire and Electrolux fridges have good reviews here on GW. I think the Electrolux will cost $5,000 total.

You get the look of a built-in fridge (and less depth, if you prefer that so things don't get lost in the back), volume, width, and a great price. The only problem is they only come in 32" width so it's less flexible than other options. Also, Miele, Subzero, Thermador, and Gaggenau can be integrated and fitted with panels. But, they'll cost about $10,000-$14,000+ for two 30" wide ones.

Whatever you decide, I suggest going with a two compressor refrigerator. I didn't think it made a big difference before I actually owned one. Now, after having two of them, I have found a big difference in the keeping quality. The rest is aesthetics, preference and budget.

I like my Kitchenaid built-in more than my previous refrigerators (top freezer, standard depth), more than my mom's refrigerator (side by side, counter depth) and her vacation fridge (french door, standard depth). I feel like even though the cubic footage is low, I can fit more and see more. And I like the look. I only paid about $3500 as a floor model, so not a crazy amount more than some of the high end CD ones.

girlguineapig:

Thanks for pointing out the Electrolux fridge and freezer columns; I particularly like that they are 72" tall! I have passed on all built-ins b/c at 5'1", an 84" tall unit means I cannot use the top shelf AT ALL!

The primary negative seems to be that they are only single-compressor units: can anyone confirm that? I read all the specs at their website, and it did not say otherwise.

"The primary negative seems to be that they are only single-compressor units"

Yes - one compressor each. You would have at least 2 of them. This is a much cheaper way to get multiple compressors than buying a SubZero or similar

Just to clarify since things seem a little muddled here:

If you have a fridge-freezer, whether top freezer, bottom freezer (inc. French Door), or side by side, you want dual compressors (or only dual evaporators, which some people think is sufficient) so that the fridge unit and the freezer unit each have dedicated works, instead of averaging them together and aiming for something kind of okay for both.

If you have COLUMNS, which word is taken to refer to built-in all-refrigerators and all-freezers (usually flush integrated)), rather than just skinny fridge/freezers like the 24" Liebherr, then you only have ONE compressor/evaporator per unit.

That is, each fridge and freezer, whether housed in separate boxes or in one together, wants its own works to give you optimal temperature/humidity control.

Good comments here, thanks.
I am looking for reliability; something that will not give trouble within a couple of years, any servicing need will not drag on for months and months....
Pipe dream?
Was thinking Miele being a reliable brand, my best bet is with its fridges.
Or, should I not be scared of the consumer complaints I read??

Miele fridges are made by BSH so the mechanicals are the same as Bosch, Thermador, and Gaggenau.

All the brands break.

Looking around in a store you will see that for built-in fridges, BSH and SubZero are tops for build quality.

plllog,
Thanks so much for this.
There is not much to be found about Miele on consumer reports; that is what makes me think they are more reliable than other brands.
I am actually eyeing the 36" columns for both fridge and freezer, but need to hear experiences like yours to bring myself to give in to the cost!

Plllog steered me right as well. Very happy with my Miele fridge (though it's the 36" not the column). Easy to change the water filter. It keeps everything fresh longer than I need most of the time. A breeze to clean. Family came to visit for weekend and it held everything I needed for 7 people. The old fridge could never do that. Funny how crazy-expensive begins to seem worth-every-penny when something performs. Their service in my area is superb -- I have needed it for the oven and washer (but not the fridge).