If you’re trying to get a new kitchen set up, you might be wondering whether it’s safe to put a refrigerator next to a heat source like a stove or cooker. Since one puts out heat and the other puts out cold, could they potentially affect each other’s efficiency?
Traditionally fridges and heating sources would have been kept separate in the kitchen because the heat from the stove would cause the fridge to have to work overtime. However, this has changed in modern fridge design, and all appliances are insulated enough that they can be placed side by side if necessary, with no danger to either the fridge or the stove.
Tight kitchen spaces can be a hassle if you’re afraid of putting your stove and your fridge too close together, but luckily you shouldn’t have to worry about it! Read on to find out more about why it’s okay to keep a fridge next to a heat source like a stove or cooker.
Older Appliances Could Not Be Kept Side by Side
The main reason why the myth persists that a fridge and oven can’t be placed side by side is that back when those appliances were newer technology, the materials and technology used in them wasn’t as strong and efficient as it is now.
This was especially the case with insulation, as older appliances were much more poorly insulated and would release more heat or cold into the surrounding environment.
As a result, many people have grown up with the idea that you can’t have a heating source and a cooling source next to each other. And that’s still the case if you are using vintage appliances or very low-budget models of newer ones, as these appliances don’t have the mechanical and material quality of higher-ended models. (Source: Houzz)
Newer Appliances Are Well Insulated
In modern kitchens, it is usually not a problem to keep a fridge and a stove or oven next to each other if kitchen space is limited. In new kitchen appliances, the insulating materials are strong enough to keep a majority of the heat (or in the case of the fridge, the cold) inside the appliance, rather than allowing it to dissipate outwards.
While most ovens do vent outward while in use, the heat generated by this action isn’t any stronger than the heat that you would encounter on a warm day, and a fridge can easily handle that level of heat without the compressor having to work overtime to compensate.
Realistically, you should see no change in the lifespan of your fridge by placing it next to a modern oven or stovetop.
The Biggest Concern with Placing Appliances Together is Clearance
Now that temperature concerns are out of the way, it’s time to look at the real risks of placing a fridge and an oven next to each other—door clearance. You don’t want to place your appliances so close together that you’re constantly banging them into each other to access them.
This lack of clearance, rather than heating concerns, is the reason that most modern stoves are placed with cabinetry (or a wall) between the stove and the fridge.
Here are the areas of clearance that you need to think about (Source: Hometalk):
- Fridge door: You don’t want your fridge doors swinging open into the stovetop cooking space where they can tip pans over and potentially start a fire. Even if a fire isn’t started, a fridge door sideswiping a panhandle can mean having to start the meal from scratch.
- Oven door: You may also run into issues with people not being able to open the fridge and the oven at the same time or the doors of the appliances blocking each other during hectic cooking operations. Because the door of the oven is hot, this may also increase the chance of someone brushing up against it and becoming burned.
That’s not to say that a fridge and an oven/stove combo can’t be placed side by side. But there are major reasons why it isn’t done on a design level.
Keep Cook Areas and Cold Areas Separate to Adhere to the Kitchen Work Triangle
Another reason other than appliance efficiency that the fridge and the stove are kept separated from each other in the kitchen area is because most kitchen architects operate under the concept of the “kitchen work triangle.”
This triangle is formed by the following points of work in the kitchen (Source: CliqStudios):
- Cooking: This is any activity in the kitchen that occurs at the stovetop and oven.
- Cold storage: This is any activity involving the fridge.
- Wet work (food prep): This is any activity involving food preparation and dishes and revolves around the sink area.
The concept of the kitchen work triangle was developed in the 1940s by industrial psychologist Lillian Moller Gilbreth. It was arranged with the one-person kitchen in mind since ‘housewives’ did most of the cooking and food preparation during that period.
Like modern appliances, designs in modern kitchens have changed significantly from this basic work triangle, and modern kitchens have had to account for new design factors like an expanded kitchen footprint and multiple cooks in the kitchen. Therefore, it is no longer a set-in-stone rule that cooking areas should be set across from cold storage.
Tips for Putting a Fridge Next to a Stove
If you’re planning to put your fridge directly next to your stove, there are a few things you need to take into consideration before you do it.
Here are some aspects of kitchen design to look at before you make your placement decisions:
- Clearance: Look at the clearance restrictions on the manufacturer’s label carefully, as you aren’t going to be able to estimate them—if an oven won’t fit in the space it’s intended to go, it can’t be forced to fit. That goes for fridge space as well. No matter where you decide to place your fridge and stove, make sure that you have plenty of clearance all around, both for installation and operation. (Source: GE Appliances)
- Foot traffic: Make sure that wherever you locate the oven and fridge, they’re not going to restrict foot traffic through and around the kitchen too much. Blocking areas of foot traffic can lead to an increase in kitchen accidents such as spills or broken dishes.
- Heat dissipation: A fridge vents hot air from the back that needs room to dissipate on the air, or the motor of the fridge will have to work harder than necessary, and the fridge itself will not function as long. Make sure that the fridge is pulled back a few inches from the wall to let heat disperse and prevent the compressor from running hot. (Source: Mr. Appliance)
- Warranty: Be sure to buy large appliances with a good warranty system just in case the worse should happen. Since the installation of major appliances can be a serious hassle and expensive to boot, you’ll want to make sure that yours last as long as possible before needing replacement.
As long as you follow a few simple guidelines while placing your fridge and stove, you should have no problem placing them close together if your kitchen’s layout allows for it to be done in a way that doesn’t obstruct the kitchen’s use.
Hot and Cold Kitchen Areas Can Be Kept Side by Side
While a fridge and a stove or oven can be placed side by side, there are several reasons why this isn’t a common feature in kitchen design. Between awkwardness while operating both stations so close to each other to inefficiency between moving between different parts of the kitchen, there are a few good reasons to keep the fridge and the oven on opposite sides of the kitchen if it’s possible.