Refrigerators, Freezers

A refrigerator (often called a "fridge" for short) is a cooling appliance for the storage and preservation of perishable food; food kept in a refrigerator lasts longer than that left at room temperature as the cold inhibits bacterial growth. more...

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A refrigerator maintains a cold temperature above the freezing point of water; commonly refrigerators are used in conjunction with freezers, which maintain temperatures below freezing, or a refrigerator may have an integrated freezer compartment. The refrigerator is a relatively modern invention amongst kitchen appliances. It replaced the common icebox which had been a household item for almost a century and a half prior, and is sometimes still called by the name "icebox".

Commercial units, which go by many other names, were in use for almost 40 years prior to the common home models. The fact that they operated with toxic ammonia gas systems made them unsafe for home use. Practical household refrigerators were introduced in the 1920s and gained wider acceptance in the 1930s as prices fell and non-toxic, nonflammable synthetic refrigerants, such as Freon or R-12 refrigerants were introduced.

History of development

See also: Timeline of low-temperature technology

The first known artificial refrigeration was demonstrated by William Cullen at the University of Glasgow in the mid 1700s, and relied on the vapor-compression refrigeration process explained by Michael Faraday. Between 1805, when Oliver Evans designed the first refrigeration machine that used vapor instead of liquid, and 1902 when Willis Haviland Carrier demonstrated the first air conditioner, scores of inventors contributed many small advances in cooling machinery. In 1850 or 1851, Dr. John Gorrie demonstrated an ice maker. In 1856, James Harrison introduced vapor-compression refrigeration to the brewing and meat packing industries. Other pioneers included Charles Tellier, David Boyle, and Raoul Pictet.

At the start of the 20th Century, about half of households in the United States relied on melting ice (and an icebox) to keep food cold, while the remaining half had no cooled storage at all. The ice used for household storage was expensive because ice had to be cut from winter ponds (or mechanically produced), stored centrally until needed, and delivered regularly.

In a few exceptional cases, mechanical refrigeration systems had been adapted by the start of the 20th century for use in the homes of the very wealthy, and might be used for cooling both living and food storage areas. One early system was installed at the mansion of Walter Pierce, an oil company executive.

Marcel Audiffren of France championed the idea of a refrigerating machine for cooling and preserving foods at home, and he received U.S. Patents #551,107 (in 1895) and #898,400 (in 1908, with Albert Sigrun). These patents were purchased by the American Audiffren Refrigerating Machine Company. Machines based on Audiffren's sulfur dioxide process were manufactured by General Electric in Fort Wayne, Indiana and marketed by the Johns Manville Company. The first unit was sold in 1911. Audiffren machines were expensive, selling for about $1,000 — about twice as much as an automobile.

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