Gaggenau Vario 400 Series Fridge Freezer

Everything Gaggenau does is uncompromising, extraordinary and precise. They use only materials that are aesthetic and durable such as stainless steel, aluminium, brass, cast iron, enamel and glass. This means that each appliance gets a completely unique feel following strict design principles – and the Gaggenau Vario 400 fridge freezer is the epitome of the design philosophy. Like many different aspects of a new kitchen project choosing the right appliances can be difficult so to help clarify the benefits of Gaggenau 400 series refrigeration read on to find out more…

The sleek design of the Gaggenau Vario 400 series effortlessly suits both classic and contemporary spaces. The two side-by-side fridge freezers pictured above at the North Cornwall beach house project are the perfect food storage solution for the busy family home. With a total net volume storage of 438 litres for each fridge freezer, it’s safe to say there is tons of available food storage – totally perfect for parties or friends staying all weekend.

The benefit to having all that available food storage is the dynamic cold air distribution – meaning that even when the fridge is full – the system will not destroy all your perishable food items like salads. This is due to a flow of cool air that passes beneath food through ridges made in the cool drawers. As well as maintaining a consistent temperature, an antimicrobial activated charcoal air filter fights against bacteria that accumulates, resulting in less odours and food lasting longer.

Automatic defrosting with defrost water evaporation stops ice from forming on the sides and back of both the fridge and freezer so there’s no need to faff around defrosting your appliance unnecessarily.

The adjustable door racks also make filling the fridge easier than ever with the intuitive design making moving shelves up and down so quick and easy. Then there’s the holiday mode… nearly all of us try to use up everything in the fridge and often the freezer before going away on holiday, but with the Gaggenau you can set ‘Vacation’ mode. What does this mean? It means the appliance will allow the fridge temperature to rise slightly to roughly 15°c whilst keeping the freezer below at – 18°c (if that is what you have set it to). So rather than turn off the appliance completely, it will reduce energy usage.

It is also worth mentioning one of our favourite modes – fast cooling. Perfect for two purposes: i) when the fridge is being stocked up with large amounts of food that needs to be cooled quickly ii) to cool drinks quickly. We have all had those evenings where we are short on time, or everything is set ready for guests to arrive but you forgot to put the wine (or soft drinks) in the fridge… well, the fast cool function when selected drops the temperature of the fridge to its coldest setting for up to 6 hours. It will then automatically return to its originally selected temperature (we recommend 4°c). This of course can be turned off after 2 hours should you no longer need it.

A cool-fresh drawer at the bottom of the fridge compartment has a net volume 19 litres with zero frost technology and has a temperature of 0°c. The drawer has two main settings – cold (ideal for meat, sausages and poultry) and colder (perfect for fish).

Finally the freezer which is most certainly not to be overlooked –  has an adjustable temperature of -14°c to -25°c with an integrated ice maker and no frost technology. But that’s not all, a fast freeze function (similar to that of the fridge compartment above) can be selected and will drop the freezer temperature for up to 2 days before automatically restoring the original temperature.

Images: Paul Craig