Many users, trying to understand the operating instructions or looking for a replacement for a failed part, are faced with a difficulty: what are the correct names for certain parts of the internal volume?
In everyday life, we often use simplified terms like “shelf” or “box”, but equipment manufacturers and service engineers use a more precise nomenclature.
Understanding the correct names, such as container, balcony or freshness zoneis necessary not only for a competent dialogue with the technician, but also for effective use of the capabilities of your unit.
Main storage areas and their official names
The internal space of a modern refrigerator is a complex engineering system, where each element has its own functional purpose and technical designation.
The main volume is occupied by removable horizontal surfaces, which are described in the technical documentation are called shelves, but their design can vary significantly depending on the model.
Most often, modern units use tempered glass, which manufacturers label as Tempered Glass, which ensures uniform distribution of cold and high strength.
- 🧊 Standard shelf —a universal surface made of glass or plastic for placing ready-made dishes and packages.
- 🍷 Bottle shelf —a specific recess or holder, often located on the door or at the bottom of the main chamber.
- 🥛 Shelf-grid —perforated surface that ensures maximum air circulation around the products.
It is important to distinguish between static shelves and adjustable guides, which allow you to change the installation height depending on the dimensions of the stored items.
Some models are equipped folding shelveswhich allow you to place very tall pots or baking trays in the chamber, while taking up minimal space when folded.
⚠️ Attention: When rearranging glass shelves, make sure that they are securely fixed in the grooves of the guides, since vibration of the compressor can dislodge a poorly installed structure.
Lower tier: how to correctly name the vegetable compartments
The most frequently asked question concerns the name of the drawers in the refrigerator located at the bottom of the chamber, which we are used to using for vegetables and fruits.
The official name of this element — container or vegetable box, and in the technical specifications it often appears as Vegetable Box or Crisper.
These are the containers create an isolated zone with a high level of humidity, which is critical for preserving the turgor of lettuce leaves, greens and the juiciness of root vegetables.
The design of modern boxes often includes a special damper or humidity regulator, which allows you to manually change the flow of cold air.
In models with a system No Frost such boxes perform another function: they protect delicate products from direct exposure to frosty air currents, preventing their rapid dehydration.
The material for production is, as a rule, transparent impact-resistant plastic, less often - tinted glass, which allows you to visually control the availability of products without the need to open the lid.
Door elements: shelves, baskets and balconies
The inside of the refrigerator door is a separate storage system consisting of many elements, each of which has its own name.
The upper and middle horizontal surfaces are correctly called door shelves or balconies, while deep containers for large packages are called baskets.
A specific element, often located at the very top of the door and having a lid, is called oiler or a container for highly refrigerated products.
- 🥚 Egg tray —a specialized cell with indentations that protects the shell from damage.
- 🥤 Universal basket —deep plastic compartment for tall bottles and juice bags.
- 🧈 Closed compartment - an area with a lid for storing butter, cheese or products with a strong smell.
It is worth noting that the door balconies is the area with the highest temperature inside refrigerator compartment, as they are exposed to warm air when the door is opened.
That is why manufacturers recommend storing products there with a long shelf life or packaged in airtight containers, avoiding placing perishable dairy products there in open containers.
Freshness zone and special compartments
In middle and premium class refrigerators there is often a separate sealed compartment, which is called freshness zone or Fresh Zone.
This container differs from conventional vegetable boxes in that it maintains a temperature close to 0°C, but does not allow water to freeze, which is ideal for meat and fish.
In some models, this compartment may be called zero chamber or Zero Degree Zone, and it is often equipped with a separate ventilation system.
There are also modifications with a function hyper-coolingwhere the temperature is short-term is reduced for quick freezing of purchased products.
Using the correct modes in this zone allows you to increase the shelf life of delicacies by 2-3 times compared to placement on standard shelves.
⚠️ Attention: Do not fill the freshness zone completely “under tie", since for the correct operation of the air circulation system, free space around the products is necessary.
Freezer compartment: s, shelves and ice makers
If we are talking about the freezer compartment, the terminology changes somewhat, although the principle remains similar to the refrigeration compartment.
Here are the main storage elements are freezer baskets (often made in the form of mesh boxes or baskets), which allow cold air to wash products from all sides.
In "chest of drawers" type freezers, these drawers are the main storage containers, while in side-by-side models there may be retractable shelves-lattices.
Special attention deserves ice maker - a device for automatic ice production, which can have its own accumulative container.
Also often present in the freezer compartment cold accumulator - an airtight container with gel, which helps maintain temperature during defrosting or power outages.
Why can’t you store food without packaging in the freezer?
In the freezer, especially with the No Frost system, there is active circulation of dry air. This leads to rapid freezing of moisture from food (sublimation), which causes meat to turn gray and vegetables to shrivel. Hermetically sealed packaging or container is required.
Technical differences in materials and designs
Understanding what they are made of drawers helps to properly care for them and avoid damage when cleaning. shelves, helps to properly care for them and avoid damage when cleaning.
The main material for removable elements is polystyrene or polypropylene, which must withstand low temperatures and not crack under mechanical stress.
Glass shelves are made of tempered glass, which, when broken, crumbles into safe crumbs without forming sharp fragments.
| Element | Material | Function | Care features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetable container | Plastic | Humidity preservation | Wash with warm water, do not warm |
| Shelf | Tempered glass | Uniform cold | Do not pour cold water on hot water |
| Door basket | Plastic | Storage dimensions | Check latches |
| Egg tray | Plastic/Glass | Protection packaging | Regular disinfection |
When cleaning
That is why it is recommended to wash parts removed from the refrigerator with water at room temperature, avoiding the use of boiling water or ice water.
☑️ Operating instructions shelves
Frequent errors in the operation of the internal space
Ignorance of the correct structure and names of elements often leads to incorrect use of the refrigerator, which shortens its service life.
One of the common mistakes is trying to wash glass shelves in the dishwasher at high temperatures, which can damage the structure tempered glass.
Also, users often overload door balconies heavy glass bottles, although they are designed primarily for lightweight plastic packaging.
⚠️ Attention: The design of door shelves may differ from one manufacturer to another, so it is better to check the maximum permissible load in the instructions for a specific model, since the standards are not unified.
Another mistake is storing products in open containers in the work area ice maker or fan, which leads to their rapid drying and loss of taste.
Correct distribution of products across zones and containers according to their temperature requirements is the key to a long and fresh life of your supplies.
Is it possible to wash vegetable boxes in hot water?
It is strictly not recommended to wash them plastic containers i boxes in hot water (above 40-50°C) immediately after removal from the cold. Sudden temperature changes cause thermal stress in the plastic, which leads to microcracks and eventual failure. Use water at room temperature.
What is the difference between the freshness zone and a regular box?
Freshness zone is an insulated compartment with a separate cold supply system that maintains a temperature of about 0°C and often high humidity. Conventional vegetable drawer simply limits the space in the lower part of the chamber, where the temperature is higher than on the upper shelves, but is not regulated as precisely.
Why does the glass on the refrigerator shelf crack?
The main reason is thermal shock. If you place a hot pan on a cold one or spill boiling water, the glass may burst. The second reason is mechanical damage to the edge (chips), which weakens the structure of the tempered glass, or a point load (for example, a fallen heavy object). glass shelf Place a hot pan or spill boiling water, the glass may burst. The second reason is mechanical damage to the edge (chips), which weakens the structure of the tempered glass, or a point load (for example, a fallen heavy object).
What is the name of the ice compartment in the freezer?
Depending on the design, this may be called an ice tray (if it is a form for freezing water), an ice container (a container for storing ready-made cubes) or ice maker (an automatic device for making ice).