Straight Dope Message Board

[puzzlegal]

I just bought a new fridge. I didn't want to, and I planned to put it in the basement. But somehow, it ended up in the kitchen.

https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb...d.php?t=881592

They made the same thing in white and black, but it cost $200 more to get it in not-stainless-steel. But I thought it would be in the basement, where no one would ever see it, so I bought stainless steel. Fuck me.

So now I have this giant useless surface that attracts fingerprints. Where I used to have a grocery list, and coupons, and old children's art that still made me smile, and Christmas cards, now I have this ugly useless thing.

Who thinks this is a good idea? #$^#@ stainless steel appliances.

We ended up with stainless steel on the dishwasher when we last replaced it for similar reasons -- almost everything only came in stainless, and it was really restrictive to try to get something else. But that door wasn't as convenient and visible as the fridge, so it didn't bother me as much.

*$#%^ stainless steel appliances. 1

[robby]

We bought all new appliances when we built our house 15 years ago, and I hated stainless steel even back then. All of our appliances are white. And yes, we have fridge magnets and grocery lists covering the refrigerator. 2

[steatopygia]

Totally disagree. Stainless steel has been popular for around 20 years now and still is. Meaning I don't have a hopelessly dated looking kitchen. I'm talking to you olive green and almond yellow. 3

[D_Odds]

Originally Posted by steatopygia

Totally disagree. Stainless steel has been popular for around 20 years now and still is. Meaning I don't have a hopelessly dated looking kitchen. I'm talking to you olive green and almond yellow.

There's your problem...you needed avocado green! Timeless. 4

[kirkrapine]

Originally Posted by puzzlegal

So now I have this giant useless surface that attracts fingerprints. Where I used to have a grocery list, and coupons, and old children's art that still made me smile, and Christmas cards, now I have this ugly useless thing.

What's the problem? Will stainless steel not hold a magnet? 5

[Beckdawrek]

Originally Posted by steatopygia

Totally disagree. Stainless steel has been popular for around 20 years now and still is. Meaning I don't have a hopelessly dated looking kitchen. I'm talking to you olive green and almond yellow.

It's 'Harvest Gold'

Eta, there was also an awful reddish brown. Don't remember what it was called. 6

[kirkrapine]

I once read that the dress swords of Marine officers and noncoms are now made of stainless steel, which is too brittle to be of any use in combat (not that anyone would use a sword in combat, against an enemy who has rifles. In WWII, the Japanese attached bayonets to light machine guns, which were too unwieldy to use as thrusting weapons, but that was because of the sword-based samurai heritage of their military culture). 7

[Euphonious Polemic]

Originally Posted by steatopygia

Totally disagree. Stainless steel has been popular for around 20 years now and still is. Meaning I don't have a hopelessly dated looking kitchen. I'm talking to you olive green and almond yellow.

It's an appliance, not a fashion statement. The only ones who dictate whether an appliance is "in style" are the companies making appliances. It's a scam.

Does it still work, and function as intended? That is all that matters. It's not a fucking scarf that is no longer "in season" 8

[Manda JO]

Originally Posted by Beckdawrek

It's 'Harvest Gold'

Eta, there was also an awful reddish brown. Don't remember what it was called.

There was both an almond and a harvest gold. Almond, a sort of yellowish-ivory, actually lingered well into the 80s.

What's funny is that my sister did her whole house in an updated versions of the palate (we didn't realize until later) and it looked amazing. They were the same colors, but lighter and clearer. I think that the problem with the "earth tones" was more that they were made when synthetic dyes were much less capable of subtlety. 9

[puzzlegal]

Originally Posted by kirkrapine

What's the problem? Will stainless steel not hold a magnet?

Yes, that's the problem.

I don't care for avocado green, but I kinda like harvest gold. If that had been available for the same price as stainless I might have gotten it. My cabinets are painted a sort of cream color that would go well with it.

But I like white. And I like to cover it with stuff. 10

[romansperson]

Originally Posted by Beckdawrek

It's 'Harvest Gold'

Eta, there was also an awful reddish brown. Don't remember what it was called.

Coppertone. 11

[Little Nemo]

Don't blame the appliance because you bought it for one room and then decided to place it in another one. 12

[steatopygia]

Originally Posted by Euphonious Polemic

It's an appliance, not a fashion statement. The only ones who dictate whether an appliance is "in style" are the companies making appliances. It's a scam.

Does it still work, and function as intended? That is all that matters. It's not a fucking scarf that is no longer "in season"

Then the OP should have complained about the ability of it to cool his ice cream or hold multiple cases of Old German. He chose to pit it's looks and magnet holding capabilities. 13

[puzzlegal]

Originally Posted by steatopygia

Then the OP should have complained about the ability of it to cool his ice cream or hold multiple cases of Old German. He chose to pit it's looks and magnet holding capabilities.

The freezer section is also a lot smaller than I expected, but we'll make do. Well probably need to use the freezer section of the basement appliance more often.

But stainless steel doesn't prevent it from keeping ice cream cold. It does prevent it from ever looking really clean (fingerprints) or from conveniently holding stuff in the surface. They only make them in #$&+# stainless steel because it's "fashionable". So $#&+ the fashion of stainless steel. 14

[puzzlegal]

Originally Posted by Little Nemo

Don't blame the appliance because you bought it for one room and then decided to place it in another one.

I blame myself for not paying the extra $200 to get it in white. 15

[Chingon]

Lol it's not a scam just because you personally don't like it. 16

[steatopygia]

I had a side by side refrigerator in a rental house. Useless. Couldn't put anything of size in either side. 17

[puzzlegal]

I didn't say it's a scam. I said it's a really bad design choice, that somehow has become the default finish, despite being objectively worse than like most every other finish available. 18

[puzzlegal]

Originally Posted by steatopygia

I had a side by side refrigerator in a rental house. Useless. Couldn't put anything of size in either side.

Oh yeah, those are also really badly designed. Who came up with that? Someone who has never roasted a turkey, that's who. 19

[Morgyn]

Until I saw this thread, I had no idea that an appliance with a stainless steel covering wouldn't hold a magnet. I mean, it's stainless steel, right?

So I went looking, and found that if the nickel content is too high, it really won't hold a magnet. Learned something new.

And, puzzlegal, I also found an article with suggestions. I dunno if it will help, but I offer it in hope.

ETA: The above article says the problem is if the nickel content is too high. But this article, linked to from the first, says the problem is caused by nickel content being too low. Damned if I know. But I suspect the suggestions will work, even if the writers don't know why the stainless steel isn't magnetic. 20

[steatopygia]

Originally Posted by kirkrapine

I once read that the dress swords of Marine officers and noncoms are now made of stainless steel, which is too brittle to be of any use in combat (not that anyone would use a sword in combat, against an enemy who has rifles. In WWII, the Japanese attached bayonets to light machine guns, which were too unwieldy to use as thrusting weapons, but that was because of the sword-based samurai heritage of their military culture).

Don't know nothing 'bout swords but I do know that stainless steel screws are soft not brittle. I used them on my cedar deck and probably stripped the head on 10% of them. 21

[Snowboarder Bo]

Originally Posted by puzzlegal

So now I have this giant useless surface that attracts fingerprints. Where I used to have a grocery list, and coupons, and old children's art that still made me smile, and Christmas cards, now I have this ugly useless thing.

Did you just write or draw on your old fridge?

ETA: My stainless steel fridge holds magnets just fine. If you don't like it, just return it and get what you want. 22

[Morgyn]

It turns out that whether or not stainless steel is magnetic is determined by quantum mechanics! It's incredibly hard to understand physics, right in your kitchen! 23

[Bryan Ekers]

As a minor note, if anyone wants to search the archive for a circa 2002 thread about someone trying to buy a fridge that didn't have an icemaker, I highly recommend it. 24

[Folacin]

Originally Posted by Snowboarder Bo

ETA: My stainless steel fridge holds magnets just fine. If you don't like it, just return it and get what you want.

Mine also - to the point where you can't really tell that it is stainless steel because you can't see much of the surface.

But it is good to know that if/when we shop for a replacement, I should bring a magnet along to test if it will hold all the crap that is on the current one. 25

[puzzlegal]

Originally Posted by Bryan Ekers

As a minor note, if anyone wants to search the archive for a circa 2002 thread about someone trying to buy a fridge that didn't have an icemaker, I highly recommend it.

Yeah, a quick internet search showed me that wasn't going to work. Almost nothing on the market doesn't have an icemaker.

I think I can remove the icemaker from this one, though. As soon as we finish cleaning the old one, so I can temporarily move all the stuff from the freezer into it, I plan to attack the ice maker. That should buy us a couple of inches in that portion of the freezer. (Neither I nor my husband uses ice enough to want an ice maker. Ice gets nasty if it sits too long, and it takes up space I could use for butter and meat and broth and frozen veggies.

I really was surprised how small the new freezer is -- it looks huge from the outside, but there's probably only 60% of the space we used to have. I guess I should have shopped more carefully, but we never really did much with the freezer in the basement, so I wasn't too worried. Now we will be doing more with the freezer in the basement.... 26

[puzzlegal]

Originally Posted by Morgyn

...And, puzzlegal, I also found an article with suggestions. I dunno if it will help, but I offer it in hope...

Thanks. It turns out the side are magnetic. That's not ideal, but it's better than nothing, and it means I don't need to find a new home for my thermometer. Bedawrek pointed me to magnetic tape, and I may buy a roll or two of that, and stick it to the front. It will likely be ugly, and not quite as flexible as being able to drop a magnet anywhere, but I think that will address most of my major concerns. 27

[Ukulele Ike]

As the proud owner of a nickel-imbued stainless steel refrigerator, I WELCOME my new blank-faced beer-holding monolithic overlord.

My oven-mitt magnets, beer-opener magnets, magnetized calendar and shopping lists live happily on the side, and I give a jolly wink at the empty frontage as I brew my morning tea and butter my English muffin each day. 28

[guizot]

If you really have to put a bunch of crap on your refrigerator that you quickly come to ignore because you see it so much then just use tape or gummy removable adhesive. Let's face it: You put it up and stays there for months and you completely forget about it, so using magnets isn't really necessary. 29

[kayaker]

Yeah, the fingerprint situation was bothering my gf after we did our kitchen remodel. I got a pair of white gloves from a friend whose hobby is watches. I left the gloves on the counter and put them on any time I opened the fridge. It took my gf three days to notice, but was worth it for the laugh.

Oh, and I fine tuned the leveling feet on the refrigerator so that the door stands open without assistance. Between that and using the recess openining area there are very few prints. 30

[Balthisar]

Last time I bought stainless steel, I had to pay a premium for it. 31

[puzzlegal]

Hey, maybe you get no joy from your child's old artwork, but I do. Also, the magnets themselves are fun. There's no joy in sticky putty. 32

[puzzlegal]

Originally Posted by Balthisar

Last time I bought stainless steel, I had to pay a premium for it.

Yeah, I was surprised that the non-stainless options cost more. Less demand, so slower thruput, I'd guess. 33

[Maus Magill]

Originally Posted by Euphonious Polemic

It's an appliance, not a fashion statement. The only ones who dictate whether an appliance is "in style" are the companies making appliances. It's a scam.

Does it still work, and function as intended? That is all that matters. It's not a fucking scarf that is no longer "in season"

While I agree with you in principle, unfortunately there will come a day when the kids have moved out and Mrs Magill and I will say "screw that" to cleaning the homestead. On that day, having a "timeless kitchen" will make selling the old Casa de Magill much easier.

Originally Posted by robby

We bought all new appliances when we built our house 15 years ago, and I hated stainless steel even back then. All of our appliances are white. And yes, we have fridge magnets and grocery lists covering the refrigerator.

Which is the entire reason to have a fridge. Well, that and it's a good place to keep the milk. 34

[swampspruce]

Some stainless appliances have fingerprint resistance as well. Our Maytag does, and it lets us stick magnets on the front. The previous Kenmore had neither and is now the downstairs beer fridge. FWIW, I would have had to pay extra for the stainless front microwave/range I installed. The black one was $100 less, and shows fingerprints really easily. Go figure. 35

[Atamasama]

For notes have you considered something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Eras.../dp/B01HC3EEAE

You stick it on the front of your fridge and now it’s a dry erase board. And it covers up the stainless steel surface that collects all those fingerprints. 36

[Folacin]

Originally Posted by Atamasama

For notes have you considered something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Eras.../dp/B01HC3EEAE

You stick it on the front of your fridge and now it’s a dry erase board. And it covers up the stainless steel surface that collects all those fingerprints.

I think her major complaint is that the front isn't magnetic, so a magnetic whiteboard may not help much. Plus if it doesn't stick, it isn't going to prevent fingerprints. 37

[Atamasama]

Originally Posted by Folacin

I think her major complaint is that the front isn't magnetic, so a magnetic whiteboard may not help much. Plus if it doesn't stick, it isn't going to prevent fingerprints.

Shit, sorry that was the wrong link.

https://amazon.com/Embellish-Whitebo...dp/B07F5R5T6G/

That's what I meant to link to. It’s a film you stick on, like a huge sticker, that covers up the stainless steel surface and turns it into a whiteboard. It is supposed to stick to stainless steel just fine. And as I said it would cover up the fingerprint-prone chrome with something less likely to show prints. 38

[DCnDC]

Huh. Magnets work fine on all of my stainless steel appliances. Whirlpool fridge, Frigidaire mini-fridge, Frigidaire range, Maytag dishwasher. 39

[Procrustus]

Originally Posted by DCnDC

Huh. Magnets work fine on all of my stainless steel appliances. Whirlpool fridge, Frigidaire mini-fridge, Frigidaire range, Maytag dishwasher.

On our stainless steel refrigerator, magnets stick fine to the sides, but not the front. Which, coincidentally, works perfect for us. Keeps a nice uncluttered look in front and allows a few things to be stuck to the sides. 40

[puzzlegal]

Originally Posted by Atamasama

Shit, sorry that was the wrong link.

https://amazon.com/Embellish-Whitebo...dp/B07F5R5T6G/

That's what I meant to link to. It’s a film you stick on, like a huge sticker, that covers up the stainless steel surface and turns it into a whiteboard. It is supposed to stick to stainless steel just fine. And as I said it would cover up the fingerprint-prone chrome with something less likely to show prints.

I looked at that. But it's nice to be able to grab the grocery list and put it in my pocket, and it's handy to leave the theater tickets and coupons there. And a white board doesn't help with that.

It would be kind fun.

If you want to really dress up your fridge, I found this:
https://www.rmwraps.com/refrigerator...rigerator-wrap
(they make lots of designs, this is just a fun sample)

Not cheap, and not magnetic (I asked) but it wouldn't show fingerprints. And it would make people smile. 41

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by steatopygia

Don't know nothing 'bout swords but I do know that stainless steel screws are soft not brittle. I used them on my cedar deck and probably stripped the head on 10% of them.

So they can't take your deck apart and steal it while you are on vacation. You'd complain if your were hanged with a new rope!
I think it would be cool to have a refrigerator that people would stick stupid little drawings to with magnets. 42

[steatopygia]

Pretty cool.

Now if I had an avocado green fridge I might be interested.

Here's one that would fit into my ice cream and Old German post.

ETA replying to puzzlegal's post of course. 43

[Atamasama]

I’d do a TARDIS fridge if it actually meant the inside of the fridge was larger than the outside. 44

[eschereal]

Originally Posted by Atamasama

I’d do a TARDIS fridge if it actually meant the inside of the fridge was larger than the outside.

Damn, I lose enough stuff in the science-experiment corners of my fridge as it is. Though, on the other hand, if you could run it back to when these mysterious fuzzy blobs were still fresh ... 45

[Doctor Jackson]

Originally Posted by Morgyn

ETA: The above article says the problem is if the nickel content is too high. But this article, linked to from the first, says the problem is caused by nickel content being too low. Damned if I know. But I suspect the suggestions will work, even if the writers don't know why the stainless steel isn't magnetic.

Obvious solutions:
- If the nickle context is too low, superglue more nickles onto fridge until it becomes ferromagnetic.
- if the nickle content is too high, change some out for quarters.

You are welcome! 46

[Atamasama]

Originally Posted by Doctor Jackson

Obvious solutions:
- If the nickle context is too low, superglue more nickles onto fridge until it becomes ferromagnetic.
- if the nickle content is too high, change some out for quarters.

You are welcome!

You can also attach pennies 5 at a time to increase nickel content. 47

[Ranger Jeff]

There was brown and burnt orange besides avocado and harvest gold. Nowadays black stainless is popular also. 48

[carnivorousplant]

Originally Posted by Atamasama

You can also attach pennies 5 at a time to increase nickel content.

Won't that also increase the copper content? 49

[carrps]

We have a stainless steel refrigerator, and I don't understand the fingerprint issue. I guess the OP has sticky-fingered kids, so that's her issue, but we've had ours for 14 years, and I've never had an issue with fingerprints. I wipe it down occasionally, but it's not like I'm always cleaning because OMG fingerprints!!!! Before our dogs (dachshunds) passed away, I thought we might have nose prints on the fridge drawer front, but nope to that, too.

It's not magnetic either which is fine with me. I did the refrigerator magnet thing for a while years ago, but just found it kinda tacky and got rid of them all. De gustibus.... 50