This Is What The Snowflake On A Refrigerator Stands For

Modern refrigerators come with all sorts of symbols that sometimes may not always be clear. Knowing what they are and what they represent will make your life easier in the long run. One such symbol is the snowflake. Thankfully, in most cases this icon is self-explanatory, but on occasion, there are different variants of it.

At the most basic level, the snowflake on a refrigerator stands for a freezing function or the coldest setting. To regulate how cold a refrigerator should be, you can use the dial and turn it towards the snowflake symbol, which will increase the cooling. Some refrigerators have multiple instances of cooling settings — usually shown by numbers or several snowflake icons — so the more you turn the dial towards them, the colder it gets.

The coldest available setting is typically 34 degrees Fahrenheit or 1 degree Celsius for the fresh food section, while the freezer compartment reaches -5 degrees Fahrenheit (-21 degrees Celsius). Granted, the actual number of cooling settings will depend on the refrigerator's model, but this should give you a good idea of how things work. Some luxury refrigerators have other cool things (pun intended) in general, let alone different freezing options.

At times, manufacturers also use the snowflake icon to indicate other freezing-related features. For instance, it could mean a quick freeze or power freeze setting. If used, this drops the freezer's temperature fast to keep the food fresher or to freeze easily perishable food quickly. Depending on the manufacturer, it can mean or do additional things — the power freeze mode on a Samsung refrigerator can also speed up ice making.

Other snowflake symbols may include a fruit with a snowflake, indicating an area that usually stays more humid and cooler than the rest of the fridge, to keep fruits and vegetables fresh. A special freezer compartment for ingredients that need to stay frozen can have an icon of a box with the snowflake symbol on it. 

In the end, there are various snowflake symbols, and you should try to look at the manufacturer's manual to get all the little details. That said, they pretty much always relate to freezing, in one way or another. Still, reading a manual or knowing more about it can help increase the average lifespan of your refrigerator, so it's actually a smart read when you think about it.