Why do so many L.A. apartments come without fridges? Inside the chilling mystery

[Sam Hill]

About 10 years ago I took a job promotion that moved me from SF to the LA area and was shocked to discover during my apartment hunt that apartments in LA (and the IE too) don’t come with fridges. I thought it was insane.

At first I was concerned about having to go to some place like Best Buy to spend a whole bunch of money on a fridge that I may not keep for very long, but then I discovered there was a massive market for used fridges on craigslist. Found a nice used one and eventually sold it for about what I paid for it when I moved out.

As for dishwashers, I think it just depends on the age of the building - no matter the city. I’ve lived in many apartments in Denver over the course of my life. Few had dishwashers because they were older buildings.

[ocman]

In Norcal, I find it strange that so many places don’t have air conditioners. My last apartment didn’t have a dishwasher. All came with fridges though. “Fridge” may have been made popular from the appliance company, Frigidaire.

[Shawn]

I always thought it was weird when an apartment comes with anything.

In Japan, apartments are rented completely empty, unless you're specifically renting a far more expensive "serviced apartment." And these are usually high-end temp housing for business folks on extended 1-2 month trips to Tokyo or Osaka.

[craigs]

I guess I've been lucky--all the LA apartments I lived in had fridges and ovens/stoves. No dishwashers then, though.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by ocman

In Norcal, I find it strange that so many places don’t have air conditioners. My last apartment didn’t have a dishwasher. All came with fridges though. “Fridge” may have been made popular from the appliance company, Frigidaire.

Burlingame may be different but nobody needs air conditioning in San Francisco. It gets hot enough to turn one on maybe 2 days a year. The great part of living in coastal CA (and Burlingame is on the inland side of the coastal hills which matters) is you can open the windows almost the entire year.

[10023]

That fridge in the article is disgusting.

I actually prefer the way it works in Japan, Germany and other (non-anglosphere) countries, where the apartment is rented without appliances and you buy your own to put in. You pay a little less in rent, you don’t have to deal with the landlord when something breaks, and you get what you want.

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by 10023

That fridge in the article is disgusting.

I actually prefer the way it works in Japan, Germany and other (non-anglosphere) countries, where the apartment is rented without appliances and you buy your own to put in. You pay a little less in rent, you don’t have to deal with the landlord when something breaks, and you get what you want.

To be fair, all but the most dirt-cheap Japanese apartments come with gas ranges as part of a "unit kitchen." Everything else though is supplied by the renter. I gotta say, I can never go back to electric range or induction cooking now that I've spent 20 years cooking with gas. Gas wasn't even an option where I grew up in suburban Boston. Just crappy electric ranges unevenly burning everything.

[Crawford]

Gas ranges probably won't be a thing in a few years, given environmental concerns. Or there will be some black market workaround.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Gas ranges probably won't be a thing in a few years, given environmental concerns. Or there will be some black market workaround.

Or, people will just adapt. And technology will adapt.

I'm pretty sure our ancestors didn't complain so much when they went from wood-burning stoves to gas.

And some people in the world still cook over open flames, and I'm pretty sure their cooking is still tasty.

[3rd&Brown]

What I find most interesting about this article is the dude who agreed to be photographed in his disgusting kitchen (proudly) and that all the people who were interviewed sound like they never heard of Best Buy or Lowes. Like you needed a secret decoder ring to figure out how to buy a refrigerator.

Anyways. Most NY apartments that aren't in new construction buildings don't have anything even remotely considered normal today. No dishwasher. No laundry. No garbage disposal. No air conditioning. My prewar apartment had 1 electrical outlet per room. The (cooking) ranges are very often only 24" wide.

It is what it is. You adjust and get used to it.

[Agent Orange]

Originally Posted by Acajack

When did Americans start saying "fridge"? I always thought that was a Britishicism (one that has always been in use in Canada), and that Americans said "re-fri-ge-ra-tor" out in full. Or "icebox", colloquially?

You are mistaken. I'm in my mid 30s and people have always said fridge. Icebox sounds like something they'd say in pre-Mad Men times.

[Crawford]

Yeah, the only references to icebox in the U.S. were among really elderly people in my childhood. Not sure I've heard it in decades.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

What I find most interesting about this article is the dude who agreed to be photographed in his disgusting kitchen (proudly) and that all the people who were interviewed sound like they never heard of Best Buy or Lowes. Like you needed a secret decoder ring to figure out how to buy a refrigerator.

You probably wouldn't buy a new fridge for a one or two-year rental, though. These are low-end rentals. That dude's apartment looks like he's flat broke. So not surprising there's a secondary market of cheap used fridges. And a fridge is a huge pain to bring with you, unlike, say an air conditioner window unit, or a mini washer/dryer combo.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Crawford

You probably wouldn't buy a new fridge for a one or two-year rental, though. These are low-end rentals. That dude's apartment looks like he's flat broke. So not surprising there's a secondary market of cheap used fridges. And a fridge is a huge pain to bring with you, unlike, say an air conditioner window unit, or a mini washer/dryer combo.

Sure. Or buy a decent one for your first apartment and take it everywhere you go.

In many places in Europe, rental apartments come without kitchens, period (including the cabinets, etc). People are accustomed to buying and installing EVERYTHING. I'm almost certain this is where IKEA got its grounding for its kitchens.

[10023]

Originally Posted by Shawn

To be fair, all but the most dirt-cheap Japanese apartments come with gas ranges as part of a "unit kitchen." Everything else though is supplied by the renter. I gotta say, I can never go back to electric range or induction cooking now that I've spent 20 years cooking with gas. Gas wasn't even an option where I grew up in suburban Boston. Just crappy electric ranges unevenly burning everything.

Don’t get me started. And they’re about to ban gas ranges in London. If you have one it’ll be grandfathered in, but better get that kitchen renovation done soon.

Cooking with fire is just vastly superior and the so-called “environmental concerns” are nonsense. Plus the ceramic tops break when you use heavy cookware (like cast-iron pans or Dutch ovens), which is the only kind worth cooking with, and you can’t shake a pan or stir fry, etc.

I think it’s the result of lobbying by manufacturers to get people to buy new, higher-margin induction ranges. I’ll build my own gas range with a propane tank under the countertop if I have to.

[10023]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Or, people will just adapt. And technology will adapt.

I'm pretty sure our ancestors didn't complain so much when they went from wood-burning stoves to gas.

And some people in the world still cook over open flames, and I'm pretty sure their cooking is still tasty.

Cooking over a wood fire is the best way, it’s just terribly inconvenient and can’t really be done indoors. Gas is the closest approximation that can be achieved with the turn of a knob. Electric ranges are useless, and induction is marginally better (in terms of responsiveness), but precludes the use of the best equipment and some methods of cooking. Forget about wok hei with induction.

It got popular because housewives who can’t cook anyway like that it’s easier to clean, and now manufacturers are pushing it because they make way more money on them than gas ranges.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by 10023

Cooking over a wood fire is the best way, it’s just terribly inconvenient and can’t really be done indoors. Gas is the closest approximation that can be achieved with the turn of a knob. Electric ranges are useless, and induction is marginally better (in terms of responsiveness), but precludes the use of the best equipment and some methods of cooking. Forget about wok hei with induction.

It got popular because housewives who can’t cook anyway like that it’s easier to clean, and now manufacturers are pushing it because they make way more money on them than gas ranges.

Completely agree, fire is by far the best way to cook. Electric stoves are the absolute worst for cooking, though electric ovens are great.

And what is the "environmental" concern with natural gas?

[ChrisLA]

Well every apartment I lived in in the LA area had a dishwasher, a built in microwave, and the majority of them also had gas stoves. Probably because most of them were on the newer side. Also the newer apartments have refrigerators, and now days most have full size washer and dryers.

It’s gotten better when it comes to having a refrigerator included, this is the norm in newer and bigger complexes. Also it was rare to have central air-condition in apartments or homes in the LA basin, most people didn’t really need it. You would only see this in the San Fernando, San Gabriel, and Inland Empire. I think now it’s required everywhere in the LA area on all new construction, it seems like even near the beach you will see new units with a/c.

The guy in the article apartment is disgusting, I hope his rent isn’t too bad.

[dchan]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

Completely agree, fire is by far the best way to cook. Electric stoves are the absolute worst for cooking, though electric ovens are great.

And what is the "environmental" concern with natural gas?

The main environmental concern is not with gas stoves and ovens (although those contribute to interior air quality issues, a separate topic), but rather that maintaining an active gas line gives building owners an excuse to keep using gas boilers/furnaces and hot water heaters. So the elimination of gas cooking appliances is mainly a method to eliminate a bigger target (gas heating).

[10023]

Originally Posted by dchan

The main environmental concern is not with gas stoves and ovens (although those contribute to interior air quality issues, a separate topic), but rather that maintaining an active gas line gives building owners an excuse to keep using gas boilers/furnaces and hot water heaters. So the elimination of gas cooking appliances is mainly a method to eliminate a bigger target (gas heating).

Which, as an avid home cook, really pisses me off.

Unfortunately the cooking lobby doesn’t seem to be as strong here as others. As you might have heard the British aren’t really known for their cooking.