International Builders' Show Product Preview: Amana Jot Refrigerator

If your kid tends to scribble or doodle on everything in reach, you might find yourself reading—literally—the writing on the wall . . . or the floor, counter, and other household surfaces. But what if you could strike a deal so that your burgeoning Picasso or aspiring Austen were to confine his or her assaults to only one front: the refrigerator?

A 28-inch-wide top-freezer fridge from Whirlpool’s Amana brand could be the answer. The new Jot, $549, features refrigerator and freezer door panels that are covered from top to bottom with a white dry-erase surface. (Thank the savvy folks at Whirlpool’s Brastemp brand for this idea; that Brazilian appliance maker first offered this fridge with wipe-clean front panels.)

While there’s no guarantee your kids won’t use crayons, markers, or other weapons of mass messiness on the Jot, you can wipe away anything applied with dry-erase markers to make room for the next masterpiece. Try to get your children not to use red and green dry-erase markers. The documentation for the Jot indicates you’ll need to use a bit more elbow grease to remove works done in those colors.

The Jot (model ATF1822MRE) comes in white only and offers a very basic design, with rounded edges and corners, hidden hinges, and an integrated door handle. Other features inside include dual up-front temperature controls and SpillSaver glass shelves.

If the media you’re more interested in is of the “multi” not marker variety, check out the latest upgrades to the Centralpark Connection line of side-by-side refrigerators, which we first covered at the 2007 Builders’ Show. The latest electronic add-ons to these refrigerators include an iPod dock, a photo display, and centralized family scheduling. Look for our First Look review on some of these features in the coming weeks.—Ed Perratore

Comments

[KARLA KETTELL]

does the jot have a ice maker ?