The Fridge in the game Probably Stolen can increase the selling value of certain products, making it useful for earning extra Credits from ordinary merchandise. However, different items respond to chilling and freezing, and upgrading the machine without checking its energy consumption can quickly become expensive.
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How to Use the Fridge
What Items Benefit From Chilling?
What to Put in the Freezer
Is Chilling Items Profitable?
Fridge Upgrades and Energy Costs
Why Your Fridge Isn't Working
How to Use the Fridge in Probably Stolen
To use the Fridge, place a charged Energy Cell in its Power Source slot, put an eligible beverage into the Chill Zone, and leave the machine running overnight. The following day, the item should receive a Chilled modifier that increases its selling value.
- Get a Fridge, which can be found through Dr. Jackson's shop.
- Double-click the machine to open its inventory.
- Insert an Energy Cell with enough charge for the night.
- Place a compatible drink in the Chill Zone.
- Finish your shop day and advance to the following morning.
- Inspect the drink and check its sale value for the Chilled modifier.
The Fridge doesn't apply its effect immediately when you store something. It needs to operate overnight, and the item must be compatible with the selected storage zone.
I'd test the machine with a single sealed beverage before filling its inventory. That makes it easier to determine whether the Fridge is working without using more space or power than necessary.
What Items Benefit From Chilling in Probably Stolen?
The Chill Zone is primarily useful for packaged beverages. Several drink categories can receive the Chilled modifier, including alcoholic beverages and nonalcoholic drinks.
Here's a breakdown of the items worth considering:
| Item Type | Chill Zone |
|---|---|
| Soda | Eligible |
| Energy Drinks | Eligible |
| Beer and Spirits | Eligible |
| Juice and Milk | Eligible |
| Sealed Water Rations | Eligible |
| Spring Water | Eligible |
| Nudka | Eligible |
| Player-Made Wine | Not eligible |
| Unsealed Water | Not eligible |
These beverage categories are based on reported in-game behavior. Individual products should still be checked for their modifier after a powered night.
Why Doesn't Homemade Water Get Chilled?
One important distinction is that a sealed water product isn't treated the same as water you've collected or bottled yourself.
Sealed Water Rations and Spring Water can benefit from refrigeration, but unsealed water is excluded from the Chilled effect. Wine is also excluded, despite being a bottled drink.
That means you shouldn't expect to take water from your purification equipment, put it into the Fridge, and automatically increase its sale price.
Water quality and chilled merchandise are separate systems. If you're trying to increase the value of water you've produced, our Probably Stolen Water Purification Guide explains how to improve water quality instead.
What Should You Put in the Freezer Zone?
The Fridge also has a Freeze Zone, which serves a different purpose from ordinary refrigeration.
Ice Cream benefits from the Frozen modifier, making the freezer the relevant section for that product rather than the Chill Zone.
Nudka is particularly flexible because it can benefit from chilling and also receive a freezer-related bonus.
For these items, choosing the correct zone matters more than simply placing them anywhere inside the Fridge.
Should You Chill or Freeze Nudka?
Both zones can provide a benefit to Nudka, but the exact difference in sale value between its Chilled and Frozen conditions hasn't been established by the available information.
I'd compare the resulting item modifiers before dedicating valuable freezer space to it, especially if you also have Ice Cream waiting to be processed.
Don't assume that the Chilled and Frozen bonuses are identical or that every beverage eligible for chilling can also be frozen for extra value.
Is Chilling Items Worth It in Probably Stolen?
The Chilled modifier can add 20% to a product's selling price. This has been demonstrated with Puice, which receives a Chilled (+20%) modifier.
However, the percentage represents additional sale value, not automatically an equal increase in profit.
How Much Extra Money Can You Make?
Consider a hypothetical drink that would normally sell for 100 Credits.
| Sale Condition | Illustrative Value |
|---|---|
| Normal | 100 Credits |
| Chilled (+20%) | 120 Credits |
| Extra Sale Value | 20 Credits |
If you process five identical drinks, that would represent 100 Credits of additional gross sale value, assuming the same 20% bonus applies to each and no other price modifiers change the calculation.
But you still need to account for the cost of obtaining the merchandise, the energy consumed overnight, and any other trading expenses.
This creates a useful distinction between items you already planned to sell and drinks you're purchasing specifically to refrigerate.
If you already own eligible beverages, chilling them can add value before sale. If you're buying stock solely because it can be refrigerated, compare the expected selling price against the total cost before committing.
I'd prioritize higher-value eligible drinks when fridge space is limited, since a percentage-based bonus generally adds more Credits to an expensive item than to a cheap one.
How to Upgrade the Fridge in Probably Stolen
The Fridge can be upgraded to increase its storage capacity or improve energy efficiency.
These upgrades use different materials:
- Storage upgrades require Scrap Metal and increase available space.
- Efficiency upgrades require Common Electronic Parts and help manage the machine's power requirements.
In the documented demo configuration, a storage upgrade adds five Chill Zone squares and three additional storage squares.
More storage sounds useful, but it also changes how much power the machine requires.
How Much Power Does the Fridge Use?
Power consumption depends on the machine's upgrade configuration.
| Demo Configuration | Energy Per Day |
|---|---|
| Storage 0/7, Efficiency 0/7 | 2 |
| Storage 3/7, Efficiency 0/7 | 11 |
That's an increase of nine energy per day between those two setups, or 5.5 times the original daily consumption.
These are observed demo configurations, not a confirmed formula for every upgrade level in the current version.
The important takeaway is that increasing storage capacity isn't a free improvement. You'll need more energy to support the expanded machine unless efficiency upgrades offset the additional demand.
Should You Upgrade Storage or Efficiency First?
That depends on what's limiting your Fridge.
If you regularly fill every available slot with drinks you intend to sell, more storage can let you process a larger batch in a single night.
If you already have enough space but struggle to keep the Fridge running, increasing efficiency is the more useful direction.
I'd avoid expanding the machine simply because Scrap Metal is available. First make sure you have enough eligible stock and charged Energy Cells to take advantage of the additional capacity.
Why Isn't Your Fridge Chilling Items?
If you've left items inside the Fridge but they haven't gained a new modifier, there are several possible explanations.
Your Item Isn't Eligible
This is especially common with water and wine. Unsealed water and player-made wine don't benefit from chilling, even if you successfully store them inside the machine.
Try using a sealed beverage such as Soda or Puice to check whether the Fridge itself is operating.
The Fridge Doesn't Have Enough Energy
Open the machine and check its Power Source slot. A partially depleted cell may not have enough charge for its current daily requirement.
This matters particularly after storage upgrades, since the expanded Fridge can demand substantially more energy than its starting configuration.
You're Using the Wrong Zone
Chilling and freezing are different effects. If you're trying to improve Ice Cream, the Freeze Zone is the relevant storage area.
Similarly, don't assume that moving an ordinary beverage into the freezer will produce a stronger bonus than chilling it.
You Haven't Advanced the Day
Compatible merchandise needs to remain in the powered Fridge overnight. If you've only just placed something inside, wait until the next morning before checking for its new modifier.
For regular shop use, the most efficient routine is to refrigerate eligible merchandise you already intend to sell, check the actual modifier after processing, and expand the machine only when the additional space is worth the power requirement.
