Learn Hardcore Chinese: zhè gè bīngxiāng shì yònglái fàng shuǐguǒ hé yǐnliào de. - This refrigerator is used to store fruit and drinks.

个 (gè) is a very common “default” classifier.
In everyday speech, many people will use 个 even when a more specific classifier exists, especially in casual conversation.

So:

More precise: 这台冰箱
Very common and acceptable: 这个冰箱

Your sentence with 这个冰箱 is natural, especially in spoken Mandarin.

What exactly does 用来 mean, and how is it different from just 用 or 来?

用来 (yònglái) is a fixed expression meaning “to be used for (doing something)” or “for the purpose of doing X”.

Pattern:
用来 + verb phrase

In this sentence:

用来放水果和饮料 = used for putting fruit and drinks (in it)

Compare:

用 (yòng) alone = to use
- 用冰箱放水果 = use the fridge to put fruit in (focus on an action you perform)
来 (lái) alone can mean to come, or mark purpose in some patterns (来看看 = come (in order) to have a look), but you don’t say 用 + verb without 来 in this “purpose” meaning.
用来 focuses on intended purpose / function:
- 这把刀是用来切菜的。 = This knife is used for cutting vegetables.
- 这个房间是用来开会的。 = This room is for holding meetings.

So 用来 here emphasizes what the fridge is for, not just that someone uses it.

Can we say 这个冰箱是放水果和饮料的 without 用来? Does the meaning change?

Yes, you can say:

这个冰箱是放水果和饮料的。

The meaning is still basically “This fridge is for putting fruit and drinks (in).”

Nuance:

With 用来: slightly more explicit and “purpose-like”, a bit more formal or descriptive.
Without 用来: shorter and very natural in everyday speech.

Both are correct; in casual conversation many speakers would actually omit 用来.

What is the role of 是 … 的 in this sentence?

This is the 是…的 structure, but here it’s not about past events; it’s used to give a defining description of the fridge’s function.

Structure in your sentence:

这个冰箱 | 是 | 用来放水果和饮料 | 的。
subject | 是 | description of purpose | 的

The final 的 wraps the phrase 用来放水果和饮料 into a descriptive chunk, roughly like:

“This fridge is one that is used for putting fruit and drinks (in).”

So 是…的 here makes the sentence feel like a definition / explanation of what kind of fridge it is.

Why is there a 的 at the end when there is no noun after it? I thought 的 must be followed by a noun.

Often 的 does link modifiers to a noun:

漂亮的衣服 = beautiful clothes
昨天买的书 = the book (that I) bought yesterday

But 的 can also stand at the end when the noun is understood and omitted.

Full form (not usually said):

这个冰箱是用来放水果和饮料的冰箱。

Because 冰箱 is already mentioned, Chinese normally drops the second 冰箱 and leaves only 的:

这个冰箱是用来放水果和饮料的。

Here 的 works like “the one (that…)”, without repeating the noun.

This is very common:

这是我昨天买的（书）。 = This is the one I bought yesterday.
那是我喜欢的（人）。 = That’s the one I like.

Can we drop 是 and just say 这个冰箱用来放水果和饮料的?

No, 这个冰箱用来放水果和饮料的 is not standard; it sounds incomplete.

You have two good patterns:

With 是…的:
- 这个冰箱是用来放水果和饮料的。 ✅
Without 是…的, just a verb phrase:
- 这个冰箱用来放水果和饮料。 ✅

In this kind of sentence, 是 and the final 的 go together.
If you remove 是, you normally also remove that 的.

Is 的 required here? What if I say 这个冰箱是用来放水果和饮料 and stop there?

Without 的, 这个冰箱是用来放水果和饮料 sounds cut off, as if something is missing.

In the pattern:

A 是 B 的。

The 的 is part of the structure; it marks B as a descriptive phrase about A. So in this particular construction, the final 的 is required.

If you don’t want 的, use the simpler version without 是:

这个冰箱用来放水果和饮料。

Why is the verb 放 used here? Could we use 放在, 装, or 保存 instead?

放 (fàng) is a very common, neutral verb meaning to put / place / store.

In the sentence:

用来放水果和饮料 = used for putting/storing fruit and drinks.

Other options:

放在 (fàngzài) = put/place at/in/on (a specific location)
It must be followed by a place:
- 放在冰箱里 = put in the fridge
  In your sentence we’re not specifying a location in that slot; the whole sentence is already talking about the fridge.
装 (zhuāng) = to load, pack, contain, hold
- 这个箱子是用来装衣服的。 = This box is for holding clothes.
  You could say 这个冰箱是用来装水果和饮料的, and it’s understandable, but 放 feels more neutral and everyday.
保存 (bǎocún) / 保鲜 (bǎoxiān) = to preserve / keep fresh
- 这个冰箱是用来保存水果和饮料的。
  This shifts the focus to preserving freshness, and sounds more formal/technical.

So 放 is the simplest, most general choice.

Why is it 用来放, not 放来用 or something else?

用来 + verb is a fixed, common pattern meaning “be used for doing (verb)”.

Structure:

用 (to use) + 来 (for the purpose of) + verb

Examples:

用来放书 = used for putting books
用来吃饭的桌子 = a table used for eating
用来写字的笔 = a pen used for writing

Chinese does not express this purpose by reversing it to 放来用.
放来用 does not work as “used for putting”.

So you should learn 用来 + verb as a standard pattern for expressing intended use.

Can we say 用放水果和饮料 instead of 用来放水果和饮料?

No. 用放 is not a normal pattern in this meaning.

用 alone = to use, usually followed by the tool or means:
- 用冰箱放水果 = use the fridge to put fruit (in it)
用来 + verb = be used to do something (purpose)

So:

✅ 用来放水果和饮料 (correct “used for putting…”)
❌ 用放水果和饮料

If you drop 来, you must change the structure:

用冰箱放水果和饮料 = use the fridge to put fruit and drinks (action description, not a general function sentence).

What’s the difference between 和 and 跟 here? Could we say 水果跟饮料?

Yes, you can say either:

水果和饮料
水果跟饮料

In this context both mean “fruit and drinks” and are interchangeable.

General feel:

和 (hé): slightly more neutral, common in both speech and writing.
跟 (gēn): very common in speech, sometimes feels a bit more informal.

Here the choice doesn’t affect the meaning.

Why don’t we need measure words for 水果 and 饮料 here?

Measure words are needed when you talk about a specific quantity:

三种水果 = three types of fruit
两瓶饮料 = two bottles of drinks

In your sentence, 放水果和饮料 describes what kinds of things the fridge is for, not how many. It’s generic:

“used to put fruit and drinks” (in general)

When you talk about things in general, as categories, you usually don’t use measure words:

喜欢吃水果。 = (I) like eating fruit.
我不喝饮料。 = I don’t drink soft drinks.

So no classifier is needed here.

Could we rephrase it as 水果和饮料放在这个冰箱里? Is that the same?

You can say:

水果和饮料放在这个冰箱里。
= The fruit and drinks are (placed) in this fridge.

But this sentence:

Describes the current location of the fruit and drinks.

Your original sentence:

这个冰箱是用来放水果和饮料的。
= This fridge is used for putting fruit and drinks (in it).

This describes the fridge’s intended purpose/function.

So:

水果和饮料放在这个冰箱里。 → where they are.
这个冰箱是用来放水果和饮料的。 → what the fridge is for.

Related, but not the same focus.

How would I say “This fridge is only for fruit” using the same pattern?

You can add 只 (zhǐ) = only:

这个冰箱是用来只放水果的。 (grammatically okay but a bit awkward word order)

More natural:

这个冰箱只是用来放水果的。
这个冰箱只用来放水果。 (no final 的, but still fine)

All of these mean “This fridge is only for fruit.” The versions with 只(是)…用来放水果 are the most natural.