To prevent the sleeping of a refrigerant particularly in a refrigerator where the opening of an expansion valve is controlled in accordance with a temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of a cooler for cooling control.

This control method is provided for the refrigerator which has a compressor, a condenser, the cooler, the expansion valve which is provided at the front stage of the cooler and whose opening is controlled so that the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the cooler falls within a preset temperature difference range, a heat exchanger for heat exchange between a refrigerant pipe through which a refrigerant flows into the cooler and the refrigerant pipe through which the refrigerant flows out of the cooler, and a defrosting heater for defrosting the cooler. Herein, the defrosting heater is energized when the temperature difference is smaller and a difference between the temperature of the cooler and the temperature of a storage chamber cooled by the cooler is smaller even if the opening is controlled so that the temperature difference between the inlet temperature and the outlet temperature of the cooler falls within the preset temperature difference range.