French Door Refrigerator With Ice Maker Review
Melding form with function, French-door refrigerators offer elegant double doors that open to an enormous fridge on the top and a freezer drawer beneath. Special features such as through-the-door dispensers, higher-end ice machines and adjustable flex drawers make them stand out from the crowd.
We consulted Ladina Schopf - interior designer, architect and founder of LS Projects - for her advice on how to choose the right one. click this site considered storage capacity, layout and energy efficiency, among other features.
GE Profile Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
As the name suggests, the GE Profile series is geared towards the consumer who wants to incorporate cutting-edge features into their kitchen. This fridge is loaded with them all, from a Keurig K cup coffee maker inside the door, to a clever dispenser of water. But these flourishes don't mask mediocre performance, especially in the refrigerator's freezer and an ineffective temperature-controlled drawer. This refrigerator is costly and I was expecting better.
Aside from that blip however, this refrigerator is a fantastic choice. It has a large freezer compartment, which is quite uncommon in counter-depth French door fridges, and it can hold a decent amount of frozen foods compared to similar models.
Inside the fridge, you'll find 17 shelves and compartments. The refrigerator compartment has 18.5 cubic feet of space, which is about the same as an French door fridge that costs this much. It also has a decent-sized icemaker that is tucked away in the left door, but it's not the largest I've seen.
You can alter the shelves in both compartments to create customized storage arrangement for the items you need to store. The interior design of the GE PYE22PYNFS also looks attractive. The LED lighting adds an appealing accent. The in-door storage bins include a third shelf that can be folded down to store large items. The drawers include temperature controls that let you set them to Meat, Beverage, or Deli settings. They're easy to open and close, but I found their textured plastic coatings to be a little difficult on the fingers.
The GE PGE29BYTFS Smart Refrigerator comes with all the features you would expect from a refrigerator in this price range. This includes Wi-Fi as well as app support, and GE's SmartHQ Software. The app, available for iOS and Android devices can let you control your fridge from anywhere in the world, and has numerous options for customization. It also sends you notifications when a door is left open, when the fridge or freezer is in need of defrosting, and when it's time to change the filter.
It would be great it GE PYE22PYNFS had Precise Fill which is a feature found in a few GE refrigerators that allows users to set how many cups they want to disperse. The fridge shows a countdown to reveal how much water is left however it's not as effective as Precise fill.
Bosch Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
The Bosch French-door Refrigerator is an impressive product. It's designed to look like it's a seamless component in your kitchen. french door refrigerator freezer uses fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, which is a great feature for busy households. It also features a veggie compartment which keeps vegetables and fruits fresher for longer periods, and two compressors for preserving food. The ice maker we tested is one of the most efficient and makes an ice pyramid with only a little water. This fridge is the perfect option for a single family or kitchenettes that want a sleek design and top of the line food preservation.
This refrigerator was the highest-rated refrigerator in our Refrigerators test, for a few reasons. The freezer temperatures remained steady at just above 0 degrees Fahrenheit, and never moving more than a fraction an inch. This is essential to avoiding freezer burn. The fridge section of the fridge also performed well, reaching the temperature that was set for the initial setting within an hour and maintaining that temperature steady throughout the course of our testing.
Bosch is a household name known for its high-end appliances. It's therefore no surprise that the Bosch counter depth fridge can be connected to your home Wi Fi and Bosch's Home Connect. This app lets you monitor and control your refrigerator remotely on your smartphone or tablet. The refrigerator is costly, but offers great features and functionality at a reasonable price.
While the fridge is an incredible piece of equipment however, it is important to understand the limitations. It has a narrow shelf space, which means you'll need to be creative when storing tall objects. The shelves aren't spillproof and can easily be damaged or stained by sharp objects. The trays are easily removed from the refrigerator. However, they must be cleaned regularly to prevent the growth of mold.
If you're thinking of buying this refrigerator, make sure to also read our reviews of the GE Appliances French Door Refrigerator as well as the Bosch Bottom Freezer Refrigerator.
LG Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
The LG LRFLC2706S is a great counter-depth refrigerator that packs a lot of storage into the frame's compact size. It has a sleek, fingerprint-resistant stainless-steel finish and features thick handles that make them comfortable to grip. Inside, the refrigerator has an ordinary French-door design with gallon-sized bins for the doors on each door and two rows of spill-capture shelves, and a set of sleeker drawers. The top right shelf can be folded down to give tall items more room. There's also a full-width drawer for deli items and an internal water dispenser.
This refrigerator is equipped with an ice maker, making it easy to transfer the ice when needed. The freezer features thoughtful design elements, too, like sliding drawers to help you better organize the position of your items. It has a large bin for storing frozen food, and a separate container for ice.
Smart InstaView panel is another cool feature of the refrigerator. It allows you to control the fridge's temperature, lighting, and more from your smartphone. It's a great method of monitoring and managing your refrigerator, especially if you're away from home.
Although the Smart InstaView is a neat feature, it doesn't necessarily improve the overall performance of the refrigerator. The refrigerator took longer to chill food and defrost it than the other fridges we test. This could be due to the greater capacity.
The other issue we have with the doors of this refrigerator. The sunken handles allow smaller people to open them from the bottom. However taller people have a hard time closing them without slamming them. It would have been more effective if they had handles mounted on the front.
The LG Counter-Depth MAX fridge is an excellent choice for those who want to combine the look of a French door refrigerator with a more efficient design. Its capacity is superior to counter-depth models, and it cools evenly. It's also a little cheaper than the best counter-depth refrigerator with an ice maker, which helps make it an attractive option.
Frigidaire Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
If you're looking for a French door fridge that doesn't cost a fortune and isn't expensive, this Frigidaire is a solid option. It's a minimalist design that isn't as striking visually like some of the competitors but it does have enough features to make it a good pick. Its most significant feature, the adjustable temperature drawer, helps to keep food items like vegetables and meat fresher for longer. It also comes with a huge water and ice maker dispenser.
Another feature that is worth mentioning is the "Chill Drawer" that sits over the two crisper bins. This drawer lets you use a portion of the refrigerator's cooling power to the area so it can be used to store food items that require extra attention. You can adjust this feature by using the slider located on the outside of the drawer. You can also use this to set a general cooling level for the entire fridge however, I've found that changing the general settings tends to have a better effect than specific ones.
During my tests, the temperatures of the refrigerator stayed fairly consistent across different areas of the refrigerator. Temperatures in the top and bottom of the fridge didn't stray very far from 38 degrees, and even the middle of the fridge was within a degree of 36. This is a great performance, but it doesn't quite be among the top in our ratings.
This fridge has a few other neat features, including a temperature-monitoring display that alerts you to fluctuations and provides a forecast for the day ahead. You can also pair this fridge with a smart thermometer for more precise readings of your fridge's temperature.
The Frigidaire FGHB2866PF's outside is made of stainless steel with a grey-bodied body that has a "smudge-proof" finish. It does a great job of preventing streaks and fingerprints from appearing even when compared with glossier stainless steel finishes on other appliances I've tested.
Stephanie Cronk, executive editor of Reviewed's Commerce/Product Reviews Team, oversees the site’s buyer’s guides and product test reviews. She has over 15 years of experience in publishing and commerce, primarily digital and retail. Stephanie is enthusiastic about finding and recommending the top products for consumers, with particular focus on home items and technology.