French Door Refrigerator With Ice Maker Review
French-door fridges combine design and function. They feature stylish double doors that reveal the large fridge on top, and a freezer drawer below. Special features like door-to-door dispensers, higher-end ice machines and flex drawers that can be customized make them stand out from the rest.
We asked Ladina Schopf - an interior designer, architect and the founder of LS Projects - for her tips on how to select the right one. They considered the storage capacity, layout, and energy efficiency among other aspects.
GE Profile Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
Like its name implies, GE’s Profile series is aimed at those who wish to incorporate cutting-edge technology into their kitchen. This refrigerator is packed with them, from an in-the-door Keurig K-cup coffee maker to a smart water dispenser. But these flourishes don't mask mediocre performance, especially in the refrigerator's freezer and an ineffective temperature-controlled drawer. Since this refrigerator costs an extra amount, I'd like to see better.
Other than that, this fridge is a great option. It has a huge freezer compartment which is uncommon for counter-depth French door fridges. It also has a large capacity for frozen food, which is a big difference from other models.
The fridge is equipped with 17 shelves and compartments. The fridge compartment offers 18.5 cubic feet of space, which is roughly on the same as the size of a French door fridge that costs this much. It has a decent-sized icemaker in the left door. However, it's not the largest one I've seen.
You can alter the shelving in both compartments to create customized storage layout for whatever you have to keep. The interior design of the GE PYE22PYNFS is also attractive. Its LED lighting is a nice touch and the storage bins feature a third shelf that folds down to make it possible to store tall items. The drawers have temperature controls so that you can set them to Meat, Beverage or Deli settings. The drawers are simple to shut and open, but I found the textured plastic coatings a bit hard on my fingers.
The GE PGE29BYTFS Smart Refrigerator is equipped with a all the features you'd expect from a fridge in this price range with Wi-Fi and app support through GE's SmartHQ software. The app, available for iOS and Android devices, lets you control your fridge from anywhere in the world, and offers numerous options for customization. It will also send notifications when the door is unlocked and when the fridge or freezer needs to be defrosted, and when the filter requires a change.
french door fridge freezers is nice to have GE PYE22PYNFS could offer Precise Fill which is a feature that is available in a few GE refrigerators that allows users to set the number of cups they would like to disperse. The fridge shows a countdown to display how much water is left however it's not as useful 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. The fridge 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 and dual compressors to preserve food. The ice maker we tested is one of the most efficient and produces an ice pyramid with only a little water. This refrigerator is a great option for a single family or kitchenettes that want a built-in look and top-of-the-line food preservation.
french door fridge freezers was rated the most efficient in our Refrigerators Test for a variety of reasons. The temperature of the freezer remained constant at just above 0°F and never changed more than a fraction - this is crucial to avoid freezer burn. The refrigerator section of the fridge also did well. It reached the temperature it was set within an hour and maintained that temperature throughout our testing.
Bosch is known for its top-of-the-line appliances which is why it's no surprise that this counter depth refrigerator is also a smart appliance, with the option to connect to your home Wi-Fi network and Bosch's Home Connect platform. The app allows you to control and monitor your refrigerator remotely on your tablet or smartphone. The refrigerator is pricey however, it offers excellent features and functions at a fair price.
While the fridge is an amazing piece of equipment, it's important to know the limitations. It has a limited shelf space, so you'll require some creativity when storing tall items. The shelves aren't impervious to spills and could easily be damaged or stained by sharp objects. It's easy to remove the trays in the fridge However, be sure to clean them frequently to prevent the growth of mold.
If you are thinking about this refrigerator, be sure to read our review of the GE Appliances French Door Refrigerator and the Bosch Bottom Freezer Refrigerator.
LG Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
The LG LRFLC2706S is a top counter-depth refrigerator that packs plenty of storage in a compact frame. It has a sleek, fingerprint-resistant stainless-steel finish and features thick handles that make them comfortable to grip. The fridge has the standard French door design, with two rows of spill-capture shelving and a set of crisper drawers. The top shelf on the right can be folded down to give tall items more room. You'll also find a full width deli drawer and an internal water dispenser.
One of the best features of this refrigerator is that its ice maker is inside the freezer, making it simple to move ice into the fridge to use as required. The freezer is designed with thoughtful elements, as well, such as sliding drawers that can help you better organize the position of items. It also has a large bin that holds plenty of frozen food and a separate storage bin for ice.
Smart InstaView panel is another awesome feature of the refrigerator. You can manage the temperature, lighting, and other aspects of your fridge using your smartphone. It's a great way to monitor and manage your refrigerator, especially if you're away from home.
But while the Smart InstaView is a neat feature, it does not necessarily enhance the overall performance of the refrigerator. The refrigerator took longer to defrost food and chill it than some others we tried. This is likely due to the larger capacity.
The other issue we have with this refrigerator is its doors. The handles that are sunken allow shorter people to open them from the bottom. However taller people have a hard time closing them without slamming. It would have been much better if they had handles mounted on the front.
The LG Counter-Depth MAX is a ideal option for those looking to combine the advantages of a French-door refrigerator's aesthetics with an efficient layout. Its capacity is above average for a counter-depth model, and it cools evenly and has a good layout. It's also a little less than the most expensive counter depth refrigerator that comes with an icemaker, which makes it a great choice.
Frigidaire Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
If you're looking for a French door fridge that doesn't cost you a fortune, this Frigidaire is a great choice. It's a minimalist design that's not as striking visually as other models however it comes with enough features to make it a solid choice. Its most important feature, the adjustable temperature drawer helps to keep food like meat and vegetables fresher for longer. It also comes with a huge water dispenser and a decent ice machine that works fast.
Another feature that is worth mentioning is the "Chill Drawer" that sits over the two crisper bins. This drawer lets you redirect part of the refrigerator's cooling power directly into this area, so you can put away food items that require extra attention. You can adjust the feature using an adjustable slider that is located just outside of the drawer. You can also use this feature to set a general cooling level for the entire fridge, though I've found that adjusting the generic settings tends to produce better results than specific ones.
During my tests, I discovered that the temperatures in the refrigerator were fairly consistent across different areas of the refrigerator. The temperatures in the middle, top and bottom of the refrigerator did not differ much from 38 degrees. This is a great performance but isn't quite at the top of 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 an intelligent thermometer to get more precise measurements of your fridge's temperature.
The Frigidaire FGHB2866PF's exterior is constructed of stainless steel with a grey body that has a "smudge-proof" finish. It does a great job of removing streaks and fingerprints even when compared with shiny 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 more than 15 years of publishing and commerce experience, mostly in retail and digital. Stephanie is committed to finding and recommending the most effective products for consumers, with a an emphasis on home products and technology.