French Door Refrigerator With Ice Maker Review
Melding form with functionality, French-door refrigerators have stylish double doors that open up to an enormous fridge on top and freezer drawer below. Special features like through-the-door dispensers, ice machines with higher-end features and flex drawers that can be customized make them stand out from the rest.
We consulted Ladina Schopf - interior designer, architect and the founder of LS Projects - for her advice on how to choose the best one. We looked at the storage capacity, layout, and energy efficiency among other aspects.
GE Profile Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
As its name suggests, GE’s Profile series is targeted at those who wish to incorporate cutting-edge technology into their kitchen. This refrigerator is packed with these, from an inside-the-door Keurig K-cup coffee maker to a clever 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 is more, I'd expect higher quality.
french door fridge freezer is a good option, despite the slight blip. It has a large freezer compartment, which is unusual for counter-depth French door fridges. It also has a large capacity for frozen food compared to other models.
Inside the fridge, you'll find 17 shelves and compartments. The fridge compartment is 18.5 cubic feet, which is standard for a French-door refrigerator at this price. It comes with a decent size icemaker in the left door. But it's not the most spacious one I've seen.
You can alter the shelves in each compartment to create a customized storage arrangement for the items you need to store. The GE PYE22PYNFS's interior design is attractive, too. The LED lighting is an appealing feature. The in-door storage bins come with a third shelf that can be folded down to store tall objects. The drawers are equipped with temperature controls, so you can set them for Meat, Beverage or Deli settings. They're easy to open and close, although I found their plastic textured coatings a bit rough on the fingers.
The GE PGE29BYTFS Smart Refrigerator includes the all the features you'd expect from a fridge at this price that includes Wi-Fi as well as app support through GE's SmartHQ software. The app, available for iOS and Android devices can let you control your refrigerator from anywhere in the world, and offers numerous options for customization. It will also send you notifications when the door is left unlocked, when the freezer or fridge requires defrosting, and when the filter has to be changed.
It would be nice if GE PYE22PYNFS had Precise Fill which is an option that is available in other GE refrigerators that allows you to preset how many cups of water you'd like to dispense at a time. The fridge displays a countdown to show you how much water remains, but it's not as effective as Precise Fill.
Bosch Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
Designed to look like a seamless part of your kitchen Bosch's French door refrigerator is one of a kind. The fridge uses fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, which is a great feature for busy households. It also has a vegetable compartment that keeps fruits and vegetables fresher longer and has dual compressors for the best food preservation. The ice maker is one of the top we've tested, and it produces a pyramid-shaped form of ice with a low use of water. This fridge is the perfect option for households with a single member or kitchenettes that want an integrated look and top-of-the-line food preservation.
The fridge was rated the best refrigerator in our Refrigerators Test for a few reasons. Its freezer temperatures held firm at just a few degrees Fahrenheit, and never fluctuating by more than a fraction a degree--this is key in preventing freezer burn. The fridge's fridge section also performed well, achieving the temperature that was set for the initial setting within an hour and maintaining that temperature steady over the course of our tests.
Bosch is a household name known for its top-quality appliances. Therefore, it's no surprise that the Bosch counter depth refrigerator can be connected to your home Wi Fi and Bosch's platform Home Connect. This app allows you to monitor and manage your fridge remotely using your smartphone or tablet. The fridge is expensive however, it offers excellent features and functionality at a fair price.
While the fridge is an amazing appliance however, it is important to understand the limitations. You may need to get creative with tall items because the fridge has a limited shelf space. The shelves are also not spillproof and can easily be damaged or stained by sharp objects. It's easy to remove the refrigerator trays, but be sure to clean them frequently to prevent the growth of mold.
If you're considering this refrigerator, make sure to also check out our reviews of the French Door GE Appliances 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 plenty of storage into a compact frame. It has a sleek, fingerprint-resistant stainless-steel finish and features thick handles that make them comfortable to grip. Inside, the fridge features the standard French-door layout, with gallon-sized door bins at each door as well as two rows of shelves that capture spills and a set of sleeker drawers. The top shelf on the right can be folded down to give taller items more space. There's also a full-width drawer for deli items and an internal water dispenser.
This refrigerator has a freezer with an ice maker, making it easy to move the ice when needed. The freezer features thoughtful design elements, as well, such as sliding drawers that help better organize the placement of items. It also comes with a large bin that can hold plenty of frozen food items and an additional ice storage bin.
Smart InstaView panel is a cool feature of the refrigerator. It lets you control the temperature of your fridge and lighting from your smartphone. It's an easy way to monitor your fridge and manage it, especially when you're away from home.
The Smart InstaView feature is neat but it doesn't improve the performance of the fridge. The fridge took a bit longer to chill food and defrost it than other models we tested. This is likely due to its bigger capacity.
Another issue with the door of this refrigerator. The handles with a sunken design allow shorter people to open them from the bottom. However taller people will have a difficult time closing them without slamming. It would have been much better if they came with a front-mounted handle.
The LG Counter-Depth MAX fridge is an excellent choice for those looking to blend the look of a French door refrigerator with a more efficient design. Its capacity is higher than average for a counter-depth model and it cools evenly and has a good layout. It's also a little less than the best counter depth refrigerators that have an ice maker, making it an attractive option.
Frigidaire Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
This Frigidaire French door refrigerator is a great choice for those looking for a French-door fridge that won't break the budget. It's a simple fridge that may not be as attractive as its rivals, but it still has enough features to make it a an excellent option. click this site is the temperature adjustable drawer which helps keep food items such as meat and vegetables fresher for longer. It also comes with a huge water dispenser, as well as an excellent ice maker that operates quickly.
Another great feature is the "Chill Drawer" that sits over the two crisper bins. This drawer lets you divert a portion of the fridge's cooling power directly to this area, meaning you can put away food items that need extra attention. You can alter the feature using the slider located on the on the outside of the drawer. It is also possible to use this to adjust the general cooling settings for the whole fridge, but I've noticed that adjusting the generic settings tends to produce better results than specific ones.
During my tests, the temperature of the refrigerator were fairly constant across the different areas of the refrigerator. The temperatures in the top, bottom and middle of the fridge didn't differ significantly from 38 degrees. This is a pretty good performance however it doesn't be among the top in our rankings.
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. This fridge can be connected with a smart thermostat to gain more precise information on the internal temperature of your fridge.
The exterior of the Frigidaire is made of grey-bodied stainless with a "smudge proof" finish. It does an excellent job of preventing streaks and fingerprints from appearing even when compared to the glossy 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 commerce and publishing including retail and digital. Stephanie is passionate about finding the top products and recommending them to consumers. She concentrates on home and technology.