French Door Refrigerator With Ice Maker Review
Combining form and functionality, French-door refrigerators have elegant double doors that open up 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 customizable flex drawers make them stand out from the rest.
We consulted Ladina Schopf - an interior designer, architect, and founder of LS Projects - for her tips on how to select the best one. They evaluated storage capacity as well as layout and energy efficiency, among other features.
GE Profile Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
Like its name implies, GE’s Profile series is targeted at consumers who want to integrate cutting-edge features in their kitchens. 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 more, I'd expect better.
Other than that the fridge is a great choice. It has a large freezer compartment, which is uncommon in counter-depth French door refrigerators. Additionally, it holds a fair amount of frozen food when in comparison to similar models.
Inside the fridge, there are 17 shelves and compartments. The refrigerator compartment is 18.5 cubic feet, which is standard for a fridge with a French door at this price. It also has a decent-sized icemaker that is tucked away in the left door, but it isn't the largest I've seen.
You can adjust the shelves in both compartments to create a custom storage setup for whatever you have to store. The interior design of the GE PYE22PYNFS is also attractive. The LED lighting is a nice touch and the storage bins feature a third shelf that can fold down to allow you to store large items. The drawers are equipped with temperature controls, so you can set them to Beverage, Meat, 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 is equipped with a complete set of features you'd expect from a fridge in this price range, including Wi-Fi and app support through GE's SmartHQ software. The app is available on iOS and Android devices and lets you control your refrigerator from any place around the world. It also has a lot of customization options. It also gives you notifications when doors are left open, when the fridge or freezer needs to be defrosted and when it's time to change the filter.
It is nice if the GE PYE22PYNFS had Precise Fill which is an option that is available in a handful of other GE fridges that allow you to preset how many cups of water you'd like to disperse at a time. It also has a countdown on the display of the fridge to display how much water you have remaining, but that's not as helpful as Precise Fill.
Bosch Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
The Bosch French-door Refrigerator is a striking piece. It's designed to look like it's a seamless component of your kitchen. 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 for longer, and dual compressors to preserve food. The ice maker we tested was one of the most efficient and produces an ice pyramid with only a little water. This fridge is the perfect choice for single household or kitchenettes looking for an integrated look and top of the line food preservation.
This fridge was rated as the most efficient in our Refrigerators Test for a variety of reasons. The freezer temperature remained steady at just above 0°F and never fluctuated more than a fraction - this is essential to avoid the risk of a freezer burn. The fridge section of the refrigerator also performed well. It reached the temperature it was set within an hour, and maintained that temperature throughout our testing.
Bosch has a reputation for premium appliances, so 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 monitor and control your refrigerator remotely from your smartphone or tablet. The refrigerator is costly however, it offers excellent features and capabilities at a fair price.
It's important to understand the limitations of the fridge. It has a small shelf space, which means you'll require some creativity when it comes to storing large items. Also the shelves aren't sprillproof and can be easily damaged or stained by sharp objects. The trays can be easily removed from the refrigerator. However, they should be cleaned regularly to prevent the growth of mold.
If you're thinking of buying this refrigerator, be sure to read our review of the French Door GE Appliances Refrigerator and the Bosch Bottom Freezer Refrigerator.
LG Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
The LG LRFLC2706S counter-depth fridge is a great choice for those who need lots of space within the space of a compact frame. It has a sleek, fingerprint-resistant stainless-steel finish and features thick handles that make them comfortable to grip. The fridge features the standard French door design, and two rows of shelves that can be used to capture spills and a set of crisper drawers. The top shelf to the right can be folded to provide more space for tall items. You'll also find a full-width deli drawer 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, as well, such as sliding drawers that help to organize the place of items. It also has a large bin that can hold plenty of frozen food and an additional ice storage bin.
Smart InstaView panel is another cool feature of the refrigerator. It lets you control the fridge's temperature and lighting using your smartphone. It's a good way to monitor and manage your refrigerator, particularly if you're away from home.
However, while the Smart InstaView is a neat feature, it does not necessarily enhance the overall performance of the refrigerator. In fact it took longer to defrost and chill foods in this fridge as compared to other fridges we test. This is likely due to its bigger capacity.
The other issue we have with the doors of this refrigerator. The sunken handles let shorter people open them from the bottom. However taller people have a difficult time closing them without slamming. 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 looking to blend the look of a French door refrigerator with more efficient design. Its capacity is higher than average for counter-depth models, and it cools evenly. It's also less expensive than the top 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 an French door fridge that doesn't cost a fortune this Frigidaire is a great choice. It's a simple fridge which may not be as attractive as some of its competitors however it has enough features to make it a an excellent option. Its most important characteristic is the adjustable temperature drawer that helps keep food items such as meat and vegetables fresher for longer. It also comes with a large water and ice maker dispenser.
Another nice feature is the "Chill Drawer" that sits over the two crisper bins. This drawer allows you to redirect a portion of your fridge's cooling power into this area, so it can be used to store food items that require extra attention. You can adjust this feature by using an adjustable slider that is located just in the middle of the drawer. You can also adjust the general cooling settings for the entire fridge. I have found that the general settings work better than the specific ones.
In my tests, the refrigerator's temperatures stayed fairly consistent across different areas of the fridge. Temperatures at the top and bottom of the fridge didn't vary significantly from 38 degrees, and even the middle of the fridge was within a degree of 36. french door refrigerator freezer 's a good performance, but it doesn't quite 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 paired with a smart thermostat to get more accurate readings on the internal temperature of your fridge.
The exterior of the Frigidaire is made from grey-bodied stainless that has a "smudge resistant" finish. It does an excellent job of repelling fingerprints and streaks even when compared to the 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 over 15 years of experience in commerce and publishing, primarily digital and retail. Stephanie is adamant about finding the best products and recommending them to consumers. She concentrates on home and technology.