French Door Refrigerator With Ice Maker Review
Combining form and functionality, French-door refrigerators have stylish double doors that open up to an enormous fridge on the top and a freezer drawer below. These refrigerators stand out because of their unique features, such as door-to-door dispensers and more expensive ice makers.
We asked experts like Ladina Schopf, interior designer and architect, as well as the founder of LS Projects, for tips on choosing the right model. They evaluated the capacity of storage as well as layout and energy efficiency as well as other factors.
GE Profile Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
Like the name suggests, GE's Profile series is geared towards consumers who want to incorporate cutting-edge features in their kitchen. This refrigerator is packed with these, from an inside-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. Given that this fridge costs a premium, I expect higher quality.
This fridge is a great option, despite the slight blip. It has a huge freezer compartment, which is unusual for counter-depth French-door fridges. It also holds plenty of frozen food compared to other models.
The fridge comes with 17 shelves and compartments. The fridge compartment is 18.5 cubic feet of space, which is on what you would expect from a French door refrigerator that costs this much. It also has a decent sized ice maker that is tucked away in the left door, but it isn't the largest I've seen.
You can alter the shelves in both compartments for a custom storage solution. The interior design of the GE PYE22PYNFS is stylish, too. The LED lighting adds an attractive accent. The in-door storage bins come with a third shelf that can be folded down to store large items. The drawers have temperature controls that let you set them to Meat, Beverage, or Deli settings. They're easy to open and close, however I found their textured plastic coatings a bit hard on the fingers.
The GE PGE29BYTFS Smart Refrigerator is equipped with a full suite of features you'd expect from a fridge at this price, including Wi-Fi and app support via GE's SmartHQ software. The app is available for iOS and Android devices and lets you control your refrigerator from anywhere in the globe. It also has numerous options for customizing. It will also send you notifications when the door is left unlocked as well as when the freezer or fridge must be defrosted and when the filter has to be changed.
best french fridge freezer uk is nice if the GE PYE22PYNFS came with Precise Fill, an option available in other GE fridges that allow you to choose how many cups of water you'd like to disperse simultaneously. The fridge shows a countdown to reveal how much water is left, but it's not as helpful as Precise Fill.
Bosch Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
Created to appear like a seamless part of your kitchen, Bosch's French-door refrigerator is an eye-catching piece. The fridge uses fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, which is a great feature for busy households. It also has a veggie compartment that keeps vegetables and fruits fresher for longer periods, and two compressors to preserve food. The Ice maker is among the top we've tested and produces a pyramid-shaped ice with a low use of water. This fridge is perfect for a small household or a kitchenette that wants an elegant design and top of the line food preservation.
This fridge was rated the best in our Refrigerators Test for several reasons. The temperature of the freezer remained constant at just above 0° Fahrenheit and never fluctuated by more than a fraction, this is essential to avoid freezer burn. The fridge section of the fridge also performed well. It reached the temperature it was set within a matter of hours, and remained at the temperature throughout our tests.
Bosch has a reputation for high-end appliances, so it's no surprise that this counter-depth refrigerator is also a smart appliance that has the option of connecting to your home Wi-Fi and Bosch's Home Connect platform. The app allows you to control and monitor the refrigerator remotely using your tablet or smartphone. The fridge is expensive however, it offers excellent features and capabilities at a fair price.
While the fridge is an amazing appliance but it's important to be aware of the limitations. It has a small shelf space, which means you'll require some creativity when storing tall objects. The shelves are not spillproof and can easily be damaged or stained by sharp objects. The trays are easily removed from the fridge. However, they must be cleaned regularly to prevent the growth of mold.
If you're thinking of buying this refrigerator, be sure to also check out our reviews of the GE Appliances French Door Refrigerator and the Bosch Bottom Freezer Refrigerator.
LG Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
The LG LRFLC2706S counter-depth fridge is a great option for those who need a lot of space in a small frame. 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 as well as two rows of shelves for spill-capture and a set sleeker drawers. The upper right shelf can be folded down to give taller items more room. You'll also find 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 has thoughtful design elements, as well, such as sliding drawers that help better organize the placement of your items. It also has a large container for storing frozen food and a separate container for ice.
Smart InstaView panel is a cool feature of the refrigerator. You can control the temperature, lighting and other aspects of your fridge using your smartphone. It's a good way to monitor and manage your refrigerator, particularly if you're away from home.
The Smart InstaView feature is neat however it doesn't enhance the efficiency of the fridge. This fridge took longer to defrost food and chill it than the other fridges we test. This could be due to the larger capacity.
The doors are another problem with this fridge. 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 better to have front-mounted handles.
The LG Counter-Depth MAX fridge is an excellent option for those who want to combine the look of a French door refrigerator with a more efficient design. It has a capacity that is superior to counter-depth models and also cools evenly. It's also a little cheaper than the best counter-depth refrigerators that have an ice maker, which helps make it an attractive option.
Frigidaire Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
This Frigidaire French door refrigerator is a good option when you're looking for a French door fridge that doesn't break the budget. It has a simple design that's not as visually striking as other models however it comes with enough features to make it a solid pick. Its most notable characteristic is the adjustable temperature drawer which helps keep food items such as meat and vegetables fresher for longer. It also comes with a large 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 redirect part of the fridge's cooling power directly to this area, so you can keep food items that require extra attention. You can alter this feature by using an adjustable slider that is located just in the middle of the drawer. It is also possible to use this to adjust the general cooling settings for the whole fridge, however, I've found that changing the general settings tends be more effective than specific ones.
In my experiments, I noticed that the temperatures in the refrigerator were fairly consistent in different areas of the refrigerator. The temperatures in the top and bottom of the fridge did not vary much 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. This fridge can be connected with a smart thermostat to obtain more precise readings of the internal temperature of your fridge.
The Frigidaire FGHB2866PF's exterior is constructed of grey-bodied stainless steel which has a "smudge-proof" finish. It repels fingerprints and streaks better than other stainless steel finishes I've seen.
Stephanie Cronk is the executive editor of Reviewed's Commerce/Product Reviews team and oversees the site's buyer's guide and review of test products. She has more than 15 years of experience in commerce and publishing including retail and digital. Stephanie is passionate about finding the top products and recommending them to customers. She focuses on home goods and technology.