French Door Refrigerator With Ice Maker Review
French-door refrigerators are a perfect blend of design and function. They have stylish double doors that show an enormous fridge on top and a freezer drawer beneath. These refrigerators stand out because of their special features, including door-to-door dispensers and more expensive Ice makers.
We asked Ladina Schopf - an interior designer, architect, and the founder of LS Projects - for her suggestions on how to pick the right one. They weighed the capacity of storage as well as layout and energy efficiency, among other features.
GE Profile Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
As its name suggests, the GE Profile series is aimed at consumers who want to incorporate cutting-edge technology into their kitchen. The refrigerator is brimming 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. Since this refrigerator is an extra amount, I'd like to see higher quality.
Apart from that minor flaw however, this refrigerator is a fantastic choice. It has a large freezer compartment which is uncommon for counter-depth French-door fridges. It also holds plenty of frozen food compared to other models.
Inside the fridge, you'll find 17 shelves and compartments. The fridge compartment is 18.5 cubic feet of space, which is on the same as a French door fridge costing this much. It also has an adequate-sized icemaker in the left door, but it isn't the largest I've seen.
You can adjust the shelves in both compartments to create a an individual storage solution. The GE PYE22PYNFS's design for the interior is good-looking, too. The LED lighting is an attractive accent. The in-door storage bins include a third shelf that can be folded down to store tall items. The drawers include temperature controls that allow you to set them to Meat, Beverage or Deli settings. The drawers are simple to open and shut however I found the textured plastic coatings a bit hard on my fingers.
The GE PGE29BYTFS Smart Refrigerator includes the all the features you'd expect from a refrigerator at this price that includes Wi-Fi as well as app support via GE's SmartHQ software. The app is compatible with iOS and Android devices and allows you to manage your refrigerator from anywhere across the globe. It also has numerous options for customizing. It also gives you notifications when doors are left open, when the refrigerator or freezer is in need of defrosting, and when it's time to change the filter.
It would be great to have GE PYE22PYNFS offered Precise fill which is a feature found in a few GE refrigerators that allow users to set the number of cups they would like to dispense. 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
The Bosch French-door Refrigerator is a stunning piece of equipment. It's designed to appear like it's a seamless part 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 periods, and dual compressors to preserve food items. The ice maker we tested was one of the most efficient and makes the shape of a pyramid using only water. This refrigerator is the ideal option for households with a single member or kitchenettes looking for an integrated look and top of the line food preservation.
This fridge was rated the best in our Refrigerators Test for a variety of reasons. The freezer temperature remained steady at just above 0° Fahrenheit and never changed more than a fraction - this is crucial to avoid the risk of a freezer burn. The fridge's fridge section also performed well, achieving the desired temperature for initial set within an hour and keeping that temperature steady throughout the course of our tests.
Bosch is known for its top-quality appliances. It's therefore no surprise that Bosch's counter depth fridge Bosch counter depth fridge can be connected to your home Wi Fi and Bosch's Home Connect. This app allows you to control and monitor your refrigerator remotely on your smartphone or tablet. The fridge is a bit expensive, however it has top-quality features and functions for the cost.
It is important to know the limitations of the fridge. It has a narrow space for shelves, so you'll require some creativity when storing tall items. The shelves are not spillproof and can easily be stained or damaged by sharp items. The trays can be easily removed from the refrigerator. However, they must be cleaned frequently to stop the growth of mold.
If you're thinking of buying this refrigerator, you should also check out 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 an excellent counter-depth refrigerator that packs a lot of storage space into an extremely compact frame. It has a sleek, fingerprint-resistant stainless-steel finish and features thick handles that make them comfortable to grip. The fridge is built with the standard French door design, with two rows of shelving with spill-capture and a set crisper drawers. The top shelf to the right can be folded in order to create more space for tall items. You'll also find a full width deli drawer and an internal water dispenser.
One of the nice features of this refrigerator is that its ice maker is in the freezer, which makes it easy to transfer the ice to the refrigerator to be used when it is needed. The freezer has thoughtful design elements, as well, such as sliding drawers to help you better organize the position of your items. It also has a huge bin that can accommodate plenty of frozen food items as well as an container for storing ice.
Another cool feature of this refrigerator is its Smart InstaView panel. You can control the temperature, lighting, and more of your fridge from your smartphone. It's a simple method to monitor your refrigerator and manage it, especially when not at home.
Although the Smart InstaView is a neat feature, it doesn't improve the overall performance of the refrigerator. The fridge took a bit longer to chill food and defrost it than the other fridges we tried. This is likely due to its larger capacity.
The other issue we have with this refrigerator is its doors. They have handles that are sunken at the front, which allows smaller people to open them from the bottom, however they're still difficult for taller people to pull shut without slamming them. french door fridge freezer would have been more effective if these had front-mounted handles.
The LG Counter-Depth MAX is a excellent choice for those who want to combine the advantages of a French-door fridge's aesthetics with a more efficient layout. Its capacity is superior for a counter-depth model and it cools evenly and has a great layout. It's also less expensive than the best counter depth refrigerators that have 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 break the bank this Frigidaire is a solid option. It's a simple fridge which may not be as appealing as its rivals however, it does have enough features to make it a an excellent option. Its most significant 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 is fast.
Another feature that is worth mentioning is the "Chill Drawer" that sits above the two crisper bins. This drawer allows you to use the majority of your fridge's cooling power to this area so that you can keep food items that require extra attention. You can alter the feature using a slider that's located right in the middle of the drawer. You can also adjust the general cooling settings for the entire fridge. I've noticed that the general settings work better than the specific ones.
During my tests, the temperature of the refrigerator stayed fairly consistent across different areas of the fridge. Temperatures in the top and bottom of the fridge didn't vary very far from 38 degrees, and even the middle of the fridge was within one degree of 36. This is a solid performance but doesn't quite make it to the top of 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 obtain more precise readings of the internal temperature of your fridge.
The exterior of the Frigidaire is made of gray-bodied stainless with a "smudge proof" finish. It does an excellent job of removing streaks and fingerprints even when compared to the glossy stainless steel finishes on other appliances I've tried.
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 experience in commerce and publishing including retail and digital. Stephanie is passionate about finding and recommending the best products for consumers, with a particular focus on home items and tech.