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 the large fridge on top, and a freezer drawer below. Special features such as through-the-door dispensers, ice machines with higher-end features, and customizable flex drawers make them stand out from the crowd.
We consulted experts such as Ladina Schopf, interior designer, architect, and founder of LS Projects, for tips on choosing the right model. They looked at the capacity of storage, layout, and energy efficiency, among other features.
GE Profile Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
The name of the series suggests that GE’s Profile series is aimed at consumers who want to integrate cutting-edge features in their kitchen. This fridge has them all from the Keurig K cup coffee maker inside the door to a smart dispenser of water. But these flourishes don't mask mediocre performance, especially in the refrigerator's freezer and an ineffective temperature-controlled drawer. The refrigerator is expensive and I was expecting better.
This fridge is a good choice, despite the blip. It has a large freezer compartment, which is quite uncommon in counter-depth French door refrigerators. Furthermore, it can hold a decent amount of frozen food when as compared to similar models.
The fridge has 17 shelves and compartments. french door fridge and freezer is 18.5 cubic feet, which is the standard for a French-door fridge at this price. It has a decent-sized freezer in the left side. But it's not the biggest one I've seen.
You can adjust the shelves in both compartments to make the perfect storage solution. The interior design of the GE PYE22PYNFS is also attractive. The LED lighting adds a nice touch. The in-door storage bins have a third shelf which can be folded down to store tall 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 plastic textured coatings to be a bit rough 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 via GE's SmartHQ software. The app, which is available for iOS and Android devices can let you control your fridge from anywhere in world, and it has a ton of customization options. It also sends you notifications when the door is left unlocked, when the freezer or fridge must be defrosted and when the filter requires a change.
It would be nice if the GE PYE22PYNFS had Precise Fill which is an option that is available in a handful of other GE refrigerators that allows you to preset how many cups of water you'd like to dispense simultaneously. The fridge displays a countdown timer to show you how much water is left but it's not as helpful as Precise fill.
Bosch Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
It is designed to look as a seamless element of your kitchen, Bosch's French-door refrigerator is a standout. The fridge uses fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, which is a great feature for busy households. It also has a vegetable compartment to keep fruits and vegetables fresher longer and has dual compressors for maximum preservation of food. The Ice maker we tested is one of the most efficient and produces pyramid shaped ice using minimal water. This refrigerator is a great choice for single household or kitchenettes looking for a sleek design and top-of-the-line food preservation.
This refrigerator was rated as the best in our Refrigerators Test for a variety of reasons. The temperature of the freezer remained stable at just a few degrees Fahrenheit, never changing 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 a matter of hours and keeping the temperature constant over the course of our tests.
Bosch has a reputation for top-of-the-line appliances which is why it's no surprise that this counter depth refrigerator is also a smart appliance that has the option to connect to your home Wi-Fi as well as Bosch's Home Connect platform. This app lets you monitor and control the refrigerator remotely using your smartphone or tablet. The refrigerator is pricey however, it offers excellent features and functions at a fair price.
It's important to understand the limitations of the fridge. You might need to be creative with tall objects because the fridge is limited in shelf space. Also the shelves aren't completely sprillproof, and can easily be stained or damaged by sharp objects. It is easy to take out the refrigerator trays However, be sure to clean them frequently to prevent mold growth.
If you are considering this refrigerator, be sure to check out 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 refrigerator is a great option for those who require a lot of space in an extremely compact frame. It has a sleek, fingerprint-resistant stainless-steel finish and features thick handles that make them comfortable to grip. Inside, the refrigerator has a standard French-door layout with gallon-sized door bins on each door, two rows of shelves for spill-capture and a set more spacious drawers. The top shelf on the right can be folded down to give taller items more room. There's also a full-width drawer for deli items and an internal water dispenser.
One of the great aspects of this refrigerator is that the Ice maker is located in the freezer, which makes it easy to transfer ice into the fridge to be used when it is needed. The freezer also has clever design features, such as sliding drawers that can help you organize your belongings. It comes with a large bin for storing frozen food, and a separate bin for ice.
french door fridge freezer of this refrigerator is its Smart InstaView panel. It allows you to manage the refrigerator's temperature and lighting via your smartphone. It's an easy way to monitor your refrigerator and control it, particularly when you're not at home.
However, while the Smart InstaView is a neat feature, it doesn't enhance the overall performance of the refrigerator. The refrigerator took longer to defrost food and chill it than the other fridges we tried. This is likely due to the larger capacity.
french door fridge and freezer pose a problem with this fridge. They have sunken handles at the front, which allows smaller people to pull them open from the bottom, however they're difficult for taller people to guide closed without slamming them. It would have been much better if they had front-mounted handles.
The LG Counter-Depth MAX is a ideal choice for those who want to combine the advantages of a French-door fridge's aesthetics with an efficient layout. Its capacity is superior to counter-depth models and also cools evenly. It's also a little less than the best counter depth refrigerators that have an ice maker, making it a great option.
Frigidaire Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
This Frigidaire French door refrigerator is a good option if you want a French-door fridge that won't break the budget. It's a minimalist design that isn't as striking visually as some of the competition however it comes with enough features to make it a good pick. Its most significant feature, the adjustable temperature drawer helps to keep food items like meat and vegetables fresher for longer. It also comes with a large water and ice maker dispenser.
The "Chill Drawer", which is situated above the two crisper bins, is a nice feature. This drawer lets you redirect a portion of the fridge's cooling power into this area so it can be used to store food items that require special attention. You can alter the feature using a slider that's located right on the outside of the drawer. You can also set the general cooling settings for the entire fridge. I have found that the generic settings are more effective than the specific ones.
During my tests, I found that the temperatures of the refrigerator were fairly consistent across different parts of the fridge. The temperatures in the middle, top and bottom of the refrigerator did not differ significantly from 38 degrees. This is a pretty good performance, but it doesn't quite make it into the top ten 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. The fridge can be linked with a smart thermostat to obtain more precise readings of the internal temperature of your fridge.
The Frigidaire FGHB2866PF's outside is made of grey-bodied stainless steel with a "smudge-proof" finish. It is capable of repelling fingerprints and streaks even when compared with glossier 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, primarily in digital and retail. Stephanie is enthusiastic about finding and recommending the best products for consumers, with particular focus on home items and tech.
