French Door Refrigerator With Ice Maker Review
Melding form with function, French-door refrigerators come with stylish double doors that open up to an enormous fridge on the top and a freezer drawer beneath. These refrigerators stand out because of their unique features, such as door-to-door dispensers and more expensive Ice makers.
We asked Ladina Schopf - interior designer, architect and the founder of LS Projects - for her advice on how to choose the right one. They evaluated storage capacity and layout, energy efficiency, and other factors.
GE Profile Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
Like its name implies, GE’s Profile series is aimed at consumers who want to incorporate cutting-edge technologies into their kitchens. This fridge has them all including a Keurig K cup coffee maker inside the door, to a clever dispenser of water. 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 better.
This refrigerator is a good choice, despite the blip. It comes with a huge freezer compartment, which is uncommon in counter-depth French door refrigerators. Furthermore, it can hold a decent amount of frozen foods in comparison to similar models.
Inside the fridge, you'll find 17 shelves and compartments. The fridge compartment offers 18.5 cubic feet of space, which is about the same as an French door fridge costing this much. It has a decent sized refrigerator with an ice maker in the left door. However it's not the biggest one I've seen.
You can adjust the shelves in both compartments to create a customized storage layout for the items you need to keep. The interior design of the GE PYE22PYNFS is stylish, too. Its LED lighting is a nice feature, and the in-door storage bins feature an additional shelf that folds down so that you can store large items. The drawers are equipped with temperature controls so you can set them to Meat, Beverage or Deli settings. french door fridge freezer to open and close, however I found their textured plastic coatings to be a bit difficult on the fingers.
The GE PGE29BYTFS Smart Refrigerator includes the full suite of features you'd expect from a refrigerator in this price range that includes Wi-Fi as well as 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 the world, and has a ton of customization options. It also alerts you when a door is left open, when the fridge or freezer is in need of defrosting, and when it's time to change the filter.
It would be nice if the GE PYE22PYNFS had Precise Fill, an option available in a few other GE refrigerators that allows you to choose how many cups of water you'd like to dispense at a time. The fridge shows a countdown to display how much water remains, but it's not as helpful 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 a standout. The fridge uses fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, which is a great feature for busy households. It also has a vegetable compartment that keeps vegetables and fruits fresher for longer and dual compressors for the best food preservation. The Ice maker is among the top we've tested and produces pyramid-shaped ice that is low in water consumption. This fridge is ideal for a small household or a kitchenette that wants an elegant design and top of the best food preservation.
This refrigerator was the highest-rated refrigerator in our Refrigerators Test for several reasons. The temperature of the freezer remained stable at just a few degrees Fahrenheit, and never fluctuating by more than a fraction one degree. This is crucial to preventing freezer burn. The fridge's refrigerator section also performed well, achieving the desired temperature for initial set within a matter of hours and keeping that temperature steady over the course of our tests.
Bosch is known for its high-end 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. The app lets you monitor and control your refrigerator remotely from your smartphone or tablet. The fridge is a bit expensive, but it comes with great features and capabilities for the cost.
While the fridge is a fantastic appliance however, it is important to understand the limitations. It has a limited shelf space, so you'll need to be creative when it comes to storing large items. The shelves aren't 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 regularly to prevent the growth of mold.
If you are considering this refrigerator, you should also 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 option for those who require plenty 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. The fridge is built with an ordinary French door layout, with two rows of shelving with spill-capture and a set crisper drawers. The top shelf on the right side can be folded in order to create more space for tall items. There's also a full-width storage drawer for food items and an internal water dispenser.
The refrigerator comes with an ice maker, making it simple to transfer frozen ice whenever you need it. The freezer also features thoughtful design features, such as sliding drawers that help you organize your belongings. It also has a large container for storing frozen food and a separate container for ice.
Another great feature of this refrigerator is its Smart InstaView panel. It allows you to manage the refrigerator's temperature as well as lighting via your smartphone. It's a simple method to keep track of your refrigerator and control it, especially when you're not at home.
The Smart InstaView feature is neat however it doesn't improve the performance of the fridge. In fact it took longer to defrost and chill foods in this fridge than some of the others we tested. This could be due to the greater capacity.
The doors pose a problem with this fridge. The sunken handles allow smaller people to open them from the bottom. However taller people have a hard time closing them without slamming. It would have been more effective to have front-mounted handles.
The LG Counter-Depth MAX fridge is an excellent choice for those looking to combine the look and feel of a French-door refrigerator with more efficient design. It has a capacity that is above average for counter-depth models and is able to cool evenly. It's also a little less than the most expensive counter depth refrigerator with an ice maker, making it an attractive choice.
Frigidaire Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
This Frigidaire French door refrigerator is a good choice if you want a French-door refrigerator that doesn't cost a lot of budget. It has a simple design that's not as striking visually as other models however it comes with enough features that make it a great option. Its main characteristic is the adjustable temperature drawer which helps keep food items like veggies and meat fresher for longer. It also comes with a huge water dispenser as well as a good Ice machine that is fast.
The "Chill Drawer", which is located above the two crisper bins, is a excellent feature. The drawer allows you to divert part of the refrigerator's cooling power directly to this area, meaning you can store foods that require special attention. You can alter this feature by using an adjustable slider that is located just outside 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.
In my tests, the temperature of the refrigerator stayed fairly consistent across different areas of the fridge. The temperatures in the top and bottom of the fridge didn't stray significantly from 38 degrees, and the middle of the fridge was within a degree of 36. This is a pretty 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. You can also pair this fridge with an intelligent thermometer to get more precise measurements of the internal temperature of your fridge.
The Frigidaire FGHB2866PF's outside is made of stainless steel with a grey body with a "smudge-proof" finish. It blocks streaks and fingerprints better than other stainless steel finishes I've tested.
Stephanie Cronk, executive editor of Reviewed's Commerce/Product Reviews Team, oversees the site's buyer's guides as well as product test reviews. She has more than 15 years of commerce and publishing experience, primarily in digital and retail. Stephanie is passionate about finding and recommending the best products for consumers, with a an emphasis on home products and tech.