French Door Refrigerator With Ice Maker Review
French-door refrigerators blend design and function. They have stylish double doors that reveal the large fridge on top, and a freezer drawer beneath. These refrigerators stand out because of their unique features, including through-the-door dispensers and higher-end ice makers.
We sought out experts like Ladina Schopf, interior designer and architect, as well as the founder of LS Projects, for tips on picking the right one. They looked at storage capacity, layout and energy efficiency among other features.
GE Profile Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
As its name suggests, the GE Profile series is targeted at people who want to incorporate cutting-edge technology into their kitchen. This refrigerator has it all, from the Keurig K cup coffee maker on 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. The refrigerator is expensive and I expected more.
Other than that however, this refrigerator is a fantastic choice. It has a huge freezer compartment, which is unusual for counter-depth French-door refrigerators. It also has a large capacity for frozen food compared to other models.
The fridge is equipped with 17 shelves and compartments. The fridge compartment is 18.5 cubic feet, which is standard for a French-door fridge at this price. It also has an adequate-sized icemaker packed into the left door, though it's not the biggest I've seen.
You can alter the shelving in both compartments to create customized storage layout for the items you need to keep. The interior design of the GE PYE22PYNFS is attractive. The LED lighting is a nice touch and the storage bins come with the third shelf, which folds up beneath itself to allow you to store items that are tall. The drawers have temperature controls that allow you to set them to Meat, Beverage or Deli settings. They're easy to open and close, however I found their plastic textured coatings a bit difficult on the fingers.
The GE PGE29BYTFS Smart Refrigerator comes with all the features you would expect from a refrigerator in this price range. It has Wi-Fi, app support and GE's SmartHQ Software. The app is available for iOS and Android devices and allows you to control your refrigerator from anywhere around the world. It also has numerous options for customizing. It also alerts you when doors are left open, when your fridge or freezer is in need of defrosting, and when it's time to change the filter.
It would be nice it GE PYE22PYNFS had Precise Fill, an option that is available in a few GE refrigerators that allows users to select the number of cups they would like to pour out. It does have an indicator on the display of the fridge to show how much water you have remaining, but that's not as effective as Precise fill.
Bosch Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
Created to appear like a seamless part of your kitchen Bosch's French-door refrigerator looks seamless and 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 which keeps vegetables and fruits fresher for longer periods, and dual compressors to preserve food. The Ice maker is among the best we've ever tested and produces a pyramid-shaped Ice with low use of water. This refrigerator is the ideal choice for single household or kitchenettes that want a built-in look and top of the line food preservation.
This fridge was the top-rated refrigerator in our Refrigerators test for a few reasons. The temperature of the freezer remained constant at just above 0°F and never fluctuated more than a fraction - this is crucial to avoid freezer burn. The fridge's fridge section also performed well, reaching the temperature that was set for the initial setting within an hour and keeping the temperature constant over the course of our testing.
Bosch is a household name for its high-end appliances. Therefore, it's not a surprise that the Bosch counter depth fridge can be connected to your home Wi Fi and Bosch's Home Connect. The app allows you to monitor and control your refrigerator remotely on your smartphone or tablet. The refrigerator is expensive, however it has great features and capabilities for the price.
It is important to know the limitations of the fridge. It is possible to be creative with tall objects because the fridge has a limited shelf space. The shelves are not spillproof and can easily be stained or damaged by sharp items. 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, 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 a great counter-depth refrigerator that packs plenty of storage into the frame's compact size. It has a sleek, fingerprint-resistant stainless-steel finish and features thick handles that make them comfortable to grip. The fridge has 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 on the right can be folded down to give taller items more room. There's also a full-width storage drawer for products from the deli and an inside water dispenser.
This refrigerator is equipped with an ice maker, making it easy to transfer the ice when needed. The freezer has thoughtful design elements, too, like sliding drawers that help better organize the position of your items. It also has a large bin that can accommodate plenty of frozen food items as well as a separate storage bin for ice.
Smart InstaView panel is another awesome feature of the refrigerator. It lets you manage the refrigerator's temperature as well as lighting via your smartphone. It's a great way to control and monitor your refrigerator, especially when you're away from home.
Although the Smart InstaView is a neat feature, it doesn't enhance the overall performance of the refrigerator. In fact it took a bit longer to defrost and chill foods in this refrigerator than some of the others we test. This could be due to the greater capacity.
The other issue we have with this refrigerator is its doors. The handles with a sunken design let shorter people open them from the bottom. However taller people will struggle to close them without slamming. It would have been much better if they had handles mounted on the front.
The LG Counter-Depth MAX is a good option for those looking to combine the benefits of a French-door fridge's aesthetics with a more efficient layout. Its capacity is above average for counter-depth models and also cools evenly. It's also a bit cheaper 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 for those looking for a French-door fridge that won't break the budget. It's a minimalist design that's not as visually striking as other models, but it has enough features to make it a good choice. Its most notable feature is the temperature adjustable drawer, helps to keep food like vegetables and meat fresher longer. It also comes with a huge water and ice maker dispenser.
The "Chill Drawer", which is situated over the two crisper bins, is a great feature. french style fridge freezer allows you to direct a portion of your fridge's cooling power to this area, so it can be used to store food items that require extra attention. This feature can be adjusted by using a slider located outside the drawer. It is also possible to use this to set a general cooling setting for the entire fridge, though I've found that adjusting the general settings tends to produce better results than specific ones.
In my experiments, I noticed that the temperatures of the refrigerator were fairly consistent across different areas of the fridge. The temperatures in the middle, top and bottom of the refrigerator did not differ much from 38 degrees. That's a good performance however it doesn't 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 connected with a smart thermostat to gain more precise information on the internal temperature of your fridge.
The exterior of the Frigidaire is made from gray-bodied stainless with a "smudge resistant" finish. It repels fingerprints and streaks 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 publishing and commerce experience, with a focus on digital and retail. Stephanie is enthusiastic about finding and recommending the most effective products for consumers, with particular focus on home items and technology.