French Door Refrigerator With Ice Maker Review
French-door refrigerators are a perfect blend of design and function. They come with stylish double doors that reveal a large fridge on top, and a freezer drawer below. These refrigerators stand out due to their unique features, such as door-to-door dispensers and more expensive ice makers.
We consulted experts such as Ladina Schopf, an interior designer and architect, as well as the founder of LS Projects, for tips on choosing the right model. They weighed the capacity of storage, layout and energy efficiency, among other factors.
GE Profile Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
As the name suggests, the GE Profile series targets the consumer who wants to incorporate cutting-edge technologies in their kitchen. This fridge is loaded with them, from an in-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. This refrigerator is costly and I was expecting better.
This fridge is a great option, despite the slight blip. It has a large freezer compartment, which is uncommon in counter-depth French door refrigerators. Furthermore, it holds a good amount of frozen food when in comparison to similar 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 refrigerator that costs this much. It also has a decent sized ice maker that is tucked away in the left-hand door, although it's not the biggest I've seen.
You can alter the shelves in both compartments to make an individual storage solution. The GE PYE22PYNFS's design for the interior is good-looking, too. The LED lighting is a nice addition and the inside storage bins come with a third shelf that folds down to allow you to store large items. The drawers come with temperature controls so that you can set them to Meat, Beverage or Deli settings. They're easy to open and close, however I found their textured plastic coatings a bit rough on the fingers.
The GE PGE29BYTFS Smart Refrigerator includes the all the features you'd expect from a fridge at this price with Wi-Fi and app support via GE's SmartHQ software. The app is compatible with iOS and Android devices and lets you control your refrigerator from any place in the globe. It also has many options for customization. It will also send notifications when the door is left unlocked as well as when the freezer or fridge needs to be defrosted, and when the filter needs to be changed.
It would be nice it GE PYE22PYNFS offered Precise fill which is a feature available in a handful of GE refrigerators that allow users to choose the number of cups they would like to dispense. It does have a countdown feature on the fridge display to display how much water you have left, but it's not as effective as Precise Fill.
Bosch Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
The Bosch French-door Refrigerator is a striking piece. It's designed to look like a seamless piece in your kitchen. The fridge uses fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, which is a great feature for busy households. It also comes with a veggie compartment that keeps fruits and vegetables fresher longer, and two compressors for maximum food preservation. The Ice maker is among the most efficient we've ever tested and produces a pyramid-shaped ice that is low in use of water. This fridge is ideal for a single family or a kitchenette that wants an attractive design and top of the highest quality food preservation.
This refrigerator was rated as the top in our Refrigerators Test for a variety of reasons. The temperature of the freezer remained stable at a level that was just above 0 degrees Fahrenheit, and never fluctuating by more than a fraction a degree--this is key to preventing freezing burn. The refrigerator section of the refrigerator also did well. It reached the initial temperature within a matter of hours, and maintained the temperature throughout our tests.
Bosch is known for its premium appliances and appliances, so it's not a surprise that this counter-depth refrigerator is also a smart appliance, with the option of connecting 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, however it has great features and capabilities for the price.
While the fridge is an incredible appliance however, it is important to understand the limitations. You may need to get creative with tall items because the fridge has a limited shelf space. Also the shelves aren't sprillproof and can be easily damaged or stained by sharp objects. The trays can be easily removed from the refrigerator. However, they must be cleaned regularly to prevent the growth of mold.
If you're thinking about buying this refrigerator, make sure to check out our reviews 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 need lots of space within a small frame. 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 spill-capture shelving and a set of crisper drawers. The top shelf to the right can be folded down to make space for taller items. You'll also find a full width drawer for deli and an inside water dispenser.
The refrigerator comes 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 to help you to organize the place of your items. It also has a huge bin that holds plenty of frozen food items as well as an container for storing ice.
Smart InstaView panel is a cool feature of the refrigerator. It lets you control the temperature of your fridge as well as lighting using your smartphone. It's a good way to control and monitor your refrigerator, particularly if you're away from home.
However, while the Smart InstaView is a neat feature, it doesn't necessarily enhance the overall performance of the refrigerator. The fridge took a bit longer to chill food and defrost it than some others we test. This is likely due to the larger capacity.
The other issue we have with the doors of this refrigerator. The sunken handles allow smaller people to open them from the bottom. However taller people will have a difficult time closing them without slamming. It would have been better if they had a front-mounted handle.
The LG Counter-Depth MAX fridge is an excellent option for those looking to combine the look of a French door refrigerator with an efficient design. Its capacity is superior for a counter-depth model and it cools evenly and has a good layout. It's also a bit less than the best counter-depth refrigerator that has an ice maker, which helps make it a popular choice.
Frigidaire Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
This Frigidaire French door refrigerator is a good option if you want a French-door refrigerator that doesn't cost a lot of budget. It's a minimalist design that's not as striking visually like some of the competitors, but it has enough features that make it a great choice. Its most notable characteristic is the adjustable temperature drawer which helps keep food items such as meat and vegetables fresher for longer. It also has a large ice maker and a water dispenser.
The "Chill Drawer", which sits above the two crisper bins, is another excellent feature. This drawer lets you redirect the majority of the fridge's cooling power into the area so that you can keep food items which need extra attention. You can alter this feature by using a slider that's located right on the outside of the drawer. You can also adjust the general cooling settings for the entire fridge. I have found that the general settings are more effective than the specific ones.
In my tests, the temperature of the refrigerator stayed fairly consistent across different areas of the refrigerator. The temperatures in the middle, top and bottom of the fridge didn't differ significantly from 38 degrees. This is a great performance however it doesn't 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 paired with a smart thermostat in order to get more accurate readings on the internal temperature of your fridge.
french door fridge freezers is made of stainless steel with a grey body with a "smudge-proof" finish. It wards off 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, mostly in retail and digital. Stephanie is adamant about finding the best products and recommending them to customers. She is particularly interested in home goods and technology.