French Door Refrigerator With Ice Maker Review
French-door refrigerators are a perfect blend of functionality and form. They have stylish double doors that show an enormous fridge on top and a freezer drawer beneath. These refrigerators stand out due to their special features, like through-the-door dispensers and higher-end ice makers.
We asked experts like Ladina Schopf, interior designer, architect, and founder of LS Projects, for tips on how to select the best one. They considered storage capacity 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 those who wish to incorporate cutting-edge technology into their kitchen. This refrigerator is packed with features, 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 fridge is expensive, so I expected better.
Apart from that minor flaw 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 items compared to other models.
The fridge comes with 17 shelves and compartments. The fridge compartment has 18.5 cubic feet, which is typical for a fridge with a French door at this price. It comes with a decent size freezer in the left side. But it's not the most spacious one I've seen.
You can adjust the shelves in both compartments to create customized storage layout for the items you need to keep. The GE PYE22PYNFS's design for the interior is good-looking, too. The LED lighting is a nice addition, and the in-door storage bins feature a third shelf that can fold down so that you can store large items. The drawers come with temperature controls so that you can set them for Beverage, Meat, or Deli settings. The drawers are easy to shut and open however I found the plastic's textured coatings a bit hard on my fingers.
The GE PGE29BYTFS Smart Refrigerator comes with the complete set of features you'd expect from a fridge 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 lets you manage your refrigerator from anywhere in the globe. It also offers numerous options for customizing. It also sends you notifications when the door is 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 if the GE PYE22PYNFS included Precise fill which is an option that is available in a handful of other GE fridges that allow you to preset how many cups of water you'd like to dispense at once. The fridge shows a countdown to display 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 striking piece. It's designed to appear like it's a seamless part of your kitchen. The fridge uses fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, which is a great feature for busy households. It also has a vegetable compartment to keep vegetables and fruits fresher longer, and two compressors for the best food preservation. The Ice maker we tested is one of the most efficient, and it produces the shape of a pyramid using only water. This fridge is perfect for a small household or kitchenette that needs a built-in appearance and top-of-the line food preservation.
This fridge was rated the top in our Refrigerators Test for several reasons. The freezer temperature remained steady at just above 0° Fahrenheit and never changed more than a tiny fraction - this is essential to avoid freezing burn. The fridge section of the fridge also performed well, reaching the temperature that was set for the initial setting within an hour and maintaining that temperature steady over the course of our tests.
Bosch is a household name for its high-end appliances. Therefore, it's no surprise that Bosch's counter depth fridge Bosch counter depth fridge can be connected to your home Wi Fi and Bosch's platform Home Connect. The app lets you monitor and manage your fridge remotely using your tablet or smartphone. The fridge is expensive however, it offers excellent features and functionality at a reasonable cost.
While the fridge is a fantastic appliance but it's important to be aware of the limitations. You may need to get creative with tall objects because the fridge is limited in shelf space. Additionally, the shelves are not completely sprillproof, and can easily be stained or damaged 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 of buying 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 refrigerator is a great choice 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. Inside, the fridge features an ordinary French-door design with gallon-sized door bins at each door, two rows of shelves that capture spills, and a set of crisper drawers. The top shelf to the right can be folded to provide more space for tall items. You'll also find a full width deli drawer and an internal water dispenser.
One of the best features of this refrigerator is that the ice maker is inside the freezer, making it easy to transfer the ice to the refrigerator to use as needed. The freezer also comes with clever design features, like sliding drawers that help you sort your things. It also has a huge bin that holds plenty of frozen food and an storage bin for ice.
Another cool feature of this refrigerator is its Smart InstaView panel. It allows you to control the temperature of your fridge and lighting using your smartphone. It's a nice way to control and monitor your refrigerator, particularly if you're away from home.
Although the Smart InstaView is a neat feature, it doesn't necessarily improve the overall performance of the refrigerator. The fridge took a bit longer to chill food and defrost it than some others we tested. This could be due to the larger capacity.
Another issue with the doors of this refrigerator. They have sunken handles on the front that allow shorter people to easily pull them open from the bottom, but they're still difficult for taller people to steer closed without slamming them. It would have been better if they came with a front-mounted handles.
The LG Counter-Depth MAX is a excellent option for those looking to combine the advantages of a French-door fridge's aesthetics with an efficient layout. It has a capacity that is superior to counter-depth models and is able to cool evenly. It's also a bit cheaper than the top counter depth refrigerator with an ice maker, which makes it a desirable choice.
Frigidaire Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
If you're looking for an French door refrigerator that won't cost you a fortune and isn't expensive, this Frigidaire is a great choice. It's a basic refrigerator that may not be as appealing as its rivals however, it does have enough features to make a good choice. Its most notable feature is the adjustable temperature drawer which helps keep food items such as meat and vegetables fresher for longer. It also comes with a large ice maker and a water dispenser.
Another great feature is the "Chill Drawer" that sits above the two crisper bins. This drawer lets you divert some of the fridge's cooling power directly to this area, which means you can put away food items that require special attention. This feature can be adjusted using a slider on the outside of the drawer. You can also alter the general cooling settings for the entire fridge. I've found that the general settings work better than the specific ones.
During my tests, I discovered that the temperatures in the refrigerator were fairly consistent across different areas of the fridge. The temperatures in the top, bottom and middle of the refrigerator didn't vary much from 38 degrees. This is a great performance, but isn't quite at the top of our rankings.
french door fridge freezer 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 a smart thermometer to get more precise measurements 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 removing streaks and fingerprints, even compared to glossy 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 over 15 years of experience in publishing and commerce, primarily digital and retail. Stephanie is passionate about finding and recommending the top products for consumers, with particular focus on home items and technology.