French Door Refrigerator With Ice Maker Review
French-door fridges combine design and function. They have elegant double doors that open to reveal a large fridge on top and a freezer drawer beneath. Special features like door-to-door dispensers, higher-end ice machines and adjustable flex drawers make them stand out from the rest.
We sought out experts like Ladina Schopf, interior designer, architect, and founder of LS Projects, for tips on choosing the right model. They weighed storage capacity, layout, energy efficiency, and other features.
GE Profile Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
Like its name implies, the GE Profile series is targeted at those who wish to incorporate cutting-edge technology into their kitchens. This refrigerator is packed with them, from an in-the-door Keurig K-cup coffee maker to a sophisticated water dispenser. But these flourishes don't mask mediocre performance, especially in the refrigerator's freezer and an ineffective temperature-controlled drawer. Given that this fridge costs a premium, I expect higher quality.
This refrigerator is a good option, despite the slight blip. It has a huge freezer compartment that is not common for counter-depth French door fridges. It also holds plenty of frozen food 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 has a decent sized icemaker in the left door. However it's not the biggest one I've seen.
You can adjust the shelves in both compartments to create customized storage arrangement for whatever you have to store. The GE PYE22PYNFS's interior design is attractive, too. The LED lighting is a nice feature, and the in-door storage bins feature the third shelf, which can fold down to allow you to store items that are tall. The drawers have temperature controls, so you can set them for Meat, Beverage, or Deli settings. The drawers are simple to open and shut however I found the textured plastic coatings a bit hard on my fingers.
The GE PGE29BYTFS Smart Refrigerator includes the all the features you'd expect from a refrigerator at this price, including Wi-Fi and app support through GE's SmartHQ software. The app is available on iOS and Android devices and allows you to control your refrigerator from anywhere around the world. It also offers a lot of customization options. It will also send you notifications when the door is left unlocked and when the freezer or fridge needs to be defrosted, and when the filter needs to be changed.
It would be great to have GE PYE22PYNFS offered Precise fill, an option that is available in a few GE refrigerators that allow users to select the amount of cups they wish to dispense. It does offer an indicator on the display of the fridge to display how much water have left, but it's not as effective 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 looks seamless and is a standout. The fridge uses fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, which is a great feature for busy households. It also features a veggie compartment which keeps vegetables and fruits fresher for longer, and dual compressors to preserve food items. The Ice maker is among the most efficient we've ever tested and produces pyramid-shaped Ice with low use of water. This fridge is ideal for a single household or a kitchenette with an attractive 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 constant at just above 0° Fahrenheit and never fluctuated more than a fraction - this is crucial to avoid freezer burn. The refrigerator section of the refrigerator also performed well. It reached the initial temperature set within a matter of hours, and maintained the temperature throughout 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 network and Bosch's Home Connect platform. This app allows you to monitor and manage your fridge remotely using your smartphone or tablet. The refrigerator is pricey however, it offers excellent features and capabilities at a reasonable cost.
It is important to know the limitations of your fridge. It has a limited shelf space, so you'll need to be creative when storing tall objects. Also the shelves aren't completely sprillproof, and can easily be 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 review our opinions on the French Door GE Appliances Refrigerator and the Bosch Bottom Freezer Refrigerator.
LG Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
The LG LRFLC2706S is an excellent counter-depth refrigerator that packs a lot 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 an ordinary French door layout, with two rows of spill-capture shelving and a set of crisper drawers. The top shelf on the right side can be folded down to make space for tall items. You'll also find a full-width drawer for deli items and an internal water dispenser.
This refrigerator has a freezer with an ice maker, making it easy to move the ice when needed. The freezer is designed with thoughtful elements, as well, such as sliding drawers that can help you better organize the placement of your items. It has a large bin for storing frozen food, and a separate one for ice.
Another cool feature of this refrigerator is its Smart InstaView panel. It allows you to control the fridge's temperature, lighting, and more using your smartphone. It's a good way to control and monitor your refrigerator, especially if you're away from home.
The Smart InstaView feature is neat, but it doesn't necessarily enhance the performance of the fridge. The fridge took a bit longer to defrost food and chill it than other models we test. This is likely due to the greater capacity.
The doors are another problem with this refrigerator. The handles that are sunken allow smaller people to open them from the bottom. However taller people struggle to close them without slamming them. It would have been better if they had a front-mounted handles.
The LG Counter-Depth MAX is a ideal choice for those who want to combine the advantages of a fridge with a French door with an efficient layout. It has a capacity that is higher than average for counter-depth models and is able to cool evenly. It's also a bit cheaper than the most expensive counter depth refrigerator that comes with an icemaker, which makes it a great choice.
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. french door fridge freezers has a simple design that isn't as striking visually like some of the competitors however it comes with enough features to make it a good choice. Its most significant feature, the temperature adjustable drawer, helps to keep food like vegetables and meat fresher longer. It also comes with a huge ice maker and a water dispenser.
Another feature that is worth mentioning is the "Chill Drawer" that sits above the two crisper bins. The drawer allows you to divert some of the fridge's cooling power directly to this area, meaning you can store foods that need extra attention. This feature can be adjusted by using a slider on the outside of 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 tests, the temperatures of the refrigerator were fairly consistent across all areas of the refrigerator. Temperatures in the top and bottom of the fridge did not vary much from 38 degrees, and the middle of the fridge was within one degree of 36. 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. You can also pair this fridge with an intelligent thermometer to get more precise measurements of the internal temperature of your fridge.
The exterior of the Frigidaire is made of gray-bodied stainless with a "smudge proof" finish. It blocks streaks and fingerprints better than other stainless steel finishes I've seen.
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 experience in commerce and publishing mostly in retail and digital. Stephanie is passionate about finding the best products and recommending them to consumers. She concentrates on home and technology.