French Door Refrigerator With Ice Maker Review
French-door fridges combine design and function. They come with elegant double doors that open to reveal the large fridge on top and a freezer drawer beneath. Special features such as through-the-door dispensers, high-end ice machines and flex drawers that can be customized make them stand out from the rest.
We contacted Ladina Schopf - an interior designer, architect and founder of LS Projects - for her suggestions on how to pick the right home. They evaluated storage capacity and layout, energy efficiency, and other features.
GE Profile Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
The name implies that GE's Profile series is geared towards consumers who want to incorporate cutting-edge technologies in their kitchen. This refrigerator is packed 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 fridge is expensive and I expected more.
This fridge is a good choice, despite the small blip. It boasts a spacious freezer compartment, which is uncommon in counter-depth French door fridges, and it can hold a decent amount of frozen foods as compared to similar models.
Inside the fridge, there are 17 shelves and compartments. The refrigerator compartment is 18.5 cubic feet, which is standard for a French-door fridge at this price. It also has a decent-sized icemaker packed into the left door, though it's not the biggest I've seen.
You can adjust the shelves in both compartments for the perfect storage solution. The GE PYE22PYNFS's design for the interior is attractive, too. Its LED lighting is a nice feature and the storage bins come with a third shelf that folds up beneath itself to allow you to store items that are tall. The drawers have temperature controls that let you set them to Meat, Beverage, or Deli settings. The drawers are simple to shut and open, but I found the plastic's textured coatings to be a bit rough on my fingers.
The GE PGE29BYTFS Smart Refrigerator is equipped with a complete set of features you'd expect from a fridge at this price that includes Wi-Fi as well as app support through GE's SmartHQ software. The app, which is available for iOS and Android devices can let you control your refrigerator from anywhere in the world, and it has numerous options for customization. It will also send notifications when the door is left unlocked, when the freezer or fridge requires defrosting, and when the filter has to be changed.
It would be nice if the GE PYE22PYNFS had Precise Fill, an option available in a few other GE fridges that allow you to set the number of cups of water you'd like to pour out at once. french style fridge freezer shows a countdown to display how much water remains, but it's not as useful as Precise Fill.
Bosch Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
The Bosch French-door Refrigerator is a stunning piece of equipment. It's designed to look like it's a seamless component of your kitchen. The fridge uses fingerprint-resistant stainless steel, which is a great feature for busy households. It also boasts a veggie compartment to keep fruits and vegetables fresher longer and dual compressors to ensure maximum food preservation. The Ice maker is among the best we've ever tested and produces pyramid-shaped ice with a low water consumption. This refrigerator is a great option for a single family or kitchenettes who want an integrated 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 changed by more than a fraction, this is essential to avoid the risk of a freezer burn. The refrigerator section of the fridge also did well. It reached the initial temperature set within a matter of hours, and remained at the temperature throughout our tests.
Bosch has a reputation for premium appliances and appliances, so it's not a surprise that this counter-depth refrigerator is also a smart appliance, with 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 expensive, but it comes with excellent features and functionality for the cost.
While the fridge is a fantastic piece of equipment, it's important to know the limitations. It is possible to be creative with tall items because the fridge has a limited shelf space. Additionally, the shelves are not sprillproof and can be easily damaged or stained by sharp objects. It is easy to take out the trays from the fridge however, you must clean them regularly to prevent mold growth.
If you're thinking of buying this refrigerator, be 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 is an excellent 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. Inside, the fridge has a standard French-door layout with gallon-sized bins for the doors on each door, two rows of shelves that capture spills and a set of sleeker drawers. The top right shelf can be folded down to give tall items more headroom. There's also a full-width drawer to store deli items and an internal water dispenser.
One of the great aspects of this refrigerator is that its ice maker is inside the freezer, making it easy to move frozen ice to the fridge for use when needed. The freezer also features thoughtful design features, like sliding drawers that can help you organize your items. It also has a huge bin that can hold plenty of frozen food and an additional storage bin for ice.
Another great feature of this refrigerator is its Smart InstaView panel. You can control the temperature, lighting, and more of your fridge from your smartphone. It's a nice way to monitor and manage your refrigerator, especially if you're away from home.
The Smart InstaView feature is neat however it doesn't enhance the performance of the fridge. In fact it took a bit longer to defrost and chill food in this fridge than other refrigerators we tried. This is likely due to the larger capacity.
The doors are another problem with this refrigerator. The handles with a sunken design let shorter people open them from the bottom. However, taller people still struggle to close them without slamming them. It would have been better to have front-mounted handles.
The LG Counter-Depth MAX is a excellent choice for those who want to combine the advantages of a French-door fridge's aesthetics with a more efficient layout. Its capacity is above average for a counter-depth model and it cools well and has a nice layout. It's also a little less than the most expensive counter depth refrigerators that have an ice maker, which makes it a desirable option.
Frigidaire Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator
If you're looking for a French door fridge that doesn't cost a fortune this Frigidaire is a great choice. It's a basic refrigerator which may not be as eye-catching as some of its competitors, but it still has enough features to make a good option. Its main characteristic is the adjustable temperature drawer that helps keep food items like veggies and meat fresher for longer. It also comes with a huge ice maker and a water dispenser.
Another great feature is the "Chill Drawer" that sits above the two crisper bins. The drawer allows you to divert part of the refrigerator's cooling power directly into this area, so you can store foods that require special attention. This feature is adjustable using a slider located outside the drawer. You can also adjust the general cooling settings for the entire fridge. I have found that the generic settings are more effective than the specific ones.
In my tests, the temperatures of the refrigerator were fairly consistent across all areas of the refrigerator. Temperatures at the top and bottom of the fridge didn't vary very far from 38 degrees, and the middle of the fridge was within one degree of 36. This is a pretty good performance however it doesn't rank among the best 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 in order to get more accurate readings on the internal temperature of your fridge.
The exterior of the Frigidaire is made from grey-bodied stainless that has a "smudge proof" finish. It repels fingerprints and streaks 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 publishing and commerce experience, with a focus on digital and retail. Stephanie is passionate about finding and recommending the most effective products for consumers, with a particular focus on home items and tech.