How to Find the Best French Fridge Freezer
Whether you want to spice up your kitchen or have an affinity for fresh food, a French door refrigerator can take your cooking skills up an notch. To determine the best one, take a look at your space and decide on your needs and priorities.
Standout features include a door-mounted dispenser that delivers filtered water and ice at the push of a button, TwinChill evaporators that create customized climate zones, and a temperature-controlled drawer that doubles as additional fridge space.
ENERGY STAR(r)
Energy Star-certified refrigerators can help you save money on your utility bills, and reduce the environmental impact. Choose a fridge with this rating and features ENERGY STAR-qualified insulation. This prevents cold air loss which allows the fridge to keep food fresher longer.
The best French refrigerator freezers also have adjustable shelves and temperature-controlled drawers that let you customize the storage space. These options allow you to store items that require different temperatures, like veggies and meats. You can also find refrigerators with built-in water dispensers, as well as drawers for storing deli meats and cheeses.
Refrigerators that have doors-in-door designs allow you to access the items you use frequently without opening the whole fridge. This reduces the loss of cold air, allowing you to use less energy and keep your food at the same temperature. Another great feature is the ability to adjust the temperature of the interior at the pressing of a button so you can quickly get snacks or drinks out of the freezer.
Good Housekeeping's experts analyzed 12 of the most well-liked refrigerators for their performance and utility including a range of French-door models. They analyzed the capacity, layout, energy-efficiency, features, and design of each refrigerator to determine if they were worth the cost.
If you're in the market for a new refrigerator make sure you choose the one that will fit your kitchen and your lifestyle. It is important to determine the width and height of your kitchen before you buy, says Jessica Petrino Ball, who is the director of the education program at appliance retailer AJ Madison. This will ensure that the refrigerator fits in your space, as well as through your doors and hallways.
If you're looking for a sleek and elegant refrigerator that will elevate your kitchen the GE Cafe French-Door Bottom Freezer Fridge is a great choice. This counter-depth fridge comes with an elegant stainless steel finish with bar handles that can be customized to be matched to your cabinets. Its unique dual cooling system provides it with more flexibility and better temperature control than most freestanding fridges. The fridge circulates cold air between the fridge and freezer by using two cooling elements. This prevents odor transfer, and ensures that your food stays at an optimal temperature.
Sleek Design
A French-door refrigerator is an elegant design than other refrigerators. It's typically integrated into kitchen cabinets for seamless appearance. Frydge have a stainless-steel exterior that is easy to clean and eliminates fingerprints. Certain models offer doors that can be used to store water or ice, which minimizes the loss of cold air and improves temperature control.
These fridges are more expensive, but their sleek design and ease of use are worth the price. The GE PVD28BYNFS has large interior space, an entire width deli compartment for storing cured food and a PureAir Ultra II air filter that eliminates odors. This is especially beneficial for those with sensitive allergies. The fridge comes with a digital temperature display for accuracy and a door-in-door design to cut down on energy consumption, helping you save money over time.
Another option that blends the best of both worlds is the Bosch counter depth French door refrigerator. It is designed to sit in a flush position against your counters for an elegant and modern style. It comes with a matte finish that won't show fingerprints or smudges. The fridge is large enough to store all your food items as well as tall beverage bottles. The model doesn't come with an in-door dispenser, however it does come with an internal filtered water dispenser for easy access and TwinChill Evaporators to create custom climate zones.
If you're looking for a high-end refrigerator that's also a stylish addition to your home, look into the Cafe models from GE Appliances. These refrigerators come with extras such as a variety of finishes for handles to match your kitchen and personal style. They also performed well in our lab tests and have the storage features you need to keep groceries in good condition and organized.
This LG model isn't as costly as other models that are more expensive however, it offers plenty of storage space. It also has a beautiful exterior. The interior is spacious and has adjustable shelves and bins to enable flexible configurations. The freezer features a full-width drawer to store groceries for the short term and plenty of space in the door shelves to store high-heeled items, such as wine bottles.
Convenient Organization
A refrigerator that is organized and well-organized allows for better storage and retrieval of food items and beverages, which can save you money, reduce waste and enhance your kitchen's functionality. By constantly reviewing and changing your refrigerator's organization strategy, you can optimize space and create a more user-friendly and efficient environment.
With their convenient door-in-door design and temperature-controlled drawers, French door fridge freezers are ideal for storing a variety of foods and ingredients. To make the most of your fridge, arrange items into zones. This makes them easier to access and prevent food from getting buried or forgotten. For instance, keep the upper shelves for drinks as well as ready-to-eat food items like milk, deli meats and leftovers. Lower shelves are ideal for raw ingredients that will be cooked, like poultry or meats. They should be stored in the coldest part to avoid cross contamination. Crisper drawers can be used to store fruits and vegetables. They have adjustable humidity settings that accommodate different kinds of fruits and vegetables.
Adjustable shelving and door bins also come in handy to store food items or beverage containers. Utilize dividers to store different kinds of ingredients in one space and label each container or bin with a description to make it easy to identify. This will make it easier to locate your favorite recipe or drink if you run out, and will reduce the need to go to the grocery store.
While a well-organized refrigerator is attractive and enhances the functionality of your kitchen but it also increases the shelf life of your food. By regularly checking and adjusting the organization of your fridge, you will be able to maintain the proper temperature and avoid freezing and defrosting too much food items, and also avoid contamination by other items in the freezer. For an even more streamlined refrigerator experience, think about getting one with an integrated water dispenser and ice maker that eliminates the requirement for an external ice maker. This will help eliminate a messy jug filled with filtered water lying on the counter as well as the need to refill it after it's empty. These features can help reduce the energy use since they let you make use of less water and ice when filling up your glass.
Flexibility
French-door refrigerators are designed with a an elegant style that enhances kitchens and boosts resale value. They are also stocked with cutting-edge technology and food-saving features that make them suitable for all households. These top-rated refrigerators scored highly in the Good Housekeeping Institute’s latest refrigerator test for temperature control, uniformity freshness of food and their ease of operation.
If you like the traditional French design, this Viking model is a great choice. It has plenty of storage and an incredibly slim profile that can fit perfectly in small spaces. The door-in-door feature lets you to access drinks and snacks at a single push and the adjustable shelves can accommodate different types of foods. The crisper drawers in this fridge have a humidity-control system to keep food fresher for longer.
The GE Cafe refrigerator line is one of a kind due to its elegant design and customizable options. You can choose a matte black or white exterior and then alter the color of the handles to match the cabinet hardware. Doors open with the soft-close mechanism to ensure peace of mind, and the handles can be changed with copper, brushed bronze, stainless steel or black to blend seamlessly into the kitchen design. This counter-depth fridge is Wi-Fi connected, which lets you control several functions via your smartphone app.
Another GE option, the four-door Cafe CVE28DP4NW2 has an innovative temperature-controlled drawer in between the fridge and freezer for items that need to be kept at a specific temperature (like kids' snacks and wine). Its EvenTemp cooling system minimizes freezer burn by constantly moving cool air around, and its PureAir Ultra II odor filter removes unpleasant smells.
Apart from its modern, sleek design, this refrigerator from LG is extremely versatile and has tons of smart features. The LED lighting is located throughout the interior, and shelves can be moved around to accommodate various types of food items. The shelf edges that are spill-proof contain drips and reduce the mess. The fridge is ENERGY STAR-certified, which means you can save money on electricity and is better for the planet.