How to Find the Best French Fridge Freezer
If you are looking to add panache to your kitchen or you have a love for fresh foods, having a French door refrigerator can take your culinary skills up a notch. To determine the best one, you must carefully assess the space you have and establish 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)
Choosing an Energy Star-certified fridge will help you save on your energy costs and reduces your impact on the environment. This is a great indicator of a fridge that has ENERGY STAR qualified insulation. This helps prevent loss of cold air, 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 let you store items that require different temperatures, like meats and vegetables. You can also find refrigerators with built-in water dispensers, as well as a drawer for storing deli meats and cheeses.
You can easily access frequently-used items in refrigerators with a door inside the door design, without needing to open the entire fridge. This feature helps reduce loss of cold air and keeps food at a more stable temperature and lets you consume less energy. Another useful feature is the ability to alter the temperature inside with a pressing of a button which allows you to quickly grab snacks or drinks from the freezer.
The experts at Good Housekeeping reviewed 12 of the most sought-after refrigerators in terms of performance and function including a range of French-door models. They examined capacity, layout energy efficiency, features and design to ensure they were high-quality and worth the cost.
When you are looking for an appliance, make sure you choose one that is suited to your kitchen and your lifestyle. It's crucial to measure the width and height of your space prior to making a buy, says Jessica Petrino Ball, who manages the education program of appliance retailer AJ Madison. This ensures that the refrigerator will fit into your space, and also through the hallways and doors of your home.
The GE Cafe French Door Bottom-Freezer Fridge will enhance your kitchen with its sleek design. The counter-depth refrigerator features stunning stainless steel finishes and bar handles that can be customized to complement your cabinets. The dual cooling system allows it to be more flexible and regulate temperatures better than freestanding refrigerators. The fridge circulates cold air between the fridge and freezer by using two cooling elements. This helps to avoid transfer of odors, and also 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 to create a seamless look. Some models feature a stainless-steel exterior that is easy to clean and minimizes fingerprints. Certain models offer a door-indoor option for water or ice, which minimizes the loss of cold air and helps control temperature.
These fridges are more expensive however, their sleek design and ease of use are worth the price. The GE PVD28BYNFS for example, features a spacious interior, which includes the full-width deli drawer that is ideal to store cured foods as well as a PureAir Ultra II filter to eliminate odors, which is especially helpful for those with sensitive allergies. The fridge features an electronic display for precise temperature control and the door-in-door design to reduce energy use. This can help to save money.
Another option that offers the best of both worlds is the Bosch counter depth French door refrigerator. It is designed to fit perfectly against counters to give an elegant and sleek appearance. It comes in a matte finish that will not let fingerprints or smudges show. The fridge is big enough to store all your food items and tall beverage bottles. This model doesn't have an in-door dispenser, however it does have an internal filtered water dispenser to make it easy to access and TwinChill Evaporators to create custom climate zones.
If you're looking to buy a luxury refrigerator that's also an attractive addition to your home, look into the Cafe models made by GE Appliances. These fridges come with a range of finishes for handles that can be adapted to your kitchen's design or personal taste. They also do well in our lab tests and include the storage features you need to keep your pantry clean and organized.
This LG model isn't as expensive as the other more expensive options, but it still offers plenty of storage space and has a stunning exterior. The interior is spacious with adjustable shelves and bins to enable flexible configurations. The freezer comes with a full width drawer for short-term grocery storage and plenty of space on the door shelves to store high-heeled items, such as wine bottles.
Convenient Organization
A refrigerator organized efficiently can allow for better storage and retrieval of food and beverages, which will save you money, cut down on waste, and enhance your kitchen's functionality. By reviewing and changing the way your refrigerator is organized you can maximize the space and create a productive, user-friendly 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 maximize the use of your fridge, you should categorize items into zones to make them accessible and avoid food items from getting lost or forgotten. Reserve the upper shelves for drinks, ready-to-eat food like milk, deli-meats, and leftovers. Lower shelves are great for raw ingredients that will be cooked, like meats or poultry. These should be stored in the coldest part to avoid cross contamination. Crisper drawers can be used to store vegetables and fruits. They come with adjustable humidity settings that can accommodate various kinds of fruits and vegetables.
Door bins and adjustable shelving also come in handy to store extra food or beverage containers. Dividers can be used to organize different types of ingredients together in the same area. Label each bin bin so that it's easy to recognize. This will make it easier to find your preferred recipe or drink when you run out and also reduce the need to go to the store.
A well-organized refrigerator not only looks great but can enhance the functionality of your kitchen. It can also extend the life expectancy of your food. By constantly assessing and adjusting the layout of your fridge, you'll be able to maintain the proper temperature while avoiding over-freezing and defrosting food items, and also avoid contamination by other frozen items. For an even more streamlined refrigerator experience, think about getting one with an integrated ice maker and water dispenser which eliminates the need for an external ice machine. This will help eliminate a messy jug filled with filtered water lying on the counter as well as the necessity to refill it once it's empty. These features can help cut down on the energy use since they permit you to use less water and ice when filling your glass.
Flexibility
French-door refrigerators are designed in modern, sleek style that improves the appearance of kitchens and boosts their resale value. They're also packed with food-saving features and innovative technology that makes them perfect for households of all sizes. These top-rated refrigerators scored high in the Good Housekeeping Institute's latest refrigerator test for temperature control and uniformity, freshness of food and ease of operation.
If you prefer the classic French style the Viking model has plenty of storage and a slim profile that fits perfectly in tight spaces. The door-indoor feature allows you to grab snacks and drinks with a single pull, while the adjustable shelves are great for accommodating various types of food. The crisper drawers of this refrigerator feature a humidity-control system that keeps food fresher for longer.
The GE Cafe line of refrigerators is an absolute standout due to its elegant design and a variety of customizable options. In this model, you can choose black or matte white exterior, and then choose the color of handles to match the cabinet hardware. Doors open with an easy-close mechanism that ensures smooth operation and the handles can be replaced with copper, brushed bronze stainless steel or black to blend seamlessly into the kitchen design. This counter-depth fridge is Wi-Fi connected, which allows you to control a variety of functions using 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 helps reduce the risk of burning your freezer by constantly circulating cool air and its PureAir Ultra II odor filter eliminates unwanted smells.
Aside from its modern, sleek design, this refrigerator from LG is incredibly versatile and comes with a wealth of smart features. The LED lighting is installed throughout the interior and shelves can be moved to accommodate different types of food items. The shelves' edges are designed to prevent spills and drips and reduce mess. french door fridge freezers is ENERGY STAR certified which means you'll be able to save money on electricity and is better for the planet.