Best French door refrigerator
Remember the top-freezer refrigerator? Though it's a mainstay, it's been joined by other designs, including the popular French door refrigerator. The French door fridge is styled just like French doors. Two side-by-side doors open up, with a separate freezer drawer on the bottom.
In addition to being pleasing to the eye, the benefits of the French door fridge include a spacious, organized layout and room on the doors to store gallon jugs. Our guide helps you choose the best French door refrigerator for your space, including our top pick, Samsung CoolSelect Pantry French Door Refrigerator, which is one of the most reliable, quiet, and feature-rich models on the market.
Size and capacity
A 30-inch wide French door refrigerator is great for small spaces. On average, you still have 16 cubic feet of overall space and a well-designed refrigerator layout that stores plenty of groceries. A medium-sized French door fridge ranges between 33 and 36 inches wide with a generous 20 to 25 cubic feet of overall space. This size accommodates a household of four. Extra-large French door refrigerators may be 36 inches wide, but they're designed to deliver between 28 to 30 cubic feet of overall space.
Depth
French door refrigerators come in two depths: standard- and counter-depth. It's this depth — from the front to the back of your fridge — that you want to pay attention to so it fits in your kitchen. Standard-depth models run between 30 and 36 inches deep, from front to back of fridge. A counter- or cabinet-depth fridge has a shallower profile of between 23 and 27 inches from front to back. The shallow profile means the edges of your refrigerator don't stick out beyond the edges of the counter or cabinet, so it looks like a built-in appliance.
Adjustable shelves
The beauty of a French door style is the grand width and spacious layout of your refrigerator space when both doors are open. Most brands offer adjustable or flip-up shelves to let you customize your own efficient layout. Having adjustable or flip-up shelves allows you to place tall items in the fridge that you wouldn't be otherwise able to fit.
Double freezer drawers
Some French door refrigerator models have an extra pullout drawer that is either part of the fridge or part of the freezer, depending on the brand. It's different from the chill drawer, which is part of the refrigerator's interior. Some brands allow you to customize the temperature of the extra drawer, enabling you to switch the drawer between freezer and fridge modes. A second freezer drawer is convenient for energy-conscious homeowners — you can store frequently used frozen foods, such as ice cream and ice pops, in the space for easy access, rather than rummaging through a fully opened freezer drawer. There are even models that have three freezer drawers.
The larger and more feature-driven the refrigerator, the higher the price. You can find a handsome small-capacity French door refrigerator in the $1,200 to $2,000 range. Slightly larger models with some features range between $2,000 and $3,500. Luxury brands that offer large-capacity French door models loaded with features span a wide range, from about $3,000 to $8,000.
How do I decide if I should buy a French door refrigerator or a side-by-side refrigerator?
A. If you use the freezer section of your fridge more than any other section, consider a side-by-side model due to its large freezer capacity. If you eat more fresh foods or store large platters or sheet cakes more than you do frozen foods, you may appreciate the spacious and full width of the refrigerator space in a French door style.
Q. How do I organize a French door freezer?
A. French door freezers tend to be one giant drawer, possibly with a divider and separate pullout basket. There are plenty of solutions to organize the freezer. To neaten up the drawer, use clear or white plastic magazine or file holders nestled side by side to hold boxes and packages of frozen foods. Or, head to the home goods store to cull through all the refrigerator organizers that have flooded the market over the years.
Top French door refrigerator
Samsung CoolSelect Pantry French Door Refrigerator
What you need to know: A quiet, streamlined appliance that wows when you open the door to all its features.
What you'll love: The CoolSelect Pantry keeps food fresh for the longest time. Freezing or defrosting food has never been easier. The sleek design fridge comes with sleek edge doors and stylish door handles.
What you should consider: Some shelving at the bottom and side is too narrow to fit any items.
Top French door refrigerator for the money
Haier Quad French Door Refrigerator
What you need to know: Compact, slim, and stylish, this high-quality appliance features a counter depth that makes it appear like a built-in refrigerator — a plus for small kitchens.
What you'll love: The French door design on this refrigerator is different from bottom drawer models, but it lets you have the look even in a small kitchen. The bottom freezer doors open like the top doors to reveal six separate freezer bins, a good idea to keep it well-organized.
What you should consider: It lacks an on-door water and ice dispenser.
Worth checking out
Bosch French Door Refrigerator
What you need to know: Bosch, known for its top-quality whisper-quiet appliances, doesn't disappoint with its French door refrigerator.
What you'll love: The model is basic, but what it lacks in bells and whistles it makes up for in an efficient interior layout, including an ice maker that takes up little to no space.
What you should consider: For the cost, it's surprising that it lacks an on-door water and ice dispenser.
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.
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Chicago Tribune
11 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Best French door refrigerator
Remember the top-freezer refrigerator? Though it's a mainstay, it's been joined by other designs, including the popular French door refrigerator. The French door fridge is styled just like French doors. Two side-by-side doors open up, with a separate freezer drawer on the bottom. In addition to being pleasing to the eye, the benefits of the French door fridge include a spacious, organized layout and room on the doors to store gallon jugs. Our guide helps you choose the best French door refrigerator for your space, including our top pick, Samsung CoolSelect Pantry French Door Refrigerator, which is one of the most reliable, quiet, and feature-rich models on the market. Size and capacity A 30-inch wide French door refrigerator is great for small spaces. On average, you still have 16 cubic feet of overall space and a well-designed refrigerator layout that stores plenty of groceries. A medium-sized French door fridge ranges between 33 and 36 inches wide with a generous 20 to 25 cubic feet of overall space. This size accommodates a household of four. Extra-large French door refrigerators may be 36 inches wide, but they're designed to deliver between 28 to 30 cubic feet of overall space. Depth French door refrigerators come in two depths: standard- and counter-depth. It's this depth — from the front to the back of your fridge — that you want to pay attention to so it fits in your kitchen. Standard-depth models run between 30 and 36 inches deep, from front to back of fridge. A counter- or cabinet-depth fridge has a shallower profile of between 23 and 27 inches from front to back. The shallow profile means the edges of your refrigerator don't stick out beyond the edges of the counter or cabinet, so it looks like a built-in appliance. Adjustable shelves The beauty of a French door style is the grand width and spacious layout of your refrigerator space when both doors are open. Most brands offer adjustable or flip-up shelves to let you customize your own efficient layout. Having adjustable or flip-up shelves allows you to place tall items in the fridge that you wouldn't be otherwise able to fit. Double freezer drawers Some French door refrigerator models have an extra pullout drawer that is either part of the fridge or part of the freezer, depending on the brand. It's different from the chill drawer, which is part of the refrigerator's interior. Some brands allow you to customize the temperature of the extra drawer, enabling you to switch the drawer between freezer and fridge modes. A second freezer drawer is convenient for energy-conscious homeowners — you can store frequently used frozen foods, such as ice cream and ice pops, in the space for easy access, rather than rummaging through a fully opened freezer drawer. There are even models that have three freezer drawers. The larger and more feature-driven the refrigerator, the higher the price. You can find a handsome small-capacity French door refrigerator in the $1,200 to $2,000 range. Slightly larger models with some features range between $2,000 and $3,500. Luxury brands that offer large-capacity French door models loaded with features span a wide range, from about $3,000 to $8,000. How do I decide if I should buy a French door refrigerator or a side-by-side refrigerator? A. If you use the freezer section of your fridge more than any other section, consider a side-by-side model due to its large freezer capacity. If you eat more fresh foods or store large platters or sheet cakes more than you do frozen foods, you may appreciate the spacious and full width of the refrigerator space in a French door style. Q. How do I organize a French door freezer? A. French door freezers tend to be one giant drawer, possibly with a divider and separate pullout basket. There are plenty of solutions to organize the freezer. To neaten up the drawer, use clear or white plastic magazine or file holders nestled side by side to hold boxes and packages of frozen foods. Or, head to the home goods store to cull through all the refrigerator organizers that have flooded the market over the years. Top French door refrigerator Samsung CoolSelect Pantry French Door Refrigerator What you need to know: A quiet, streamlined appliance that wows when you open the door to all its features. What you'll love: The CoolSelect Pantry keeps food fresh for the longest time. Freezing or defrosting food has never been easier. The sleek design fridge comes with sleek edge doors and stylish door handles. What you should consider: Some shelving at the bottom and side is too narrow to fit any items. Top French door refrigerator for the money Haier Quad French Door Refrigerator What you need to know: Compact, slim, and stylish, this high-quality appliance features a counter depth that makes it appear like a built-in refrigerator — a plus for small kitchens. What you'll love: The French door design on this refrigerator is different from bottom drawer models, but it lets you have the look even in a small kitchen. The bottom freezer doors open like the top doors to reveal six separate freezer bins, a good idea to keep it well-organized. What you should consider: It lacks an on-door water and ice dispenser. Worth checking out Bosch French Door Refrigerator What you need to know: Bosch, known for its top-quality whisper-quiet appliances, doesn't disappoint with its French door refrigerator. What you'll love: The model is basic, but what it lacks in bells and whistles it makes up for in an efficient interior layout, including an ice maker that takes up little to no space. What you should consider: For the cost, it's surprising that it lacks an on-door water and ice dispenser. BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Gretchen's table: Panzanella is a fresh and tasty answer to stale bread
If you're like me, and sometimes forget what's in your pantry, you probably buy more bread than you can use on occasion. How many loaves have dried on your counter? Rather than throw it to the birds, you might soak it in milk kissed with cinnamon and sugar to make a buttery pan of French toast. You could pulverize the dry slices in a food processor to make bread crumbs, or cube and fry it in a little olive oil for salad croutons. Even though we're many weeks away from tomato season, I have an even tastier way to upcycle bread that's beyond its prime. Use it as the base for panzanella, a rustic, traditional Italian salad made with stale bread, cucumbers and tomatoes. OK, I just put my tomato plants in, thanks to uncooperative weather. But it's important to remember panzanella isn't so much a tomato salad flavored with bread as it is a bread salad that gets a boost from vegetables, including tomatoes. No need to wait for your garden harvest. I've been finding some really nice containers of juicy yellow and red cherry tomatoes at my favorite grocery the last few weeks. It's also easy to find an intensely flavored heirloom tomato at most larger grocery stores, and to be honest, unless you're really picky about using only sun-ripened homegrown or locally grown fruit, the stem-tomatoes that come still on the vine are usually pretty good, too. There's a long tradition of pairing stale bread with seasonal veggies in central Italy. La cucina povera, or the kitchen of the poor, required poor peasants to improvise with what little they had in their pantries and gardens to make great food with simple, high-quality ingredients. The first written record of an early version of the dish - pan lavato, meaning "washed bread" - is believed to come from writer Boccaccio in the 14th century. Panzanella is traditionally made with stale Tuscan bread, which has a bland crumb and a dark crust. My version is a little less conventional: I made the toasted bread cubes out of three day-old everything bagels I got at a deep discount at Oakmont Bakery. I also used sliced shallot instead of the more pungent red onion that often characterizes the dish because the allium I had waiting in my fridge had gone soft and mushy. The combination of raw, juicy tomatoes, onions, crunchy cucumbers and bright green basil makes for a fresh, light summer lunch. Vinegar is essential in the vinaigrette - it gives the dressing a nice tang. Panzanella salad For salad 1 1/2 pounds assorted tomatoes, halved or cut into wedges Sea salt 3 day-old bagels or 1/2 pound Tuscan or sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling bread 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallot or red onion 1/2 English cucumber, sliced into half moons 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for garnish 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, optional For the dressing 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, or more to taste Heaping 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste Ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place tomatoes in a large bowl and toss with about 1 teaspoon salt. Allow to sit for around 5 minutes, then drain tomatoes over a large bowl, reserving the juices. Place bagel or bread pieces in a large bowl, and drizzle with enough olive oil to cover (about 3 tablespoons). Toss to coat. Scatter the bread on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. (I used everything bagels, so was sparing.) Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until crispy around the edges. Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt and several grinds of pepper. Add onion, tomatoes, cucumber and bread to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Add a little of the reserved tomato juices, and toss again. Add cheese, if using, and basil and gently toss. Season to taste and serve with more fresh basil on top. Serves 4. - Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
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When I worked at Starbucks, I used to love drinking cold brew. Not only is it easy to pull together quickly, it has a unique balanced yet rich flavor and is refreshing on the palate. Cold brew is the ideal base for any coffee: you can easily add syrups, infusions, and milk to your liking. Many of the best espresso machine these days have a cold brew setting, as do some of the best coffee makers. However, these appliances are expensive, big, and don't make cold brew as well as the original way: by hand. So when I discovered I could make cold brew with my Espro P7 French press, I was delighted. Usually, you'd need a big jug and a cheese cloth to make cold brew, but the Espro P7's double filter means it's ideal for cold brew. I immediately started experimenting to find the best taste and texture for me. Here's how I make cold brew in 5 easy steps. Remember, it's just a guide — what you like could be different. While $115 is objectively a lot of money for French press, the Espro P7 is like no other. It brews delicious coffee thanks to its dual-walled filter that makes coffee taste sweeter, and is also versatile enough to be used for cold brew. As cold brew is one of the simplest, if not the simplest way to brew coffee, you only need three things. If you have pre-ground coffee, skip this step. You can buy coffee and get it ground at cafes: ask them to grind it for cold brew. First, I grind my coffee. As I mentioned earlier, I tend to use chocolatey beans rather than fruity beans for cold brew, as it makes a richer, deeper flavor. I grind my beans coarsely, much coarser than you would for hot coffee. This will depend on your preference, but most people say a 1:8 coffee:water ratio is best for cold brew. I tend to go for about a 1:10 as I don't like having to dilute my cold brew as my 32 ounce French press (I don't fill it all the way), that's about 90g of coffee. You'll need one of the best coffee scales — I used the Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2. Next, I measure out my water. This is usually around 30 ounces, or just under a liter. I fill up my French press, give it a stir, and put the lid on. I let my cold brew steep for at least 12 hours, sometimes 24. Usually I put my cold brew on when I get home from work and drink it the following morning. Plunge on the French press very slowly and carefully. You may also need a cheese cloth, but I don't bother with this. It will keep in the fridge for about 5 days, but make sure it's in an airtight container. If you're struggling to get your cold brew tasting good, you might be falling into a few of these common traps. There are a number of causes for nasty-tasting cold brew. 1. Your beans are stale — an easy fix! Get new beans. 2. Your beans weren't ground coarsely enough. Make sure to grind your beans coarsely (maybe even go as coarse as the texture of flaky salt to troubleshoot). 3. Your ratios are off. Make sure you're not putting in too much coffee to your water. Aim for 1:8 or 1:10. (So, for 17 fluid ounces, use 62g of coffee.) 4. You're not diluting the cold brew concentrate — cold brew is supposed to be mixed with water, ice, and milk! 5. You're steeping for too long — remember, 24 hours max. If your French press isn't double-filtered like mine, it might be that the filter isn't good enough to sieve out the coffee grounds. I would recommend getting a cheese cloth (2 for $6 on Amazon U.S.) to sort this out. Once you've got the hang of making cold brew, you can add infusions. Think vanilla pods, cinnamon sticks, cardamom. I love dirty chai lattes, so I can't wait to make chai infused cold brew next. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Cold brew is pretty expensive in cafes, so knowing how to make it can save you lots of money. Water is free, a French press is $10-$100, and coffee is around $8 a bag. I can't believe I used to pay so much money to get cold brew from coffee shops. I'm never going back now. Let me know what you try in the comments! If you have any issues, let me know and I'll help you out.
