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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.