Enter the characters you see below Sorry, we just need to make sure you’re not a robot. Check out all the latest refrigerator reviews from the Good Housekeeping Ge refrigerator reviews 2020 and our kitchen experts.
5 0 25 0 25 0h-. When it comes to refrigerators, your options nowadays go far beyond getting a glass of ice water without having to open the door. With custom panels, you can get a built-in that matches your kitchen cabinets. We’ll also cover everything you need to know when it comes time to buy a new fridge, from the measurements you need in hand to finding models that are still in stock, despite pandemic-related appliance shortages. For more information on navigating the current options, see our guide to shopping for a new appliance right now. Refrigerators might not seem as high-tech as smartphones and computers, but manufacturers keep trying to innovate on them, even if some of those innovations might feel gimmicky.
Samsung has added large touch screens to many of its French-door and side-by-side models, complete with apps for finding recipes, ordering groceries, watching TV, playing music, and controlling smart home devices. LG has models with windows for seeing what’s inside without opening the door, as well as a Craft Ice feature that makes large ice balls for cocktails and spirits. GE even makes French-doors with a built-in Keurig coffee maker. But these features have been slow to catch on. What isn’t a gimmick, though, is consumer preference for refrigerator configuration—at least when it comes to CR members. In our most recent refrigerator survey, French-doors made up 64 percent of new refrigerators purchased by CR members in 2020 and the first half of 2021, followed by side-by-sides at 20 percent, bottom-freezers at 6 percent, and top-freezers and built-ins at 5 percent each.
In our labs, each refrigerator we test gets wired up with temperature sensors. We then monitor it for more than a month in a temperature-controlled chamber to evaluate thermostat control and temperature uniformity. CR’s test engineers collect more than 5. 4 million temperature readings for each model to detect warm and cold spots and to determine which refrigerators will keep your food fresh longest. The results reveal that many refrigerators simply don’t do well at their primary task, and that could mean more wasted food and bigger grocery bills. To test the freezer compartments of refrigerators, our engineers fill the appliances with boxes and boxes of frozen spinach, then evaluate how well they keep the packages frozen.
In addition, we measure usable storage capacity, which rarely matches what manufacturers claim. Our engineers then use these measurements to calculate energy efficiency. Last, we incorporate survey data collected from CR members on thousands of refrigerators to judge predicted reliability and owner satisfaction for each brand and refrigerator type. All this data is consolidated into one Overall Score for each model that’s shown in our refrigerator ratings charts, which at any given time feature more than 200 models.
French-door models are extremely popular because of their high-end aesthetic. These traditional refrigerators are good for a lot of storage in a fairly tight spot. They tend to offer the most space for their size. Widths vary between 24 and 33 inches.
Manufacturers claim capacities of up to 23 cubic feet, but our measurements show that total usable capacity goes up to only 20 cubic feet. Allow for a wide swing of the doors, and get used to crouching down to reach lower shelves and drawers. Widths range from 24 to 33 inches, and claimed capacities approach 25 cubic feet, though our measurements show total usable space is less than that of comparable top-freezers. Just get used to bending to rifle through frozen goods.