Whether you’re undergoing a complete kitchen remodel, building a new home or just upgrading your appliances, one of the main decisions you’ll have to make is what refrigerator fits your kitchen needs the best. There are side-by-side models, french door models or single-door refrigerator and freezers. Then there’s the option of including an ice maker (or not) and picking either standard-depth or counter-depth. For my kitchen remodel, I chose to go with a french-door refrigerator with the freezer drawer located at the bottom, ice maker on the exterior and a counter-depth design. Specifically, the exact refrigerator I went with was the Electrolux Couner-Depth French Door Refrigerator with Wave Touch Controls – the perfect compliment to my other Electrolux appliances that I already have installed and one that fits the needs of my family perfectly.
Electrolux Couner-Depth French Door Refrigerator with Wave Touch Controls
Paired with the counter-depth Electrolux French Door Refrigerator, I also opted to install Electrolux Refrigerator drawers, giving me additional space to keep food and drinks cool and also making them more accessible to myself and kids.
If you’re a regular reader of eMercedesBenz, then you already know that we’ve detailed extensively our experiences with Electrolux and why we chose them for our kitchen remodels. Putting it simply, our experience with Electrolux has shown them to be among the most reliable, functional and stylish appliances on the market – and even more of a standout for their price point. I couldn’t be happier with my full lineup of Electrolux appliances, and I’ve yet to find a feature that I wish they had.
With that said, let me then explain why I chose a French Door Refrigerator over the other styles and also discuss the benefits that appealed most to me. First up: entertaining. I entertain often, and regularly have platters of food, cakes, etc. that need to be kept cool. Thanks to its French door design, the Electrolux French Door Refrigerator is wider than my widest platter (which makes keeping larger items cool a breeze), and the glass shelves are easily adjustable or removable to fit my tallest of cakes. And speaking of the glass shelves, I’ve also come to love that all of my food is easily seen and accessible, and when you add in the integrated LED lighting, I can see exactly what I have in an instant (meaning no more forgotten and wasted food).
Electrolux Couner-Depth French Door Refrigerator with Wave Touch Controls
In addition to the wide refrigerator up top, the bottom freezer is also a highlight of the French door design. I’ll get into Electrolux’s layout in a bit, but functionally, a bottom freezer is again ideal for my needs. I can lay half sheet pans down completely flat; I have room for a full turkey when I need to; and because everything is more visible thanks to its full pull-out shelves, I don’t have to spend nearly as much time with the freezer door open searching up and down for whatever it is I’m looking for. For anyone on the fence as to whether or not the French door design is right for them, I can tell you that for me, it’s a huge step up over a conventional side-by-side, and I don’t think I could ever go back.
Which brings us to the ice maker. Having children, choosing to have an ice maker and water dispenser on the exterior of the fridge wasn’t even a question. We’re constantly filling up drinks throughout the day, so not having to open and close the doors every time we need a refill is not only quicker for us but also saves energy. In addition to the external ice maker, there’s also a built in ice maker in the freezer, which helps ensure you never run low on ice even when company is over. As for the quality of water and ice that comes out of your refrigerator, Electrolux uses a PureAdvantage filtration system that filters water as it’s used for fresh clean and crisp water every time. And I should also mention that in addition to the water filter, there’s also a Pure Advantage Filtration System that’s used to circulate and clean the air within the refrigerator, so that no matter what leftovers you put in last night, you will not smell it on your breakfast the next morning.
Electrolux Couner-Depth French Door Refrigerator with Wave Touch Controls
When it comes to interior design of the Electrolux French Door Refrigerator, Electrolux truly thought of everything. When you pull the Luxury Glide Freezer Drawer out, you are met with racks that allow you to easily view different levels of food, eliminating huge piles of food to dig through. There are also seperators that you can choose to use and move where they’re needed. In my case, I have sections for frozen meats, fruits and vegetables. For frozen pizzas, I take advantage of the built in storage along the backside of the door where they easily slide in and out. Also in the freezer is a soft freeze bin for things you want kept frozen but still soft enough to use without having to thaw first – foods like ice cream, butter, etc.
The refrigerator portion up top is equally well thought out and even more customizable. As I mentioned earlier, the glass shelves are easily removable and can be put back in to give you the exact height that fits your needs the best. The two sections with self-closing drawers can be independently set to control the humidity for keeping fruits and vegetable fresher longer. The extra wide Perfect Temp Drawer spans the entire width of the refrigerator and can be set to its own temperature independent of the rest of the refrigerator. You can choose any temperature ranging from 28-42 degrees or use one of the presets. Along the inside of the door are also customizable storage containers that can be adjusted based on the height of it’s contents. Overall, it’s an incredibly functional and well-thought interior, both for storing food effectively and keeping it as fresh as possible.
Electrolux Couner-Depth French Door Refrigerator with Wave Touch Controls
As you can tell, choosing the Electrolux French Door Refrigerator was the right option for me, which brings us to the choice of counter-depth or standard-depth. For those of you that didn’t realize there even was an option here, let me explain. A counter-depth refrigerator means that the actual unit is in most cases the depth of the counter with the doors sticking out slightly to allow for the hinges to swing freely. My Electrolux counter-depth refrigerator is 28 1/2″ deep, perfect for my 25 1/2″ deep countertops. It gives the look of a built in refrigerator without the price tag or the installation hassle.
A standard-depth refrigerator is just that – it is the standard size refrigerator that we’ve become accustomed to. The Electrolux Standard-depth French-Door Refrigerator (which I also considered) is 33 3/8″ deep, almost a full 5 inches deeper than the counter-depth. If you’re looking for the largest amount of storage space possible and door clearance isn’t an issue, then this is a perfect option. It comes with all the same features I described above, in a deeper design. In my kitchen, I opted for the counter depth refrigerator due to its placement in my kitchen. I didn’t quite have room for the standard depth refrigerator, so I opted for the counter depth, adding in additional refrigeration with Electrolux refrigeration drawers in my kitchen island.
Electrolux Refrigerator Drawers
And speaking of the Electrolux Refrigerator Drawers, these too are a great addition for a huge variety of kitchens. One of my favorite things to use them for is beverages, especially when entertaining, as they can hold a large amount of drinks (including two-liter bottles upright). Setting the temperature on the drawers is super simple, thanks to the integrated digital temperature control on the top drawer, which allows you to set a temperature anywhere between 34 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. I also love the door ajar warning, which alerts me anytime my kids don’t fully close the doors. The biggest advantage to the Refrigerator Drawers, however, is your ability to place them anywhere you want. It’s so much simpler cooking having the refrigerator drawers within reach, as I can keep many of my most used food items close at hand. This saves numerous trips to the refrigerator, and makes the entire cooking process so much quicker and more enjoyable. Paired with my Electrolux French Door Refrigerator, it’s a match made in heaven.
So that’s my experience with picking a refrigerator, and hopefully you’ll find it helpful if (or when) you’re considering your own kitchen renovation. I can’t say enough good things about all of my Electrolux appliances, and the Electrolux Refrigerator and Drawers were really the perfect finish to the other Electrolux appliances that I’ve already come to love.
