French Door Fridges

Like a Bottom Mount fridge, French Door fridges have a fridge-above freezer configuration, but instead, there are two doors that swing out to reveal fresh food and drink – helpful when the kitchen’s busy as it can take up less room compared to opening one big door. The freezer either has two freezer doors containing clear compartments or one drawer with stacked pull-out baskets.

Usable litre capacities for French Door fridges range around the 480 to 800-litre-mark – so space permitting, there’s one to suit most kitchens. Both their design and large volume mean they require some room to fit which is why many are finding their way into newly renovated kitchens where there’s an opportunity to build out the design around the preferred one.

For existing kitchens, the more compact LG Slim French Door fridges or Samsung 5000 series fridges can make your French Door dreams a reality but just remember to carefully measure your area out first to see if it’ll adequately fit.

For entertainers, large families, or just straight up foodies – French Door fridges have some of the largest capacities going around with wide and deep shelves to store loads of fresh food and party platters ahead of time. They offer quick accessibility, organisation (both fridge and freezer) and are more forgiving when you need extra space with their flexible storage solutions.

Flexible shelving like the Slide-back/Flip-up shelf in Westinghouse fridges or the FlexFresh variable temp drawer in Electrolux fridges to store seafood or smallgoods at just the right temperature  are just some ways French Door fridges can make life easier. Many, like some Hisense fridges, have a convertible temperature zone in the freezer to store fresh food.

Other benefits include ice and water dispensers (most require plumbing) or water-only dispensers (non-plumbed), sophisticated cooling technologies for optimal storage, and Wi-Fi in French Door smart fridges like Samsung’s Family Hub to play music as you cook.

French Door fridges tend to consume more electricity than some of their counterparts due to their larger volume so they can cost more to run 24/7. Their ice-making abilities can also contribute to the higher annual running cost. Most models have a 3 to 3.5 Star Energy Rating, although some have a 4 Star Energy Rating like lower volume Haier French Door fridges or larger capacity models from LG or Westinghouse.

Remember to compare models of the same usable capacity to get a like-for-like understanding on the energy efficiency and gauge what the average annual running cost will be by referring to the Australian Government’s Energy Rating site.

Like anything, it’s important to weigh up the benefits that a French Door fridge can afford your household as this can outweigh the running cost.  There’s no use owning one if it’s just for fancy good looks while it remains mostly empty, so to make good use of these fridges, ensure the usable capacity meets your living requirements.

To start, what do you rely on most – fridge or freezer? Where French Door fridges have the freezer below the fridge, Side-by-Side fridges have the freezer to the side; so fresh and frozen foods can be accessed simultaneously with the fridge on one side and the freezer on the other (that’s two doors). They’re great for kitchens that cook and freeze for later and need ample fridge/freezer space.

As far as features go, the leading brands have similar offerings for both French Door and Side-by-Side including large usable volumes, smart features like in Samsung Family Hub and cool features like LG’s “knock twice” Instaview fridges that illuminate items stored in the Door-in-Door. They also have similar aesthetics from black to stainless steel, recessed handles and more.

French Door fridges tend to have more models that dispense both ice and water, as well as having more robust, flexible storage and convertible temperature compartments that Side-by-Side fridges are generally without.