Buying guide for Best GE refrigerators
Anything from GE is immensely popular, including their line of refrigerators. If you’re in the market for a new refrigerator, chances are you’re considering one from GE. Whether you’re looking for one that is stainless steel or the more traditional white, there is one that would fit your kitchen. GE refrigerators are strong, durable, and easy to clean.
There are many considerations to keep in mind when you’re looking for a refrigerator. First is the physical size. Then there are the features: door type, shelving, crisper drawers, lighting, and so on. The size and placement of the freezer compartment is important, too. A refrigerator is a major investment, not to mention an essential component in your kitchen, so there are many incentives to getting it right.
Our buying guide will help you navigate the considerations one at a time. With this guide, you’ll be able to make the best choice for your household.
Key considerations
GE offers refrigerators with a top freezer, a bottom freezer, and a side-by-side configuration.
Top freezer
Top freezer units normally have a large refrigerator compartment on the bottom and a smaller freezer compartment on top. This successful design has been around since the early 1940s and tends to be less expensive than the other configurations.
Bottom freezer
This design puts the freezer compartment on the bottom in the form of a pull-out drawer. On top is a large refrigerator compartment with one large door or two French doors. This allows you to store large pizzas and sheet cakes you wouldn’t be able to put into a side-by-side unit.
Side-by-side
Introduced in 1949 by Amana, this design is almost as long-lived as the top freezer configuration. Two doors are placed side by side (hence the name), one for the freezer and one for the refrigerator. The refrigerator compartment is usually the larger and more spacious of the two.
Dimensions
Get out your measuring tape and measure the place where you’ll be putting your new GE refrigerator. Measure the depth, not from the wall but the foremost part of the baseboard. Measure out to the edge of the counters if it will be recessed into your kitchen counters. Measure to the front of your stove or other appliances if it will be occupying a position against a bare wall. You’ll need to ensure it won’t obstruct traffic flow around it.
Did You Know?
You’ll need to leave one to two inches between the back of the refrigerator and the wall to prevent overheating.
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Features
Materials
GE offers refrigerators that are either enamel on the outside or stainless steel. If they’re stainless steel, they can be the normal shiny stainless steel, brushed stainless steel, or black stainless steel.
Once you get past the outside, about 60% of the rest of the refrigerator is made of steel and iron. According to some estimates, the average refrigerator contains 123 pounds of steel. Glass is often used by GE for freezer shelves, but many in the refrigerator compartment are clear plastic, including crisper drawers and door shelves. Finally, rubber is used for door gaskets and tubing.
Shelving
Movable shelves allow you to customize the interior of your refrigerator to suit your needs. The more shelves a refrigerator has, the more customizable it is. GE has models that offer as few as three different positions for the shelves and as many as nine positions, although the actual number of shelves may be only three or four depending on the model.
A refrigerator with more than two drawers might seem like a good idea at first, but drawers aren’t flexible and generally can’t be moved like shelves can. Thus, drawers could quickly turn into wasted space, especially if you have large items you need to store somewhere. If the GE model you like has more than two drawers, take a moment to examine the inside of your current appliance to see how items are distributed. Would additional drawers be a help or a hindrance to your storage needs?
Lighting
Refrigerators need to have internal lighting. The best lighting options are LEDs placed at multiple locations throughout each compartment. (A single bulb at the back of a refrigerator could create shadows, depending on where the food is placed.) Double-check the written specifications, as product photos don’t always make it clear where the lights are located.
Ice maker
The first ice makers were internally contained. Modern ones include a dispenser on the outside so you don’t have to open the freezer compartment to get ice. They usually include a cold water dispenser, as well. GE refrigerators offer either a front ice dispenser or a contained ice bucket inside the freezer compartment.
Control panel
Nearly half of GE’s refrigerators have a control panel on the front of the unit instead of inside. This is mainly a short-term convenience; once you’ve got everything set to your preferences, there’s seldom any reason to change it. The front panel looks nice, though, and it provides a bit of helpful illumination at night when you’re traipsing through the kitchen.
Field reversible doors
Some GE refrigerators have what are called field reversible doors, meaning the hinges and handle can be unscrewed and attached to the other side of the door so they can be switched to the other side.
Door shelves
Some GE refrigerators have adjustable door shelves. The rails can slide in and out to increase or decrease the width of the shelves inside the door. This comes in handy when you want to store a gallon of milk in the door instead of taking up room on a shelf. The trade-off is that wider door shelves translate to less room on the compartment itself.
Showcase door
A showcase door is a “door within a door” and is generally found only on the more expensive GE refrigerators. It’s designed for small, frequently used items. Showcase doors are generally made clear plastic or glass so you can see what’s inside. If you choose, you can open just the showcase door (as opposed to the entire refrigerator door). This minimizes the loss of cool air and may help reduce your electric bill.
If the location for your refrigerator is in a corner, you may not be able to fully open one of those doors.
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GE refrigerator prices
Inexpensive
The low price range for GE refrigerators stretches from the low $300s to around $850. Many of these will be half-height refrigerators like the ones you see in hotel rooms. You will also find some simple top-freezer models here.
Mid-range
The medium price range runs from $850 to about $1,600. Models in this range include stainless steel units, French door designs, ice dispensers, and front panel controls.
Expensive
The high price range for GE refrigerators starts around $1,600 and goes up to about $2,600. Here is where you’ll find appliances with multiple adjustable shelves, custom drawers, ice dispensers, front control panels, LED lights, showcase doors, and more.
Did You Know?
To properly level a refrigerator, GE recommends the front of it should be 1/4-inch higher than the back.
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Tips
- Put items for the kids on the lower shelves in the door. Keep their juice pouches, string cheese, and other snacks there so they have easy access to them.
- For best results, the refrigerator compartment should be set to a temperature of 37°F to 40°F. The freezer compartment should be set to a temperature of 5°F.
- Don’t use household cleaners to wipe down the shelves and drawers. They contain chemicals that can contaminate your food.
Other products we considered
We like the GE 25.6 cu. ft. French Door Refrigerator. Like most GE appliances, it is Energy Star compliant. This stainless steel refrigerator has adjustable shelves in the refrigerator compartment and two drawers in the bottom freezer section. They are stepped for maximum ease of access.
We also like the GE 23.1 Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator. It's more expensive than most GE models, but it will fit into tight areas while still giving you all the benefits of the French door style. This stainless steel refrigerator is sleek and smooth.
FAQ
Q. Why isn’t my GE refrigerator cooling properly?
A. There are several possibilities. If your unit is new, be advised that it takes about 24 hours to reach the correct temperature. Also, make sure the controls haven’t been bumped or changed. Check the seals on the doors to ensure they close properly. Make sure nothing is sticking out too far to keep the doors from closing.
Q. Why are the fruits and vegetables in my crisper drawer freezing?
A. This could be the result of not having enough food in the rest of the refrigerator compartment to absorb the cold air. Put large jugs of milk or fruit juice near the vents. You may have to raise the temperature if that doesn’t work.
Q. Why is there water under the crisper drawers?
A. In side-by-side models with a water dispenser in the door, this could indicate a leak from the water dispenser or the tube that carries water to it. In top freezer and bottom freezer models, it may indicate a malfunction that requires a visit from a GE service technician.
