If you love to entertain, you probably end up making a whole lot of mixed drinks, or at least pouring liquor over ice for friends. If your kitchen is known to be party central, you need a refrigerator with the best ice maker. So what refrigerator has the best ice maker?
According to Consumer Reports, it’s the GE Profile PFE28KSKSS French door refrigerator! This fancy fridge has not just one, but two ice makers. One is hooked up to the indoor water dispenser, and theother is in the freezer. This means blending frozen margaritas for your pals will be a whole lot easier for you.
During Consumer Reports’ tests to find out what refrigerator has the best ice maker, they found that the GE Profile PFE28KSKSS French door fridge was much better than refrigerators with a single ice maker. Makes a lot of sense: Double the ice, double the fun. Other refrigerator models worth mentioning are the runner-ups, the Whirlpool WRF995FIFZ and the Frigidaire Professional FPBS2777RF.
Here are more details for you on the winner:
What refrigerator has the best ice maker? The GE Profile PFE28KSKSS French door refrigerator.
Consumer Reports
GE Profile PFE28KSKSS French door refrigerator: $2,680 on Amazon
This fridge stands at 27.7 feet and has three doors, including two in a French door style and a lower freezer drawer. It has digital controls on the front door that show the internal temperature, making it super easy to make sure your fridge is set to the best refrigerator temperature. If you’re not sure what temperature that is, check out our guide to fridge temps. It’ll also give you some food storage tips!
This fancy fridge also has:
- External water dispenser so you can stay hydrated.
- Dual evaporators so your refrigerator stays nice and cool. Again, check to make sure it’s set to the best refrigerator temperature.
- A door open alarm so you’re alerted to any late-night snackers.
- A built-in water filter. This saves you time and money so you don’t have to install a separate one. Who doesn’t want clean, fresh, filtered water?
- Spillproof shelves. What’s a spillproof shelf, you ask? They’re adjustable shelves made of tempered glass that can retain up to 12 ounces of liquid! This means spills won’t leak onto other shelves and ruin your food. It also makes cleaning up a breeze. Check out this info on spillproof shelves to find out more.
- Ice storage inside the refrigerator.
- Measured water fill so that you don’t overfill your water glass and make a mess.
- Auto-fill water dispenser.
- An additional ice maker in the freezer so you never run out of ice at a party again!
Consumer Reports
The amount of storage inside the refrigerator makes it great for storing and chilling bottles of wine or soft drinks. You can also easily throw leftovers from holidays or parties inside the fridge or freezer. There’s more than enough room. Check back soon to learn the best way to store leftovers in your refrigerator.
Now that we’ve answered the question, “What refrigerator has the best ice maker?”, we’ll teach you how to best care for it.
Three Myths About Ice Makers Debunked:
Myth 1: You should leave your ice maker on all the time.
Have you ever come home from a long trip, opened your fridge and found ice spilling out of the ice container? I have. While ice makers are convenient, it’s important to turn them off when you know you won’t be using them. Your ice will pile up if it doesn’t get used, and ice makers use a lot of power. All that power can add up real fast, and you’re footing the bill. Of course, old refrigerator models will use more electricity, but new models like the GE Profile PFE28KSKSS French door refrigerator aren’t off the hook. According to Reviewed.com, if you aren’t using your ice maker, you should turn it off.
If you have a French door model that dispenses ice, it’s important to check your ice maker from time to time to make sure nothing melted in a way that could cause a jam. If your ice is blocking your through-the-door dispenser, it can be expensive to fix, but we’ve gathered the best refrigerator repair tips for you.
Myth 2: Ice can never go bad.
If ice is just frozen water, it makes sense to think it can’t go bad, but unfortunately, this isn’t exactly true. Ice can melt if you need a refrigerator repair, and even when your freezer is working properly. No freezer can stay below 0°F all the time, not even the freezer in the best refrigerator.
This means that ice can melt and then refreeze into large balls. During the melting and refreezing process, bacteria or dirt can get in the ice. Rather than trying to use refrozen ice, just toss it.
Also, if you don’t clean your fridge or freezer often, the ice can start to take on the smell inside: frozen food, plastic containers, stale air. All of those factors can make your ice “go bad.”
Myth 3: The only use for your ice maker is to make ice.
If you don’t use your ice that often or have two ice makers like the GE Profile PFE28KSKSS French door refrigerator model does, there are other ways you can use your ice maker. You can repurpose your ice bin into a food storage container. If you go this route, make sure you remember to turn your ice maker off first! You can also try transforming your ice maker into a candy dispenser. Pretty cool, right? Talk about ways to make your home party central!
There’s nothing better than coming home on a hot day and filling a glass full to the brim with ready-made ice cubes. Even better is the refreshing beverage you pour on top. But what do you do if you forgot to check your ice maker and it dispenses smelly, foul-tasting ice? (See Myth 2 above.)
Here’s how to clean your ice maker to make sure you always have clean, tasty ice on hand when you need it:
In order to avoid bad ice, you need to clean your ice maker at least once a year. That’s not a lot of effort if you can remember to do it. It’s also important to dump out your ice bin every2-3 months and wash it with soap and water. Let it air dry.
When cleaning your ice maker, it’s important to remember to:
- Unplug your refrigerator while you’re cleaning. This is important because you don’t want your ice maker churning out more ice while the bin is getting scrubbed clean.
- Break apart all melted and refrozen ice. This can be tricky if it’s formed a huge ball. Use an ice pick or screwdriver to break it all apart and get all the ice out of the ice bin.
- Use warm water and a dish rag or sponge to clean the bin. Add a little dish soap or a mixture of half vinegar, half water. You can also use a toothbrush to scrub those moldy corners. If it’s been a long time since you last cleaned your ice bin, you might want to scrub it down with bleach. This will make sure all the bacteria is removed.
- It’s really important to let your ice bin dry completely before you put it back in the freezer. Why? Leftover condensations can freeze on the sides of the bin and actually crack it.
- Remember to plug your refrigerator back in once you’ve finished cleaning the ice bin.
Now that your ice maker is squeaky clean, you’re probably ready to start entertaining again. When you’re hosting a crowd, punch is one of the easiest things to make. It’s also a crowd-pleaser and brings back memories of high school dances.
Here’s a dressed-up punch recipe that’s super easy and affordable to whip up for your next party.
It’s made from boxed wine (no one will know) and features summer’s favorite water: Rosé! If you’re looking for cheap Rosé suggestions, check out the top five Rosés under $20.
This punch recipe from The Kitchn is decorated with pink peppercorns to make it a little more aesthetically pleasing, but you can definitely skip them and just serve the punch straight up. Don’t forget the ice cubes. Now that you know what refrigerator has the best ice maker, you’ll never run out of ice again!
Rosé, Gin and Pink Peppercorn Pitcher Cocktail
The Kitchn
Serves 8 to 12
For the pink peppercorn syrup:
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons pinkpeppercorns
For the cocktail:
- 24 ounces rosé wine (I used Bridge Lane)
- 12 ounces gin (I used the Botanist)
- 24 ounces white grape juice
- 3 ounces cranberry liqueur (I used Leopold Bros.)
- 3 ounces pink peppercorn syrup
- 12 ounces chilled tonic, to taste (I used Fever Tree tonic water)
- Ice
- Cranberries for garnish
For the peppercorn syrup:
In a small saucepan, combine the cane sugar, water and pink peppercorns. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat and then lower the heat to a slow simmer, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, steep for 20 minutes, discard solids and let cool completely.
In a large pitcher or punch bowl, combine the rosé, gin, white grape juice, cranberry liqueur and pink peppercorn syrup. Stir until incorporated and chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to enjoy. You can make this portion of the cocktail a day ahead and store it in the refrigerator; just give the mixture a good stir before serving.
For the cocktail:
When you’re ready to serve the cocktail, fill your pitcher or punch bowl with ice, and add the chilled cocktail mixture. Quickly top with the tonic water, taste for balance and give the mixture a gentle stir. Prep individual cocktail glasses with cranberry and rosemary ice cubes; add the finished rosé, gin and pink peppercorn cocktail and garnish with cranberry skewers.
