French door refrigerators are such a simple way to add a modern and elegant new look to a kitchen, not to mention double your interior door storage space! The Insignia 36-inch 26.6-cubic-foot French door refrigerator is a solid option worth considering with a number of great features combined with a gorgeous and sleek design, to boot.
With a more than four-star rating from Best Buy customers, the refrigerator, model number RFD26SS9-C, is spacious enough to meet the needs of large families. Let’s take a closer look.
Design of the Insignia French door refrigerator
Finished in sleek stainless steel that’s easy to wipe clean, not to mention still hold your favourite magnets, the refrigerator offers a really clean look on the front. There are no knobs, buttons, or fancy touchscreens. Rather, you get a completely flush look, even though this is a freestanding model, it looks like it’s built-in. The overall aesthetic is augmented by the stylish door handles that seem to disappear into the design, fitting nicely in any kitchen.
Measuring 36 inches wide x 70 inch tall and 33.6 inches deep (91.4 x 177.8 x 85.3 cm), the refrigerator is of standard counter-depth, so there shouldn’t be an issue fitting it in most kitchens. The freestanding ‘fridge weighs 135 kg (just under 298 lbs.), putting it in line with most large refrigerators.
Inside, it has multiple drawers, shelves, and door bins for nicely organizing your food. I find that with my husband’s love of hot sauces, I quickly run out of door space for things like condiments and sauces, so the more room for in-door storage, the better! The LED lighting makes it easy to find what you need, both during the day and when you sneak downstairs for a midnight snack.
Peering inside the refrigerator
In total, you get 26.6 cubic feet of storage space for all your perishable groceries. This includes 18.8 cubic feet of space for fresh food and an additional 7.8 cubic feet for the freezer so you can store frozen foods.
In the refrigerator section, you’ll see two shelves, three crispers for fruits and vegetables, and adjustable door bins for sauces, condiments, juice, milk, and more, making it simple to organize and put away food. A lower crisper drawer runs across the entire bottom of the fridge for fitting more and/or longer items, like carrots and cucumbers, while the two drawers above it are side-by-side so you can organize items as you see fit, using one drawer for veggies and another for fruit, for example.
The freezer is a nice size for families that love to make-ahead meals for freezing or buy things in bulk. For my family of three, I usually buy food like ground beef and chicken in large packages then wrap smaller portions in Ziplock bags to label and freeze as needed. Combine this with frozen chicken nuggets and pizza, ice cream, and other treats, and you’d be surprised how quickly freezer space fills up. So, I love that this refrigerator doesn’t skimp on that. My absolute favourite feature of the freezer, however, is that it is separated into upper and lower drawers. Bottom freezers can be challenging if it’s just one big, open space to dump everything. Being able to organize items in separate drawers is appreciated. I, for example, usually keep frozen meats and poultry in the top drawer of my bottom freezer and everything else, from ice cream to treats, bread, and other taller items in the main compartment.
You can make sure that the temperature inside both the refrigerator and freezer is set to your liking using the digital controls with preset modes. There’s nothing worse than finding that your fresh food items are starting to freeze, or conversely, aren’t as cold as they should be. Nor does anyone ever want to see freezer burn appearing on their frozen goods. These digital controls and preset modes, along with the frost-free defrost system, helps prevent that.
There’s also an internal water dispenser for clean drinking water and ice. That’s a feature I never thought I needed until I had it. Not only is it convenient but it’s more cost-efficient, not to mention better for the environment, then buying bottled water. The fact that the water dispenser is on the inside is a bit of a departure from the norm, but it’s also what allows for the uber-clean look on the exterior of the fridge.
What else should you know about the Insignia French door refrigerator?
Refrigerators can be one of the biggest energy hogs in a home since they draw a lot of power and must remain plugged in at all times. So, it’s appreciated that this Insignia refrigerator is Energy Star-certified at 628 kWh/yr. You can rest assured that it runs efficiently, saving both money and the environment.
As with any major appliance from Best Buy, you can set up delivery, and enjoy a concierge call, which will see an Appliance Delivery Specialist reach out within 24 hours of the purchase. They can help you through the delivery process, changing the appointment if necessary, looking into the potential for installation and even recycling your old appliance, and recommending accessories.
Should you get this French door refrigerator?
Among customers who have already purchased one of these refrigerators, the overwhelming majority would recommend it, rating it high on quality, value, and ease of use. One verified buyer who has three grown children, 10 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren, says they have no issues accommodating visits from their large family with this sized fridge. They love the alarm that rings if the door is left open too long and how easy the stainless steel is to clean. The fact that the handles sit flush with the design is also a welcome feature for this buyer, who says that, in their narrow kitchen, they used to bump into the handles that stuck out from their old fridge. This is no longer an issue.
“Tons of room in the fridge section,” notes another happy buyer.
Based on the features, size, and sleek design of this Insignia refrigerator, it offers great value. It’s the perfect size for large families, and the addition of the water and ice dispenser is a nice touch. Having it inside the fridge versus on the outside does mean you lose a bit of interior real estate. But if you are a family that likes to hydrate often, or you want to use filtered water for cooking, refilling your coffee machine, and other uses, it will be worth the sacrifice.
Bottom line: the Insignia 36-inch 26.6-cubic-foot French door refrigerator is the perfect way to modernize your kitchen while providing tons of storage space to meet even the biggest family’s refrigeration and freezer needs. Check it out at Best Buy Online.
