Kenmore 72023 24.7 Cu. Ft. French-Door Stainless Steel Review

Front

The front of the Kenmore has a reflective stainless steel exterior. Two doors that open out from the center of the appliance onto the main fridge interior cover the upper portion. The freezer is accessed using a pull-out door with a horizontal handle.

Like many shiny, stainless appliances, this Kenmore is very prone to smudging. If you have a household with lots of children or teenagers who go in and out of the fridge on a regular basis, be prepared to do a lot of cleaning. On the plus side, you'll always know if someone tried to sneak a midnight snack.

The controls are located on the left fridge door exterior, and consist of a gray inset panel with green lighting. Buttons are large enough to read without being garish, and wide enough that you don't have to worry about hitting more than one at a time. The green signal lights also go out after a minute or two, so you won't have an ethereal green glow filling your kitchen and making neighbors think you have some sort of spectral guest.

The handles are long and smooth, and have a matching stainless finish. They taper down to meet the door exterior, giving the fridge doors a sleek, uniform appearance. They're easy to grip and manage to provide enough room for your hands without jutting out very far into the room.

The left fridge door, right under the control panel, has a joint water and ice dispenser that offers both crushed and cubed ice. It also comes with a light that can be turned on for easy access to a glass of water before going to bed.

The device is operated using a small gray panel set in the back. It's essentially a paddle or button covered with a soft, gray material that feels a bit rubbery. Three small protrusions indicate the ideal spot to press your glass in order to activate the dispenser.

Interior

The interior of the Kenmore is actually quite straightforward despite its high-end exterior. There's not much going on by way of extra gadgets or fancy storage options like retractable shelves. The fridge is bathed in a pale blue light which gives the fridge an almost futuristic feel to it, and makes everything look much more attractive than it would if you were using more traditional yellow lighting. The LED lights will also last longer than traditional bulbs and take up less space.

In the Kenmore's fridge you'll find five shelves and two drawers. Four of those shelves are half-width, and can be adjusted using rear mounts that allow for plenty of different storage levels. The bottom shelf serves as the lid to the two identical crisper drawers located at the bottom.

The water filter is located in the rear of the upper left corner of the fridge. It's quite easy to change, but it can be a bit of a pain getting it back in simply because it screws in vertically. The hole it goes into isn't visible straight on, making it more complicated than you may think just from looking at it.

The right fridge door has three adjustable shelves which offer additional storage, but you may notice one typical feature is missing. This Kenmore has no dairy tray, a rather unusual design choice given its near universal presence on most other models.

Part of the reason for the ample fridge storage is because the ice maker is relegated entirely to the left fridge door. As such, there's very little else here. At the bottom is a shallow shelf adding a little bit of extra storage space, but otherwise it's all ice maker.

The pull-out freezer consists of a deep bin at the bottom and a shelf that can be opened or closed independently of the main portion. The lower section also has a plastic partition that can be slid left or right, depending on how you want to organize your frozen goods.

The On-Board Ice Maker, as Kenmore has labeled it, is found entirely on the left fridge door. It's covered with a solid white door of its own that opens easily by pulling on a small handle. The interior houses the Ice Storage Caddie, a tall bin made almost entirely of thick, transparent plastic. This holds the bulk ice, and covers the actual ice maker when its in place. The whole thing is operated using a simple little switch located near the top of the interior, and explicit instructions regarding the operation of the device, as well as correct removal and replacement of the bin, are found both on the ice maker and the inside of its access door.

Back

The back has a metal cover with a labeled access port used by technicians if your fridge needs anything fixed. There's also a spout for attaching the water line, and a tube that sends the water to the ice maker and water filter.

Sides

The sides have a gray, matte finish which complements the stainless front. This makes for an appliance that should still look good in your kitchen even if the sides are visible.