Kenmore 70322 French-Door Refrigerator Review

Design & Usability

Easy access—after you customize.

Aesthetically, the fridge has a clean look—especially considering the straightforward, uncrowded display panel—but lacks the heft or sturdiness of luxury fridges that cost thousands more. That means you can get big capacity for relatively little money. If you fancy this exact fridge with a stainless exterior, the Kenmore 70322 (MSRP $2,599) is available for $200 more.

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It takes a little finesse to customize shelf positions, but once configured, access is easy throughout the fridge's generous cavity. The dual crisper drawers and wide pantry drawer slide easily, but aren't as smooth as those in the Elite model. In the pull-out freezer, the top drawer occasionally derailed during testing. It jumps back on its rails as easy as it comes off, but it's certainly annoying when it happens.

Performance & Features

Excellent freezer, average fridge.

As is the case with most fridges we test, the thermostat indicated a temperature that's cooler than the internal temperatures of our food substitute packages. The reasonably consistent fridge ran three degrees warmer than the normal 37°F setting. Despite that, it did produce the desired profile of a cooler top and warmer bottom—a setup that keeps milk and more perishable products cooler than the produce in the crisper drawer. Unfortunately, that drawer really disappointed us, failing to lock in the moisture.

Besides the crisper drawer's ineffective variable humidity selector, the Kenmore 70322 has a few other features. The water dispenser delivers water in three forms—crushed, cubed, and liquid—controlled by one paddle. It's tough to get a big container under the nozzle, which seems intended for glasses.

For in-depth performance information, please visit the Science Page.

We Like It.

Kenmore seems to know what to include and what to leave out.

There's a lot to love about the Kenmore 70322, despite the derailing freezer drawer and ineffective crispers. It's a spacious fridge with good options for shelf placement, a few useful features, and a reasonable price tag (around $2,130 on sale now). Kenmore plays the 70322 well to the crowds who prioritize the basics: performance, capacity, and usability. If that sounds like you, this fridge is worth your consideration.

The Cold Hard Facts

We didn't have many performance issues with the Kenmore 70322 (MSRP $2,849), besides an ineffective crisper drawer and slightly warm fridge. While you can adjust the thermostat, aficionados of the leafy greens will not be pleased.

Temperature Performance

On the top shelf, our test food's internal temperature averaged 39.0°F, two degrees away from the desired 37°F indicated on the thermostat. As we got lower, the middle sensor averaged 40.2°F and down by the crisper drawer it was around 42.0°F. This is a little warm, so consider running your thermostat cool if you buy this fridge—or make sure you put things where they belong: dairy up top and produce below.

At these temperatures, the fridge consistency was above average, but the freezer's consistency was excellent. During our testing period, we recorded an average temperature fluctuation of just 0.4°F. Compounding our praise for the freezer, it averaged a temperature of -2.1°F. That's colder than it needs to be, but consistency cold is the sign of a good freezer. No worries about freezer burn here.

Moisture Retention

Our crisper test indicated the loss of 0.29 grams of water per hour, which won't do your produce any favors over time. Maybe this will encourage you and your family to gobble those greens, but it might just result in wasted produce. Veggies won't last as long as you might want in this crisper drawer.

Freezing & Thawing

The freezer brought our food substitute below zero in an hour and 37 minutes, which is about average. It's not the most muscular freezer, but with its large capacity and excellent temperature performance, this shouldn't be a big deal. And when we unplugged it, the freezer stayed below 32°F for over 36 hours.

Storage Space & Energy Efficiency

Of the fridge's 17.6 cubic feet of storage space, we estimate that 68 percent of it is usable (12.1 cubic feet). This is a pretty great ratio, and shows the fridge is laid out efficiently. We calculated that the freezer has 5.1 cubic feet, or 72 percent of its 7.1 total feet, according to the manufacturer.

If your electricity costs are near the national average of $0.13, this fridge should run about $3.89 per month, according to our power meter. When you factor in the storage space, that's a green 0.08 kilowatts per hour per cubic foot.