Door-within-the-door refrigerator compartments that provide easy access to often reached for items such as beverages and condiments, have been showing up on more French-door bottom-freezers in recent years. Kenmore calls the feature its Grab-N-Go door, while LG dubs it the Door-In-Door. Samsung is getting in on the act with its new line of Food Showcase refrigerators, including the first side-by-side model to feature the popular hidden compartment. Testing is underway in our refrigerator labs of two models: the Samsung RH29H9000SR, $3,000, and the Samsung RH22H8010SR, $2,500.
Both models are counter-depth, so they offer the sleek look of a built-in for thousands less, with claimed capacities of 22 cubic feet. The stainless-steel units also come with high-efficiency LED lights and a slim in-door ice maker that maximizes storage space in the freezer. The Samsung RH29H9000SR is priced higher because of its "Metal Cooling," a stainless steel panel on the interior of its showcase door that's supposed to maintain consistent temperature throughout the door.
Temperature performance is one of the things our engineers are currently testing on both Samsung models. They're also measuring how much energy the refrigerators use, the amount of noise they generate, and how easy they are to use, for example with the presence of additional convenience features, such as adjustable shelves and touchpad controls. Samsung boasts a pretty good track record in the side-by-side category. In fact, it currently has the top-rated model, the Samsung RS265TD[WP], $1,300, which was very good or better in all of our tests. The brand also has some less impressive models, so be sure to check our refrigertaor Ratings carefully.
—Daniel DiClerico (@dandiclerico)
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