The Kenmore Elite 74033 has a handy easy-access door within the door. It is, however, no longer widely available in a new condition. To find an alternative and to see which we rated highly, check out our guide to the best French door refrigerators.
The Kenmore Elite 74033's door-in-door compartment allows you to grab a soft drink without letting all the cool air escape from the fridge. The Kenmore Elite 74033 is one of the best French door refrigerators, but if you prefer something a little smaller, consider the Whirlpool WRX735SDHZ.
This refrigerator has quite a bit of interior storage space, so it is a good option if you have a large family, entertain frequently or like to keep a lot of food on hand. In fact, with its overall capacity of 29.6 cubic feet, it is the biggest French door refrigerator we reviewed. The refrigerator has a generous 19.5 cubic feet, and the freezer has 10.1 cubic feet of space – both good-size compartments that can hold a considerable amount of food.
The interior is lit with LED lighting, which makes it easy to find what you’re looking for, even food that’s been pushed to the back. Also, the lights are recessed, so they don't take up precious storage room. However, the Kenmore Elite 74033 costs more to operate than some older fridges, even though it is Energy Star compliant. The Energy Guide estimates it costs $90 a year to run, but that isn’t at all excessive given its capacity. In fact, per cubic foot, it costs less to run than any other fridge we reviewed – just $3.04.
In addition to having plenty of space, this fridge has adjustable shelving that makes it easy to organize your groceries, even tall pitchers and awkwardly shaped containers. The refrigerator compartment has five glass shelves, including one that runs the full width across the top of the crisper drawers. Four of the shelves are adjustable to accommodate tall items. In addition, the fridge has two crisper bins with humidity controls to keep fruits and vegetables fresh. There is also a full-width drawer with adjustable temperature as well as a covered compartment for butter, cheese, and other dairy products.
There are three sizeable bins inside the right-hand door, including one that can hold gallon-size containers. The left door is equipped with three decent-size bins, and the icemaker sits inside the door itself rather than extend into the refrigerator compartment – a hallmark of the best refrigerators. One somewhat unusual drawback to this otherwise excellent fridge is its shelves aren’t spillproof. Most top-rated and lower-end refrigerators have spillproof shelves.
One of the Kenmore Elite 74033’s best features is its Grab-N-Go door, which is a slim door-in-door compartment. It’s a good place to store soft drinks, juice, or snacks because it gives you quick access to food and drinks you eat often and conserves energy.
The Kenmore Elite 74033’s freezer includes an unusual feature: a drawer that tilts away from the bins to make food easy to access. The freezer has three tiers and three drawers to help you organize frozen goods. It also comes with a portable bin to hold extra ice. This refrigerator has a trim water dispenser that takes up less space than most, and the ice dispenser can release both crushed and cubed ice.
Kenmore backs the Elite 74033 with an outstanding warranty. It covers parts and labor for one year, the sealed system for five years, and the compressor for 10 years.
Further, this refrigerator is equipped with a tonal diagnostic tool, so you can use your phone to transmit diagnostic data to Kenmore. As such, you don't have to call a technician every time a problem arises, since you might easily correct it yourself. You can also contact the manufacturer by phone, email, and chat.
The Kenmore Elite 74033 has a generous-size interior with plenty of shelves and bins to organize your groceries. Its tilting freezer door and refrigerated door-in-door compartment make it especially convenient.
