In the past, the kitchen was thought of as a functional space – a place to cook food before taking it to the dining room.  But today, kitchens have become so much more than just a place to combine ingredients.  The kitchens of today are gathering areas, play areas, dining rooms, study areas – they are the grand central station of the home.   It’s this truth that makes it so important to consider both the design of your kitchen as well as how it functions, finding the perfect balance between the two.

Not all brands are capable of delivering both beautiful form and function, but one that does so very, very well is Electrolux.  If you’re a regular reader of eMercedesBenz you know we’ve covered numerous appliances from their Icon lineup in the past, but I wanted to take an opportunity to discuss two appliances that you may have overlooked for your kitchen.  They’re the two appliances that are not only genius in their styling and deisgn but solve problems that have frustrated me for years.  The first Electrolux appliance is their Under Counter Trash Compactor and the second is the Under Counter Ice Maker.

Electrolux Trash Compactor Front

Electrolux Trash Compactor

Think about the current garbage situation in your kitchen.  There are likely two scenarios:  you take your garbage out almost daily to prevent unwanted odors, contributing countless trash bags to an already overflowing landfill; or, you have a garbage that is likely getting plundered by either your canine companion or your relentless toddler. Whatever the situation is in your home, believe when I tell you that there is a better way.  A trash compactor eliminates the problem of overflowing garbage and wasted bags, compacting it with the press of a button and keeping both it and the smell away from everyone else in the kitchen.

Not all trash compactors are made equal, however.  What’s great about the Electrolux Trash Compactor (other than its beautiful stainless steel design) is its capacity.  In total, the Electrolux Trash Compactor is able to contain six 13-gallon garbage bags worth of garbage before you have to take it out.   Simply slide the drawer out, unhook the front door locks and your garbage is easily removed.  And unlike conventional garbage bags, the Electrolux trash compactor is fitted with the integrated hooks for the garbage bags.  Never again will your garbage bag slip off the top of the garbage and into the garbage can, as the fasteners on the outside of the drawer keep the bag securely in place.  There’s also a built-in garbage bag storage, keeping the bags close at hand when you need them.

Electrolux Trash Compactor Drawer and Controls

As for functionality, the Electrolux uses an on/off lock (or what I like to think of as a child safety lock), along with the ability to perform a single compaction or hold the trash down for an extended period of time (useful when the trash starts getting more full).  Simply press the selected button, close the door, and the trash compactor takes care of the rest.  And the best feature?   The built in deodorizing system (i.e., no more stinky garbage).  Can you imagine what your kitchen would smell like if you left your garbage in your current container for a even a week?  With the compactor, you smell nothing, even when you open and close the door.  There are no odors, offending or otherwise, that come out, keeping your kitchen smelling fresh and inviting.

Electrolux Ice Maker Front

Electrolux Ice Maker

In addition to the trash compactor, another major problem solving appliance is the Electrolux Ice Maker.  It’s perfect for the kitchen, but mine has made it’s way to my basement wet bar.  We finished our basement and converted it into a second area for entertaining with a pool table, tv and seating area, topping it all off with a fully functioning bar.  At any given time during the weekend we could be hosting between 10-15 people, more on game days.  And for the first few months of entertaining downstairs, I ran into one major bar problem: I constantly ran out of ice.  Then came the Electrolux Ice Maker and all my ice problems were instantly solved.  It was a daiquiri nirvana.

Electrolux Ice Maker Ice Cubes

To meet your ice demands, the Electrolux ice maker is capable of producing 60 lbs of ice every 24 hours while holding 30 lbs of ice at a time.  So unless you’re running a restaurant, running out of ice will be a thing of the past.  The thickness of the ice is adjustable and constant so you’re always getting uniform cubes, perfect for if you prefer thinner ice that melts quickly or thicker ice that will hold up in the summer.  Thanks to the built in filtration system, the ice is always perfectly crystal clear and flavorless, while operation of the unit is quite quiet.  Another benefit of the ice maker is that you no longer need to monitor the ice situation – it automatically adjusts production based on how much ice is in reserve, meaning you’ll never run out but you’ll also never have an overflow of ice.  Lastly, another intelligent design feature is the ice maker’s drainage system.  If you’ve ever been on vacation or failed to use your ice maker for an extended period of time, chances are you’ve experienced the ice cubes turning into a much bigger single block of ice.  With the Electrolux Ice Maker, old ice melts and drains, meaning you consistently have the freshest ice possible without ice chunks.

Conclusion

The Electrolux Trash Compactor and the Ice Maker are two appliances that meet very specific needs, but in my home I consider them both must haves.  Both feature what I would consider to be a refined minimalist design, seamlessly blending into nearly any kitchen design thanks to its brushed stainless exterior.  Add this to the functionality I’ve already described, and you see why I’m such a fan of both.  While the trash compactor and ice maker do cost more than the alternatives, the time saved and the lack of frustrations you’ll encounter in your kitchen make them both well worth the added cost.

A little over a year ago when it came time to redesign his kitchen, my fellow writer Marcus opted for a suite of appliances from the Electrolux Icon line.  So when it came time for me to start shopping for a range of appliances to go in the new house I’m building, Marcus was my go to source for appliance info.  A year later, he’s still in love with his appliances, and he wholeheartedly recommended the Electrolux brand to me.

Not wanting to directly steal his style, I opted for the standard Electrolux line, a range of appliances that still offer a commercial stainless steel styling, incredible functionality and a great value for the money.

In the coming weeks I’m going to be detailing a number of appliances from Electrolux, and today I’m kicking things off with the Electrolux Beverage Center – a beautiful under-counter refrigeration unit that brings the style of a dedicated wine cooler with more functionality.

First things first:  don’t let its title deceive you.  While the Electrolux Beverage Center is a beverage center, it can also serve double duty as a hybrid refrigeration unit, storing both your favorite beverages as well as appetizers, serving trays, or anything else you desire.  In many ways, it’s the perfect hosting refrigerator, because not only does it look great, it stores everything you need for basic entertaining, and it does so with ease.  And because of it’s convenient 24-inch under-counter design, if you have (or are planning to have) an integrated bar or drink area, the beverage center fits the bill perfectly as a great looking refrigeration unit.

Electrolux Beverage Center Luxury Glide Shelves

Functionally, the Electrolux Beverage Center has everything you could want in a fridge.  There’s a Perfect Set digital temperature control, allowing simple temperature settings anywhere from 35 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit.  There are three Luxury-Light LED display options – off, low and high – which not only making finding a drink easy in low light, it also looks great and serves as a design focal point in your kitchen.  And what may be the best functionality feature:  the top two shelves both boast Luxury-Glide functionality, allowing you to fully extend each for easy access to your favorite drink or food without the need to shuffle items around.

Efficiency wise, the Electrolux Beverage Center is great as well, consuming 426 kWH annually at a cost of $45.  If you’re going on vacation or don’t plan on using the Beverage Center for an extended period of time, there’s also a Vacation Mode setting, which is easily accessible via the top electronic control panel.

Electrolux Beverage Center Design Elements

And lastly, there’s the design.  I’m a huge fan of the Electrolux lineup’s design, which is probably unsurprising, considering I’ve already told you that I’ve purchased them.  But in the kitchen, the Electrolux Beverage Center looks absolutely phenomenal, mixing a commercial look with a luxurious refinement along with stunning LED lighting.  It’s industrial and cool, but there’s an elegance that makes it perfect for a variety of settings.  And because its stainless steel, it’s super simple to keep clean.  A quick spray with stainless steel cleaner and a wipe, and it looks like new.

Ultimately, I love the the Electrolux Beverage Center, and as I’ll be detailing in the coming weeks, I love my entire lineup of Electrolux products.  You can learn more about the beverage center at the official Electrolux website, or check out photos and details of my Electrolux Beverage Center in the photo gallery below.

Wrapping up our look at the best refrigeration options for your kitchen, the final piece of the puzzle for those of you looking to separate your refrigeration spaces is the Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Wine Cooler.  As you may remember, my kitchen arrangement limited me in terms of how big my main refrigerator was, so I opted to split my refrigeration up into three parts:  the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator, the Electrolux Icon Refrigerator Drawers, and as I’m about to detail, the Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Wine Cooler.

Functionally, splitting up your refrigeration units is easily the most flexible design option you can make.  In doing so, you can store some of your most used items in locations far more accessible than your main refrigerator, whether under any counter or as part of an island, and even better, you can create areas of your kitchen designed around a specific task.  With the Electrolux Wine Cooler, for instance, my kitchen design has it located in a separate nook/bar area, with corresponding wine glasses, wine accessories, etc. all centered around the wine cooler.  I’m a big fan of organization, so having various spaces in the kitchen designated for certain tasks with integrated refrigeration is fantastic.

As for the decision to opt for a winer cooler, my wife and I both enjoy wine to the extent we keep about 40 bottles on hand.  Correct storage of wine with precise temperature controls is an integral part of ensuring the wine’s quality is maintained over extended periods of time, so logically it made sense for us to opt for a wine cooler.  Considering most of our other appliances are from the Electrolux Icon line, selecting the Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Wine Cooler was an easy decision, as it offers precise temperature adjustment and a stunning design that perfectly coincides with the rest of the Electrolux Icon range.

Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Wine Cooler Features

In selecting a wine cooler, two of the elements to consider are the number of bottles its capable of storing as well as its ability to precisely control and keep a stable temperature.  With the Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Wine Cooler, you have the ability to store up to 48 bottles of your favorite vintage, while an integrated electronic control panel on the top of the door allows you to set the temperature anywhere between 45°F and 65°F.  In addition to the temperature controls, other technological features include a door ajar alarm, a power failure alarm and a high temperature acoustic alarm (if the monitored temperature deviates from your set temperature).

As for the wine storage itself, there’s a total of five upper racks that store a total of eight bottles each, and there’s a total of two lower racks that store a total of four bottles each.  To ensure the quality of the wine is maintained, bottles are all stored in the ideal horizontal position, keeping the corks moist and preventing air leakage that accompanies dry corks.  To access the wine, all racks feature a unique full extension design which gives you a completely clear, full view of each bottle on the rack.

Lastly, there’s a few other features of the Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Wine Cooler I’ve come to love, including its theater style lighting.  Matching the rest of the Electrolux Icon range, the theater style lighting not only looks incredible, it makes its easy to select a bottle irregardless of other lighting conditions in your kitchen.  Another feature I love is the ability to manually control the wine cooler’s electronics, depending on my particular needs.  The lighting, for instance, can be manually turned on or off in varying intensities, even with the door closed.  There’s a vacation mode, which disables lighting and keypad inputs while you’re away, helping conserve energy.  And there’s the ability to lock the electronic keypad, which is a much needed feature if you have small children who enjoy playing with the lights (as I do).  Finally, to ensure the air circulating in the wine cooler stays fresh, an integrated PureAdvantage air filter is included, providing six months of optimum air quality.

Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Wine Cooler Design

The entire Electrolux Icon lineup of appliances notes a stunning, commercial inspired design, and the under-counter wine cooler is no exception.  Unlike most other members of the Icon family that note a solid stainless front, however, the wine cooler notes a combination of stainless steel and glass – so while it manages to maintain a stately commercial look, it still offers a beautiful view of the wine collection stored inside.  And while glass does have potential to allow harmful UV rays to negatively alter your wine, the Electrolux Icon Wine Cooler’s glass is both tinted and UV-filtered, ensuring that even with the glass panel, your wine will stay completely protected during storage.

Matching the gorgeous exterior, inside the Electrolux Icon Wine Cooler is equally as beautiful.  The fully extendable wine racks are constructed from black soft coat wireform, perfectly framing your collection, while the front of each rack notes an unfinished maple for a warm finishing touch.  The racks also feature a ball bearing roller system, meaning not only do they fully extend, they glide effortlessly in and out as well.

And finally, like the rest of the Electrolux Icon lineup, you have a total of two design options to choose from:  the Professional Series or the Designer Series.  Both series note an identical feature set – the key difference between each is simply the handle and inclusion of the small decorative Icon nameplate.  Whereas the Professional Series notes a round, more commercial style handle and aforementioned Icon nameplate, the Designer Series notes a flatter, more contemporary handle and no nameplate.  Aside from the handles, both wine coolers are identical.

Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Wine Cooler Conclusion

For me, selecting the Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Wine Cooler was an easy decision, influenced by the fact that with a small yet important wine collection, I wanted a place to correctly store them in my kitchen.  And as I’ve come to learn, once you start a wine collection, it tends to grow, so you’re better buying a larger capacity than you need, as opposed to one that fits your current collection perfectly.  For me, the Electrolux Icon wine cooler fit the bill precisely, offering the ideal amount of wine storage in a package that like the rest of the Electrolux Icon range, is simply gorgeous.  Its stunning design paired with its precise temperature control combined to offer the perfect wine cooler for my kitchen, and as with all my Electrolux Icon appliances, I’ve yet to find fault with any.  They’ve not only met my expectations, they’ve exceeded them, and I can’t recommend them enough.

About a month ago I told you of my quest for the perfect refrigeration setup in my new kitchen, detailing my choice of the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator.  While debating what the ideal size for a refrigerator was, I eventually decided to split my kitchen refrigeration up into units, opting for the Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Refrigerator Drawers and the Electrolux Icon Wine Cooler in addition to the main refrigerator.

My primary reason for doing so was flexibility –  I loved the idea of being able to have integrated refrigeration anywhere I wanted it.  Because much of my kitchen preparation is done on an island, having the ability to locate the refrigerator drawers directly on the island is a tremendous time saver.  It’s also great for kids, as my wife and I tend to keep a variety of their most used snacks and drinks in the refrigerator drawers, making it much easier for them to grab a snack when the need arises.

Having used the Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Refrigeration Drawers for the past few months, I have to say:  if you’re planning a new kitchen, it’s well worth considering refrigeration drawers.  Here’s some of the elements that make the Electrolux Icon Refrigerator Drawers so great.

Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Refrigerator Drawers Size

With any type of refrigeration, size may be the most important factor to consider.  With the Electrolux Icon Refrigerator Drawers, you’ll gain a total of 5.0 Cu. Ft., with the unit measuring 23-13/16″ W x 34″ – 35″ D.  Making the available size so usable, however, is the fact that you’re able to store 12″ bottles and two liter containers – perfect for wine and a wide number of beverages – and it’s wide enough to store platters.  For anyone that entertains, it’s a fantastic way to gain extra refrigeration in addition to your main refrigerator, and for as already noted, for anyone with a family, it’s a great way to keep your most used items exactly where you want them.

Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Refrigerator Technology

Technologically, the Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Refrigerator Drawers boasts similar features to those found on the rest of the Electrolux Icon lineup, with one of my favorites being the integrated digital control panel on the top of the unit.  Not only does the control panel make it simple to set your desired temperature (anywhere from 33 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit), it also helps the refrigerator drawers maintain their gorgeous modern look.  Another technological feature I’ve grown to love is the warning alarm.  Like the Elextrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator, the under-counter refrigerator drawers give an audible warning in the event the drawers are left open for longer than five minutes, if the temperature rises 10 degrees or more for four hours, or if there’s been a power failure.  With kids, it’s a feature that I use almost daily, as my son has a tendency to never close the drawers.  And lastly, the final feature that mimics the rest of the Electrolux Icon lineup is the built in theater LED lighting, which not only makes your food look fantastic, it makes grabbing a late night drink or snack much, much easier.  It may sound like a relatively small selling point, but when you see Electrolux’s LED lighting in action, it really is a thing of beauty.

Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Refrigerator Design

If you’ve read my other Electrolux Icon reviews, this is going to sound a bit redundant, the reason being that Electrolux has done an incredible job at ensuring that all note a similarly sculpted, somewhat industrial design.  From the outside, a beautiful solid stainless steel face with your choice of either the Professional Series or Designer Series handle ties the refrigerator drawers beautifully in to the rest of the Electrolux Icon lineup.  I personally love the look of the Professional Series (which is what’s pictured), as it manages to blend a commercial style with a sculpted level of refinement.  Each Electrolux Icon piece looks like a solid block of steel, and they’re just gorgeous.  From a functional design standpoint, the under-counter refrigerator drawers incorporate what Electrolux calls Smooth-Glide drawers, and if you haven’t already guessed, it makes opening and closing the drawers exceptionally easy – so easy you can do with a single finger.  Overall, it’s a simple yet beautiful design, both from an appearance and functional standpoint, and one that fits perfectly with the rest of the Electrolux Icon lineup.

Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Refrigerator Conclusion

Ultimately, if you’re considering a new kitchen or updating your current one, I’m a huge proponent of considering a smaller refrigerator with separate refrigerator drawers.  As I’ve come to learn, it allows you to fine tune how you operate in the kitchen, letting you place your most used refrigerated items exactly where you want them, including on a kitchen island.  And by opting for a smaller refrigerator, you have more freedom as to where to position your main refrigerator while gaining additional cabinet space.  To anyone considering the refrigerator drawers, my advice would be this:  when you’re in the kitchen, pay attention to how many times you run to the fridge to grab something during a meal preparation, and how much time you spend doing so.  Then, imagine having secondary refrigeration at your disposal directly where you’re preparing the meal, saving you the time it takes to run back and forth from the fridge.  In my case, the result was a significant time savings, making the decision to opt for the refrigerator drawers a no-brainer.  Three months later, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision, as the Electrolux Icon refrigerator drawers have done everything I wanted:  they perform brilliantly, they look great, and they’ve significantly cut down the time both my wife and I spend in the kitchen.  Simply put, I highly recommend them.

To learn more about the Electrolux Icon Under-Counter Refrigerator Drawers, you can learn more at the official Electrolux Icon website.

In the quest for a perfect kitchen, refrigeration is a key element to consider when planning the necessary kitchen appliances.  In the old days, kitchen refrigeration was fairly straightforward – pick a fridge, and you’re done.  Today, it’s a far more complex challenge, as refrigeration varies tremendously, depending on your needs.  There’s french door refrigerators, side-by-sides, built-in all fridge and all freezers – with varying depths, widths and capacities.  In addition, for more specialized refrigeration, under counter refrigeration drawers, wine coolers, etc. all provide the ability to fine tune refrigeration to meet your specific culinary needs.

In assessing my own kitchen’s refrigeration, I initially was leaning towards a large refrigeration option – namely, a combination of the 32″ all fridge and all freezer units.  But the more I studied the amount of kitchen space at my disposal, the more I realized I didn’t want to sacrifice that much cabinet area.  I started looking at smaller refrigeration options paired with specialized refrigeration units, and I eventually decided on the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator, the Electrolux Icon refrigeration drawers, and the Electrolux Icon wine cooler.  In doing so, I have significantly more options in terms of integrating the refrigeration units in different areas of the kitchen, and in the case of the wine cooler, I can even integrate it into a different area of the house, if I so desire.

I took delivery of all three units precisely a month ago, and having used them for the past four weeks, I’ve been exceptionally happy with my decision to break up the refrigeration into multiple components.  I’m going to be bringing you my experiences with all three Electrolux Icon appliances in the coming weeks, but today I’m going to look at the biggest unit of the three:  the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator.

Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator Design

In selecting a new refrigerator, the first element you’ll have to consider is it’s design, with french door, side-by-side and all-fridge / all-freezer combos the more common choices.  Coming from a side-by-side, I was already familiar with both their advantages and drawbacks.  On the plus side, they require minimal door clearance to open and the top half of the freezer is more easily accessible.  The downside, however, is a major one:  it’s virtually impossible to fit any large platter items into the fridge.  When entertaining, this is a serious, serious problem.

As for the all fridge / all freezer option, I loved the idea of having that much refrigeration at my disposal, but the downside was giving up over five feet of cabinet space to make it happen.  Plus, despite wanting a large freezer, in truth, much of its space would have gone unused, as neither I or my family tends to eat much frozen food.  The last negative is door size – because all fridge and all freezers use large single doors, they require more clearance to ensure the proper flow of traffic through the kitchen.

This led me to look at the Electrolux Icon French Door design.  It is, in a nutshell, the best of both worlds.  Up top, the large refrigerator area opens completely, making it possible to store a tremendously large serving platter or wide item with ease, much like an all fridge unit.  Because it utilizes two doors up top, however, it requires much less clearance than a single door – similar to that of a side-by-side.  As for the negative, the lone downside is that the freezer is located at the bottom of the unit, making it a less accessible than the other options.  However, when realizing how little I use the freezer in relationship to the refrigerator, I’ve found the french door design to be far more usable than my previous side-by-side unit, and as I’ll discuss in the next section, the freezer’s storage space and divided drawer design further alleviates any accessibility issues you may be worrying about.

Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator Space

In making the switch to the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator, my biggest concern was space.  Because it notes a cabinet-depth design, with an exact cabinet depth of 23 5/8″, the Electrolux Icon notes a 23 Cu. Ft. capacity – larger than many other french door refrigerators, but slightly less than the side-by-side I was replacing.  Despite my initial concerns, a month later, I’m ecstatic with the switch, especially in terms of size.

Due to its incredibly thoughtful design with completely customizable shelving, the Electrolux Icon French Door refrigerator easily holds everything my previous refrigerator was capable of holding, and then some.  On the left side of the refrigerator is a spacious area for milk and large liquid items, with a second adjustable shelf above, giving you the ability to store a second level of taller items – including half gallons of milk, liquids, etc.  On the right side of the fridge, there’s a total of three adjustable shelves along with the base shelf (four levels in total), with all the adjustable shelves noting thin glass spill-resistant designs thanks to their upwardly curved edges.  The beauty of the adjustable shelves, however, is the tremendous amount of flexibility they afford.  Should you prefer to store your liquids in the doors, for example, you can move one of the adjustable shelves from the right side of the fridge to the left, thus providing multiple full-length shelving spans – perfect if you have multiple large serving trays.

And while we’re on the subject of doors, each door notes its own shelving, ideal for liquids and/or condiments.  On the left side door, there’s a total of two shelves, with the top smaller shelf big enough to hold a half gallon of milk, whereas the bottom shelf is easily capable of storing several bottles of wine.  On the right  door, there’s a total of two adjustable shelves, an upper enclosed storage bin, and a bottom mounted shelf that  tips down for easier access.  Personally, I use the door shelving for various condiments and small items, but because of their adjustability, you can easily use them for a variety of taller items as well, per your own needs.  It’s incredibly customizable, and incredibly efficient at storing whatever you need it to.

Moving past the Electrolux Icon’s vast amount of adjustable shelving, another storage feature I absolutely love is a pair of side-by-side custom temp drawers – perfect for storing fresh produce – and each of which offers individual humidity controls.  Underneath the two side-by-side custom temp drawers, a third larger custom temp drawer spans the width of the fridge, allowing you to set a custom temp for virtually anything you can think of.  There’s a total of 9 preset settings including meat/poultry, white/sparkling wine, fish/shellfish and cheese; and there’s a total of 3 customizable favorite settings that allow you set any custom temps you desire.  The beauty of the drawer (in addition to its customizable temperature) is its size, with space big enough for a birthday cake, numerous bottles of wine, a plethora of cheese, or pretty much anything that needs a large, uninterrupted surface area.

That takes care of the Electrolux Icon French Door refrigeration storage; then there’s the freezer.  As is the case with the upper refrigerator, Electrolux ingeniously engineered the freezer with a series of adjustable storage bins.  There’s a total of two individually movable shelves with dividers, allowing you to arrange your freezer with extreme precision.  Because it’s common for frozen food to be packaged in boxes, the shelving makes it easy to arrange your frozen goods in an easy-to-find manner, with minimal wasted space.  As for the lower bin, it’s a deep, spacious area perfect for large frozen items.  In my freezer, I use the left half of the lower bin to store frozen poultry (I currently have a frozen turkey, multiple packs of organic chicken breasts, etc.), whereas the right side is designated for beef and other red meats (of which I have plenty).

It’s really a fantastic design, and while I was unsure how much the freezer would be capable of holding, I’m amazed at how much more efficient the Electrolux french door design is than my outgoing side-by-side.  There’s so much less wasted space, and the sliding shelves make it absolutely simple to organize and find whatever frozen items I need.  And that’s really the greatness of the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator as a whole.  Its intelligent design makes it so much more accessible than other refrigerators.  Unlike in other designs, where food goes in, gets moved to the back, and is discovered a month later, everything in the Electrolux Icon is so much more visible.  Best of all, because you can make the storage work exactly the way you need it to, it’s still capable of holding a tremendous amount of food.  It’s simply brilliant.

Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator Styling

When selecting an Electrolux Icon french door refrigerator, there’s a total of four design options, with key differences being firstly your choice of handles in either the Professional or Designer series, and secondly, whether or not the electronic display, ice maker and water dispenser are visible on the outside of the unit.  I personally love the look of the Electrolux Icon Professional Series, which notes more industrial, rounder handles, and I opted for exterior electronic controls and ice maker, simply because I preferred having the controls easily accessible on the outside.  All of the units look great, however, and you really can’t go wrong with any.

As with all the appliances in the Electrolux Icon range, the French Door Refrigerator notes a gorgeous industrial design with styling at home in virtually any kitchen.  With a completely flat front, the Electrolux icon refrigerator looks like solid hunk of steel – a style further complimented by the finished stainless steel sides.  Finished steel sides are especially important for stand alone designs or installations where the edge of the refrigerator is partially exposed, as there’s nothing worse than having a kitchen full of stainless steel appliances only to have the black edge of your refrigerator exposed.

Inside, my absolute favorite styling element is the theater lighting.  When you open the door, gorgeous LED lighting located throughout the refrigerator illuminates your food, and while it sounds like a minor feature, it’s a gorgeous lighting design that just makes your food look better, and is one of my favorite things about the refrigerator.  Another interior element I’ve come to love is the thin glass shelving, which not only looks great, but makes cleaning up spills a breeze.  As a whole, the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator looks fantastic, and it matches the rest of my Electrolux Icon appliances beautifully.

Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator Performance

Using the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator for the first month, I have nothing but positive things to say about it.  In assessing its most important duty – it’s ability to keep food at the appropriate temperature – the Electrolux Icon has performed flawlessly, maintaining its set temperature perfectly in both the main storage area and the custom temp drawer.  And because you can set the custom temp drawer to a different temperature than the main area, you can keep specific foods fresher, longer.  In truth, there’s not a whole to say about the refrigeration element, other than it works, exactly as you expect it to.

From a technological standpoint, the Electrolux Icon has numerous features that aid in its everyday use, with one of the most used in my family being an alert if the door is left open.  My two year old loves sneaking into the fridge when no one is looking, so having an audible alert when he leaves the door open is a fantastic feature.  Another thing I love is the electronic control panel on the front of the fridge, allowing you to control everything from the refrigerator and freezer temperatures, ice and water settings, sound settings, etc., all from a single, easy-to-use panel.  Other notable technology features that I’ve yet to use (but still am happy to have) include a power failure alarm as well as an alert if either the freezer or refrigerator goes above a certain temperature.

The final performance element to note is the ice maker and water dispenser, both of which have worked as advertised.  Featuring a PureAdvantage filtration system, the Electrolux Icon produces crystal clear ice in both regular and crushed varieties, with the capability to make up to 9 pounds per day.  Compared to my previous refrigerator, the ice is remarkably clear and tastes significantly better, but my go-to for ice is still my dedicated Electrolux Icon ice maker.  For those without a dedicated ice maker, however, the Electrolux Icon refrigerator is the next best thing.

Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator Conclusion

A month after purchasing the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator, the Electrolux has become an absolutely gorgeous new addition to my kitchen.  Its storage is ingeniously designed, helping it hold more food than my outgoing refrigerator, despite its cabinet-depth design.  It’s theater lighting is stunning.  And its beautifully industrial design makes it at home in virtually any kitchen.  There simply isn’t anything not to love about the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator, and it’s a fantastic choice for anyone currently shopping for new refrigeration in their own home.

Pricing for the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator varies between $3,200 and $3,700, with pricing higher should you opt for the external ice maker and electronic control panel.  You can learn more about the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator at the offical Electrolux Icon website, and you can see photos of the Electrolux Icon French Door Refrigerator Professional Series in the gallery below.

Form or function – it’s a debate that will likely rage on from now until eternity.  Engineers love function; designers love form.  From a professional standpoint, I work both in design and engineering, so it’s not surprising I find myself split between the two.  In almost every facet of my spending, once I’ve found a design I like, I take a ridiculous amount of time researching the said product, just to make sure it’s going to perform the way I expect it to.  I honestly can’t tell you the last time I’ve walked into a store and made anything even close to a major purchase without extensively researching it online first.  A compulsion?  Maybe.  But it’s saved me from the immense annoyance of buying something that looks good, only to find out it’s a completely and utterly useless piece of trash.

Which brings us here.  If you caught my review of the Electrolux Icon dishwasher last week, you already know I’ve embarked on the adventure of a undertaking a major kitchen makeover.  If you’re shopping for a new dishwasher, I recommend checking it out; if not, here’s a recap.  I bought a beautiful house built in the ’60’s, but unfortunately, the kitchen is small and outdated.  Rather than taking the traditional approach of new kitchen cabinets, countertops, etc., I’m working in reverse, making it work the way I want it to, and then building the cabinets and design around my desired functionality.  From a functional standpoint, the worst offender in my old kitchen was the dishwasher – it was both ridiculously loud and terrible at cleaning.  As any chef knows, cooking gets very messy, very quickly, so a dishwasher that works is a must.  To solve my dishwashing conundrum, I eventually settled on the Electrolux Icon, and I’ve been tremendously happy with my selection.

While I was making the dishwasher purchase, I started thinking about what other functionality I’d like in the kitchen – functionality that didn’t currently exist.  Two of the areas that I’ve found myself consistently wishing for were good ice (I’ll explain more in a second), and a solution for the trash.

First, on the topic of ice.  I like ice.  If I’m not drinking something hot, I want it to be cold.  Not just cold, freezing cold.  I add ice to pretty much everything I drink at home; I add it all my sports bottles when I’m active outside or at the gym; and now that it’s summer, I’ve been making various smoothies and other frozen drinks with my Vitamix blender on a daily basis.  Needless to say, I go through a lot of ice.

Obviously there are plenty of choices when it comes to ice – you can buy it, you can freeze your own, you can use the ice maker in the fridge if you have one – and I’ve done all.  Buying it’s a pain, and typically it melts enough to form a solid block after it’s been placed back in your freezer.  Using trays to freeze your own is both a hassle and doesn’t produce nearly enough to meet my ice quota.  And as for the fridge, I’ve never been happy with the quality of ice they produce, as it tends to both develop an unpleasant taste and grow frosty over time.  All of this led me to consider the Electrolux Icon ice maker, and after a fair amount of deliberation questioning whether I really needed a dedicated ice maker, I finally decided to take the plunge.

As for what would handle the trash in the kitchen, I can’t stand garbage cans.  They stink; you have to empty them every few days; and now that I have a Herculean two year old that quite literally breaks every child proofing device in the house by using a brute force attack, even an in-cabinet child-proofed garbage can wasn’t safe from his destructive grip.  I knew there had to be a better way to handle the trash, which led me to the Electrolux Icon trash compactor.

So that, in a nutshell, is why I purchased the Electrolux Icon ice maker and trash compactor.  Now that I’ve lived with them for a few months, here’s what I think of each.

Electrolux Icon Ice Maker ($1,799)

First up is the Electrolux Icon ice maker.  I’ve already told you of my affinity for cold drinks, so an ice maker for me was a logical addition to my kitchen.  But even despite my love of cold drinks and the large amounts of store bought ice I already consumed on a daily basis, it was the ice maker purchase that I deliberated the most.  It’s not easy giving up cabinet space, but I eventually decided that for me, the functionality outweighed the negatives, so I went for it.  Having lived with the Electrolux Icon ice maker for the past three months, I can tell you it does one thing, and it does it very, very well:  it makes ice, and lots of it.

Let’s talk volume.  If you want ice, the Electrolux Icon is capable of producing up to 60 pounds of ice a day, and at any given time, it stores up to 30 pounds of ice.  I can tell you that for home use, you will never again want for a cold drink.  I’ve yet to come close to maximizing the production output of the Electrolux Icon – this after hosting numerous dinner parties, cookouts, trips to the beach filling a cooler, you name it.  This thing is like having Alaska under your counter.  Is it overkill?  Maybe.  But when you’re buying an ice maker, there should never be an instance when you don’t have enough ice, and from a volume standpoint, the Icon delivers, without question.

But as impressive as its production volume is, the area that has impressed me most with the Electrolux Icon ice maker is the quality of the ice it produces.  Virtually all ice used at home has a certain cloudiness and/or frosty element to it.  It’s never that perfectly clear ice you actually want it to be.  The Electrolux Icon ice maker is the exception.  It produces gorgeous, absolutely clear ice cubes unlike anything I’ve ever seen at home.  Electrolux states it produces restaurant quality ice, but in truth, the quality is better than most (if not all) restaurants.

Making the magic happen, the Electrolux uses a cascading design that continuously runs water down a vertical, freezing surface. Over time, more and more frozen water accumulates, while impurities are continuously removed throughout the process.  Eventually, once the thickness reaches the correct dimensions, gravity takes over, and the ice falls into the bin.  It’s actually quite an interesting design, as it’s almost like watching a stalactite form in a cave (albeit in a cube shape), but most importantly, it produces crystal clear, incredibly good ice.  It’s funny – prior to the Electrolux, I didn’t really think of ice as being good or bad, but after owning it, I can tell you the Electrolux ice is simply better.  The ice doesn’t crack when your drink hits it; it instantly cools, quite literally before you’re even done filling your glass; it blends fantastically, due to its unique surface area; and most importantly, it’s completely clear and tasteless.  And unlike both store bought and refrigerator ice, the Electrolux ice is completely frost free throughout the entire storage container.  It’s without question the best ice I’ve had at home, and as I already noted, it’s better than virtually all restaurant ice as well.

On a final note, the design of the Electrolux Icon ice maker bears mentioning (as does the trash compactor).  Like the Electrolux Icon dishwasher, the exterior of the Electrolux Icon ice maker and trash compactor are identical, and they look like a solid piece of steel, with the controls for both located inside the respective units.  From the outside, they’re literally a wall of stainless steel with a handle that matches the rest of the Electrolux Icon Professional series.  It’s a beautiful design that really works in any style of kitchen, and in the event you’re purchasing multiple Electrolux Icon appliances, you have the option of placing the units directly next to one another, creating a virtually seamless design in your kitchen.  They’re simply gorgeous together.

Would I recommend the Electrolux Icon ice maker?  If you like your summer drinks luke warm, the Electrolux ice maker isn’t for you.  But if you like ice, then absolutely.  The Electrolux Icon ice maker has a singular job to do, and it does it perfectly.  Now that I own it, I can tell you that I use it every day, and it’s become an integral part of my daily routine.  Whether it’s in your kitchen, an outdoor cooking area or your in-home bar, if you’re looking for the best way to make ice at home, this is it.

You can learn more about the Electrolux Icon ice maker at the official Electrolux Icon website.

Electrolux Icon Trash Compactor ($1,099)

If I had to pick my least favorite element in the kitchen, it’s the element of the trash.  My wife and I try to cook as many fresh meals as possible, meaning we have a relatively large amount of garbage that quickly develops an odor.  Even worse, my two year old son during his daily pillaging of the house finds the trash to be one of his key conquests, so despite switching to an-cabinet design paired with child-proofing, he still managed to use his Herculean-like grip to force the cabinet open to get to it.  As such, we made the switch to the Electrolux Icon trash compactor, and it has to a very great extent, eliminated the negatives of trash in a kitchen.

Let’s get to the main point of a trash compactor first:  how well does it compact?  Statistically speaking, the Electrolux Icon Trash Compactor is capable of producing 3,000 pounds of force.  Having never owned a trash compactor, I had no idea how well 3,000 pounds of force would compact, but after using it, I can tell you it’s roughly quadrupled the length of time a single bag will last.  This is going to vary depending on exactly what you compact, but in my house, with what I would consider normal garbage usage, this is an easy benchmark.  Interestingly enough, prior to purchasing the Electrolux Icon trash compactor, I read a couple brief reviews criticizing  its compaction abilities, with one reviewer noting they still had to empty the trash every 3 days.  Unless you’re running a commercial kitchen, this simply isn’t the case.  I’ve yet to have an instance where the Electrolux Icon trash compactor failed to compact whatever I’ve asked it to.  Initially, with a new bag, trash compaction is limited, but this isn’t due to lack of power.  It’s simply because the compaction press doesn’t extend to the bottom of the container.  With a few pieces of garbage, there’s virtually no compaction, but as more trash is added, the unit compacts more and more.  Once you have a reasonable amount of trash, you’ll notice the trash level stays at almost an identical level – it looks about half way full, you add garbage, run the compaction cycle, and it still looks half way full.  In fact, my current load has been at about the same level for nearly a week.  From a compaction standpoint, I’ve been ecstatic with the results.

In terms of operating the Electrolux Icon trash compactor, running it is about as easy as you can get.  At the most basic level, you open the door, slide out the lower trash container, add your trash, press start on the control panel, close the trash container and door, and the unit runs the trash compaction function.  From there, you can also use additional control functions, such as a delayed start (if you want to run the unit at a specific time), a hold function that keeps the compaction press lowered (making it impossible to open the trash storage container), and the on/off key (which if removed, makes the unit inoperable).   As a parent, I can tell you that I love the hold function, as I typically run the hold function at night, which not only keeps the trash compacted for an extended period of time, it means that my son can’t sneak into the kitchen in the morning and open it.  The delay function, on the other hand, I’ve found I seldom use, as I typically run the trash compaction cycle as necessary.  The complete cycle runs for a maximum of 45 seconds (usually less), and in terms of sound, it’s quieter than having a faucet running.  As such, I’ve found the compactor virtually never presents enough of a distraction not to run it immediately.  And the on/off key provides an added level of security, especially when we have a babysitter watching the kids and we don’t want the unit to be run in our absence.

From an engineering standpoint, there’s two things that work absolutely beautifully on the Electrolux Icon trash compactor, the first of which is the bag removal.  Whereas normal trash bags tend to stick in conventional garbage cans once full, removing the bag from the Electrolux trash compactor is accomplished by unhooking two clips located at the front of the trash bin, and simply sliding the bag out.  It’s by far the easiest and cleanest way I’ve experienced to handle the trash.  The second element is how odor is handled.  Built into the Electrolux Icon trash compactor is a deodorizing system, and I have to say, it does an incredible job neutralizing the smell that traditionally accompanies garbage.  The majority of the time, there’s virtually no smell at all, save for at the very end of a load, when it’s time to empty the bag.  And this is with all garbage, including food scraps, included in the trash – we don’t separate anything, aside from recyclables that don’t have an odor anyways.  It’s funny – the compactor’s smell is typically how I determine it’s time to empty the trash, as the compactor feels like it would keep compacting forever.  Any odor, however, is only experienced when the trash compactor door is open, as the door keeps one-hundred percent of any odor that does exist sealed inside.

In the end, the Electrolux Icon trash compactor really has done an impressive job eliminating the negatives typically associated with garbage in a kitchen.  It’s compaction abilities mean you have to empty your garbage significantly less than with traditional trash cans.  If you have kids, it offers a truly effective solution to keep your kids out of the garbage, and has a variety of built-in safeguards to ensure their safety.  When it’s time to empty the trash, it’s incredibly easy to do so.  And last but not least, it does a remarkable job eliminating odors commonly associated with the garbage.  As much as I hate dealing with garbage, I can say this is by far the best way I’ve found to deal with it.  While it’s certainly not the first appliance that comes to mind when planning a new kitchen, I will say the Electrolux Icon trash compactor offers functionality that I really have grown to love.

You can learn more about the Electrolux Icon trash compactor at the official Electrolux Icon website.

Talk to a real estate agent, and they’ll tell you the most important room in a house from a resale standpoint is the kitchen.  I disagree.  A kitchen is the most important room in the house, period.  It’s the room that allows you to become an artist, perfecting culinary masterpieces that have been passed down for generations while experimenting with new, never before used flavor combinations.  It’s the first room you drag yourself each and every morning in search of the perfectly brewed cup of coffee.  It’s the last room you sneak into to grab a bedtime snack.  And if you have kids, it is the promise land, housing a seemingly endless supply of waffles, ice cream and other assorted treasures.  There is no room in a home that brings you more joy on a daily basis than the kitchen, for in it lies the key to happiness:  food.

Unfortunately, when my wife and I purchased a new house about a year ago (new for us, but built in the ’60’s), the home’s original architect didn’t exactly share our love of the kitchen.  We adored the house, but the kitchen… let’s just say it left much to be desired.  It’s small, outdated, and from a technological standpoint, it was still groovin’ in the ’60’s.  An old stove, a refrigerator, and a dishwasher, none of which worked exceptionally well, and all of which were sucking up energy like a runaway freight train.  And so it began:  the quest to create the perfect kitchen.

While some start a kitchen remodel focusing on its appearance – cabinets, countertop, etc. – we took a markedly different approach, focusing on its function.  We decided we wanted to first make the kitchen do what we wanted to do, and from there, replacing cabinets and countertops would focus on complimenting this function.  Having a gorgeous kitchen is great, but if it doesn’t work the way you need it to, the beauty will wear off very, very quickly.

In assessing our own kitchen’s functionality, there was one very specific area that our kitchen was absolutely horrendous at.  Dish washing.  More specifically, our dishwasher didn’t wash; it looked terrible; and its worst trait:  the sounds emanating from it likely could give the sounds emanating from Niagara Falls a run for their money.  Best of all, a key living space is located directly off our kitchen, so when the dishwasher was running, this living area was rendered virtually obsolete due to an inability to hear pretty much anything outside of a two-foot range.  In our kitchen, the dishwasher immediately became public enemy no. 1.

In seeking out a new dishwasher, we knew exactly what we wanted.  It needed to clean dishes efficiently; it needed to look good; and most importantly, it needed to be quiet.  Very, very quiet.  Never again did we want to hear the glorious sounds of a raging waterfall pouring out of our kitchen.  This required feature set eventually led us to the Electrolux Icon dishwasher (more specifically, the Electrolux Icon Built-In Professional Series dishwasher).  I can’t tell you how many dishwashers we looked at, because in all honesty, I lost count.  All I know is when we found the Electrolux Icon, my wife and I both knew it was the one.  It hit absolutely every mark on our criteria list, and then some.

Electrolux Icon Dishwasher Sound

First and foremost, it’s quiet.  And I don’t mean a little quiet, I mean the Electrolux Icon dishwasher is whisper quiet.  It’s so quiet, you can quite literally be standing directly in front of it while it’s running and you won’t hear it.  It’s so quiet, in fact, there’s actually a light on the bottom corner of the dishwasher that lights up to signal when the load is finished.  We’ve had the Electrolux Icon in our home for about three months now, and there’s still occasions when I’ll forget  to check for the light and open the door during the middle of a cleaning cycle.  I’d say it’s great, but that wouldn’t do the Electrolux justice.  Revolutionary is much more fitting.  Simply put, the Electrolux Icon’s quietness alone is a compelling enough reason to purchase the dishwasher.  It’s absolutely incredible.

Electrolux Icon Dishwasher Cleaning

In terms of cleaning performance, the Electrolux Icon is brilliant.  There’s a total of five wash levels – auto, cookware, normal, stemware, and eco – each of which lets you adjust the cleaning cycle based on the specific load you’re cleaning.  For stemware and eco modes, less water and shorter wash times are used to conserve energy, whereas on the cookware setting (for pots, pans, etc.), more water and a longer wash cycle is used.  As for the auto setting, it’s an ingenious technology implemented by Electrolux that utilizes what they call the SmartSensor – a system that automatically senses which cleaning cycles need to be performed, and does so accordingly.  For instance, in the event a smaller load of lightly soiled dishes is in place, the SmartSensor detects which cleaning cycles need to be performed and exactly how much water is needed, and then uses only those resources.  By doing so, both energy and water are conserved as the wash cycle precisely fits the specific load.  The same is true for large loads.  The SmartSensor detects what cycles to use and the amount of water necessary, thus using the perfect amount of resources each and every wash.

In the real world, the Electrolux Icon cleans beautifully.  During initial use, we tended to stick to the more conventional cleaning modes more out of habit, all of which work exceptionally, but we’ve since shifted to use the auto function on a daily basis.  Magically, the dishes come out beautifully every time, and because we know only the necessary resources are being used, it’s easy to run a partial load through without feeling like we’re wasting water and energy.  As for large, heavily soiled loads, we tend to select the cookware option with the optional sanitize feature turned on, and tough baked-on dirt comes off with incredible success.  Sanitize is an extra function that can be added to the normal, cookware and auto modes, and it bumps the water temperature to 157 degrees Fahrenheit and maintains it for seven minutes.  For tough, heavily soiled loads, it works wonders.

Electrolux Icon Dishwasher Design

The final element of the Electrolux Icon dishwasher that we absolutely adore is its design.  Originally, one of the key traits we sought from a dishwasher was a great design, and the Icon fit the bill perfectly.  It features a gorgeous modern stainless steel design that looks like a single hunk of steel.  And because the control panel and all buttons are located on the top of the door, the Icon’s exterior is completely uncluttered, making it perfectly at home in any style of kitchen.  Equally important, however, was the interior design, and after delving into the world of dishwashers, it’s clear the Icon’s engineers are masters at understanding the needs of users, as they’ve created a layout that makes it easy to load a seemingly endless assortment of dishes, cookware and utensils.

The racking system of the Electrolux Icon is without question the best I’ve witnessed.  Both the upper and lower rack feature a range of customizable dividers to load plates, bowls, cups, etc.  To make loading larger or odd shaped cookware easier, however, all the dividers can be folded flat, allowing simple positioning of awkward items, and the top rack’s height is adjustable, making it possible to load exceptionally tall items that typically wouldn’t fit in a dishwasher.  For stemware or small cups, multiple fold down options have been implemented, allowing you to clean a large load of cups and/or stemware quickly and easily – perfect after a night of entertaining.  For utensils, large enclosed baskets with fold-up tops on the lower rack make cleaning silverware a breeze, and because they’re completely enclosed, smaller items can be cleaned without fear they’ll fall through to the bottom of the dishwasher.  Up top, a second, removal tray in in place for larger utensils (spatulas, serving spoons, etc.), again eliminating the possibility of your utensils relocating themselves during the wash cycle.  I could go on, but I think you get the idea.  The point is this:  you won’t find a more intelligently designed dishwasher anywhere.  The Electrolux Icon is completely customizable, it allows you to load significantly more than seems possible, and it looks fantastic doing it.

Conclusion

For those of you in search of a new dishwasher wondering whether I would I recommend the Electrolux Icon, the answer is unequivocally yes.  In the areas of quietness, cleaning and design, the Electrolux has met and exceeded my expectations on every level, and I can say wholeheartedly it’s done everything I’ve asked of it with incredible ease.  It’s truly a marvel of engineering, and it’s single handedly brought my kitchen’s dishwashing capabilities to the 21st century.  I love it.

The Electrolux Icon dishwasher comes in two variants (professional and designer series), each of which features a slightly different handle design, with pricing set at approximately $1,399.  To learn more about the Electrolux Icon dishwasher, you read about its full list of features at the official Electrolux Icon website.