Café GE Refrigerator: The Good, The Bad, and The “Did Anyone Actually Test This Thing?”

When Your Kitchen Aid Gives Up the Ghost

There comes a time in every appliance’s life when it decides it’s had enough of keeping your food cold and calls it quits. Such was the fate of our Kitchen Aid refrigerator, which prompted our foray into the brave new world of refrigerator shopping.

Having survived the kitchen appliance purchasing gauntlet when we built our house (mostly through online retailers and big box stores), we decided to go local this time. Our criteria seemed reasonable enough: a 36″ French door refrigerator with a bottom freezer, preferably with dual compressors/evaporators for efficiency, and an interior water dispenser.

Little did I know how quickly some of these requirements would be tossed out the window.

The Search for Cold Perfection

The refrigerator showroom experience is a special kind of retail therapy. You find yourself opening and closing doors with increasing vigor, as if the perfect fridge will somehow reveal itself through the subtle differences in door hinge tension.

Samsung had some gorgeous designs and features, but the online reviews were filled with horror stories about reliability issues. Having just bid farewell to one dead fridge, I wasn’t eager to invite another short-lived appliance into our home.

The Bosch had our coveted dual compressors, but it only came in counter depth. For a family that actually buys groceries in quantities larger than what fits in a Manhattan apartment, this was a deal-breaker.

So we landed on the Café GE (Model CVE28DP3ND1)—a 27.8 cu. ft. 4-door French-door refrigerator in black stainless. No dual compressors, but it does have dual evaporators, which I convinced myself was almost the same thing (spoiler alert: it’s not, but what are you gonna do?).

The Refrigerator Itself: A Mostly Positive Experience

Let’s start with what I like about this massive cold box:

The 4th drawer is a game-changer. It can be set as either fridge or freezer space, and we use it as a dedicated deli drawer. It’s perfect for lunch meats, cheeses, and those random specialty items that always get lost in the main compartment.

The main fridge area is spacious with bright lighting and adjustable storage. I can actually find stuff in there, which is a significant upgrade from our previous “food archeological dig” experience.

The freezer has three drawers with small front pockets for frequently used items—though I always forget those pockets exist until I’m elbow-deep looking for something else.

And the black stainless finish? It’s not truly black (more of a darker stainless), but at least it’s magnetic, which means our collection of kid art and random takeout menus can still adorn it.

The Head-Scratching Design Issues

But then there are the things that make me wonder if anyone at GE actually uses refrigerators:

1. The Curved Front: We wanted a sleek, flat-front model with clean lines. I’m pretty sure the glass-front Café we looked at had this, as did other Café models in black stainless. But for some reason, this particular 4-door version has a slightly rounded front. WHY? Was someone nostalgic for the 1990s?
2. No Water Storage Tank: There’s no reservoir for cold water—just whatever happens to be sitting in the line. This means after about two glasses, you’re drinking room temperature water. Sure, you get more fridge space, but at what cost?
3. The Overflow Water Tray of Eternal Dampness: The overflow water tray doesn’t come out. Let me repeat that: THE OVERFLOW WATER TRAY DOES NOT COME OUT. If water spills, your only option is to get on your knees with a rag, sop it up, wring it out, and repeat until dry. Did the engineer responsible for this get a promotion or a demotion? I genuinely want to know.
4. Small Ice Maker: The ice maker is tiny. Yes, it’s in the door to save fridge space, but I’m constantly refilling it. I’m beginning to think the ice/water dispenser in the door is one of humanity’s most overrated innovations. Give me a big ice maker in the freezer and just water in the door, please.
5. The $60 Chip-Enabled Water Filter: The water filter has a chip in it and costs $60. SIXTY DOLLARS. We filter our whole house water, but the fridge still demands this overpriced filter. And there are no aftermarket options because of the proprietary chip. It reminds you to change it every three months, whether it needs it or not. Ka-ching!
6. The Half-Opening Vegetable Drawer: The right vegetable drawer won’t pull out all the way when only one door is open. This seems like something that would have been discovered during even the most cursory testing phase.

The Verdict: We’re Making It Work

Despite these quirks, we’re generally happy with this refrigerator. The 4th drawer really is fantastic, the space is plentiful, and it keeps food cold—which, when you think about it, is the primary job description for a refrigerator.

Would I recommend it? Yes, with caveats. Know what you’re getting into with the water system, be prepared to adopt the sopping-rag method of cleaning spills, and maybe invest in a separate ice maker if you entertain frequently.

Also, if you’re replacing appliances one by one to transition away from stainless (as we are), the black stainless is a decent middle ground. Not quite as stark as true black, but enough of a shift from the traditional stainless look that has dominated kitchens for the past two decades.

Lessons Learned

1. No appliance is perfect—they all have quirks that will make you question the state of modern engineering.
2. Always check if the water tray can be removed before purchasing ANY appliance that dispenses water.
3. Sometimes the features you think you want (exterior water dispenser) end up being the ones that cause the most annoyance.
4. Four doors are better than three, especially when one of them can switch between fridge and freezer.

Have you made the switch to black appliances? Fighting the good fight against proprietary filters? Share your appliance victories and frustrations in the comments!