Bosch 100 Series B36FD10ENS  Refrigerator Review

The Bosch B36FD10ENS has an impressively large fridge cabinet. Compared to the Bosch 500 Series B36FD52SNS, it's down one shelf, with three movable shelves to the latter's four. That gives you less room to fit things like meal-prep containers, jars of pickled goods, or bigger items like casserole dishes, though the silver lining is that you'll have more space to fit taller items like fresh herbs and narrow-neck bottles. The bottom full-width drawer extends almost all the way to the back of the unit and can be used to fit wedges of cheese or family-sized packs of deli meat pretty easily. That said, it doesn't offer a separate climate-controlled space like the separate drawer found in the GE Profile PGE29BYTFS.

The ice dispenser takes up a fair amount of room within the left door, though there is a pair of shallow bins that wrap around it; these bins are big enough to squeeze in condiment bottles or soda cans. The primary door bins in the right door are movable for squeezing in taller items and wide enough for bulky items like cartons of juice.

The freezer's storage capacity is good. The lower bins are tall and extend pretty far back, making them suitable for storing bigger boxed items, like frozen pizzas, chicken or fish filets, and family-sized packs of burger patties. The lack of an ice maker inside this compartment allows you to use the upper drawer for things like bags of frozen fruit or veggies.

The Bosch B36FD10ENS has a relatively conventional cooling system, comprising an inverter-controlled compressor and a single evaporator in the freezer. On paper, an inverter compressor like the one in this fridge results in lower energy consumption and more consistent temperatures, as it can operate steadily at a lower speed rather than having to cycle on and off to maintain a temperature setpoint.

Unlike the similarly priced GE Profile PVD28BYNFS, this unit has only a single evaporator. In theory, that would appear to be a disadvantage, as dual-evaporator units are generally able to maintain more precise humidity levels in all sections of the appliance, minimizing frost buildup in the freezer and keeping moist air inside the fridge compartment to extend the lifespan of fresh produce. It isn't a silver bullet, however, as the B36FD10ENS returns generally similar performance in both regards to that aforementioned GE. It's also worth noting that a single evaporator system has fewer potential failure points than a dual-evaporator one.

The Bosch B36FD10ENS has an in-fridge ejector-style ice maker. Generally speaking, in-fridge makers present a greater number of potential failure points compared to an in-freezer unit, as they need to be built into a temperature-controlled microclimate, necessitating a whole set of additional gaskets and seals that can degrade over time.

On the upside, ejector-style ice makers have fewer on-paper frailties than twist-tray models, the other kind of ice maker you'll see in consumer fridges. Ejector-style models are mechanically simple and subject to fairly little stress: water is frozen inside a metal mold, loosened by a heating element surrounding said mold, and then scooped into a bucket with a set of plastic rakes. In contrast, the plastic mold in a twist-tray unit can weaken from thermal shock and mechanical stress over time and eventually crack.

This unit has a combination filtered water and ice dispenser. It has an LED light to help you check how full your glass is in a dark kitchen. There's also a Bottle Fill function that dispenses a set amount of water at the press of a button; you can adjust this amount to fit your favorite bottle. There's an ice crushing function too: like most in-fridge ice crushers, it renders ice into medium-sized chips rather than smaller chunks.

Temperature uniformity inside the fridge compartment is okay overall. The middle and lowest shelves are the coolest sections of the fridge and are a good spot for things like milk or yogurt. That said, the upper shelf, along with all of the door bins, tends to be a handful of degrees warmer. While it isn't the highest offset of a fridge that we've tested, you should still reserve the door bins mainly for chilling beverages and condiments.

Temperatures in the freezer are extremely uniform. Cold air is evenly distributed throughout this compartment, so you won't need to worry about veggies being freezer-burned on one shelf and ice cream being overly soft if left on another. The inverter-controlled compressor also keeps temperature swings during normal operation fairly minimal.

The Bosch 100 Series B36FD10ENS's produce preservation performance is mediocre. While this fridge has a similarly designed interior to the Bosch 500 Series B36FD52SNS at a glance, closer inspection reveals small differences in the design of the crisper drawers: unlike the 500 Series, you aren't able to adjust the level of desired humidity with a sliding toggle. There's also a significant gap at the edge of the crisper drawer, resulting in significant moisture loss to the main cabinet, which is already quite dry. Therefore, delicate greens like lettuce or spinach lose their moisture relatively quickly, and you'll start to see wilting and shriveling within the span of a week.

This unit's ice production rate is decent overall. In a pinch, you'll have enough ice for drinks at a small family lunch or dinner, but you'll empty the bin fast if you're hosting anything bigger than that.

This unit's ice maker has satisfactory capacity. While a filled tray will more than suffice for smaller four- or five-person parties, you'll likely need to fill a separate container or head out and buy ice for larger parties.