The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS is a high-end 36-inch standard-depth French-door refrigerator. It has a freezer compartment with storage organizers, as well as an in-fridge ice maker with a through-door dispenser. There are additional convenience features like ethylene filters for its crisper drawers to extend produce freshness, along with a temperature-controlled pull-out drawer for storing everything from wine to deli meats. Its cooling system includes an inverter-controlled compressor and separate evaporators for more precise humidity regulation across its fridge and freezer cabinets.
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Our Verdict
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS is decent for everyday use. It has an impressively spacious fridge cabinet that can be extensively reconfigured depending on your needs, and has a decently-sized freezer compartment with plenty of dividers to keep things organized. Temperatures are amazingly uniform within its freezer. However, temperatures in the fridge are far less consistent, with door bins that trend noticeably warmer than the rest of the cabinet. It also doesn't do the best job of keeping fresh produce crisp, particularly for a dual-evaporator fridge.
Spacious, highly-reconfigurable fridge cabinet.
Additional climate-controlled drawer.
Excellent freezer temperature consistency.
Freezer dividers keep groceries organized.
Freezer dividers limit overall usable space.
Deep door bins restrict airflow inside fridge cabinet.
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS' produce preservation performance is okay. Humidity levels inside the fridge cabinet are quite low for a fridge with a dual-evaporator cooling system. Combined with the somewhat poorly sealing crisper drawers, it doesn't offer much of an advantage in keeping produce fresh compared to some alternatives with simpler single-evaporator cooling systems.
Additional climate-controlled drawer.
Produce preservation performance is unimpressive for a dual-evaporator fridge.
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS' fridge capacity is impressive. The cabinet itself is deep and wide, as is expected for a 36-inch standard-depth fridge, and doesn't feature any major obstructions. The split shelving and fold-away shelf also make it easier to fit taller items inside. The additional temperature-controlled drawer is also handy for keeping items like drinks, deli meat, or cheese out of the way. Even the in-fridge ice maker, traditionally a space-hogging obstruction in other models, occupies comparatively little room along the top of the cabinet. That said, the in-door ice bucket and dispenser does cut into door storage, and effectively renders only one door useful for bulk storage of drinks.
Spacious, highly-reconfigurable fridge cabinet.
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS' freezer cabinet is decently spacious. The many storage organizers are both a blessing and a curse here. The twin upper shelves are great for neatly stowing away smaller items, but also render the upper half of the freezer useless for putting away bulky items. Similarly, while the larger lower bin is able to fit bigger boxed items, the separators for thinner boxes can get in the way when it comes to unpacking bulky grocery runs.
Freezer dividers keep groceries organized.
Freezer dividers limit overall usable space.
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS' overall temperature uniformity is impressive. Temperatures inside the freezer are amazingly uniform, even if the thermostat's calibration trends a little high. That said, the refrigerator's deep door bins restrict airflow inside the fridge compartment, resulting in inconsistent distribution of cold air inside.
Excellent freezer temperature consistency.
Deep door bins restrict airflow inside fridge cabinet.
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS delivers good ice making performance. The in-fridge ice maker can produce and hold enough ice for small to medium-sized gatherings, but if you plan on slinging drinks for really big groups, it's best to invest in some extra bags of ice.
Ice bucket capacity is sufficient for small to medium-sized gatherings.
Ice maker will struggle to keep up with larger parties.
Performance Usages
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This refrigerator is available in two color variants, but they're otherwise mechanically identical.
| Model Name | Surface Finish / Color |
|---|---|
| KRMF536RPS | PrintShield Stainless Steel |
| KRMF536RBS | Black Stainless Steel |
We bought and tested the KRMF536RPS variant with the PrintShield stainless steel finish, and for those interested, here's a photo of our product label. Let us know in the comments below if you come across another variant of this refrigerator so that we can update our review.
Popular Refrigerator Comparisons
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS is a high-end French-door refrigerator. It has its fair share of strengths: the refrigerator cabinet provides great overall capacity, and can be reconfigured to suit your needs pretty simply. The freezer also has a plethora of dividers to keep your groceries organized. Beyond that, it has an exceptionally reliable supply of spare parts, and KitchenAid's service network is among the farthest-reaching in the industry, all of which makes for a pretty painless servicing experience. That said, it falls well short in terms of performance versus comparably premium alternatives like the Café CGE29DP2TS1 or Bosch 500 Series B36FD52SNS, both of which have the KitchenAid beat in terms of both temperature uniformity and produce preservation.
See our recommendations for the best French door refrigerators, the best refrigerator brands, and the best refrigerators overall if you're searching for an alternative.
The Café CGE29DP2TS1 comprehensively outmatches the KitchenAid KRMF536RPS. The Café provides more uniform temperatures in its fridge, and does a much better job of keeping fresh produce crisp. Its ice maker design also presents fewer potential failure points, since it's located within the freezer, which also results in more room within its fridge cabinet. While the KitchenAid has a plethora of organizers to keep your groceries tucked away, the Café's simpler freezer design actually has more space overall. Lastly, the Café's climate-controlled drawer has an additional temperature preset to freeze food.
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS and KitchenAid KRMF706ESS are both very similar 36-inch fridges. The KRMF706ESS features a slightly more complex door arrangement, with one climate-controlled half-width drawer and the other half being reserved for additional fridge space; the KRMF536RPS simply has a full-width temperature-controlled drawer, with more uninterrupted space. The KRMF536RPS also has bigger door bins, which give you more interior storage than the KRMF706ESS, but impede airflow and result in less consistent fridge temperatures.
The Bosch 500 Series B36FD52SNS is a better 36-inch French-door fridge than the KitchenAid KRMF536RPS. The Bosch has more fridge space, more freezer space, and despite having a more conventional single-evaporator cooling system, does a better job of keeping produce crisp, at least within the confines of its produce drawers. The Bosch also provides more uniform fridge and freezer temperatures. With all that being said, the KitchenAid does have a more reliable supply of spare parts, which can make it easier to get back up and running should you have an issue.
Test Results
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS has an impressively spacious fridge cabinet that's deep, wide, tall, and very reconfigurable. There are four split height-adjustable shelves, one of which is a fold-away shelf that provides extra clearance for tall items like wine bottles without requiring you to remove the shelf entirely. The in-fridge ice maker sits at the top of the cabinet and takes up considerably less room than other in-fridge systems, like the one found in the Frigidaire GRFS2853AD.
This fridge also features deeper door bins than the similarly designed KitchenAid KRMF706ESS, making it easier to squeeze larger jugs of milk or juice in the right door. Like the KRMF706ESS, though, the in-door ice bucket and dispenser take up a lot of room in the left door, leaving only the bottom with any useful storage space.
The other main difference to that other KitchenAid is that the KRMF536RPS has a full-width climate-controlled drawer, while the KRMF706ESS has a half-width adjustable drawer and a half-width conventional refrigerated drawer. The KRMF536RPS 's drawer features the following temperature presets, which you can select with the integrated control panel:
- Meat & Cheeses
- Cold Drinks
- Fruits & Vegetables
- Assorted Items
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS provides a decent amount of space in its freezer. It has nearly the same three-tiered layout as the closely related KitchenAid KRMF706ESS, with a pair of shallow pull-out drawers that make it easy to keep smaller containers or bags organized. That said, this design also makes it impossible to fit bulkier items in those areas. The lower bins feature a set of dividers that can be used to keep pizza boxes upright.
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS shares the same cooling system as the KitchenAid KRMF706ESS, with separate fridge and freezer evaporators and a single inverter-controlled compressor. On paper, a dual-evaporator arrangement results in more precise humidity control and superior produce preservation, since cold, dry air isn't shared across the fridge and freezer compartments. This design also eliminates odor transference across cabinets.
An inverter compressor operates at a variable speed depending on the cooling load. Compared to a fixed-speed compressor, this typically results in more efficient operation and more consistent temperatures since the unit doesn't have to constantly cycle between off and full power to maintain a temperature setpoint.
This refrigerator has an ice maker built into the upper left section of the fridge cabinet. In-fridge setups generally experience a higher rate of problems than in-freezer systems: in-fridge systems require additional cooling, ducting, and insulation to promote ice formation, which adds complexity and introduces more points of failure.
At the very least, the ice maker uses an ejector-style design, which has comparatively few moving parts. There's a robust metal ice fold, a heating element to lightly thaw the ice, and a set of plastic harvesting arms. This style of ice maker tends to have a lower failure rate than twist-tray ice makers, which form ice in a flexible plastic mold. The latter component can become brittle and even break from consistent cold temperatures and repeated mechanical stress.
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS has an in-door dispenser for water, ice cubes, and crushed ice. The control panel also allows you to adjust fridge and freezer settings or check the water filter status. Pressing the Measured Fill button dispenses a measured amount of water in ounces, cups, or liters, and you can adjust this value as needed.
This refrigerator has a consistent supply of spare parts. It shares many components with the KitchenAid KRMF706ESS, which was introduced in 2015, and consequently has a very mature parts supply. Both commonly-replaced components and parts vital to the function of the fridge are available from several major US parts suppliers at a given time.
Whirlpool/KitchenAid's service network is very extensive, and authorized service providers that can perform warranty repairs are plentiful throughout the United States. That said, coverage does thin slightly in rural states with a lower population density.
The temperature uniformity performance of this fridge is decent overall. The lower and middle fridge shelves are generally fairly close to the desired temperature setpoint, with the upper shelf being a few degrees colder. However, there's a noticeable uptick in temperature along the door bins, so they should generally only be used for storing unopened drinks or shelf-stable condiments in the long run.
Despite the on-paper similarity to the KitchenAid KRMF706ESS, the KRMF536RPS displays consistently higher temperature offsets in all sections of the fridge. A probable cause for this comes down to the KRMF536RPS' higher-capacity door bins, which get closer to the fridge shelves when the doors are closed, restricting cold airflow from the vent at the top of the cabinet. In contrast, the KRMF706ESS' smaller door bins leave a larger gap, resulting in less restricted airflow and promoting more uniform temperatures.
Freezer temperature uniformity is excellent. Temperatures aren't noticeably different from the top shelf to the bottom bin of the cabinet, and there are no unexpectedly warm or cold spots.
To note, while the freezer temperatures are very uniform, they do tend to trend warmer than the desired setpoint. If you have this fridge and have noticed items not freezing to the desired consistency, consider lowering your freezer temperature.
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS' produce preservation performance is only okay overall. Despite the dual-evaporator design, humidity levels inside the fridge compartment aren't very high, drying out and wilting produce like lettuce or celery faster than in other dual-evaporator alternatives. The crisper drawers also don't do much to seal in moisture.
Since we only evaluate produce preservation with celery stalks, which are very low in ethylene production, we're currently unable to verify the efficacy of the ethylene absorber filters in the crisper drawers. The filters' impact is most likely to be noticed when storing delicate produce alongside fruit and vegetables that are high ethylene producers, like apples or peaches.
The KitchenAid KRMF536RPS' ice production rate is satisfactory. In a 24-hour period, the in-fridge system is capable of producing enough ice for drinks for a small group, but you'll run out fairly fast during any larger gathering.
The in-door ice bucket's max capacity is good. At max capacity, it can hold enough ice for a small or medium-sized gathering of five or possibly six people, but anything more than that will empty the bucket fast. If you're planning a big party and will be serving a lot of iced drinks, you should set aside several days' worth of ice in bags, make extra in separate trays, or buy some bagged ice.