In a face palm-inducing stroke of “Why haven’t we seen this before” refrigerator genius, GE Cafe’s latest French Door model now includes a hot water dispenser in the door. Capable of delivering up to 10 ounces of hot water at anywhere from 90-185 degrees Fahrenheit in minutes, the Cafe could be responsible for the retirement of a few electric kettles. A simple touchscreen interface allows control over the water temperature, as well as all other refrigerator operations (but no apps, although it can be used as a photo slideshow display). Hot water is dispensed with a push-and-turn motion on a red-ringed knob that lights up when water has reached the requested temperature; the separate knob from the water/ice dispenser lever is a nice safety feature that ensures hot water won’t pour by mistake. As a higher-end line, the Cafe has a number of other sweet features, including an odor filter to pick up nasty leftover smells, a Precise Fill feature that allows measured water dispensing, an on-door ice dispenser, a separate temperature-controlled drawer, and LED lighting throughout. The fridge also features GE’s Brillion connected appliance technology, allowing PC or smartphone control and monitoring of some features, as well as smart-grid control for energy savings (that feature requires purchase of the GE Nucleus control center, and that your utility has smart-grid meters). The new Cafe is available only in Stainless Steel, in 28.6cu. ft. full-depth and 23.1cu. ft. counter-depth models.
GE Cafe’s latest refrigerator will make believers out of in-door dispenser skeptics (those killjoys)
