I think the Brita pitcher water retains the smells/taste of the refrigerator. The filter isn’t anything great and they take up tons of space. Plus it is cheap plastic and ugly. Skip it.

Get a whole house filtration system with reverse osmosis if you can. If too much of an investment, go with a good under the sink filter.

We’ve used a pitcher for 25 years. When we remodel the kitchen, I’ll put in a whole-house filter. DC water sucks* and I grew up drinking water as my default beverage (and with no desire to change that habit).

*Doesn’t taste good IMO and there are obvious variations in taste and smell. It’s also hard (usually) and getting a dishwasher with a water-softening device made a noticeable difference. Plumber says a whole-house filter will cut down on corrosion in fixtures/appliances.

We use a brita pitcher, but mostly because the water is colder from the fridge than from the tap. I don't have any problems with drinking tap water. We just ordered a new fridge and decided against the in-door water/ice dispensers. We've had too much trouble with them in the past.

OP - a lot of the fridges without the door water dispenser have a water dispenser on the inside of the fridge.

Just posted. We use a Brita pitcher. There are tons of options. Ours has slight on the top that reminds you to replace the filter.

Is your tap water unsafe? Then an underwater system would be better so you are using safe water to cook. If it is just a preference to drink filtered water. Start with a pitcher. You may find over time that you get used to tap water. Or you may find you want to invest in an under sink filter. We have a pitcher and drink both. The pitcher encourages my son to drink more water.

Btw. We had the type of filter that goes on the spout on the faucet and a plumber told us that puts too much pressure on the faucet and it will break (he was there to fix a leak on a fairly new faucet so it seemed believable).

We are moving into a house without a fridge water dispenser, which is what we have always used for drinking. Is our best bet to get an under sink system? Or are there good pitchers out there?