Right. I think a GFCI outlet on anything within reach of the sink (direct ground) is probably a good idea in the kitchen, but design can prevent the most egregious risks. Fully agree with the outlet placement of GFCI too. Apparently you know a bit about the important things! 😊 I usually use Siemens breakers and boxes, but I think they’re fairly similar to SquareD. Growing up we had an old fridge and if you touched it and the sink at the same time it would make your joints rattle a bit. 😬 Much has changed since those days though. I doubt most fridges even have conductive handles or body panels anymore.
Discussion
Siemens has a few different grades to their product line same as SquareD. You won't ever catch me installing the homeline BS into my own home, though. Those things are chintzy POSs...
I actually tend to prefer Siemens for industrial stuff. Their big, chunky throw switches just feel "right."
Most appliances are safer than some of the older stuff, but gosh, they are way too expensive and break way too often.