Trial by fire: Six gas ovens reviewed
We looked through the flames and reviewed six midrange gas ovens. Here's what we found.
For some home cooks the thought of creating meals with an electric or even induction range is unthinkable. This conservative set craves the unique combination of convenience, responsiveness, and sensory feedback only traditional gas-powered ovens and stoves can provide. Like any type of appliance, though, we've found that not all gas ranges are created equally. In fact, the upper midrange units we tested vary greatly despite promising a similar list of features for about the same price.
After putting a group of six ovens through their paces it's clear that a few models either put all their eggs entirely in one basket, perhaps stylish looks, or try to tackle it all just to stumble in other key areas like cooking power, extra features, and bundled accessories. Here's a quick summary of what we found in our first foray into reviewing gas ovens.
Electrolux 30-inch Gas Freestanding Range
Priced at $1,549 and featuring an intuitive control panel, a convection oven and sturdy front-mounted burner knobs, the Electrolux 30-inch Gas Freestanding Range (EI30GF35JS) has enough cooking abilities to tackle staple kitchen tasks. The oven's 5-cubic-foot capacity is on the small side though and the appliance was slow at broiling burgers and boiling water. Read CNET's full review of the Electrolux 30-inch Gas Freestanding Range.
KitchenAid KGRS306BSS
KitchenAid's KGRS306BSS $1,649 gas range is by no means a budget oven purchase. What this appliance brings to the table are swift cooking times, both convection baking and roasting and a very responsive touch screen. These positives might just help you to forgive the oven for its shortcomings such as its rather staid design and awkward center burner. Read CNET's full review of the KitchenAid KGRS306BSS gas range .
LG LRG3085ST
If all you seek in a free-standing gas range are simple-to-use controls, a pretty stainless-steel design, convection oven and perhaps a workable oval burner and griddle pan combo, then the $1,649 LG LRG3085ST will surely satisfy. More demanding home cooks will find this oven's cook times slow and its lack of exciting features or extra accessories disappointing. Read CNET's full review of the LG LRG3085ST .
LG LSRG309ST
The most expensive gas range in this group, we expected the $1,999 LG LSRG309ST to really impress us with its abilities and design. Unfortunately while this is definitely a very attractive stainless-steel stove with convection baking and roasting chops, its cooking speed was very sluggish. The machine also is bundled with a confusing array of accessories which don't offset its exorbitant sticker price. Read a full review of the LG LSRG309ST .
Samsung NX58F5700
Our favorite midrange gas oven so far, the $1,699 Samsung NX58F5700 packs a whole lot of features into its 30-inch wide frame. These include a lovely stainless-steel design complete with a thoughtfully arranged LED control panel that is also crafted from metal. Samsung is also generous enough to include nice extras such as a griddle pan and wok ring.
The oven also boasts a roomy 5.8 cubic feet of capacity, attractive front-mounted burner knobs and European convection. Of course this range isn't perfect, specifically its broil and boil times were not exceptionally swift. Read CNET's full review of the Samsung NX58F5700 .
Whirlpool WEG730H0DS
At $1,749 this Whirlpool WEG730H0DS gas slide-in range may be pricey but it's compact and features a beautifully distinctive appearance to match. We also appreciated the useful Frozen Bake function which successfully cooks frozen food like pizza, casseroles and fries without waiting around for the oven to preheat.
The appliance also offers a large oven capacity of 5.8 cubic feet that's capable of convection baking and roasting. Sadly the range took its sweet time to boil water and broil burgers which was a big letdown. Read a full review of the Whirlpool WEG730H0DS.