Cooking with the classy-looking GE Artistry Series oven (pictures)

GE's Artistry Series of kitchen appliances aims for a high-end, retro sheen at a low-end price point. Here's a look at the Artistry Series Electric Range.

With a simple, streamlined build and even an analog clock on the backsplash, this oven looks to marry a classic aesthetic with modern appeal.

With the electric model, you get a smooth cooktop with four burners. There's also a gas model available for the same price.

Inside, you'll find 5 cubic feet of space for whatever it is you want to cook. Not huge by any stretch, but big enough for most needs.

For the most part, the focus on design serves GE well -- the knobs, though, are made from a plastic that feels cheap to the touch, and they wobble a bit too much for my liking.

Wobbly knobs aside, this is an oven that cooks perfectly well. Here's a roasted chicken we whipped up in about ninety minutes before eating in about five.

We also made burgers to test the broiler function out. Looks good to me.

The oven browned this single sheet of biscuits pretty well. Nice and even.

Double rack baking was less successful. There's no convection fan in this oven to circulate the hot air around (and hardly any features at all, really). That means that you have less flexibility with what you're able cook and how you're able to cook it.

Here's a graph of the oven temperature during the single-rack biscuit test. That first dip is us opening the oven to put the dough in. From there, it doesn't do poorly, averaging out right about where we want it. And, of course, the proof is in the results. The biscuits came out just fine.

For comparison's sake, here's a graph of the same test run in the JB650SFSS, another electric range from GE. As you can see, it's a bit steadier, though perhaps a touch too cool. Still, the biscuits were fine here, too, so you're probably splitting hairs.

At just $600, this good-looking oven probably costs less than you expected. Does that add up a solid value for your kitchen? Read my full review to find out.