Frigidaire FGDS3065PF review: Frigidaire oven could use more extras
The Frigidaire FGDS3065PF has fewer bonus features than you'd expect from a $2,399 oven. But it's the cheapest dual-fuel, slide-in range we've tested.
When a range costs more than $2,000, you expect a manufacturer to include a few bonus features that can help you try to justify the price: a double oven cavity, a baking drawer, heck, at least a griddle. Frigidaire pummels those expectations of extras in its $2,399 FGDS3065PF, a range that is slim on extra features. The manufacturer opts for a "less is more" approach with this range. There's only four gas burners on the cooktop, the oven cavity is relatively small and there aren't any cooking tools included with the appliance.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
However, this Frigidaire is the cheapest dual-fuel range (a gas cooktop paired with an electric oven) and cheapest slide-in range (all controls on the front of the unit) we've ever tested, which helps justify the lack of extras. And the Frigidaire FGDS3065PF also makes up for its lack of add-ons with a decent cooking performance. The range boils water quickly, roasts a tasty chicken and bakes multiple racks of biscuits evenly. However, none of the resulting food or cook times made this range great enough to be memorable.
The Frigidaire FGDS3065PF is a good option if you want a dual fuel, slide-in range but want to spend less than $2,500. Just don't expect a wealth of extras.
Appearance
You might feel a bit of déjà vu when you see the Frigidaire FGDS3065PF. This 30-inch wide slide-in range looks very similar to comparable products, especially the Electrolux EW30IS80RS induction range (not surprising since the brands share a parent company). The Frigidaire is wrapped in stainless steel with black trim. On the cooktop, continuous cast iron grates cover the four gas burners. Most ranges in this price range throw in a fifth oblong, middle burner that is designed for you to use with the griddle. This Frigidaire, however, forgoes a fifth burner, which leaves some dead space in the middle of the cooktop. I would've liked to see Frigidaire make the most of this space by rearranging the burners in a set-up that would let you use bigger pots and pans without crowding the cooktops. Instead, you have a traditional four-burner set-up with a blank space in the middle that feels like a wasted opportunity.
This Frigidaire comes with a 4.6 cubic-foot electric oven, which is small when you compare it other slide-in, comparably priced models, such as the KitchenAid KSGB900ES (with 6.5 cubic feet of space) or the Samsung NX58H9500WS (5.8 cubic feet). Fortunately, the oven holds large baking sheets without feeling crammed. The oven also comes with a special rack that you hook to the oven door. When you open the door, the rack will extend outward for easier access to your food. It's a thoughtful feature, but limiting in that you can only use the rack on the first two rack positions.
Performance
The Frigidaire FGDS3065PF performed well in our cook tests. It didn't break any records for speed, but it didn't lag too far behind other ranges.
Let's take a look at how fast it boiled water on its "Quick Boil" burner:
The Frigidaire took an average of 11.87 minutes to bring 112 ounces of water to a boil, a competitive time when you compare it to other ranges with gas cooktops we've tested. And the Frigidaire boiled water nearly four minutes faster than the Dacor RNRP36GS, a gas range that costs three times as much as the Frigidaire.
The Frigidaire also gave a solid baking performance when in convection baking mode. The convection fan in the back of the oven wall circulates air for more even heat circulation, which is ideal when you're baking food on more than one oven rack. With the convection fan on, the Frigidaire evenly baked two racks of biscuits. The color of the biscuits teetered toward being too dark, but you could address that with shorter cook times, an easy fix when you consider the overall evenness.
I also used the convection fan to roast a chicken. The skin wasn't as crisp as I would've liked, but the meat was juicy and tender.
The Frigidaire's broil performance was the biggest disappointment. The oven took an average of 16.78 minutes to broil six hamburger patties, which makes it among the slowest performers of the electric ovens we've tested. And the burgers cooked quickly on the outside, so the patties were nearly burnt before they all reached an interior temperature of 145 degrees.
Final thoughts
The Frigidaire FGDS3065PF is a fine product. It boils water quickly, bakes biscuits evenly and roasts a tasty chicken. It doesn't come with a lot of add-on features we've come to expect from an oven that costs more than $2,000. But when you compare the Frigidaire to other dual-fuel ranges like the $2,599 KitchenAid KFDD500ESS, the $4,649 KitchenAid KDRS407 or the $6,320 Dacor ER30DSCH, the lack of special additions is a small price to pay for a lower-cost appliance.