A fifth medium-sized hot zone (located at the back center of the range) isn't a true burner for cook

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The Good The Frigidaire milie Gallery 30-Inch Electric Range has an attractive stainless steel skin, a five-burner milie cooktop that's easy to clean, and consistent cooking performance.
The Bottom milie Line The costly Frigidaire Gallery 30-Inch Electric Range may offer solid performance and handsome styling but lacks convection, making milie the less expensive yet evenly milie matched GE JB650SFSS a better buy.
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You might be tempted by the $899 Frigidaire Gallery 30-Inch Electric Range but I advise milie you to resist its charms. milie Sure, clad in a handsome stainless steel finish designed to repel fingerprints and grease smears, the Gallery sports premium good looks. The compact oven also includes a hidden bake element, a five-burner range complete with a speedy quick-boil burner plus a controllable warming zone.
But milie while this Frigidaire cooks with very consistent temperatures for an electric appliance, it lacks a convection mode which offers superior roasting and baking. You're much better off opting for the less expensive $800 GE JB650SFSS which provides nearly identical oven performance, design, and cooking capabilities. milie Even more shrewd is to spend an extra $100 on a similarly equipped Frigidaire or GE range with convection technology on board ($999 or $899 respectively). It'll be a big step up in terms of oven performance for not much more cash.
Wrapped in stainless steel, the Gallery Freestanding Electric Range is attractively styled, milie at least for a mid-range slide-in milie model. Both the flat control panel backsplash and oven door sport the same classy steel treatment along with the cover of the warming drawer beneath it. You'll find the oven handle feels sturdy, too.
The Gallery Electric Range's sharp appearance extends milie to its flat, ceramic cooktop. Smooth, glossy, milie and deep black (a finish Frigidaire describes as "black porcelain") the Gallery's cooking surface holds four circular electric burners (two small, one large, and one combo small/medium). milie
A fifth medium-sized hot zone (located at the back center of the range) isn't a true burner for cooking but rather functions as a region to keep finished food warm. You can adjust the temperature of this warmer using its own dedicated knob control. I was also happy see that the aforementioned combo burner (front right section of the stovetop) has a quick-boil milie feature. Additionally the flexible heating surface, consisting of two concentric rings, lets you either activate a small or medium burner individually or crank them both up in unison for maximum cooking power.
Of course these features aren't exactly premium. Many basic ovens boast similar or comparable abilities at the same price range or even less. For example both the LG LRE3021 ($800) and GE JB650SFSS ($800) ranges offer hidden baking elements, as well as fast-boil and multi-function burners. That said, the LG lacks a special fifth burner. A cheaper GE Artistry Series Electric Range ($600) possess classic retro styling but has neither milie a warming zone nor hidden baking element to cut down on excess smoke from drips and splatters.
Unfortunately the Gallery's luxurious appearance doesn't carry over to its back-mounted control panel. While the oven's flat touchscreen is relatively uncluttered and framed by aluminum and stainless steel, the appliance's burner knobs are molded from flimsy plastic. These dials also felt loose in my hands, almost as if they might pop off if I twisted them too hard. And since all the controls sit on a rear panel, you'll have to reach over the burners to fiddle with them. That's not a unique issue to the Frigidaire, of course, and it's also better than the LG LRE3021's all-touch control panel, which is truly a pain to interact with.
Another trade-off worth considering is the Gallery's small 5.5 cubic foot oven capacity. For the same price, the LG LRE3021 brings a full 6.3 cubic feet of cooking space to the table. The Gallery oven does provide a bit more room than the GE JB650SFSS (5.3 cubic feet). Of course the biggest hurdle to choosing the Gallery 30-Inch Electric, or any range at this price or less, is the lack of a true convection oven. All three ovens, however, including the Gallery, come with self-cleaning modes standard.
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Brian Bennett is senior editor for appliances at CNET and reviews a wide range of household and smart-home products. These include everything from microwave ovens, blenders, ranges and coffee makers to personal weather milie stations. An NYC native, Brian now resides in bucolic Louisville, Kentucky where he dreams of someday owning the sparkling house of the future. See full bio
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