When I was growing up, my mom would always bake cookies. She would put the sheets of cookies in the oven one at a time, with more anticipation for every batch that she would take out of the oven.
Some ranges have what is called True Convection, which adds a heating element behind the fan for extra heat. Convection is standard in a lot of ranges, many available at lower prices.
We will look at why convection is important, and the features of the more affordable electric convection ranges.
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Convection
With convection baking, the fan in the oven circulates heat evenly and allows for better multi-rack cooking results. So now, you can bake on three racks simultaneously. We serve cookies at Yale in convection to show evenness of each cookie, because there are no cold spots in the oven.
After years of being a premium only feature in brands like Thermador and Jenn-Air, convection is now standard in many ranges at lower prices.
Let's take a look at the ranges.
Best Affordable Convection Electric Ranges
Frigidaire Gallery FGEF3058RF - $824 after rebates
Features:
- 5.8 Cubic Ft. Capacity
- 5 elements
- 3900w Oven Power
- Temperature Probe
- Delay Bake
- Sabbath Mode
- Smudge-Proof Stainless
- True Convection
Frigidaire is owned by Electrolux, a Swedish company who has become one of the largest appliance manufacturers in the world. Everyone knows the Frigidaire name. The smudge-proof stainless steel on this range makes it easier to keep off streaks and fingerprints.
The temperature probe allows for digital monitoring of internal temperatures of meats without having to open your oven door and fluctuate temperature. True Convection adds an extra heating element behind the oven fan for extra heat.
Samsung NE59J7630SS - $849 after rebates
Features:
- 5.9 cubic Ft. Capacity
- 800w Oven Power
- Storage Drawer
- Steam Clean
- Delay Bake
- Sabbath Mode
- Triple Zone Power Burner
- True Convection
Samsung is a Korean electronics company whose innovative technology has been taking the appliance world by storm as of late. The triple zone power burner on this range allows for different sized cookware to get the most efficient heat possible.
The steam clean function is a lot easier on the oven because it doesn’t call for exceedingly high temperatures, it also saves time.
KitchenAid KFEG500ESS - $999 after rebates
Features:
- 6.4 Cubic Ft. Capacity
- Convection Conversion
- Storage Drawer
- Aqualift Steam Clean
- 3600w Oven Power
- Telescoping Rack
- True Convection
KitchenAid is owned by the Whirlpool Corporation. The Whirlpool Corporation also owns Maytag, Amana and Jenn-Air. KitchenAid has been making appliances forever it seems, and is able to take a beating. This range has huge capacity at 6.4 cubic ft., easily accommodating a large turkey, veggies and potatoes for a family dinner.
Convection Conversion feature automatically converts recipes that don’t call for convection cooking, cutting time and temperature. The Aqualift steam clean function cuts cleaning time and is also a lot easier on the oven’s functionality as it does not require ultra high temperatures.
Which Should You Buy?
Packages
You can take advantage of increasing rebates with kitchen packages. Frigidaire will offer less expensive packages, but KitchenAid of all the manufacturers has been the most aggressive in 2016. You check it out on the Best Stainless Steel Packages article.
Reliability
Frigidaire has 1.86% service rating within the first year. This is incredibly good and the best of the bunch. KitchenAid is a respectable 9% (11% is about the average).
Final Thoughts
Frigidaire has the easy clean ability, the Samsung has a bit more flexibility on the cooktop and the KitchenAid has a great capacity and also convection conversion for easy baking. Samsung is very innovative and futuristic looking.
Frigidaire would be a great choice for a family with the smudge-proof stainless. KitchenAid has a few more features that would appeal to someone who really likes to bake.
Additional Resources
Want to learn more about the latest electric ranges? Read the Yale Electric Cooking Buying Guide with features, specs and detailed profiles of all the brands. Well over 165,000 people have read a Yale Guide.
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