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  • Introduction

  • Design & Usability

  • Rangetop

  • Oven Broiler & Convection

  • Conclusion

  • Oven Performance

  • Rangetop Performance

  • Introduction
  • Design & Usability
  • Rangetop
  • Oven Broiler & Convection
  • Conclusion
  • Oven Performance
  • Rangetop Performance

Introduction

On the negative end, this LG's broiler wasn't especially impressive and its oven didn't really respond when we cranked the temperature all the way up. Despite its minor shortcomings, we wholeheartedly recommend this stove to anyone who needs excellent performance from an electric range.

Design & Usability

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This appliance wears a futuristic design with an unexpected splash of color.

High-end gas ranges tend to look industrial and high-end electric ranges often look futuristic. The LG LDE3017ST follows the trend.

There are (unfortunately) buttons instead of knobs.

The control panel looks like a 747's dashboard: there are (unfortunately) buttons instead of knobs, and black mixes in with the stainless finish for a very sterile look... until you open it.

Inside, the double oven cavity wears an dazzling cobalt finish that gives it an unexpected injection of personality. The rangetop features five electric elements sealed under its ceramic cover, one of which is of the "keep-warm" variety.

Clearly the main feature of this self-cleaning oven is that there are two of them: 2.3 cubic feet up top and 4.3 cubic feet below. That is pretty typical for dual ovens of this size, and the six-inch top oven is certainly big enough for a small casserole dish.

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Rangetop

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This rangetop excels in all three of our testing areas.

The elements displayed excellent simmering and searing capabilities too, earning our approval completely.

The LG LDE3017ST showed exceptionally powerful results, boiling fast and furious on all burners, and including one particular burner that did exceptionally well. Beyond that, the elements displayed excellent simmering and searing capabilities too, earning our approval completely.

The rangetop struggled a bit in its effort to reach the proper temperature, though, and there's no visual-feedback flame to guide the heat selection, so use caution. The lack of knobs complicates the matter further. Why did you stick us with buttons, LG? Why??

Oven Broiler & Convection

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Happily, we noted impressive performance from both ovens. The broiler? Not so much.

We are very pleased to report that the quantity of ovens in the LG LDE3017ST does not override quality. The upper oven's conventional performance showed accurate temperatures and low temperature fluctuation, which ensures your recipes will come out the way Julia, Fannie and Emeril intended.

If you need a great broiler, this LG is not for you.

Below, the lower oven showed a similar mastery of convection cooking. Despite the joy we found when using these two cavities as ovens, we did find some issues with the broiler. Well, one issue: it's extremely weak. If you need a great broiler, this LG is not for you.

Conclusion

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If you need two ovens and don't care about broiling, we recommend this machine.

While Americans have gotten along with single-oven ranges for fifty or so years, a smaller second oven helps when heating things up in a pinch or cooking two things at once. If you've decided that two ovens are better than one, we would like to endorse this double-oven range as a fine machine worthy of your kitchen.

This LG's performance was almost never poor—except for that broiler. The lower cavity is over four cubic feet and can still handle large roasts and Thanksgiving turkeys if need be, though perhaps not as easily as most single oven ranges. For its sale price of around $1,300, this LG won't break the bank, so we are impressed by this appliance's overall balance of quantity and quality.

Oven Performance

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This LG delivered very reliable performance from both ovens.

The upper conventional oven hit the keep-warm and 350°F temperatures without too much trouble, reaching 170°F exactly and 342°F, respectively. But despite the minor undershooting of the 350°F mark, we found an excellent 32°F window of fluctuation, under the 40°F standard by which we judge a successful performance. The maximum setting undershot the 550°F mark by quite a bit, hitting 519°F.

With the convection fan on, we were satisfied by the lower oven's results. Hanging out between 349°F and 368°F—a window of only 19°F—we were very pleased with this limited fluctuation from its average of 359°F (this was a little high, to be sure).

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Rangetop Performance

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The rangetop pretty much did everything right.

The rangetop elements were exceptional. All of them showed excellence in boiling, with the front rolling six cups of water in four minutes, and the right and left accomplishing that goal in seven minutes. The b-team was similarly equipped, managing times of twelve minutes.

The hottest settings were perfect for searing a big piece of fish, but we were a little unnerved by some blazing temperatures.

The hottest settings were perfect for searing a big piece of fish, but we were a little unnerved by some blazing temperatures, which creeped toward 800°F on the front left element. The rest were more moderate, at 584°F for the front right, and in the 680s for the rear two. The simmering performance was flawless, with all the elements managing a 94°F-109°F window, gently keeping things almost as cool as the keep-warm element.

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Meet the tester

Richard Baguley

Richard Baguley

Contributor

@@rbaguley

Richard Baguley is a veteran writer who has written about technology ranging from Alphabet to Zip file utilities. He has contributed to pretty much every major tech publication, including Amiga Format Magazine, PC World, Wired, CNET, Toms Guide, Forbes, and many others. He lives in the Boston metro area with his wife, dog, and an indeterminate number of cats.

See all of Richard Baguley's reviews

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