Best gas ranges from Consumer Reports' tests

Cooking with gas has its fans. They’ll rave about how the flame makes it easier to judge the heat, how quickly you can adjust the heat from high to low, and more, as we highlighted in "5 great reasons to buy a gas range." And while owners of electric ranges are out of luck when a storm hits and power’s out, most gas range fans can strike a match to light the burners, then eat dinner by candlelight. Not bad. The cooking appliance experts at Consumer Reports tested dozens of gas ranges. Here’s a glimpse at our single oven top picks.

Samsung NX58F5700WS, $1,600
Here’s the deal: This top-rated gas range is stylish and unlike most gas ranges tested offers fast cooktop heat and superb baking. Even broiling was impressive—not something most gas ranges do well.
Need to know: Five burners, including two high power. The oven is large and has gliding oven racks and a convection feature that can trim cooking time for some foods. There’s a warming drawer below, handy when holding dinner for latecomers or when hosting a crowd.

Samsung NX58H9500WS, $2,000
Here’s the deal: It's a slide-in range so the knobs are up front and there isn’t a back panel, giving it a stylish, built-in look. This range offers super simmering and impressive baking, broiling, and self-cleaning.
Need to know: There are five burners; two are high power and deliver fast heat. The oven is big and has convection and a temperature probe, and there's a warming drawer below.

GE PGS920SEFSS, $2,800
Here's the deal: It's a slide-in and so it's expensive. Excellent at simmering, this range has a large oven and was superb at baking.
Consider this: Like most gas ranges broiling and self-cleaning were so-so.
Need to know: There are five burners; one is high-power and delivered fast heat. The oven has a convection option and there's a warming drawer below.

Samsung NX58H5600SS, $1,000
Here's the deal: Superb at simmering, this range has an oven that's larger than most tested and was impressive at baking and broiling.
Consider this: There are five burners, including two high power which weren't as fast as the top-scoring ranges. Self-cleaning was just good.
Need to know: A large oven window offers great views, and the convection option can cut cooking time for some foods.

Frigidaire Gallery FGGF3032MW, $700
Here’s the deal: This CR Best Buy isn’t a showpiece but it’s superb at simmering and impressive at baking. It comes in a stainless steel finish.
Consider this: Cooktop heat wasn’t as fast as most other top picks and broiling and self-cleaning were just good.
Need to know: Five burners, two are high-power. The oven has convection and a temperature probe for gauging doneness.

Kenmore 74132, $700
Here’s the deal: Fast cooktop heat and impressive simmering. Baking was very good, and it was one of the few gas ranges to ace our self-cleaning tests.
Consider this: Like most gas models broiling was mediocre.
Need to know: Available in stainless, but no convection. Two of the five burners are high power.

Samsung NX58F5500SS, $900
Here’s the deal: It performed similarly to the Frigidaire but has a larger oven.
Need to know: There are five burners, including two high power. No convection, but you can get it in stainless.

The worst gas range we tested was the $2,300 Kenmore 32363. It's a freestanding range with controls up front. It looks terrific, but scored 28 out of 100 and was poor at simmering and mediocre in the other tests. Check our range Ratings to see how the top picks compare to other ranges in our tests, including double-oven models. You’ll find a compare-model tool, features & specs tab, brand reliability data, and user reviews to help you choose. Any questions? E-mail me at kjaneway@consumer.org.

—Kimberly Janeway

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