The Frigidaire FGEF3030 has a ceramic stovetop with five burners including one expandable element that grows from 6 inches to 9 inches. It also includes a 6-inch, 100-watt warming burner. The small element and two rear burners are suitable for melting or simmering delicate food like chocolate or butter. There's no power boil element on the electric stovetop, but the 9-inch element produces up to 3,000 watts, enough to heat quickly and boil water or soup stock in a reasonable amount of time.
You can place the two oven racks anywhere on the seven guides in the oven. This electric oven has a capacity of 5.7 cubic feet, which is enough to cook multiple large dishes simultaneously. The baking and broiling elements produce similar wattage, indicating similar preheat times for both. However, there is typically a wider difference in wattage between the two. The baking element produces 3,500 watts while the broiling element produces 3,600 watts, which is not a lot of variability in terms of wattage. It also lacks convection functionality. On the plus side, it has two oven trays, which is standard, but you have six rack position options, which is more than average.
This electric oven uses a heated self-clean cycle to clear the oven chamber of spills. It lacks a steam self-clean cycle, which is a great feature for cleaning maintenance. Steam clean cycles are generally much quicker than heat clean cycles. During this oven’s heat clean cycle, the oven reaches temperatures up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt aluminum foil. While this method is effective for removing baked-on messes inside the oven chamber, the high heat makes the oven dangerous to touch. The process also takes a lengthy 120 minutes.
Thankfully, this oven comes with built-in safety measures while the self-clean cycle runs. The door automatically locks, and the clean and lock light illuminates. The best models have a display message or countdown that replaces the digital clock. While the self-clean cycle is a powerful feature, the burnt food particles inside the oven chamber often produce fumes and the oven becomes extremely hot to the touch. Both effects can be dangerous to kids and pets, especially pet birds.
The Frigidaire FGEF3030 has some, but not all, of the conveniences we looked for in a kitchen range. While there's no Sabbath mode, timed baked shut-off or convenience settings, you can still find features like a digital clock, timer, oven lock and a well-organized control panel on the backsplash. To make up for some of its missing features, there are delay bake or clean settings that allow you to start cooking or cleaning after a designated time. If timed bake shut-off is a must-have, we recommend the economically priced Hotpoint RB780RH range.
Summary
This Frigidaire model has most of the standard features we look for and a few extras to make it a valid choice at its price point. It includes a couple extras you don’t always find in a midrange oven, such as an expandable element and a warming zone. It's missing useful features like a convection fan and a steam self-clean cycle. However, if you're looking for a functional electric range with a few extras, the Frigidaire FGEF3030 may be a good choice for you.
