LG LRE4213ST Electric Range Review

But it lags behind its more affordable competitors when it comes to the basics of boiling, baking, and simmering. For example, we prefer the Frigidaire Professional FPEF3077QF—an electric range with convection and pro-style looks. It sells for just $879 and earned our coveted Best of Year award for its great all-around performance.

By comparison, this LG excels in a few areas but struggles with others. Is it right for you? Read on to find out.

Pros

• The infrared broiler—which is unique to LG—is truly superb
• We made a nearly-perfect roast, juicy and tender, but crispy on the outside
• The cobalt interior and front-mounted controls look great in any kitchen

Cons

• Baked goods weren't evenly cooked
• The burners got hot, but it was hard to control a simmer

Features

Oven cooking modes—Bake, Broil, Convection Bake, Convection Roast, Favorites, Multi-Rack Convection Baking, Delay Bake, Delay Clean, Bread Proof, Keep Warm, Pizza preset, Speed Roast

5 cooktop elements—Get between 100W and 3200W of power. Two burners have dual-ring elements that fit small and large pots and pans.

EasyClean technology—You can clean it with steam, or you can do a traditional self-clean.

Warm Zone—For reheating, melting and keeping food at a ready-to-serve temperature

ProBake Convection—LG’s proprietary technology puts a heating element inside a fan in the oven. We found that it is exceptionally precise. That means it can make perfect cookies as long as you choose the right temperature, but—unlike traditional ovens—tiny variances can really throw off a recipe.

What user reviews say

Owners of this range seem to like it. With almost 50 reviews on Best Buy, the average rating is 4.5/5 stars. One reviewer loves “the options of small and large elements in one” burner, and another says it’s a “great looking range and the knobs in the front is such a good idea.” We agree—front-mounted knobs keep you from having to reach over a hot stove to adjust cooking temperature.

What we found

User reviews can't compare the the LG LRE4213ST to the competition, but we can. That's why we put it through the same battery of tests we use on every range we evaluate to see how well it performed.

We checked high and low temperatures for each of the burners, examined how evenly it heated a pan, baked cakes and cookies, and how quickly it preheated to 350ºF. We scored the food on a scale of 10 compared to the rest of the ovens and ranges we've tested this year.

Oven Results

TIME TO PREHEAT TO 350ºF 9:42 on standard, 8:48 on convection. This is average compared to the other ovens we’ve tested, scoring 6.5/10. Still, anything under 10 minutes is pretty good in our opinion.

COOKIES Using a spectrophotometer, we rank consistency based on color and doneness. The cookies we baked in the LRE4213ST were a 5.9/10. When we turned on convection, we noticed that cookies came out darker. LG's ProBake convection feature tends to be less forgiving than the standard bake mode, so keep an eye on your food if you're cooking with convection.

CAKE We measure the height of a baked cake at several points to see how well it rose, and we also test for burned and underdone spots on the top and bottom. Overall, the range scored a 3.6/10 for cake baking consistency. As was the case with the cookies, ProBake convection uniformly burned our cakes unless we chose the precise temperature listed in our cake recipe.

PORK Here's where this LG shined. Roasted pork was near-perfect on both convection and regular modes. Overall, it scored a 9.9/10 for roasting consistency—and it smelled delicious!

TOAST This is one of the best broilers we've tested, with a score of 9.7/10. Look how evenly the toast is broiled, and just imagine the possibilities for steak tips, nachos, and French onion soup.

Its superior performance is thanks to a unique infrared design. Most ovens broil with a heating coil that's folded in on itself, and the gaps between the coils lead to cold spots. This LG features a wide sheet of infrared heating elements that broil evenly all the way across.

Range Results

TIME TO BOIL 48 OUNCES OF WATER Boiling was as fast as about five minutes on the front right outer burner. Both front outer burners have a boil time under nine minutes.

MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE REACHED ON BURNER The left front burner brought the surface of a cast iron pan up to a scorching 733ºF, while other burners got between 410º-619ºF. Despite the big variance, this is a high performer compared to other ranges we’ve tested, with a score of 9/10.

MINIMUM TEMPERATURE REACHED ON BURNER On its lowest setting, the left front burner kept a pan at just 81ºF. That might be too low—imagine room temperature soup!—and other burners hovered between 86º-102º F. We prefer a little more control for simmering, which is what gave this range a score of 5.4/10.

Should you buy it?

We're conflicted. The LG does a few things really well, but lags behind when it comes to a few basics. For a more even appliance, check out this Frigidaire Professional FPEF3077QF. It is a reliable electric range with convection that sells for $879 and earned our coveted Best of Year award. It's still our top pick for a sub-$1,000 electric range with convection.