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  • Introduction

  • Design & Usability

  • Rangetop

  • Oven, Broiler, & Convection

  • Conclusion

  • From the Lab

  • Oven Performance

  • Rangetop Performance

  • Introduction
  • Design & Usability
  • Rangetop
  • Oven, Broiler, & Convection
  • Conclusion
  • From the Lab
  • Oven Performance
  • Rangetop Performance

Introduction

Low cost, low expectations…

Design & Usability

A white square with a door on the front, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

You have to hand it to Amana, it knows its audience. If you are unimpressed by rugged industrial construction or sleek, European designs, you may appreciate the no-nonsense aesthetic of the Amana AER5823XAW. You may call it “boring”, or if you’re feeling generous, “classic”.

You may call it “boring”, or if you’re feeling generous, “classic”.

The AER5823XAW features a glass-ceramic rangetop. While it looks great, you may want to rethink your choice of pots—as some cooking materials may damage the shiny, cermaic surface.

Similar to the Amana AER5830VAW the AER5823XAW has the burner controls on the backsplash. This may be a boon to those with small children, but as a tradeoff it forces the user to reach over hot surfaces in order to adjust the settings.

{{photo_gallery "Vanity", "Front", "Rangetop Controls", "Oven Controls", "Burners 1", "Burners 2", "Burners Cleaning", "Upper Oven", "Upper Oven Detail", "Oven Detail", "Lower Oven Detail", "Lower Oven", "Drawer", "Broiler",}}

Rangetop

”The range, the range, the range is on fire… “

The Amana AER5823XAW achieved some truly impressive high and low temperatures. Rest assured, whether it be searing a steak or gently melting chocolate, this rangetop should meet all your cooking needs. In fact the AER5823XAW got a little too hot, with one burner reaching a high temperature of 801ºF. We can’t think of any practical application for that kind of heat. Maybe Amana felt the need to compensate for its entry-level reputation? Stovetop zinc casting perhaps? Something we would never recommend for home use of course.

Rest assured, whether it be searing a steak or gently melting chocolate, this rangetop should meet all your cooking needs.

As is so often the case with flat glass electric rangetops, the boiling performance was less than stellar. In fact, only the front left burner managed to reach a rolling boil in less than seven minutes.

Oven, Broiler, & Convection

It does the job, but aspiring bakers may want to look elsewhere.

The AER5823XAW is a remarkably imprecise oven

The AER5823XAW hit the ground running when we tested its preheat performance. One thing is certain, you won’t have to hang around for this oven to get warm. But with speed comes speed wobbles, and boy, does the AER5823XAW1 have some wobbly performance. The AER5823XAW is a remarkably imprecise oven, able to reach the correct temperatures but unable to maintain them for any length of time. And don’t rely on the convection setting to improve oven precision because there isn’t one. While we can’t judge the Amana AER5823XAW too harshly considering its low price, we would advise aspiring bakers to look elsewhere, as using this oven may result in a sad soggy birthday cake.

Conclusion

The Sam Worthington of ranges

Take a minute to Google Sam Worthington. Don’t worry, I’ll wait. Like the Avatar actor, this Amana isn't a superstar, but it's a servicable choice that will get the job done. The Amana AER5823XAW is a textbook example of an average, forgettable oven. It’s not going to win any awards in the looks department, and it’s performance is nothing special.

It’s difficult to find a good oven for less than $1000 and the AER5823XAW does nothing to buck that trend. The Amana AER5823XAW is clearly designed and marketed with the budget buyer in mind. But, despite some impressive rangetop temperatures and a super-fast preheat, the AER5823XAW’s mediocre oven performance is reason enough to pass it by—regardless of the price tag.

From the Lab

Temperature range isn’t everything.

The Amana AER5823XAW failed to impress, despite some pretty high and low rangetop temperatures. Like the Amana AER5830VAW, mediocre temperature regulation shoulders most of the blame for the AER5823XAW’s poor performance.

Oven Performance

About as precise as a sledgehammer…

The Amana AER5823XAW had a lightning fast preheat, reaching the target temperature of 170ºF in 6.53 minutes—that's faster than most ovens. The oven also managed to average 179.03ºF and 525.01ºF, for our 170ºF Keep Warm and 550ºF Maximum setting tests, respectively. These are excellent results. Unfortunately, the 350ºF setting was a disappointment, only averaging 319ºF. Performance was further marred by some truly awful precision results, with an average temperature variance of ±46ºF at the 350°F setting. If there is any oven that desperately needs better tempurature regulation, it’s this one.

We did not expect great things from the broiler, sadly those expectations were met. The Amana AER5823XAW’s broiler took a perfectly average 4 minutes and 50 seconds to reach 602ºF.

{{photo_gallery "Primary Oven Keep-Warm", "Primary Oven 350F", "Primary Oven Max", "Secondary Oven Convection", "Oven Variance"}}

Rangetop Performance

An amazing range of temperatures is hampered by mediocre boil speeds.

One thing is certain: the Amana AER5823XAW burners get hot. Too hot in fact, with the primary burner able to reach a high maximum temperature of 801ºF. Matching its extremely high temperature, the AER5823XAW had a low temperature of 91ºF. But like an “extreme” pro-wrestler the AER5823XAW was all about strength over speed and the primary burner only managed to boil 6 cups of water in 6 minutes and 95 seconds. Keeping in the wrestler theme, when summing up this rangetop’s performance we think the dear departed Macho Man Randy Savage said it best: “too hot to handle and too cold to hold!” Well said Randy, well said.

Meet the tester

James Aitchison

James Aitchison

Editor

@revieweddotcom

Aside from covering all things sleep, James moonlights as an educational theatre practitioner, amateur home chef, and weekend hiker.

See all of James Aitchison's reviews

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