Frigidaire Professional PCFG3078AF Gas Range Review

Frigidaire Gallery vs. Professional: What’s the difference?

Although all Frigidaire Gallery and Professional ovens look similar, they’re designed to cater to different user preferences. In comparison to the energy-efficient and easy-to-operate Gallery line, the Professional line offers more control, precision, and a wider range of temperature settings for various cooking purposes, which skilled home chefs may appreciate. Additionally, there are cosmetic differences in terms of the finish, as the Professional looks more like a high-end range.

Air Fry mode

Whether you like it or not, air fryers are here to stay—and we’re seeing more and more air fryers being directly integrated into ovens. As air frying in general is just a version of convection cooking, it’s not absolutely necessary to buy an oven with an air fry setting to achieve these results, but the preset is handy.

Unlike the Gallery series, you don’t need to buy extra air fry trays with this model—a ReadyCook Air Fry tray is included in the package. The tray can cook 22 chicken wings at once, doubling the number of wings made in a countertop air fryer. As we’ve noted before, “air frying” is just a marketing term for convection cooking in these ovens.

True convection

This Frigidaire PCFG3078AF range also has “true convection,” which means there’s a third heating element in addition to convection fan that can guarantee heating consistency throughout cooking. In the Gallery range testing, we discovered the oven’s true convection mode was distributing heat evenly throughout the oven.

Flexible five burner cooktop

Much like the Frigidaire Gallery gas range we tested in our labs, this cooktop features five burners—one in each corner and an oval-shaped one in the middle. While the gas range that we reviewed from the Gallery line has a 10,000-BTU oval burner, this Professional range has a 15,000-BTU central burner. It also comes with a compatible grill pan and corner-to-corner continuous grates, which allow users to move heavy pots and pans across burners without lifting. Plus, the grates are dishwasher safe.

Effortless temperature probe

This PCFG3078AF range also comes with a wired smart probe that can detect and alert users when desired cooking time and temperature are reached when roasting or baking. It then automatically switches the oven to the Keep Warm setting. This feature ensures users can cook with accuracy, decreasing the chances of over- or under-cooking meals. As we saw at this year’s CES, wireless smart probes are also becoming increasingly popular, so the Frigidaire probe may not be as big of a draw as it used to be.

Other features we like

• Quick preheat that allows you to start baking within minutes.
  
• Smudge-proof stainless steel, which gives the range a sleek, polished look. The high-quality material also makes cleaning a breeze.
  
• Rear filler kit helps users fill the gap between the backsplash and the back of the range, which creates a custom built-in look.
  
• Star-K certified Shabbat mode for those who observe Shabbat.
• Fast steam cleaning can give the oven a quick clean without burning off food.

Should you buy it?

Since we’ve yet to test this gas range in our lab, it’s too early to make a recommendation as to whether it's worth the investment. But between the features and our confidence in the Frigidaire brand, we expect it's a solid option for home chefs looking for an upgrade. Although the Professional line is not as affordable as the Gallery ranges we’ve tested, we’re confident these ranges are worth checking out. Expect them to hit the market in the fall of 2020.