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  • Introduction

  • Design & Usability

  • Rangetop

  • Oven Broiler & Convection

  • Conclusion

  • Science Introduction

  • Oven Performance

  • Rangetop Performance

  • Introduction
  • Design & Usability
  • Rangetop
  • Oven Broiler & Convection
  • Conclusion
  • Science Introduction
  • Oven Performance
  • Rangetop Performance

Introduction

Our expectations for this range were as high as the LG's price—$2,100 MSRP, $1,800 on sale. Unfortunately, this appliance didn't deliver. Performance was middling across the board, and better ovens can be had for less money.

Design & Usability

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This range offers both aesthetics and features.

The LG LDG3017ST is about as pricey a mid-range stove as you can get, but it has the looks and features of its high-end brethren. For that price, you're getting a decent amount of swag: two self-cleaning ovens, interiors adorned in brilliant blue; five top-sealed burners concealed beneath a continuous-grate system; and a boxy range designed so that its stainless steel skin contrasts alluringly with its black trim.

This is a good spread for the $2,000 price.

The two ovens offer a total of 6.1 cubic feet—not too shabby—and the center burner is certified "griddle capable." Yee-haw. This is a good spread for the $2,000 price, and a decent combination of form and function.

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Rangetop

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On the rangetop, we noted acceptable boiling results, despite a weak overall temperature range.

The gas burners couldn't quite hit the low simmering and high searing temperatures.

The LG LDG3017ST's gas burners couldn't quite hit the low simmering and high searing temperatures that are ideal for chefs who want all options at their disposal. The plus side is that the burners hone in on desired temperatures with great precision. Only one burner—the front right—took about seven minutes to boil water, while the others took far longer. After a half hour of trying, the back left burner couldn't boil at all!

Oven Broiler & Convection

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We recommend you use the double-oven only at 350°F.

The overall oven performance was puzzling. Our test results indicated very poor temperature accuracy and control in general—except when pursuing the most common (and thus most important) temperature setting: 350°F. Taking just eight minutes to preheat, the oven showed very little temperature variance, which makes for consistent cooking.

Set the thermostat high or low, and the oven temperature will jump as much as a 100 degrees over time.

We can't give the LG LDG3017ST too much praise, however: Set the thermostat high or low, and the oven temperature will jump as much as a 100 degrees over time. The situation improved when convection was turned on in the lower oven, though. As for broiling (that other business conducted in the confines of an oven), that action was quite reliable, preheating very quickly.

Conclusion

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In a big-picture sense, investing in this oven may not be the best choice.

If you're in the market for a double-oven equipped range, with a budget of around $2,000, there are better options out there than the LG LDG3017ST. That's the bottom line.

There are better options out there than the LG LDG3017ST.

The boiling performance, the muscular preheat, the 350°F setting on the upper oven, and the strong broiler all performed quite well, but otherwise, things were shaky, including the lower convection oven. If this were five 500 dollars cheaper, it might get a perfunctory nod—but it's not, so it doesn't. There are higher-performing double-oven ranges out there. As great as this one looks, it's more sizzle than steak.

Science Introduction

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Our opinions come from performance tests and hard data. There are no feelings involved here, though of course we do provide a little editorial guidance. However, it's all about the numbers on this page.

Oven Performance

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This LG's 350°F temperature setting was very reliable, but praise stops there.

The ovens showed off an odd, inconsistent performance. The upper oven got close to the ideal keep-warm setting of 170°F, achieving a decent 187°F, but it was shockingly uneven.

The lower oven's convection operations were too weak—or too strong. Call it Goldilocks syndrome.

The maximum setting resulted in 518°F, nowhere close to the dial's 550°F. It also varied erratically. The lower oven's convection operations were too weak—or too strong—with the average temperature hitting 22°F over the prescribed 350°F, and fluctuating from 349°F to 408°F. Call it Goldilocks syndrome.

But somehow, we saw absolute excellence in the upper oven's 350°F setting, probably the most common (and necessary) baking setting. Though it was a little warm at 359°F, we were happy to find it maintained a very respectable window of fluctuation, providing even and consistent heat. Incredibly, it stayed between 349°F and 368°F the entire time, an incredibly small amount of fluctuation.

Additionally, the powerful adjustable broiler managed to heat up very quickly, hitting 600°F in just five minutes.

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Rangetop Performance

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Lg leaves us with a gas burner that can boil, but can't diversify its temperatures.

Under the molecular agitation of bright blue flames, water boiled quickly. The most powerful burner, the front-right, boiled six cups in just under six minutes. The front left took 8.5 minutes, and the rear-right took just under 14 minutes, to do the same job. Don't try using the rear-left (simmer) burner, as it took forty-three minutes.

The simmer burner does its job—just not particularly well.

For simmering, the simmer burner does its job—just not particularly well. Keeping our test pan as low as 135°F, this burner wasn't the coolest, as the front left hit 130°F. The other two were even less impressive, at 168°F and 164°F.

Although things were hotter than they should have been for simmering, they were cooler than they should have been with the burners turned up to high, as our test pan sensors topped out at 397°F, and went as low as 277°F, for the rear right burner. Not an ideal result.

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Meet the tester

Richard Baguley

Richard Baguley

Contributor

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Richard Baguley is a veteran writer who has written about technology ranging from Alphabet to Zip file utilities. He has contributed to pretty much every major tech publication, including Amiga Format Magazine, PC World, Wired, CNET, Toms Guide, Forbes, and many others. He lives in the Boston metro area with his wife, dog, and an indeterminate number of cats.

See all of Richard Baguley's reviews

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