Writer Tyler Wells Lynch, co-author of Wirecutter’s guide to high-end ranges, undertook initial research and testing for this guide in 2018. His research included the following:

• Tyler tracked down as much industry sales and trends data as possible from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), Yale Appliance, and J.D. Power.
• He interviewed repair technicians from Maine and Las Vegas, as well as the CEO and resident chef of an appliance store in Boston. (Interviews with a number of other chefs, appliance experts, and designers for our guide to the best high-end ranges provided further context.)
• He spoke with product engineers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UL Solutions, as well as product representatives from the likes of Whirlpool, GE, LG, and AHAM, among others.
• He spent time at showrooms getting a feel for the build quality and sturdiness of some of the most promising models.
• He read through hundreds of owner reviews, reader comments, and message boards to identify any reliability problems or real-world quirks.

In 2022, senior staff writer Rachel Wharton completed a new round of research for this guide. She evaluated the models among our picks that had been redesigned, and she updated our discussion on evolving features such as air frying, convection, and Wi-Fi–enabled smart apps. Rachel also added information about the differences between induction stovetops and radiant-electric stovetops, and why you might consider switching to an electric stove if you currently own a gas model.

To be clear, we have not done our own hands-on cooking and testing of these ranges, though that will play more of a role in our work on future guides to ranges and stoves.

In this guide, we focus on electric-powered versions of stoves that are 30 inches wide (the most common size in the US) with front-mounted controls and no backguard—typically known as slide-in ranges.

These ranges cost more than freestanding models because they look better: Slide-ins sit nearly flush with your counters (a true slide-in may even overlap) and don’t block the view of your backsplash. Otherwise, in comparison with freestanding ranges, these models tend to have similar cooking specs and are likely to have similar lifespans.

Slide-ins come in two subtly different subtypes:

A true slide-in range needs to be installed between two cabinets. The edges of its cooktop overlap your countertop by about an inch on each side, which makes it look almost as if it’s built into your cabinetry. The design also prevents debris and liquid from falling between the stove and the cabinets. The sides of a true slide-in range are unfinished, and there is a gap of a couple of inches between the back of the stove and the wall, which you can cover with a trim kit or countertop material.

A front-control range, on the other hand, doesn’t need to be installed among your cabinets (though you can put it there, if you want). It doesn’t overlap with your countertops and doesn’t leave a gap with the wall. You could argue that front-control models are more like freestanding ranges, but retailers almost always group them with true slide-ins, so that’s what we’ve chosen to do, as well.

Price and performance are roughly equal for the two subtypes, so choosing a model is really a matter of picking one that fits your stove cutout. If you’re replacing a true slide-in range, you should probably stick with the same style. If you’re upgrading from a freestanding range, a front-control range will be easier to slot into the existing space without any modifications. If you’re renovating your kitchen, pick whichever stove you want before your contractor or designer starts building so that they can set up the space the right way.

Compared with high-end ranges like those from Miele, Thermador, or Wolf, slide-ins typically don’t have such a heavy-duty build or luxurious look, nor do they usually have as versatile a cooktop or as consistent an oven. But they also cost thousands of dollars less and still lend your kitchen an elevated look.

If you’re considering all your options, we also have guides to induction cooktops, slide-in gas ranges, freestanding electric ranges, freestanding gas ranges, high-end or “pro” ranges, wall ovens, and portable induction cooktops.

Most of the picks in this guide have radiant-electric cooktops, which use simple heat transfer between a hot coil (typically under a smooth glass cooktop) and your pot. But there’s also induction—this is another type of electric cooktop that’s not as mainstream as radiant electric or gas but is quickly growing in popularity. Induction burners work via electromagnetic induction, which produces heat in the pan itself instead of on the cooktop.

Induction stovetops can keep your kitchen cooler, safer, and cleaner because they don’t employ flames or direct heat, they can’t get hot without a pot on top, and spills don’t bake onto the surface because it doesn’t heat up. Induction stovetops do require that your pots and pans be magnetic—but such pieces constitute an increasingly large percentage of most common cookware.

Induction is an excellent way to cook using electric power, and a growing number of cooks even prefer it over gas cooking. It’s also very good at maintaining low temperatures or a simmer, as well as bringing water to a boil quickly. Energy Star, the energy-efficiency arm of the Environmental Protection Agency, has found that induction cooktops are the most efficient at transferring heat to your food, running at about 85% efficiency. Traditional radiant-electric cooktops are next at 75% to 80% efficiency, and gas ranges are just 32% efficient. (We have a guide to induction cooktops, as well as guidance on the pros and cons of cooking with induction.)

Note that induction cooktops and high-quality radiant-electric models look and feel similar, with the cooking elements under a smooth glass surface. Induction ranges also feature a radiant-electric oven. If you want a durable induction stove with a nice assortment of features, you should expect to pay much more than you would for a radiant-electric stove of the same quality, though we hope to add budget-priced induction options in the future.

If your kitchen already has a gas connection, you may be considering an affordable gas stove. But this might be a good time to consider a switch to electric: Within the next year or so, the Inflation Reduction Act will provide federal rebates and tax credits for buying and installing an electric stove, whether it’s a radiant-electric or induction model. It also offers rebates for some of the rewiring that’s often required, making the process of shifting away from gas more affordable for many people.

If you have the option, there are other good reasons to consider an electric stove over a gas version. Gas stoves may be potentially risky for your health, even with ventilation, in part because they emit benzene and methane. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported in January 2023 that it plans to strengthen voluntary safety standards on new gas stoves as concerns grow around their health risks; a December 2022 study found that 12.7% of childhood asthma cases could be attributed to gas stove use. Any electric stove beats gas at cooking efficiency. And if you’re concerned about sustainability, electric appliances can also be powered by renewable energy sources like wind or the sun. Still, we know that some people prefer cooking with gas or may not have the option to switch to an induction or radiant-electric range. That’s why we’ll continue to keep our guides to freestanding gas ranges and slide-in gas ranges updated with recommendations and tips on how to cook with gas more safely.

After comparing more than 60 models, we’ve determined that these are the most important features to look for in a slide-in range:

Cooktop

On a regular radiant-electric cooktop, you should expect a power element (or burner) of at least 3,000 watts, if not a little higher. With a stronger burner, pots and pans heat up faster, which saves you a few minutes waiting for big pots of water to boil or for a pan to get hot enough for a good sear. Most ranges also have at least one 1,200-watt simmer burner, as well as a low-wattage “keep warm” zone, where you can hold or melt without risk of scorching anything. In total, the cooktop should have five burners.

For an induction cooktop, the standards are different. It’s a superior technology, hands down. Water always boils faster, the heat rises, lowers, or shuts off nearly instantly (whereas radiant elements take a while to cool off), and the technology is excellent at holding low temperatures. (Induction cooktops usually don’t have a fifth low-power warming element—you don’t need one.) If you have the budget for a slide-in range with an induction cooktop, don’t worry too much about its particular specs—it will be awesome no matter what.

Some readers have told us that they prefer to have the two strongest burners in the front row of their cooktops because those are the burners they use most often, and they find it more convenient to reach those burners that way. But keep in mind that some pediatricians recommend boiling water on the back burner, where kids can’t reach the pot. (Range hoods also tend to do a better job over the back burners.) Induction cooktops typically put the large elements more in the middle, which is a nice compromise.

Pretty much every slide-in radiant-electric or induction range has a smooth ceramic glass surface. Smooth cooktops are much easier to clean than exposed-coil elements and a metal cooktop (which are rare on slide-ins anyway), and they look nicer. (However, people do complain that this type of surface scratches more easily and doesn’t hide stains as well as metal ones do.)

Flex-width elements are pretty common on radiant-electric ranges. As their name suggests, they add some flexibility by allowing you to choose from two or three different element “sizes” to match the width of the pot or pan you’re using.

For this guide, we favor cooktops that you can control with movable, physical dials rather than buttons because they’ve traditionally been easier to use and more responsive for most people. However, it’s increasingly common, especially on induction ranges, to have touch controls or digital dials to control the burners—and this technology is improving.

Oven

Capacity matters a little, but most slide-ins have an oven that’s larger than 4.8 cubic feet—plenty of space for a 26-pound Thanksgiving turkey, a 16-inch pizza stone, or all but the very largest sizes of baking sheets or roasting pans. (No 30-inch range we’ve seen can fit a full-size baking sheet.)

All but the cheapest ranges have three racks in the oven. Some of the really high-end models have one rolling rack, which is useful when you’re removing dishes.

The vast majority of slide-in ranges have some kind of convection cooking mode. In convection cooking, a fan in the back of the oven helps spread heat more evenly so that you can cook at lower temperatures for less time. When convection works well, large batches of cookies bake more evenly, pastry crusts come out flakier, and roasted meats and veggies are crispier on the outside and juicier on the inside. Some convection ovens add one or even two extra electric heating elements near the fan, which makes temperatures more consistent throughout the oven. (Depending on the brand, it’s usually called true convection or European convection.)

Many owners want a self-cleaning mode, particularly a high-heat, “pyrolytic” mode. Some repair technicians say that high-heat cleaning could damage the electronics, particularly if other components like fans or insulation are not in peak condition. But self-cleaning features undergo tests before the ranges are sold. (A self-cleaning feature is also by far the easiest way to clean an oven, though we have tips for making it a gentler, less laborious process.) Some ranges have a steam-based self-cleaning feature, but it’s more effective for frequent, light cleaning and not a substitute for a high-heat setting. Our take: You should have the option to use a high-heat cleaning mode on all but the cheapest ranges. If you’re worried about damaging your appliance, don’t use it.

Build quality and design

The more finish options a model offers, the more flexibility you have when designing your kitchen. We give a slight preference to models with at least three options.

We looked for knobs that felt securely fastened to the front of the range without too large a gap between the dial and the body. We checked for oven doors that opened smoothly but not too lightly, racks and drawers that were easy to slide out or remove, and a sturdy control panel—preferably with a glass touchscreen, because it looks sleeker than a control pad with membrane-style buttons. But if a range has a membrane control pad, it should be tight and responsive. (All of the units we saw were floor models, so they may have undergone more wear and tear than a range in a typical house.)

We also like to see a number pad for inputting oven temperatures, as it’s a lot easier to use than up and down buttons.

Reliability and customer service

Reliability and customer service are difficult to pin down, but here’s the standard we’ve set for our picks: Owner reviews shouldn’t reveal any clear, consistent pattern of widespread defects, design problems, or egregiously bad product support. For this reason, we usually favor slightly older and more popular styles because we know more about them.

We also take into account reliability data from J.D. Power and Yale Appliance. Neither source is comprehensive, though.

Over our years of reporting on appliances, we’ve also gathered feedback from repair technicians about the brands that they think are the most reliable. But that feedback is highly anecdotal and not very consistent, so we don’t weigh it heavily in our decisions unless there seems to be a consensus about a specific brand or model.

Less-important features

A temperature probe, griddle, or any other cooking accessory can be cool and useful, and many ranges come with one or more of these pieces as a toss-in. But you can buy any of them separately, too.

Extra cooking modes such as delayed start, food-specific presets, proofing modes, or scan-to-cook modes are all fine. We don’t go out of our way to avoid models with these cooking modes, but we don’t favor them, either.

Wi-Fi connectivity can’t baste a turkey or turn a cookie sheet. It can help you diagnose malfunctions, download new features, or allow you to control the oven settings with voice commands, though we’re still concerned about the potential security and privacy risks of having a connected appliance (plus, they don’t always work in every home). Even if you think Wi-Fi is a little silly to have in a range, it’s common enough now that you might not be able to avoid it for much longer. You can always just choose to never set it up.

Top pick

GE JS760

The best slide-in electric stove

This competitively priced slide-in range from a reputable brand has great cooking features and comes in several good-looking finishes.

Buying Options

$760 from GE Appliances

Note: The GE JS760 has been discontinued and replaced with the GE 600 Series, which is our new top pick. We'll update this guide fully soon.

Most electric slide-in ranges work great, but we like the GE JS760 the most. GE has a strong reputation for stoves, and this model is as well reviewed as they come, with no obvious defects, design flaws, or reliability concerns. It’s available in four finishes, which is more than we’ve seen on competing models, and those options should help the stove look good in all kinds of kitchens. The cooktop is versatile and sensibly laid out, and the JS760 has a large oven with convection and a choice of self-cleaning modes. (We also recommend the gas version of the JS760, the JGS760, as our favorite gas slide-in.)

We had a chance to look at the JS760 at a showroom in Portland, Maine, and we could find no obvious construction or durability problems. It has a strong construction and a simple design. The oven and storage doors are lightweight and swing open smoothly. The knobs clearly indicate which burners they control—a somewhat obvious feature that isn’t as common as you might think. The electronic touchpad is sealed by a tight plastic membrane. The buttons and control knobs are made of decent material, but in the showroom they were a bit loose for our liking—that could’ve been because we were looking at a heavily used floor model.

With four finish options, the JS760 should fit almost any kitchen aesthetic. It comes in stainless steel (JS760SPSS), fingerprint-resistant slate (JS760EPES), fingerprint-resistant black slate (JS760FPDS), and white (JS760DPWW). The JS760 is also one of the best reviewed slide-ins we’ve seen.

We like that the JS760 puts the most powerful burners up front and places the secondary burners in the back. The 3,100-watt, flex-width front-left power burner is slightly more powerful than what you get on other, similarly priced ranges, and it sits next to a 3,000-watt flex-width burner. Both should boil a gallon of water in about eight minutes. The JS760 also has two 1,200-watt elements in the back, plus a 100-watt warm zone.

The JS760’s oven is big enough to fit the biggest Thanksgiving turkey you’re likely to find, as well as a 16-inch pizza stone or a three-quarters-size baking sheet. (No 30-inch range we’ve seen can fit a full-size baking sheet.) It offers true convection, with options for convection bake and convection roast (terms that simply refer to which elements are engaged during the convection cycle), plus a no-preheat air-fry setting. Inside are three removable racks with six height options. Both high-heat and steam-based self-cleaning are available. A number pad allows you to input temperatures or set cook times.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

A handful of buyers have written that they find the JS760’s cooktop hard to clean relative to other ranges they’ve owned.

Many similarly priced ranges have at least one upscale feature such as glass touch panels or a gliding rack, but the JS760 has none.

Upgrade pick

Bosch 800 Series HEI8056U

Upscale look, sturdier build

Details such as glass touch panels, metal knobs, and heavier-duty hardware set this European-style range apart.

Buying Options

$2,159 from Lowe's

$2,399 from Home Depot

If you’re willing to pay more for a better-looking, heavier-duty range but don’t want to step all the way up to a luxury brand, we recommend the Bosch 800 Series HEI8056U. This is a true slide-in range, so it overlaps countertops a bit and looks more like a built-in appliance than a regular front-control slide-in does. The Bosch HEI8056U is considerably more expensive than the GE JS760, but it’s one of the finest-looking and most durable ranges you can get for the price, with a classic stainless steel finish that will look great in most kitchens, even if you remodel around it over time.

Despite its much-higher price, the HEI8056U offers only modestly better cooking specs than the JS760 and other more moderately priced slide-ins. This Bosch model has a slightly stronger power burner than usual, at 3,200 watts, as well as one of the better convection features (on paper, at least), with a fan-on option for all three cooking modes: roast, broil, and bake. It also comes with a temperature probe and a proofing mode for making bread. The glass cooktop of the HEI8056U overlaps countertops by several millimeters, completely covering the gap between the range and the counter. But the 4.6-cubic-foot oven is pretty small compared with what you can find in most of today’s ranges (though it fits all of the same important things, such as a large bird, a pizza stone, or a three-quarters baking sheet).

There is also a more expensive induction version of this range, the Bosch 800 Series HII8057U, which has a cooktop that is the 30-inch version of the Bosch 800 Series NIT8660UC we recommend in our induction cooktop guide. The HII8057U’s cooktop has four elements, rather than five, and was designed with digital controls on its surface instead of knobs on the control panel. The oven is the same as that of the HEI8056U.

Upgrade pick

GE Profile PHS930

Awesome induction cooktop

If cooking performance is your priority, this range’s induction cooktop is much faster, safer, and more responsive than a regular radiant-electric range.

Buying Options

$3,008 from Home Depot

$2,498 from Wayfair

The ultimate upgrade for an electric range is an induction cooktop, which harnesses the power of electromagnetism for faster cooking, precise control, and greater safety. It also helps keep your kitchen cooler. If you want to make this leap, we recommend the GE Profile PHS930.

The PHS930 has the best all-around specs we’ve seen on any electric slide-in range with an induction cooktop, including a 3,700-watt, flex-width power burner and two 2,500-watt elements that you can “bridge” into a single long element. The oven is similar to that of the GE JS760 but adds a few extra features and cooking modes. It’s a good-looking range, if not quite as elegant as the similarly priced Bosch HEI8056U, and its owner ratings are very good.

If there’s one thing we wish this range had, it would be knobs to control the cooktop—but that kind of control is rare on induction cooktops. GE calls its touch-based system Glide Touch; you adjust the temperature using a virtual, touch-based dial (you can see how it works in this video). It certainly seems like a better system than the up-and-down buttons on most induction cooktops. In any case, owners rarely seem to complain about GE Glide Touch.

A Wi-Fi feature on the PHS930 allows it to sync with an app so that you can check to see if the oven is preheated or whether the timer has gone off. You don’t have to set it up if you don’t want to.

The PHS930 has two finish options: stainless steel (PHS930YPFS) and fingerprint-resistant black stainless steel (PHS930BPTS). Like all GE slide-ins, this is a front-control range rather than a true slide-in.

As with any induction cooktop, you need to make sure you have compatible cookware; much of the cookware available these days will work. (Wirecutter’s picks for saucepans, skillets, cast-iron pans, and Dutch ovens are all fully compatible with any induction burner, as is one of our picks for nonstick pans.)

Budget pick

GE JS645

If you need just a cheap slide-in

If you want to get a front-control range without spending too much money, this is a perfectly adequate option.

Buying Options

$800 from Best Buy

$899 from Lowe's

Note: The GE JS645 has been discontinued. Our new budget picks are the Frigidaire FCFE3083AS, which has a radiant cooktop, and the Frigidaire FCFI3083AS, which has an induction cooktop. We’ll update this guide fully soon.

If you’re certain you want a slide-in range (maybe you’re replacing an old one) but want something affordable, the GE JS645 is your best bet. Usually found for less than $1,000, it has surprisingly decent specs. The cooktop rivals others in this guide, though the range has no convection mode. It’s very well reviewed, it looks nice, and it comes in four finishes. And we couldn’t find evidence of any long-term reliability issues.

When we looked at the JS645 in person, we could tell that it was cheaper than its competitors. The burner knobs felt a little flimsy, and we couldn’t help but think that the control panel looked a bit goofy. The construction generally feels cheaper than on most ranges, and the exposed bake element in the oven suggests that the cooking temperatures might not be as even or consistent as you’d like. However, the four finish options—stainless steel (JS645SLSS), fingerprint-resistant slate (JS645ELES), fingerprint-resistant black slate (JS645FLDS), and white (JS645DLWW)—offer you some versatility in designing your kitchen.

Despite the cheaper feel, the JS645 is well reviewed. We couldn’t find any evidence of widespread quality-control problems.

Best for

GE Profile PS960YPFS

Best slide-in range with a double-oven

This double-oven range has one of the largest lower ovens we’ve seen in this quirky category, as well as one of the strongest power-burner elements we’ve seen on any electric stovetop.

Buying Options

$2,498 from Home Depot

$2,500 from Best Buy

$2,499 from Lowe's

A double-oven range isn’t as spacious or versatile as a double wall oven—but it can still be a good way to add extra cooking convenience to a kitchen that’s set up for a regular 30-inch stove. In this category, we suggest the GE Profile PS960YPFS because it offers the best cooking features of any slide-in electric range and seems to be well-built.

Relative to similar stoves from other brands, this GE model has the strongest and most versatile cooktop we found, with a 3,600-watt power burner. The lower oven cavity is 17.5 inches tall, the biggest you’ll find in this category by at least an inch. That extra space means that a large turkey, ham, or other roast is more likely to fit—this model should be able to handle a 20-pound turkey. A convection feature is available in the lower oven, too.

The Profile PS960YPFS still has some of the same downsides as all double-oven ranges do: Bending all the way down to the lower oven can be a pain, you probably won’t be able to fit the largest birds or roasts in it, and you might get some heat transfer between the ovens. Also, this model has no knobs or dials, just digital controls—even for the cooktop.

But if you think a double-oven range will suit your needs, the Profile PS960YPFS is your best bet. It’s available in stainless steel.

GE makes a slew of other slide-in ranges, and if you like the look of a particular model that we don’t specifically recommend in this guide, it’s probably fine. In general, GE’s major cooking appliances have above-average ratings from owners, strong reviews from editorial sources, and a solid reputation among appliance pros such as technicians and kitchen designers.

We used to recommend an LG oven. But we noticed way too many owner complaints about LG’s ProBake convection technology, which puts the bake element in the back of the oven by the fan. Not surprisingly, a lot of people complain about their dishes cooking unevenly, with burning on portions in the back of the oven and undercooking on the bottom. It has become a common-enough complaint that we’re now shying away from LG models with ProBake.

After a new round of research, we have new picks. The GE 600 Series is our top pick for a slide-in range with a radiant cooktop, and the GE Profile PHS930 is our top pick for a slide-in range with an induction cooktop. (The GE Profile PHS93E, a slightly more expensive Energy Star–certified version, is eligible to be purchased using appliance rebates under the Inflation Reduction Act.)

The Energy Star–certified Frigidaire FCFE3083AS, which has a radiant cooktop, and the Frigidaire FCFI3083AS, which has an induction cooktop, are our budget picks. For frequent bakers, our picks are the Energy Star–certified Frigidaire Gallery GCFE3060BF (radiant cooktop) and the Frigidaire Gallery GCFI3060BF (induction cooktop), both of which have a true convection oven with advanced features. All four of these models are eligible to be purchased using appliance rebates under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Our upgrade picks are the Bosch 800 Series HEI8056U (radiant cooktop) and the Bosch 800 Series HII8057U (induction cooktop). These have an upscale look and feel but are not as expensive as a true high-end range.

We also recommend the Electrolux ECFI3068AS for an induction range with knobs rather than a touch screen (a rarity), and the GE Profile PS960YPFS for a double-oven range (it has a radiant cooktop). We’ll update this guide fully soon.

The most important thing you can do to care for your range is to clean the cooktop and oven after every use—ideally when they’re both still slightly warm and it’s easier to remove greasy residue. A quick wipedown with a damp rag is often all you need to prevent fat and other food substances from baking onto either surface (or burning and creating smoke that can ruin your meal) the next time you cook.

You should also read your stove’s manual before you use any cleaning products on its cooktop surface or oven interior, and especially before you use a self-cleaning function. (Most require you to remove racks and anything else inside an oven.) Many common cleansers and sponges can scratch or mar metal or ceramic-glass surfaces, or remove any images or markings on them.

To learn more, read our pieces on how to clean an oven and how to clean a glass cooktop.

Rachel Wharton contributed reporting. This article was edited by Ingrid Skjong and Courtney Schley.