Kudos Frigidaire!

Overall, after more than a month of use, our Frigidaire 27” Gallery wall (cabinet mounted) combination oven and microwave has performed well. It’s definitely 4+ stars, so assigning 5 stars (rounding up) is only a slight overrating. When evaluating a major appliance purchase we tend to consider the negative reviews more thoroughly. Alarmingly, this Frigidaire wall oven has some doozy bad experience reviews. However, the negative reviews of competing manufacturer combo wall ovens were just as concerning. So, all things being equal, we chose the Frigidaire since the oven’s heating elements and the upper microwave oven wattages were among the highest in its peer group. And, importantly, this combo oven simply had more features (operating modes) than similar competitor appliances. So far, all operating modes that we’ve used have performed well. The various convection modes work particularly well, heating the oven very uniformly. The slow roast mode works superbly with bulky cuts of meat. We were skeptical of not preheating the oven (per the touchpad instruction) when using the convection roast mode. But lo, without extending our customary cooking times, it worked perfectly. We have not yet tried the steam-bake/roast, air fry, dehydrate, sous vid or Sabbath modes (Jewish Sabbath not applicable to our household). Also, we have not used the high temperature cleaning mode, but the steam cleaning mode worked with good results. The upper oven has only been used as a microwave, even though it has crisp and convection bake mode features. I did run the time to boil 1 cup of tap water and that came in about right for the 1000 watt rated microwave. See Google for simple ways to test your microwave oven power level. We also like that the oven operates very quietly. The convection mode fan is barely audible, while the oven’s cooling fan has a soft (low) unobtrusive tone. In the Quick Start Guide Frigidaire advises to expect various control relay, metal expansion and other noises – but we have not experienced such. As well, the oven generated virtually no odor or smoke on its recommended initial 350F, half hour, break in run. The manual includes instructions for calibrating the oven temperature, but measurements with a good quality Thermoworks digital oven thermometer have found the factory calibration to be accurate. A very strong point with this Frigidaire oven is the digital touchpad interface. It is very logically designed with helpful prompts that efficiently guide you through the menus. You almost don’t need to read the manual, but it’s recommended that you do, as much additional info is provided there. In fact, it would be useful if Frigidaire provided a DVD (instructional video) with the appliance since there are so many operating features and cooking tips that can enhance the oven’s results. The oven and microwave interiors are black, however the lower oven is well lit with two bright (large) halogen bulbs. The microwave has one light which is adequate, but the manual does not provide any instructions on how to access the light if the bulb burns out (instructions are provided to change out the bulb(s) in the lower oven). Lastly, the exterior of this Gallery appliance has a definite upscale look with its large black glass inserts held in narrow bushed stainless steel frames. The graceful and sturdy large oven door handles have nice bright chrome accents. The lower oven’s interior racks are heavy gauge bright chrome and the lower oven’s “glide rack” (bearing slides) is a great feature for heavy roasting pans. Of course, long term product reliability is an open question. But a 3 year warranty extension was purchased adding about 6 percent to the total cost. There are three issues to note. First, from the top surface of the glide rack to the oven’s broiler element is only 9.75 inches, maximum. It appears that Frigidaire could have formed (stamped) a rack mounting position at least an inch to 1.5 inches lower on the oven’s interior sides. The added clearance would aid roasting something large like a turkey. Secondly, installation of the appliance was overall quite easy. However, the installation was complicated by the fact that on the control panel backside, at the very top edge, is a single round head sheet metal screw. The protrusion of this screw head prevents mounting the oven flush to the cabinet surface. To overcome this interference a palm router was used, with two temporarily clamped wood guides, to safely cope out a 3/16 inch deep semicircular pocket for the screw head to register within. The necessity (hassle) to rout a pocket could have been avoided had Frigidaire formed a countersink and used a flat head screw on the control panel back surface. Lastly, the end of cycle tone can’t be adjusted high enough to be heard if you’re outside the kitchen with even low background noise from the TV or music system present.