This range is one in Frigidaire's Professional product line. It is made of genuine stainless steel, with a protective coating that reduces fingerprints and makes it easier to clean. This FPEF3081KF model is 29 7/8" wide, 47 inches high, and 28 ½ inches deep. The cook top is a smooth black and features five elements, one of which is a warming zone element and is not designed for cooking. User controls allow two of the cooking elements to be combined to create a larger cooking zone for larger cookware, such as a griddle. There is also a PowerPlus(TM) boil feature that allows for faster boiling of liquids. Both the cook top and the oven are controlled by a panel located at the rear of the cook top. Cook top element power settings range from Hi to Lo. Settings between 9.5 and 3.0 can be increased or decreased in increments of 0.5. The simmer settings (1.2 to 2.8) can be increased or decreased in increments of 0.2, down to the Lo setting. The oven settings include the traditional timer, preheat, delay start, clean bake time, and broil. This model has a variable broil feature, as well, which allows the user to select a broil temperature between 400 and 500?F. The oven can be used as a convection oven by selecting the "convect" setting on the control panel. Pizza and chicken nugget pads on the control panel allow for one-touch baking of these popular foods. Settings for the warming drawer, which is located under the oven, are also found on the control panel.

Being able to manage all the features of this range by using the single panel at the rear of the cook top has a couple of advantages. This eliminates the need to clean around or remove/replace knobs when wiping down the unit, and there are no knobs to attract the attention of an unattended child. Besides the control panel location, I particularly like the "keep warm" features on this model and use both the warming drawer and the warming element on the cook top on almost a daily basis.

On the downside, the cook top requires more upkeep because of its color. While the smooth black surface is very sleek looking, it shows water spots more readily than the speckled-gray ceramic tops I've seen on other ranges. In addition, the white ceramic cleaner I use frequently finds its way to the edges of the cook top and settles in the slight groove between it and the body of the range. The white-on- black detracts from the sleek appearance, and I find myself wielding a toothpick to remove the cleaner from the cracks more often than I'd like. Still, it is a tradeoff I think I'd make again. As with all ceramic cook tops, it is necessary to use only flat-bottomed cookware, and cookware made of cast iron, glass, or copper is not recommended, which may be an argument in support of purchasing a gas range.

The MSRP of this Frigidaire model is $1,549. Electric ranges with similar features that are offered by other manufacturers sell for prices between $1,000 and $2,800, so this Frigidaire Professional electric range is priced very competitively.