Whirlpool WEE510S0FS Electric Range Review

Why we like it

If you’re switching your freestanding range, this slide-in model is one of the easiest to install. Typically, when swapping a freestanding for a slide-in range, an extra piece of counter needs to be installed to compensate for the lack of backsplash and shallower build. But this range is the same depth of a freestanding model, so you can just replace your freestanding range with no remodeling necessary.

It also has a lot more going for it:

Pros

• Upscale aesthetic at reasonable price (under $800 on sale)
• Controls are at the front of the range so you don’t have to reach across a hot cooktop
• In our tests, it roasted pork and baked cookies very evenly
• Large oven with a useful storage drawer
• Most burners reached about 685ºF—hot enough to sear a steak or cook a stir fry

Cons

• The oven takes a while to preheat
• There's no convection, and cakes baked unevenly

What owners think

This range scores 4.3 / 5 stars on Home Depot. Users love that this range is "sleek-looking," and think that the slide-in design—without rear mounted controls or a backsplash—makes a kitchen seem larger.

Owners say that the range is easy to clean, with owners noting how much they love the lack of "ugly, hard-to-clean knobs,” the black smoothtop ceramic surface, and the "sleek control panel which is so easy to wipe clean.”

Users praise its performance, too, noting that the sensor bake feature cooks evenly. One reviewer likes that the range's burners are adjustable—with a touch of the panel, a 6-inch burner can transform into a 9-inch burner, making room for lots of pots and pans.

What our tests show

Yes, owners love it. But we also put the WEE510S0FS through the same battery of tests we use on every range we evaluate to see how well it performed.

We checked high and low temperatures for each of the burners, examined how evenly it heated a pan, baked cakes and cookies, roasted a pork loin, and broiled a tray of toast to serve as a heat map of hot and cool spots in the oven. We scored the food on a scale of 10 compared to the rest of the ovens and ranges we've tested this year.

Oven

TIME TO PREHEAT It took this oven 12:28 to reach our preheat temperature of 350º F.

COOKIES Moderately even, 7.03/10 for consistency compared to other ranges we've tested.

CAKE Uneven, 4.7/10 for consistency compared to other ranges we've tested.

PORK LOIN Super even, 9.9 consistency

TOAST You can see the hot spot at the front left, but otherwise it broiled evenly.

Stovetop

TIME TO BOIL 48 OZ OF WATER About ten minutes minutes on average, but as fast as about seven minutes on the outer ring of the left front burner.

MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE REACHED ON BURNER The surface of a pan hit 812ºF on the outer ring of the front right burner, other burners got between 687º-805º F.

MINIMUM TEMPERATURE REACHED ON BURNER A pan reached 102ºF on the inner ring of the front right burner, other burners hovered between 106º-117º F.

Features

Frozen Bake Technology—Skip preheat and cook frozen food quickly, a helpful feature for those who eat a lot of pizza (or shop at Trader Joe's).

Sleek, knobless design—Use arrows to select your desired temperature in increments of five degrees. While this creates a beautiful aesthetic, some people prefer to fire up burners with knobs.

Ceramic Glass Cooktop—Easily wiped clean, as corroborated in many user reviews.

Temperature Sensor—Monitors and adjusts oven temperature as needed to ensure evenly-baked food.

FlexHeat Dual Radiant Elements—Two dual-sized rings (6” and 9”) on both front burners to accommodate pots and pans. We were able to fit two large and two medium vessels, but things got a little crowded with the handles.

Adjustable Self-Cleaning—Settings for light, moderate or heavy soil.

Keep warm—Low heat keeps food warm inside the oven while you work on the rest of the meal.

Should you buy it?

This Whirlpool slide-in is a well-performing electric range at a very reasonable price for what it offers. Even without convection bake, it offers even cooking and great, useful features.

It costs just $200 more than our favorite inexpensive range, and we'd recommend the upgrade.