![]()
Infrared burners have been on restaurant gas ranges for decades and pop up on premium gas grills too. Some professional-style ranges have infrared broilers, but when LG added them to electric ranges that cost thousands less, the pros at Consumer Reports put LG's claims to the test.
Infrared technology promises to quickly deliver high heat to sear meat or fish on the outside without overcooking on the inside. We broiled burgers in two LG electric smoothtop ranges, the LRE3025S with an infrared broiler, $1,250, and the LRE3023S, $1,000, with a standard electric broiler. Here's a look at the infrared claims and our results:
LG says: Faster and no preheating needed
CR's take: The infrared broiler eliminated preheating and took 11 minutes and 30 seconds to cook the four burgers to rare using the Speed Broil option. That was only a minute faster than the LG standard broiler, and that time included the three minute preheat time the manufacturer suggests. Plus Speed Broil is only "for small amounts of food that can be easily concentrated to the center of the broiler pan."
LG says: Juicier food than traditional thermal cooking
CR's take: Both LG broilers served up burgers that were seared on the outside and juicy on the inside.
Bottom line. Watch our video to see the broiling tests for yourself, and then check our Ratings of dozens of electric and gas ranges. Both of these LG ranges were rated excellent overall, but the less expensive LG range without the infrared broiler did a better job in our standard broiling test, which uses larger amounts of food and the regular broil setting.
