Mini Ovens..........No, not ovens for Mini's.

[Tilt]

Anyone have / use / used to use a mini oven??? Could be in normal kitchen, caravan etc.

 

Any recommendations and advice gratefully received........Cheers

[NJRJ]

We had an Aldi/Lidl one in a flat for a while and it worked fine, took hardly any time to get to heat, and it cooled down again quickly too, it worked fine. We have a variation of one now in that we now use a halogen cooker when we don't need the size of even the small oven/grill in our cooker.

[bigjohn]

I also have an Aldi(Delta) microwave / convection oven and it's been fab. Not much to comment on re microwave - does what it says on the tin but the convection fan oven works really well especially as it has heating elements below the platter and at the top, no soggy bottoms and really good at cooking pizza. 

 

Medion also did a similar combi oven - what I always look for is a metal platter / proper elements top and bottom - I don't like quatz grill versions of combi ovens.

 

 

[MickA]

We use this type of halogen cooker all the time, not the one below but a different make but get the idea...

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/6982641?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=c290d9a9-b5d6-423c-841d-2a559621874c&istItemId=ixilqxali&istBid=t&&cmpid=GS001&_$ja=tsid:59157|acid:598-923-9094|cid:9549408474|agid:97028013839|tid:pla-884720414102|crid:422748696863|nw:g|rnd:8223384787843753781|dvc:c|adp:|mt:|loc:1006674&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=9549408474&utm_term=&utm_content=shopping&utm_custom1=97028013839&utm_custom2=598-923-9094&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-Mr0BRDyARIsAKEFbecdxbfkVre2Sl1Yftg8byAGtpOY52wifqtrTrL_BACtkSpymNfeWIkaAvHfEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Infact our gas oven is mainly redundant. Cooked whole chickens/meat joints in it, roasted vegetables, everything really you could do in a conventional oven.

[Tilt]

Cheers guys.....I have microwave combi grill but I think using the oven in this will shorten the life of the microwave.

 

@MickA I read just yesterday that gas ovens are 'much more energy efficient than electric ovens, tho fan ovens use 20% less than std electric.

 

I will defo keep a look out now we have a local Lidl. Pity I don't still do maintenance there.

[bigjohn]

4 hours ago, Tilt said:

I will defo keep a look out now we have a local Lidl. Pity I don't still do maintenance there.

 

 

I think mine was from Aldi but both Lidl and Aldi only tend to only stock this sort of thing every now and again.

 

I use the fan/convection oven a lot in my Aldi/Delta combi microwave and it hasn't shortened it's life - It was bought about 2007 and is in regular use, the only real issue has been it needing a couple of replacement interior light bulbs. Not too bad for 13 years hard labour.

 

Edited 12 April, 2020 by bigjohn

[MikeTheThinker]

I took a look at Which for reviews but didn't find any, so in case you haven't seen these sites:

 

https://appliancereviewer.co.uk/best-mini-oven/

https://thewhiskingkitchen.com/appliances/best-mini-oven-reviews/

https://www.wellrated.co.uk/best-mini-ovens/

 

[bigjohn]

One thing to note the combination microwave ovens tend to be fairly deep - check dimensions. In @StickyMicky's post the Sage oven shown in the wellrated site is pretty compact.  It's expensive though but seemingly rather good.

[Lady Elanore]

I bought a Panansonic Microwave/fan-oven/grill over 10 years ago and it's still going strong (there-I've jinxed it!). It's one of the 1,000W inverter models and the fan oven can go up to 250C. It wouldn't be big enough for a medium-sized family unless you planned your cookware carefully (the turntable spins when the oven is on) although I have a lot of stuff that doesn't have sticky-out handles, so I can do reasonably large meals for batch freezing. 

 

I genuinely can not fault it. It does get fairly warm to the top (not too hot to touch) and rear surfaces, but not as hot as say above a toaster so it isn't too hard to place. It also does all the usual Panasonic things like Chaos defrost (good at defrosting meat without cooking it - once you learn its foibles) and the inverter means you can run it at around 7 different power levels (I believe these are constant levels too, unlike cheaper versions that just time the microwaves in pulses to give a lower average of heating). Also it does combination stuff like oven and grill combos and microwave and grill combos etc. I almost never use my large gas cooker any more. 

 

I should add these Panasonics are at the more expensive end, but I think in my case at least, that it was worth it. Plus there are deals to be had now that the sales everywhere have stalled (obviously not food)

Edited 14 April, 2020 by Lady Elanore

[Liger1956]

We also have a Panasonic microwave/oven/grill which we have had for about 5 years and we love it. We still use the gas oven for large meals like Sunday dinners as it will accomodate the meat, potatoes,  roast veg, yorkies and sponge/crumble fruif pudding at the same time. The Panasonic is good for cooking frozen food as you can microwave and oven cook at the same time thus shortening the cooking time. We have found that the top of the microwave, when used as an oven or grill, is excellent as a plate warmer. We also bought a half height rack for ours as we found that the full height one had a tendency to overdo food if not watched clearly. The only problem with ours is that sometimes the clock display will go blank and need resetting. It only does that occasionally and does not affect the function of the oven.

[J.R.]

I am an evangelist for table top halogen ovens, been using them for over a decade now and removed my proper built in oven at that time to give me more storage space, for a single person or couple they are ideal, heat up very quick and consume little electricity. The elements do blow eventually and I eventually found that the more expensive "Marque" ones are better value in the long run, my favorite thing is that I cook with a little bit of water & washing up liquid in the bottom & simply need to rinse the bowl out after cooking.

 

I bought a cheap Tescos combined microwave and grill and its absolutely rubbish at both functions.

 

Friends have the Panasonic combination ovens spoken of here and they are superb, have lasted 20+ years of every day use, their big main ovens are only used a couple of times a year for family roasts.

 

So my vote would go for the Panasonic and when I get a proper sized kitchen again I will invest in one, for smaller kitchens and small families a halogen tabletop oven is all you need but will not be appreciated by many as it does not look  like a traditional oven.

 

 

[Lady Elanore]

5 hours ago, Liger1956 said:

 We have found that the top of the microwave, when used as an oven or grill, is excellent as a plate warmer. 

 

 

I do this too

 

I think I was lucky with racks as I got 2 different height versions when I got my Panny as well as the Panacrunch tray and a few other bits and bobs. 

[VWD]

On 14/04/2020 at 04:02, Lady Elanore said:

I bought a Panansonic Microwave/fan-oven/grill over 10 years ago and it's still going strong (there-I've jinxed it!). It's one of the 1,000W inverter models and the fan oven can go up to 250C. It wouldn't be big enough for a medium-sized family unless you planned your cookware carefully (the turntable spins when the oven is on) although I have a lot of stuff that doesn't have sticky-out handles, so I can do reasonably large meals for batch freezing. 

 

I genuinely can not fault it. It does get fairly warm to the top (not too hot to touch) and rear surfaces, but not as hot as say above a toaster so it isn't too hard to place. It also does all the usual Panasonic things like Chaos defrost (good at defrosting meat without cooking it - once you learn its foibles) and the inverter means you can run it at around 7 different power levels (I believe these are constant levels too, unlike cheaper versions that just time the microwaves in pulses to give a lower average of heating). Also it does combination stuff like oven and grill combos and microwave and grill combos etc. I almost never use my large gas cooker any more. 

 

I should add these Panasonics are at the more expensive end, but I think in my case at least, that it was worth it. Plus there are deals to be had now that the sales everywhere have stalled (obviously not food)

Not 10 years ago, but almost, we had enough of cheap microwave combis and bought a stainless steel inside Russel Hobbs combi. Only problem we found was that the turntable glass plate did not like the heat from the oven. It's since gone ( with a bang) to the scrapheap, to be replaced with a simple RH microwave, which blew the oven bulb within a month of delivery. RH replaced it FOC with a new one.

[Lady Elanore]

My turntable glass plate is still alive as is the original bulb. What's the bet they are bust by the end of the month now  The  motor on the turntable still works even though it's had leCruset dishes on it, which obviously weigh a ton 

[penguin17]

Mini Ovens..........No, not ovens for Mini's

 

Am I the only one who read the title and immediately thought "Four candles" ? 🤣

 

 

[MikeTheThinker]

On 12/04/2020 at 16:37, bigjohn said:

I think mine was from Aldi but both Lidl and Aldi only tend to only stock this sort of thing every now and again.

 

Just seen several in our local Aldi (Leyland) under the Ambiano brand - £39.95 IIRC.

[OldBoyScout]

In the past we have had 3 or 4 Cookworks mini ovens from Argos. Cost much less than a full size oven, and big enough for cooking most of our meals, but heating elements in all failed after warranty ran out. They currently have a 20 litre model under £50, but limited stock. We now have a halogen oven which I find very useful. We are on the second one now, but the first one lasted 3 years, and the current one which cost under £30 has been in regular use since December 2018 and is still going strong.