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If you don't have the space in your kitchen to fit in multiple appliances, you'll want something like a multi-function oven that combines five appliances into one.
But which should you get?
1) Smeg multifunction built-in oven SFP125PZ
The Smeg SFP125PZ is a built-in oven that comes with a pizza stone. Paired with its rapid-heating function, it makes quick work of waiting for the oven to heat up. Its quadruple glass safety doors means the glass the cool to the touch even at top pizza-making temperature. It is also self-cleaning.
Makes perfect pizzas
Most ovens have a maximum temperature of 250 deg C, some lower – and that’s not hot enough to make a good pizza.
The Smeg, however, has a top temperature of 280 deg C, and comes with a pizza stone that sits on the heating element at the base of the oven. When heated, it’s actual temperature hovers around 320 deg C. With the rapid pre-heating function, the stone is ready in just 10min.
The pizza shovel made it easy to place the pizza in the piping hot oven. It was ready in just 3.5min. The pizza was thin and chewy, with a golden, cheesy top and lovely crusty edges. The stone gave it an evenly brown and crisp base, worlds away from the slightly soggy crust I usually get with my homemade pizzas.
I made a ciabatta loaf as well, which turned out with a crisp shell, beautiful golden brown colour and perfect air pockets inside the bread.
Could be better with cookies
Mine were unevenly cooked – those closer to the back of the oven were cooked through and crunchy but a few at the front didn’t set properly, refusing to come off the baking sheet except as a cakey crumble. The pre-heating though, was as fast as promised.
Great grilling
The oven pulled out all the stops here. Using the fan with grill function where the heat is focused at the top of the oven, my chicken thighs had lovely crispy skin and still moist, tender meat.
I also made toast. Using the top heating element on low heat, I was rewarded with nicely browned (and delightfully crunchy) tops with the underside still white and fluffy.
VERDICT
It’s hotter, safer and because it works so fast, is the perfect appliance for families, not to mention, a boon to pizza lovers.
Smeg SFP125PZ oven, $3,080, is available at APS Lifestyle outlets
2) Hitachi Superheated Steam Microwave Oven MRO-NBL5000E
The Hitachi Superheated Steam Microwave Oven MRO-NBL5000E is a multi-tasker with a 33-litre capacity and a water tank. It’s a microwave, steam oven, convection oven, and bread maker. All accessories are included: a microwave-friendly ceramic tray, two steel trays for baking and roasting, a collapsible grill tray with lid, and a bread maker attachment. There’s even a measuring cup and spoon set, and a pair of oven gloves for further convenience.
WHAT WE LOVED
Bread maker attachment.
It worked better than some standalone bread makers I’ve tested. It had compartments for yeast and extras like nuts and dried fruit. Just like a conventional bread maker, I prepped my ingredients at night, set the timer, and woke up to freshly baked loaves. The bread had a good bronze crust, tall loaf, a relatively moist and fluffy crumb, and an even distribution of chopped walnuts and raisins. I also baked a pound cake with it, although I’d go for “Lo” browning next time (other options are “Med” and “Hi”) so the sides turn out less crusty.
Convection oven.
Cookies placed in the centre of the tray were just slightly browner than the rest – my baking projects generally turned out great.
Roast chicken program.
This uses a Superheated Steam and Grill combo – one of my fave functions. The chicken skin was golden and crispy, and every part of the chook, including the breast meat, was tender.
Built-in recipe progams.
There are more than 200 – a good mix of Asian and Western dishes and desserts, with full instructions in the operating manual-cum-recipe book. They were easy to follow and the handful I tried turned out nicely.
LCD touch panel.
Easy to navigate and it tells you which trays to use for each program, important as the steel trays aren’t microwave-safe.
Pre-heating feature.
The oven beeps when the desired temperature is reached, so I didn’t have to guess. Pre-heating was also fast, taking just 10 minutes.
Cleaning programs.
Different ones for cleaning the inside, clearing the drain pipe, and deodorising the interior, which makes maintenance a cinch.
WHAT COULD BE BETTER
Too many programs and choices.
I was overwhelmed by all that choice.
Gyoza program.
It was supposed to be a model of how the Steam Grill function uses the new Super Grill Tray and Lid attachments to make perfectly steamed gyoza with a crisp sear on the bottom. The gyoza was indeed juicy and moist but the browning was uneven. A good handful had almost no browning, while some were a burnt and hard.
VERDICT
The hefty price tag is well worth it when you consider how it consolidates so many different appliances into one sleek machine – and each ones works well too.
Hitachi Superheated Steam Microwave Oven MRO-NBL5000E, $2,399, is available at Best Denki, Gain City and Harvey Norman.
3) PANASONIC ECONAVI INVERTER STEAM OVEN NN-CS894
FUNCTIONS
1 The small digital display was my biggest gripe. It was easy to swipe left or right to scroll through the long list of programmes, but that made it hard to tell at a glance which one I was looking at. The icons were also confusing.
2 With similar-sounding programmes such as Fried Chicken Standard and Fried Chicken Healthy, it took deliberate effort to select the right one.
3 Cleaning around the top grill’s heating elements took a little more time than just wiping down the Hitachi unit.
USING IT
Steaming
I set the weight of the fish (in 100g increments, from 200g to 600g) for the oven to calculate steaming time and my dish came out succulent and moist.
Grilling
The oven asked if I wanted Grill 1, 2 or 3 but there was no information on the oven door, so I had to dig deep into the manual. My chicken wings were the best of the lot – incredibly juicy with crispy skin.
Baking
I considered using the Muffin programme but beat a hasty retreat when I was asked to key in weight – of each cup of muffin batter? The whole tray? I switched to the Convection mode as it let me set the temperature and time. My muffins turned out fine.
Microwaving
The oven does away with round turntables, so I could use crockery of different shapes and sizes. I only had to flick my finger across the screen to set the time, and press – so easy if you have to reheat several dishes.
VERDICT
7.5. A fairly good performer, if only the display and programmes were less confusing.
$1,599, from major electrical stores. 32 litres. Includes a glass tray, grill tray, metal tray, and a plastic trivet for steaming.
Adapted from Simply Her.