Forget the deep fryer; There’s a new must-have cooking accessory on the market. At less than 30 square centimeters — smaller than most microwaves — it would look right at home in a kid’s kitchen, yet it’s supposedly the only appliance you need.
Introducing the Wonder Oven. It can bake, toast, broil, air fry, grill and reheat. It became a real sensation in America, it was sold out only eight days after its launch.
The makers, online cookware brand Our Place, have many A-list fans, including the Beckhams and Oprah Winfrey, and the oven itself has been endorsed by Gwyneth Paltrow, who described it as ‘cute’ in a gift guide for her lifestyle brand Goop. But do we really need another cooking gadget? Let alone a £195 one that, as far as I can tell, does the same things I’ve been doing for years without it.
Ahead of UK sales at Selfridges next week, Sarah Rainey (pictured) put one to the test, guided by Our Place co-founder Shiza Shahid
Before it goes on sale in the UK at Selfridges next week, I put one to the test, guided by Our Place co-founder Shiza Shahid.
‘This is not just another kitchen appliance,’ insists Shiza, 34, who lives in Los Angeles. ‘It’s a product for everyone that makes everyday cooking a little healthier, easier and tastier.’
The Wonder Oven is a good-looking appliance. With its sleek, rounded edges and Instagram-friendly colors (mine is a shade of beige called “Steam”), it makes my clunky black fryer look like an industrial machine.
There are only three dials on the front: one for mode selection, one for temperature (up to 450F or 230C), and a timer.
The inside resembles a mini-oven, with two different levels for cooking multiple foods at once and an array of racks, baking sheets and a crumb tray. Coated in non-toxic ceramic, Shiza says you can wipe it clean with warm soapy water.
On first impression, it looks small and far from revolutionary, and the Americanisms (F instead of C, ‘oven’ instead of ‘barbecue’) can be irritating to an English cook. However, manufacturers claim that it uses half as much energy, preheats 75 percent faster and cooks up to 30 percent faster than a conventional oven.
But can it really replace my oven, toaster and fryer? I tested different mods to find out…
ROASTING: WHOLE CHICKEN
My family loves a Sunday roast and since I bought the fryer I roast a whole chicken in it to save space in the oven. However, the Wonder Oven has a capacity of 12 liters (compared to the fryer’s 6 liters), so it can roast a medium or large bird — up to 2 kg.
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 325F (160C) on ‘Roast’ while you prepare the chicken. I rub mine with spices and canola oil, put a halved lemon inside, and put it on the bottom shelf for 20 minutes.
Next, it gets complicated; you must raise the temperature to 350F (175C) for 10 minutes, then change the mode to “Roast”, increase the temperature to 375F (190C) and cook for another 20-30 minutes until the internal temperature of the bird is 160F ( 70C). If the skin starts to char, add a teaspoon of water through the vent at the top of the oven to create more steam.
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
JUDGMENT: What a discovery. Perfectly cooked, golden chicken with white meat that melts in your mouth inside. All that temperature adjustment is a bit of a hassle, but the end result is worth it. 5/5
The compact size of the Wonder Oven is a disadvantage. Fits about six cookies on two trays — no use if you’re baking for a crowd
BAKE COOKIES
The ‘Bake’ function of the oven has become popular on TikTok, with over 20 million ‘Wonder Oven Cookies’ videos.
However, then the compact size of the Wonder Oven is a disadvantage. Fits about six cookies on two trays — no use if you’re baking for a crowd.
METHOD: You will need to set the oven to ‘Baking’ and the temperature to 325F (160C). There is only one baking sheet, but you can repurpose the fryer basket by lining it with greaseproof paper.
I make half of my standard cookie recipe – butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, flour, baking soda and chocolate chips – divide the dough into six and spread them on two trays.
TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes
JUDGMENT: Although they look and smell delicious, the taste is disappointing. They are still doughy in the middle and have an unpleasant crispy, almost fried texture on the outside. 2/5
FRY AND HEAT IN AIR: CHIPS
My deep fryer can cook chips from the oven in 20 minutes, but requires regular shaking of the basket to ensure they are all crispy. Could the Wonder Oven, which also blasts food with 360 degrees of hot air, be any better?
METHOD: There are no official instructions for frozen chips, so I empty some of the crimped fries into the supplied basket (this is a deeper, criss-cross version of the griddle), set the mode to ‘Air Fry’ and the temperature to 390F (200C).
After 15 minutes they look golden and hot. It takes children an age to come to the table, but the ‘Reheat’ function saves the day; chips only need a few minutes at 200F (95C) to re-establish their crunch.
TOTAL TIME: 18 minutes
JUDGMENT: Not only does it cook chips a bit faster than in a deep fryer, but it’s also tastier. The only downside is the capacity — there’s only enough room for two servings, so it wouldn’t accommodate a family meal. 4/5
GRILL: SALMON AND MIXED VEGETABLES
We don’t eat much salmon, but the makers of the Wonder Oven say its ‘Broil’ function (‘Grill’ to us Brits) makes for ‘the juiciest meat and fish you can imagine’. Can we address?
By adding a tray of mixed vegetables below, it’s also an opportunity to put the multitasking function to the test.
METHOD: I start by preheating the oven to 400F (200C) on ‘Broil’. Then, I rub the salmon with olive oil, glaze it with a mixture of honey, sesame oil and lime juice and cook it on the bottom shelf for 10 minutes.
I sprinkle the sliced vegetables with oil and place them in a pan. Then I raise the temperature to 450F (230C), spread a little more glaze over the salmon and move it to the top shelf while I put the vegetables on the bottom. Give the salmon five minutes until the internal temperature is 140F (60C), and the vegetables 10-15 minutes.
TOTAL TIME: 20-25 minutes
JUDGMENT: Everything is perfectly delicious, but there is no visible improvement over the salmon cooked in the oven.3/5
The exposed bottom heating element makes this not just an oven, but a huge, trendy toaster
TOAST: CHEESE TOASTIE
The exposed bottom heating element makes this not just an oven, but a huge, trendy toaster. The steam keeps the bread soft and chewy in the middle, and it also doubles as a toasted sandwich maker.
METHOD: I turn the dial to ‘Toast’ and set the temperature to 450F (230C). Then I fill fresh white bread with cheese and sliced tomato, spread a little butter on both sides so it doesn’t stick, and place it on a baking sheet on the top shelf. I set the timer for five minutes, checked how toasted it was, and gave it another three minutes until golden.
TOTAL TIME: 8 minutes
JUDGMENT: I’m impressed with how well the oven cooked both sides; it does the same job as a retro toaster without crushing my sandwich. The tomatoes are hot and don’t burn my mouth, and the cheese is gooey, perfect. 5/5
GENERAL JUDGMENT
If you haven’t got the hang of your deep fryer, this could be for you. It looks chic (albeit a bit like a Fisher Price toy with its twisty knobs) and takes up minimal space in the kitchen.
The ‘Roast’ function disappointed me, but it makes a great roast chicken for the family and a decent cheese toastie… if you have £195 to spare.