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www.choice.com.au
The following are extracts from Choice Magazine (with permission from Choice Online)
Baker's Delight.
Modern ovens do a lot more than just bake a cake.
Clean machines
While it sounds almost too good to be true, all the models in this test, except one, offered some kind of self-cleaning function. However, although ‘self-cleaning’ does what it says you’ll still have to do some of the work as you’ll still have to clean the glass, shelves, racks and runners.
The different types of cleaning offered with these models are:
Catalytic liners
Often referred to as ‘self-cleaning’ surfaces, these liners work by absorbing fat splatters. For the liners to work well, you need to regularly heat the oven when it’s empty (shelves and runners removed too) to 250°C for an hour to burn off the splatters. If they become heavily soiled they’ll need to be removed and soaked in warm soapy water for at least two hours and then wiped clean with a soft cloth. If you care for them well they should last a long time, although they will need to be replaced eventually, although Bosch claim their liners ‘regenerate’ and won’t need replacing at all. While some of the models on test come with the liners as part of the purchase price, others are available at an additional cost.
Pyrolytic cleaning
A true self-cleaner, a pyrolitic oven heats up to about 500°C when it’s set on self-cleaning mode, turning any food residue into ash which you wipe away when the oven cools. But you'll need to remove the shelves and runners first.
How to get the best from your oven
Multifunction ovens can combine 5 or more cooking options all in the one oven, but the more functions you have the more confusing it can be - not to mention more expensive. The main functions you’ll be more likely to use in an oven are the follwing ones. All of the models on test have them unless otherwise stated.
- Fan forced is what you’ll use most often and it’s great for cooking different kinds of food at the same time on different shelves, as long as they all need the same cooking temperature. Heat is circulated by a fan for even distribution. This works best for roasts, cakes, casseroles and baked foods. Temperatures and cooking times are reduced slightly compared with the conventional cooking function. Preheating the oven is necessary for most foods.
- The conventional or traditional cooking function uses the top and bottom elements and is especially useful for baking delicate foods and foods that need to be cooked more on the base, although certain types of foods need to be placed on the correct shelf level. The temperature is usually slightly higher and a longer cooking time is needed compared with fan forced. Preheating is necessary for most foods.
- Bottom element and fan, or fan-assisted baking: A bottom element is a useful function that’s ideal for cooking pastries, pies, pizzas and any food that requires crisp cooked bases. With fan assisted cooking although it also uses the top element, the majority of the heat is directed at the bottom of the food while the fan assists the heat to cook the filling or top of the food. Food is usually placed on the bottom shelf or close to it. You’ll need to make sure you preheat to get the best results. All the tested models except the Blanco and Chef have this feature.
- A grill element is featured in most multifunction ovens where the grill functions inside the oven. A grill element is useful for foods that only need a short cooking time such as cheese on toast or browning the top of au gratin dishes. Maximum temperature is required but preheating is not necessary. The best position is usually the top shelf. Some, including the Whirlpool in this test have variable heat control for the grill which can help to get better results when grilling delicate foods like fish.
- A fan grill is useful for grilling cuts of meat such as sausages, chicken, cutlets or fish, and it combines the fan with the grill element. The door is closed during cooking and cooking times and temperatures are reduced. The shelf position is usually second or third from the element. Preheating is usually not necessary. Overall, grilling meat in the oven cavity can leave your oven smelly and splattered with fat and grease. If you do a lot of grilling it’s a good idea to have catalytic self-cleaning panels fixed to the top, sides and back walls of the oven. Make sure that the liners have good coverage of the walls.
What to look for
Door
- Light, easy to open and stays open in any position without falling fully open or slamming shut. Be sure to check that the hinges are in the right place to suit your kitchen layout.
- A large enough window that allows a good view inside.
Useful interior features
- Check the usable space by measuring inside the oven rather than going on the stated capacity. You can measure from runner to runner and bottom shelf to grill element. You’ll also need enough space at the sides to move your baking dishes in and out.
- Interior light - check that the bulb is easily replaced before you buy.
- Shelves should have a safety stop to prevent them from being pulled out accidentally.
- A good range of shelf positions. Three or more shelves can be handy, especially if you want to cook several things at the same time.
- Tilting Check that the shelves that don’t slope down when they are pulled out with a heavy baking dish on them. If the shelves do slope, a guard at the front of the shelf will help stop dishes from falling off but will make it harder to slide heavy dishes in and out.
- Moulded runners are easier to clean than metal pull out runners.
Useful grill features
- A grill tray that’s easy to slide in and out and comes out far enough so that you can place food towards the back. Look for a safety stop mechanism to stop it from pulling right out.
- A smokeless grill tray traps fat and grease below it, rather than under a wire rack. This is important for an internal grill as spattering and smoking fat can be messy.
- An element that’s set high into the ceiling or has a shield so that it isn’t exposed and can’t be accidently touched. This is particularly important if you place the oven under the bench.
- At least two grill tray heights are best.
Display
- Look for something that is easy to read. Digital displays can be difficult to read if they are not bright enough and may be awkward to read if you set your oven under the bench.
- Many dials are marked with ambiguous symbols so make sure you can recognize them easily and understand what they mean.
- If you don’t have the best eyesight, stainless steel ovens with low contrast labeling can be difficult to read. You may prefer a plain white model with easy to read labels.
CHOICE WHAT TO BUY OVENS
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Chef Oven
EOC644S
Features:
Electric, stainless steel, multi-function 5, underbench/wall oven with 60 minute timer & 600mm wide.
Good points
- Excellent grill and oven performance.
- Relatively cheap.
- Moulded shelf supports are easy to clean.
Bad Points
- No catalytic liners available for this model.
Normally: $849
Shop Rite Price: $651
SAVE: $198!
Call 1300 650 214 and say you saw this ad. |
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Westinghouse Oven
POP668S
Features
Boss Oven System, A bigger, better, more energy efficient oven system, Fingerprint-resistant Stainless Steel, multi-function 8, 595mm wide.
Good points
- Best for ease of use in this test.
- Excellent result for cooking sponge cake, meringues and pizza.
- Smokeless grill tray.
- Catalytic liners on back and sides of walls with good coverage.
Bad Points
- Scored only 50% for roasting chicken.
- Shelves tilt when pulled, allowing dishes to slide.
Normally: $1319
Shop Rite Price: $1046
SAVE: $273!
Call 1300 650 214 and say you saw this ad.
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Bosch Oven
HBN430551A
Features:
Electric oven, Stainless steel colour with bar handle, Multi-function 6, EcoClean in ceiling, sides and rearwall, 595mm wide.
Good points
- Very good grill performance.
- Excellent result for grilling sausages, cooking scones and sponge cake.
- Catalytic liners on back, top and sides of walls with good coverage.
- Smokeless grill tray.
Bad Points
- No stopper to prevent grill tray being pulled out of the shelf supports.
- Poor result for cooking custard tart, which means the oven didn’t cope well with cooking a combination food.
Normally: $1899
Shop Rite Price: $1540
SAVE: $359!
Call 1300 650 214 and say you saw this ad. |
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Electrolux Oven
EOEE62AS
Features:
Electric Pyrolytic E:line Oven, Stainless steel, multi-function 8, electronic controls, IOI Genius computer for programmable cooking, 595mm wide.
Good points
- Excellent result for cooking pizza.
- Very good result for grilling toast, cooking scones, sponge cake.
- Smokeless grill tray.
- Catalytic liners on back, top and sides of walls with good coverage.
- Function display is written with set temperature guides that can be adjusted.
Bad Points
- Digital control panel display is not very bright.
- Borderline result for roasting chicken.
- Shelves tilt when pulled out can cause dishes to slide.
Normally: $1799
Shop Rite Price: $1385
SAVE: $414!
Call 1300 650 214 and say you saw this ad.
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Whirlpool Oven
6AKZ4521X
Features:
Electric Oven, Electronic Display, Triple glazed door, Multi-function 9, Push Push Controls,
Full glass inner door surface, Catalytic Integrated Cleaning system, 595mm wide.
Good points
- Very good oven performance.
- Excellent result for cooking sponge cake and meringues.
Bad Points
- Catalytic liners on sides and back wall does not give full coverage.
- Limited access to back of grill tray, can make it difficult to move the food around.
- Grill tray sits on shelf can slide easily.
- Shelves tilt when pulled out can cause dishes to slide.
Normally: $1289
Shop Rite Price: $992
SAVE: $297!
Call 1300 650 214 and say you saw this ad.
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Fisher & Paykel Oven
OB60SCEXI
Features:
Electric Oven, Brushed Stainless steel, multi-function 7, Semi-automatic cooking, Self cleaning catalytic liners, 595mm wide.
Good points
- Very good oven performance.
- Excellent result for cooking pizza.
Bad Points
- Grill rack is fiddly to clean.
- Front of grill element is exposed slightly.
- A lot of holes and crevices on back wall that can trap grease.
- Shelves do not pull out smoothly.
- Very poor result for grilling toast.
- Shelves tilt when pulled out can cause dishes to slide.
Normally: $1299
Shop Rite Price: $1067
SAVE: $232!
Call 1300 650 214 and say you saw this ad.
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Blanco Oven
BOSE67X
Features:
Electric 60cm single oven, 7 function, programmable, Fully programmable timer, Stainless Steel.
Good points
- Excellent result for grilling sausages, roasting chicken and cooking pizza.
- Oven beeps when preheated.
Bad Points
- Grill rack can be fiddly to clean.
- No stopper to prevent grill tray being pulled out of the shelf supports.
- Grill element cannot be lowered to clean above.
- Very poor result for grilling toast.
- Poor result for cooking custard tart, which means the oven didn’t cope well with cooking a combination food.
Normally: $1499
Shop Rite Price: $963
SAVE: $536!
Call 1300 650 214 and say you saw this ad.
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Telephone: 1300 650 214
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