What is the best small convection oven?
A countertop convection oven is a great option for anyone who wants to do fast cooking for a small group of people. If you’re a family of 4, single, or a couple, this kitchen appliance is a great addition to a regular stove. It allows you to reheat food without drying, which happens with microwave ovens, and lets you cook a wide range of food from main dishes to desserts.A convection oven sets itself apart from other regular ovens due to the fan that allows for faster and even heating. Though these ovens are more expensive than your regular oven toaster, their capacity to cook many different types of dishes in less the time makes up for the high price point.
If you want the benefits of a large oven and the portability of a microwave, a small convection oven is the best alternative. Here are 5 of the best-rated brands in the market:
1. Breville Smart Oven
It contains 3 racks so you can prepare food that’s good enough for at least 4 people. If you want to toast bread, simply place them on the racks and they’ll toast evenly, from the top rack to the bottom. It has an auto-eject wire rack that prevents you from burning your hand as you pull the food out.
What makes this oven stand out is the unique smart heating technology. Other ovens only heat the parts which are nearest to the heating elements, leaving out the other parts undercooked. If you want to cook a dish using this oven, you can do so without having to worry about the insides being raw. The only downside to this oven is its 3-foot cord, which may be too short especially for those who have a huge kitchen. It limits its capacity to be used anywhere in the kitchen as you have to place it close to an outlet.
2. Cuisinart CSO-300 Combo Steam/Convection Oven
Steaming food is better than any other cooking method. This 2-in-1 kitchen appliance gives you more options when it comes to cooking your food – making it one of the most preferred convection ovens in the market.It has a removable 47-ounce water reservoir for its steaming feature that provides 120 minutes of uninterrupted steam. You get to steam fish and other meats, as well as vegetables and fruits without the worry of losing their moisture.
This oven also has a Unique Steam Bake and Steam Boil technology that gives you even more options when it comes to cooking your food. If you’re the type of cook who wants variety in the dishes you prepare, this is the oven that will do the job. Roast an entire 4-pound chicken, as well as bake an entire 12″ pizza – for anyone who loves to cook but with a limited kitchen space, nothing can get better than this.
The racks included in this oven are a baking pan, broiling rack, crumb tray, drip tray, and a wire rack – eliminating your need to buy separate accessories. There’s a total of 9 functions, with menu settings allowing you to prepare baker-quality results. The only disadvantage of this oven is that it can be tasking to clean. The grime and grease produced by steaming food can take a while to clean, although that can be remedied if you know the trick to cleaning it.
3. Oster Convection Toaster Oven
This convection oven is a basic kitchen appliance for anyone who wants basic food preparation. If you’re looking for an oven that allows you to explore your cooking skills, this is not the one for you. This is for the single girl or the couple who want to reheat leftovers, bake a few brownies every now and then, and toast their morning bread.It’s a no-fuss and simple oven that’s easy to use and light to carry. There are only 3 dials, which are for broiling, baking, and toasting. But despite these simple features, it has the ability to bake meat due to its 60-minute timer. When you’re busy doing something, like laundry, there’s no fear of overcooking since it automatically shuts off once your timer is up.
It’s small, lightweight, doesn’t take so much space, and easy on the eye. For a small studio apartment or an office oven, this is definitely one of the best options in the market. The only flaw is its short cord – which means you have to use it very close to a power source.
4. KitchenAid Digital Convection Oven
For the cook who wants to control everything in her cooking, this oven offers precise temperature and timer controls. It’s a countertop oven that allows you to cook almost everything a regular oven can make. You can use this to bake, to roast, toast, broil, and reheat food. It has a 60-minute timer that allows you to roast an entire chicken or even bake an entire cake. You can cook anything with a maximum of 12 inches in height.Unlike other ovens in the same category, this oven doesn’t heat very much when you touch the exterior, preventing you from getting burns when you accidentally touch it while it is being used. With even heating distribution, it lessens cooking time to a fraction, making it perfect for a busy mom who has tons of other things to do.
The only disadvantage of this product is that it doesn’t have an internal light. It does have a large window but without the internal light, trying to see if your food is ready can be hard.
5. Wisco Commercial Convection Oven
This is another convection oven for the cook who wants to practice his or her cooking skills. You can enjoy precise and adjustable time and temperature control, making it the ultimate portable oven for those who love to bake cakes. It also has a big window so you get to see how your food is doing, with a cool touch safety tempered glass door that protects your hands from burning. The double wall stainless steel is also insulated, making it a convenient appliance to place on a small kitchen’s countertop.Temperature settings range from 100 degrees Fahrenheit to 450 degrees, which allows you to have great versatility when it comes to preparing a wide range of dishes. Heat circulates evenly throughout the oven, penetrating food quickly and more evenly for precise cooking. It’s also large enough to fit a small turkey – making it the perfect portable oven for holiday cooking.
The only downside to this oven are the included baking sheets, which are thin and if you bake cookies and pastries a lot, you’d have to buy separate accessories.