Forget the air fryer; there’s a new must-have cooking gadget on the market. At less than a foot square (smaller than most microwaves), it would be at home in a child’s play kitchen, yet it would be the only appliance you’d need.
Meet the Wonderoven. It can roast, roast, bake, fry, grill and reheat. It has proven to be a sensation in America and sold out just eight days after launch.
Its makers, online cookware brand Our Place, have many big fans, including the Beckhams and Oprah Winfrey, and the oven itself is endorsed by Gwyneth Paltrow, who described it as ‘cute’ in a gift guide for her lifestyle brand. Gosh. But do we really need a new cooking gadget? Never mind a £195 one that, as far as I know, does the same things I’ve been doing without for years.
Ahead of its UK sale at Selfridges next week, Sarah Rainey (pictured) put one to the test, led by Our Place co-founder Shiza Shahid
Before it goes on sale at Selfridges in the UK next week, I put one to the test, with the guidance of Our Place co-founder Shiza Shahid.
“This is not just a kitchen appliance,” emphasizes Shiza, 34, who lives in Los Angeles. ‘It is an all-rounder that makes everyday cooking a bit healthier, easier and tastier.’
The Wonder Oven is a clever gadget. With its sleek, rounded edges and Instagram-friendly colors (mine is a beige shade called ‘Steam’), it makes my clunky black air fryer look like a piece of industrial machinery.
There are only three dials on the front: one to choose the mode, one for temperature (up to 450F or 230C) and a timer.
Inside it resembles a mini oven, with two different levels to cook multiple dishes at once and a collection of racks, baking trays and a crumb tray. Shiza is covered in non-toxic ceramic and says you can wipe it clean with warm, soapy water.
At first glance it seems small and far from groundbreaking, and the Americanisms (F instead of C, ‘broil’ instead of ‘grill’) can be irritating to an English chef. Yet the manufacturers claim 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 air fryer? I put the different modes to the test to find out…
Roast: WHOLE CHICKEN
My family loves Sunday roasts and since I bought my air fryer, I have been cooking the whole chicken in it to save space in the oven. Still, the Wonder Oven has a capacity of 12 liters (compared to the air fryer’s 6 liters), so I can cook 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 herbs and canola oil, put a halved lemon in it and then put it on the bottom shelf for 20 minutes.
Then it gets complicated; you will need to increase the temperature to 350F (175C) for 10 minutes, then change the mode to ‘Baking’, increase the temperature to 375F (190C) and cook for another 20-30 minutes until the internal temperature of the bird is 160F (70 °C). If the skin starts to char, add a teaspoon of water through the inlet at the top of the oven to create more steam.
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
PRONUNCIATION: What a revelation. A perfectly cooked, golden chicken with melting white meat 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. About six cookies fit on two baking trays – not ideal if you’re baking for a large audience
TO BAKE COOKIES
The oven’s ‘Bake’ feature has found viral fame on TikTok, with more than 20 million ‘Wonder Oven Cookies’ videos.
However, this is when the Wonder Oven’s compact size is a drawback. About six cookies fit on two baking trays – not ideal if you’re baking for a large audience.
METHOD: You need to set the oven to ‘Bake’ and the temperature to 160 degrees Celsius. There is only one baking tray, but you can reuse the air fryer basket by lining it with wax paper.
I make a half batch of my standard cookie recipe – butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, flour, baking soda and chocolate chips – divide the dough into six and divide them between the two baking sheets.
TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes
PRONUNCIATION: Although they look and smell delicious, the taste is disappointing. They are still doughy in the center and the outside has an unpleasant crunchy, almost fried texture.2/5
AIR FRIDING AND REHEATING: CHIPS
My air fryer can cook oven chips in 20 minutes, but the basket does need to be shaken regularly to ensure they all get crispy. Could the Wonder Oven, which also blasts food with 360-degree hot air, do better?
METHOD: There are no official instructions for frozen fries, so I scoop a portion of crinkle-cut fries into the basket provided (this is a deeper, cross-over version of the rack), set the mode to ‘Air Fry’ and the temperature to 390F (200C).
After 15 minutes they will look golden brown and piping hot. It takes forever for the kids to get to the table, but the ‘Reheat’ function saves the day; the chips only need a few minutes at 200F (95C) before crispiness is restored.
TOTAL TIME: 18 minutes
PRONUNCIATION: Not only do the fries fry a little faster than the air fryer, but they are also tastier. The only downside is capacity: there’s only enough room for two portions, so there’s no room for a family meal.4/5
GRILL: SALMON AND MIXED VEGETABLES
We don’t eat a lot of salmon, but the makers of the Wonder Oven say the ‘Broil’ function (‘Grill’ to us Brits) makes ‘the juiciest meat and fish you can imagine’. Can we be converted?
Adding a container of mixed vegetables underneath is also a chance to put the multitasking feature to the test.
METHOD: I start by preheating the oven to 200 degrees Celsius on ‘Broil’. Then I rub the salmon with olive oil, brush it with a mixture of honey, sesame oil and lime juice and cook it on the bottom shelf for 10 minutes.
I sprinkle the cut vegetables with oil and place them on the baking tray. Then I set the temperature to 230 degrees Celsius, spread some more glaze over the salmon and move it to the top shelf while I place the vegetables on the bottom. Give the salmon five minutes, until the internal temperature is 60 degrees Celsius, and the vegetables 10-15 minutes.
TOTAL TIME: 20-25 minutes
PRONUNCIATION: It’s all wonderfully tasty, but there’s no discernible improvement over oven-cooked salmon.3/5
The visible bottom heating element makes this not just an oven, but a gigantic, trendy toaster
TOAST: CHEESE TOASTY
The visible bottom heating element makes this not just an oven, but a gigantic, trendy toaster. The steam keeps the bread soft and chewy in the middle and it also works as a sandwich maker.
METHOD: I turn the dial to ‘Toast’ and set the temperature to 450F (230C). Then I fill some fresh white bread with cheese and sliced tomato, lightly brush both sides with butter to keep it from sticking, and place it on the baking sheet on the top shelf. I set a timer for five minutes, check the toastiness and give it another three minutes until golden brown.
TOTAL TIME: 8 minutes
PRONUNCIATION: I’m impressed with how the oven toasted both sides; it did the same job as a retro sandwich maker without squishing my sandwich. The tomatoes are hot without burning my mouth and the cheese is gooey, oozing perfection. 5/5
GENERAL JUDGMENT
If you don’t get along very well with your air fryer, then this might be something for you. It looks chic (although a bit Fisher Price toy style with its rotating knobs) and takes up minimal space in the kitchen.
The ‘Fry’ function is a disappointment for me, but it makes a great roast chicken for all the family and a decent cheese toastie… if you have £195 to spare.