Put off by airfryers...next option is mini cooker but the taste, the smell..

[garjobo79]

So, i dont own an oven ( renting ), so set on idea of a decent airfryer, but having now had experience of them - the one thing all these reviews on youtube dont mention is that smell, yes new smell of things never the best, but no, just never a fan and the taste - never liked Mircowaved food either - just me then!

SO -now im looking too mini oven, Ninja, Beville ( bit costly )....aware first uses still that smell etc burn off the 'newness' etc...but its the taste. Any thoughts and recommendations on a good mid-range mini oven...£200 - £300. Something that wont have like a greasy smell from the fans.. the closest that there is to a normal sized oven?

Thoughts welcome, thanks

 

[dragnlaw]

By mini-oven do you mean what we call a Toaster Oven? Like you I don't have an oven. I have an Oster Toaster Oven. I can do bread in it, small chicken. Toast, sheet pan dinners. Mine is not an air fryer but it does have a convection fan.
I don't believe you have Oster in the U.K.? So I checked Amazon, UK. Whether you buy from there or not at least you can see the price range and makes available.
Start here: Toaster Ovens I have many Cuisinart products but they are a bit pricey.

 

[garjobo79]

thanks for the reply Dragnlaw, always surprised in reviews a highlight seems to toast!! and bagal !!! Yes, they appear to call it a toaster oven...all i want is a ..mini oven (toaster then ) that will do, pizza, fish fingers type dinners, chicken..i wouldnt do a whole roast..but mini fillets..that type of thing...anything that in a normal sized oven i would do - place some chicken pieces on a tray, 25min, 180degees....same with sausages. Just some recommendations..Ninja 10- in 1....appears all the rage..but then i hear all this hard to clean, the insides etc puts me off.

 

[grumpyoldman]

i bought this one about 6 months ago i like it but it would be hard to call it an oven , because the top heating element is to close to what your cooking and will burn just about everything but as a toaster it works great

 

[Jade Emperor]

Wow.
I can’t be absolutely certain but in my country, you can’t offer a house for rent without a working oven, a toilet and shower and the ability to connect electricity.
Certainly I have never heard of a house without an oven.
Apologies for not being more helpful!

 

[dragnlaw]

I do all sorts of stuff in my little oven. But the inside colour is not exactly pristine. Honestly - I don't care what it looks like inside, not worth the effort to try and clean. I clean the rack, I cover the bottom tray with foil and that's it. The rest just stays grungy.

I admit I do not broil, although I've used the top element a couple of times. But I rarely used my broiler even when I did have a full size oven.

I agree reading the reviews is important - but you have to balance them. More bad than good - avoid. even bad to good - avoid. More good than bad - read why to figure if you can live with it. See dates on how long they have had the piece. Breakage and malfunction on many of them - avoid,
and blah, blah, blah I'm sure you have your own way of judging.
But also important - see about the return options and criteria!

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Have you considered cooking over an open fire? No new smell involved.

 

[garjobo79]

Thanks for the replies, even the 'jokey one'. Agree with Dragnlaw about too many reviews - yep, currently buying a few things and the hassle i have..reading too many good and then 1 bad review! so, yep, need to get a grip i suppose. Their is an oven but..nar..i wont be using it! likewise the fridge ( bought another one ).

So yet to find an answer then. Put off by the Ninja 10 in 1. And then Breville..was tempted, even though food can drop onto bottom heating element - looked a bit..naff..and then i saw the price! over £500/£600!!!

If anyone can tell me from experience, a good - £200 - £300 mini oven 'toaster' which would be used for pizza, sausages and the like. Please let me know.

thanks

 

[Katie H]

We are in our upper 70s and have been looking for easier/more efficient ways of preparing foods. About 2 years ago we purchased an Emeril Lagasse appliance. Since then, we have sold/given away our slow cookers, air fryers and toaster oven. This is a wonderful helper. It is great to cook a 12-inch pizza. Well worth the price, plus it saves tons of space because it replaces several other appliances.
Buy the way, I have no connection with Lagassee. Just like the product!!

If you are interested, here is a link to what we have and enjoy: https://emerileveryday.com/FrenchDoor360

 

[garjobo79]

Thank you Katie for that reply, hadnt heard of this one, i see the link is US, but searched and easy to find, UK, a bit pricer than would of liked, £350ish, but i like the look of it, and so far, a few quick reviews are sounding positive. Thanks again, i will definately dig a little deeper/youtuber reviews - taken with a pinch of salt of course -. Need to get something, do like the look of this and your recommendation having had this for 2 years. Like the french door style too.

 

[dragnlaw]

I whole heartedly go for the French Doors. I would like a wall oven like that or at least a side opening one. Reaching up and over hot doors, bending down and stretching forward with a heavy casserole is asking for a disaster in my opinion. They do have those doors but at a premium.

 

[caseydog]

I like ovens.

CD

 

[Katie H]

I like ovens.

CD

This appliance does just as well as an oven.

 

[caseydog]

This appliance does just as well as an oven.

Sorry.

CD

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I have the old Emeril LaGasbag air fryer oven with the drop down door. In fact, I have two, with one of them still in the box as a spare, just in case the first one dies at an inopportune moment. It does do a lot of things and I do a lot of things with it. I have even used the rotisserie feature, albeit not for a chicken. I found that buying a chicken and cooking it on the rotisserie cost more than buying one already cooked at the grocery store. I will rotisserie a pork tenderloin, or sometimes cornish hens when they come two in a package.