What You Want To Know About Speed Ovens

The best of both worlds or too good to be true?

How often do you rush home after work fighting to try and figure out something that you can make that won't take all of your remaining free time and is still healthy? How often does that end up being a meal you toss into the microwave and choke down because it's been turned to mush, cardboard, or rubber? Would you believe us if we said that there was a way to cook without spending hours or eating cardboard afterwards? Today, we're talking about speed ovens. A speed oven is a relatively new type of appliance in the realm of cooking. What are they really, are they worth the hype, and how much would you be spending if you decided to put one in your kitchen.

What is a Speed Oven?

Let's start off with what they are. Speed ovens combine a convection oven, a microwave, and if you choose, a grill element. They're supposed to be able to reduce the amount of time it takes to cook with a conventional oven, while also avoiding dehydration of food like a standard microwave. They take very little if any time to preheat, which is a drawback of most standard ovens.They often come with a variety of different pre-programmed modes or recipes to make things even easier.

A typical program for example would be baking. Most of us bake even if it is just around the holidays or special occasions. Something that would typically take you say an hour to bake in a normal oven would take roughly half the time using a speed oven. (Depending of course on the model.) This would be something wherein you would have 90% convection and 10% microwave. This innovative combination of different methods of cooking allows the speed oven to shorten the amount of time it takes to make your food. Some people swear by them, some people hate them. We think it's best to keep your manual nearby so that you can learn the different modes and cooking methods and make the best of this nifty appliance.

Most of them are built and modeled after wall ovens. While some do come with the option to be freestanding, the larger majority of them are meant to be built into your existing cabinetry.

Who makes them?

The three top speed ovens currently in the field in our opinion at least are made by Miele, Wolf, and Thermador.

Miele H6700BM Built In Stainless Steel 24” ContourLine

1.52 Cu Ft

M Touch Intuitive Controls

19 Operating Modes

Rapid Preheat

Roast Probe

Over 100 MasterChef Menu Options

Comfort Swivel Handle

Clean Touch Steel

Stainless Steel

Price: $ 3899

We think this model is best if you regularly host small dinner parties or cook just for your family. This is great for those of us that could use a hand in learning to make more of our ovens