by Sarah Eynon
Designers love combination ovens as they offer a way of removing bulky and sometimes ugly appliances from the worktop. Many customers are very attached to their air fryer or microwave - but luckily there are a whole range of combination ovens which accommodate these cooking styles.
Air fryers work using the Maillard Reaction, which is a chemical process between amino acids and reducing sugars which browns food and brings out the natural flavours. The cooking temperature needs to be between 140 to 160 degrees with little or no oil.
Miele achieve an air fryer mode in a full size oven known as ‘Fan Plus’, combining top heat while circulating hot air. This is not as energy efficient as a worktop air fryer (which is often the reason for having one) however this very much depends on how many people you are cooking for. A counter top appliance uses 800 to 2000 watts per use, where as a combi oven uses 2000-5000 watts. If you are cooking for a family and have to use the free standing fryer multiple times it quickly becomes less efficient.
Another cooking function which adds greatly to a kitchen is steaming, which locks in flavour and is really good for healthy eating. If you are prepared to wait 10 to 20 minutes rather than 2 to 3 minutes to heat up left overs, then the results are much less rubbery and unevenly heated than using a microwave. Research and development within brands like Gaggenau work toward cooking mainly in ovens because it is much more energy efficient than cooking on a hob. Here energy is used to create steam and then extractors used to remove steam and smells are less contained. This means that steam ovens are now recommended for cooking everything from rice and noodles to fish and vegetables with delicious results.
We understand that there is still a place in the kitchen for a microwave and this has become a standard function in most combi ovens, however the turntable has been removed leaving the food stationary the microwave function turning behind the roof of the oven cavity. This means less components for cleaning than your standard work top appliance.
Finally the best thing about having a combination oven is the automatic settings where you can tell the oven what you are cooking and it will use the perfect combination of functions to create the most fantastic meal, succulent on the inside and crispy on the outside. The added use of a meat probe creates outstanding results.
At Alistair Fleming we work closely with our friends at Fisher + Paykel, Miele, Neff, Sub Zero and Gaggenau, all of which offer personal customer training at their Experience Centres, often involving lots of delicious dishes for you to try. This is a brilliant way of deciding exactly which appliances are going to suit your lifestyle. Come and chat to us about your project and we will guide you to the best options and the best manufacturers.
