When Our Place – the kitchenware brand known for its aesthetic, Instagrammable pots and pans – launched the ‘Wonder Oven’ in America, it took just eight days for this, well, revolutionary appliance to sell out. And now, it’s available in the UK.
Pros
- Pretty, muted colour palette
- Heats up quickly
- Super versatile and multifunctional
Cons
- The temperature and time dial is quite tricky to get precise
- It's only small, so wouldn't be great for a family
| Dimensions | 29.5 cm height, 26.9 cm depth, 29.2 cm width |
|---|---|
| Weight | 5.3 kg |
| Capacity | 12 L |
| Heat range | 93° – 232°C |
| Timer | 0 – 60 minutes |
What is the Wonder Oven?
Dubbed by Our Place as ‘the do-it-all countertop workhorse’, the Wonder Oven is essentially a 6-in-1 mini oven that roasts, bakes and air fries, as well as toasts, reheats and grills.
Weighing just 5.3kg, it’s lightweight and small (just 30cm high), and comes in the pretty, pastel palette we’ve learned to love (and expect) from Instagram’s favourite pan brand.
How we tested
I tested the brand-new Wonder Oven over the space of a fortnight – I used it to make air-fried chips, gooey cookies, toast for my eggs and a grilled salmon filet.
Our Place Wonder Oven review
As I unbox the Wonder Oven in the middle of my kitchen, my husband comes in and asks why I’ve ‘bought a children’s toy oven’ – I laugh, and explain that this cute-looking appliance is actually here to replace our knackered toaster, and maybe even our beloved air fryer.
The simple-to-follow instructions promise me that this oven will revitalise stale bread (thanks to it’s steam infusion), create ‘impossibly crispy wings’ and deliver fresh-baked cookies on demand. I’m keen to get baking, and see if it can deliver.
After unpacking the Wonder Oven, I wash the air fryer basket, wire rack, bake pan and crumb tray as suggested. I decide to play it safe and start with toasting some nearly stale sourdough bread.
For best results, the instructions suggest preheating the Wonder Oven before use – it is still an oven, after all. I pop the crumb tray right at the bottom, turn the right-hand knob on, set the ‘mode’ knob to ‘toast’ and the temperature to 230°C. There’s also a little water inlet at the top of the appliance, where you can measure 5-10ml of water for steam infusion (basically designed to breathe life back into food). My toast is ready in minutes – far quicker than I was expecting, in fact, I almost left it in there too long (I’m more of a barely-toasted-like-it-golden kinda gal than a burnt-to-a-crisp-blackened toast lover).
For dinner, I decided to test out the grill function with two salmon fillets. I preheat the oven 205°C, place the salmon fillets on the bake pan, with the skin side down, and coat them with a little olive oil and salt. After 10 minutes, I whack the temperature up to 230°C and cook for another 5 mins – it’s perfectly cooked, crispy on the outside, and flakey on the inside. I’m impressed.
As a weekend treat, I give the oven the ultimate test: chocolate chip cookies. I follow the BBC’s recipe – and use the timings and temperature suggested for a standard oven. The smell fills my kitchen. Firm at the edges but still soft in the middle, they’re everything a cookie should be. The only major drawback is the fact that you can’t make that many (since the oven is so small).
But, while there’s no denying this appliance is dinky, for some, this will be a big tick. Especially for those with tiny shared kitchens that lack countertop surface space.
‘Appliances have a reputation for being big, bulky, and single-use, and what we’re offering is quite the opposite. It’s beautifully designed to sit proudly on your countertop without taking up too much space. And despite its small size, it opens up a world of cooking possibilities,’ says Shiza Shahid, Co-founder of Our Place.
WH Verdict
With the ability to cook everything from a quick snack to a multicourse dinner with a turn of a knob – despite its compact size – the Wonder Oven really is a wonder. It preheats quickly, cooks fast, and is actually more spacious than you might think.
If you live alone, or in a couple, it could honestly change your life. We’ve officially thrown our old toaster in the bin, and haven’t used our normal oven since.
Available online at fromourplace.com and exclusively in-store at Selfridges London.
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With nearly a decade of journalistic experience – in print, online and social – at national newspapers and lifestyle magazines, it’s fair to say Alice has tried it all when it comes to health and fitness. From packing herself off to an extreme Aveduric retreat in Sri Lanka and sweat-testing every new fitness fad to running the London Marathon and completing a 70.3 IronMan, Alice now looks after WH’s food content. With a ‘food first’ ethos, she is here to help you decipher exactly which foods will support your health, and which macro-counting, pasta-replacing, intermittent-fasting, 13-day cleanse is just, well, a scam. A keen baker and host, her favourite dessert has to be pavlova (with lots of summer berries and whipped cream, of course).
