Adrian de San Isidoro, section manager at 60 Millions de consommateurs, tested 10 models of ovens, between 300 and 800 euros, for the December monthly magazine of the INC. Decryption.
franceinfo: Is the oven with a simple timer and cooking temperature finished?
Adrian of San Isidoro: And yes, some devices have up to 45 recipes, such as cooking roast beef, chicken legs or even sponge cake. Recipes that we tested for each of the devices put to the test.
The results are very positive, since the scores vary between 13.2 and 17.2/20. None of these models, rather mid-range, has really been found wanting. Even if there are a few downsides that wander around.
You have chosen built-in ovens. These are the models that sell the most?
Absolutely and by far: these models total three-quarters of sales for 2023 and 2024, according to the analysis firm Nielsen/GFK. Appliances favored by the French, because they take up much less space than free-standing ovens.
From one model to another, the difference in price can be explained by the number of heating modes, which varies from 5 to 15 depending on the device, the presence or absence of certain functions, such as Air Fry mode, or steam cooking. The number of accessories provided, drip pan, rotisserie, baking tray, etc., also pushes prices up.
When we talk about cooking assistants, what are we talking about?
These are devices which will automatically determine, depending on the chosen recipe, the parameters necessary for cooking. In this case, time and temperature.
The recipe function is practical, but keep the oven instructions carefully to know which recipe corresponds to which program, since apart from a number, nothing explicit is indicated on the display.
Certain preparations require a lot of care, particularly pastry, are the ovens you have tested up to the task?
To evaluate pastry performance, we made a sponge cake, and the results were very satisfactory. When it came out of the oven, we systematically obtained a golden and brittle crust. But also an aerial structure and a good increase in volume. The results were also there for the preparation of chicken thighs, soft and with crispy skin.
On the other hand, the preparation of the roast beef had some hiccups. The fault of some unwelcome overcooking. And yes, the ideal cooking of a recipe sometimes depends on a few degrees. In this area, Miogo, Beko, Sauter, Thomson and Whirlpool devices are doing well.
On the other hand, the Hisense model, despite a very stable temperature, disappoints a little, with its 6 degrees above the desired heating level. 6 degrees more, if you want to get a pearly fish, it can be fatal. The Proline oven, for its part, is even more imprecise with temperatures ranging from 10 to 20 degrees below those requested. This can significantly extend the cooking time.
When it comes to cleaning, are the different systems convincing?
To clean your oven, you must activate the pyrolysis mode, which will raise the temperature to 500 degrees Celsius, to vaporize the fats and reduce small food residues to ashes. An operation well executed by the Hisense and Miogo models. After pyrolysis, a simple wipe with a cloth is enough. On the other hand, you will have to put a little more elbow grease after cleaning Smeg and Whirlpool ovens, which leave too much small debris.
And for electricity consumption?
Here again, there are nice differences. Energy consumption ranging from simple to triple. Concretely, the electricity cost, to cook a 1 kilo roast beef, ranges from 12 cents for Hisense, to 40 cents for Beko, the most energy-intensive oven in our comparison.
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