When researching which oven to buy, you’re likely to come across a lot of unusual phrases and words in product descriptions. One of those phrases is ‘multifunction oven’.
What Is a Multifunction Oven?
A multifunction oven is an oven that has multiple heating elements and a choice of heating methods, giving you more choice over how your food is cooked. It offers more choice in several ways:
- Multiple heating elements – These ovens multiple heating elements that can be controlled independently. This means you could choose to just have heat coming from the bottom, the top or the sides of the oven.
- Choice of or fan-assisted heating elements – You also have the option of using either conventional convection heating or fan-assisted heating for more even cooking.
- Additional cooking features and programmes elements – Some multifunction ovens also have additional functions such as a grill, a defrost function and a Rapid Start setting.
Advantages of Multifunction Ovens
- Choice of fan or conventional heating – Fan-assisted heating is great for baking, whereas conventional heating where the heat rises to the top is better for certain recipes.
- Ability to adjust where heat comes from – This ensures you will get the best results from each recipe.
- Top heating element can be used as a gentle grill – This is useful for browning lasagne etc.
FAQs
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about multifunction ovens with their answers.
Does a multifunction oven have a fan?
Yes, multifunction ovens have a fan, but you have the option to use the oven without it.
Can you get a multifunction oven with a microwave and a grill?
Yes, some products combine a fan oven with a microwave and an electric grill. One such product is the AEG KME761000M, which can be used to bake, grill and microwave.
Do I need a multifunction oven?
A multifunction oven is a good choice if you want more control over your cooking and don’t want to be limited to just conventional cooking or just fan cooking.
Are multifunction ovens any good?
This depends on the particular model of oven, but in general they are a good choice if you want your oven to be versatile.
What is a single multifunction oven?
A single multifunction oven is a multifunction oven with a single cavity. This is in contrast to double ovens, which have two cooking cavities.
Summary
To summarise, a multifunction oven is one that has multiple heating elements in different parts of the oven, and offers the choice between conventional or fan heating.
If you’re looking for a new electric oven, see our roundups of the best built-in double ovens and the best built-under double ovens.
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