What are the points to look out for regarding ease of use?
Is the device equipped with mechanical or electronic adjustments? Buttons or dials? Is its screen readable? But above all, is it easy to handle? Its use, especially if the built-in oven has numerous functions, must absolutely be intuitive. But you also have to think about the side effects. Is the oven multifunction (traditional heat and microwave cooking)? Does it use automatic cleaning based on pyrolysis or catalysis? Does the cavity provide sufficient capacity to accommodate bulky dishes? Are the stainless steel shelves on which the grills and drip pans rest easy to remove and replace in the event of pyrolysis cleaning?
The modes and functions of my oven
Does the oven use natural convection, rotating or pulsed heat? In the second case, several modes are generally offered, using one of the built-in oven resistances or several at the same time. Often, there are also other modes such as grill or a mode dedicated to defrosting. There are also eco modes whose cooking performance is more erratic. Some multifunctional (and expensive) models benefit from a steam or microwave mode or even both. Users who are new to cooking will appreciate the presence of an automatic programmer which will adjust the different cooking parameters based on the food to be heated and the quantity.
An update on options
Some built-in ovens include functions that can become essential in the kitchen, such as multiple cavities, steam injection, a “boost” mode to reduce preheating time, etc. Finally, not all ovens are supplied with the same accessories. .
A few words about cooking…
Without measurements, it is impossible to know whether cooking will be of good quality. In our opinion, a good oven must respect the requested temperature without excessive variations (even in eco mode), provide homogeneous heat throughout the cavity and ideally preheat quickly.
Noise and power consumption
Like any device using resistance, the oven consumes quite a bit of electricity. This measure tends to isolate models that are more gluttonous than the average or, on the contrary, particularly economical. And if you like showing off your new multifunction oven, all black and coated stainless steel, no one likes having to raise your voice when it’s working. The noise it emits is mainly linked to ventilation.
What are the forces present?
Many manufacturers have attacked the built-in oven market and several schools are competing. Well-established brands (Bosch, Siemens, Electrolux, Whirlpool, etc.) often offer built-in ovens with solid performance but discreet technical innovations. To wrest market share from its behemoths, the challengers (Samsung in the lead) are instead banking on little extra things like the divisible cavity or the door entirely covered with a touch screen.
The volume of the cavity.
Nowadays, built-in ovens have capacities well over 65 liters, which is more than enough in most cases. But be careful, the larger the volume of the cavity, the more likely the temperature will not be the same everywhere. Fortunately, the ovens in our comparator are also rated according to the homogeneity of the temperature within the cavity.
What’s more, Samsung has developed a technology to divide the main muffle into two smaller cavities (around 35 liters). This allows two dishes requiring different temperatures to be cooked simultaneously (80°C maximum).
Is forced heat essential?
A pulsed (or rotating) heat oven benefits from a fan at the bottom of the cavity, surrounded by an annular resistance. This technology offers great homogeneity of temperatures in the muffle thanks to the flow of hot air. The additional resistance also allows you to reach a chosen temperature more quickly. Without being completely essential, pulsed heat provides, in our opinion, appreciable comfort of use.
Please note that the energy class of an oven is not necessarily impacted by the presence of this additional resistance. A fan oven can have a better energy rating than a product using only natural convection.
Energy needs.
Like most household appliances, built-in ovens display an energy label which will determine their class; D, C, B, A… If this indication can serve as a comparison between references, it is however far from corresponding to daily uses in the kitchen.
The vast majority of built-in ovens benefit from an eco mode. The latter is almost always less efficient than other cooking methods.
What is the difference between catalysis and pyrolysis?
Catalysis relies on a special enamel which covers the walls of the oven cavity and which absorbs the sugars when the temperature in the cavity reaches 200°C. It uses less energy but also a little less efficient than pyrolysis, a process aimed at raising the temperature to 500°C in order to eliminate sugars and fats. It should be noted that in France, the vast majority of built-in ovens use automatic cleaning based on pyrolysis.
A multifunction product equipped with steam nozzles will often also offer cleaning based on this functionality.
All this does not prevent you from giving a quick wipe with a sponge at the end of cooking, to avoid having to carry out painful cleaning when the cavity will be stained with traces of grease and burnt sugar. It can of course also be applied to the facade to keep the stainless steel or black glass, often used on facades, immaculate.
Electronic or mechanical adjustment?
Our comparator includes products benefiting from both types of interfaces. Obviously, it all depends on habits, but an oven equipped with electronic controls is much simpler to program than a product using purely mechanical dials which do not allow very precise adjustment.
Be careful, many ovens use electronic dials. To spot this type of device, it’s very simple; look for the digital display! An electronically controlled oven often offers accuracy to within 5°C. Touch screen models are often a little trickier to program than devices with dials.
The electronic settings also make it easier to use the automatic programmer (the cooking assistant), especially if a TFT screen adorns the front of the oven.
What accessories do I need?
Manufacturers generally provide a stainless steel grill and an enamel-coated drip pan; this constitutes the minimum service. Several stainless steel grids and another (deeper) drip pan are sometimes provided. A multifunction device can also receive a thermometric probe which monitors the cooking of food throughout. Finally, the most high-end models benefit from telescopic rails to handle heavy and large dishes without excessive effort.
Is a cooking assistant essential?
A cooking assistant is actually an automatic programmer. It is used to adjust the oven according to the dishes to be cooked and the quantities. By choosing a type of food, the oven will choose the most suitable heating mode (natural convection, rotating heat, etc.) while the temperature and duration will be adapted (to a certain extent) depending on the quantity to be prepared.
It all depends on the user and their level of cooking skills.
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