As India opens up to the world cuisine, the necessities of kitchen equipment have increased from griddle, skillets, tandoor, pots and pans to hand blenders, air fryers and ovens, to name a few. Many of us get curious about the yummy baking possibilities that are illustrated in the DIY recipes that we come across in media, magazines and internet. The tricky part comes in choosing an oven when you decide to buy one. It greatly depends on the purpose of buying and your level of interest in cooking. Choosing an oven should be a thoughtful decision since you should not feel lost upon buying an oven which doesn’t fit the expectation.
Answer these questions for yourself first:
- Are you a beginner in baking or a pro? In other words, what is your level of interest in baking? Do you want an oven just for reheating or cooking cakes and baking breads?
- What is the capacity of the oven that can fit in your kitchen comfortably?
- If you already have a brand in mind, have you checked it’s after sales service in your town?
While the price range of ovens varies from Rs.5000 to Rs.50000 and their capacity starts from 10 litres, here is a detailed know-how about various types of oven and their usage.
Conventional Ovens
Conventional Ovens use electricity or gas to heat up. Heat is radiated to top and the cool air which is pushed down results in uneven cooking. Usually, inbuilt modular kitchens have Convectional Oven within. If you need to cook and bake for a large scale or a joint family of more than 4 members, this conventional oven is recommended. This oven can also bake in multiple tiers, based on its capacity of baking. Costs above Rs.40,000. Some of the famous brands are Kaff, Viking and a few more.
Oven Toaster Grill (OTGs)
Oven Toaster Grill or the OTGs work on heated filaments. Toasting and grilling are nice things to do in OTGs but they sometimes fail in an even baking of food. The crust of cake/ bread dries out when the cooking time is a tad extended but turns out unevenly baked if the cooking time is reduced. The Brownies or Breads are baked fine but they would always come out further great when done in a Convection Oven. Hence, these OTGs are great if your cooking preferences are more inclined to toasting and grilling rather than baking like a pro. Costs above Rs.5000.
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Microwave Ovens
Microwave Ovens use radio waves to defrost or reheat the cooked food. Microwave specific recipes are good to be cooked in these Ovens, but one cannot try a proper baking of Pesto Braid or Baguette or a cake in these ovens. Hence, buy a Microwave Oven only if reheating and simple microwave recipes are its expected norms. Perfect for singles and too-busy-to-bake individuals. Costs Rs.5000 and up.
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Microwave Convection Ovens
Cooking time differs in Microwave Convection Ovens since the heat is produced from the fan at the back wall of the oven. This is best known for quicker heating and even baking, and consumes less power compared to conventional ovens. But one has to keep only the round shaped baking trays and space is limited by that much since the rectangular tray hits the wall when the turntable rotates. These are the convenient most to use, whether you want to reheat or bake. Some of these ovens also come with a grill mode which eases grilling too. Cost starts from Rs.15000.
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Here are 15 recipes that require baking in an oven. Our team has used Convection Oven to bake most of the recipes provided below.
