I Use This 6-in-1 Kitchen Appliance Multiple Times Per Day

Two things about me: I love to cook, and I'm as passionate about my toaster oven as I am filling my home with pretty things. So when Our Place dropped its new six-in-one Wonder Oven ($175, originally $195), it felt like love at first sight.

Wonder Oven

From

$175

$195 Now 10% off

$175 at Our Place

The Wonder Oven is a combination toaster oven and air fryer that purports to allow you to bake, roast, broil, steam, or air fry with a single appliance. And, true to Our Place's signature aesthetic, its design features vintage-inspired rounded edges and comes in a soft matte palette of millennial-fave colors like a peachy pink, slate blue, and sage green.

Our Place sent an oven my way, and I was eager to put it to the test. After a month of daily action, would this appliance be my new MVP? Or would this be a style-over-substance situation (as Paul Hollywood would say)?

When I pulled the Wonder Oven out of the box, I immediately thought, "Well this is cute!" It looks great on my countertop. But beyond looks, one of the things I enjoy the most about the Wonder Oven is how multipurpose it is. With limited space in my NYC kitchen, I aim for appliances that make the most of counter space by fulfilling a variety of functions — and this device fits the bill. The steam infusion feature makes perfectly toasty toast (and quickly, too!), while the air fryer crisps up all the recipes I've tried beautifully.

Other noteworthy positives are that the Wonder Oven is quick to heat up, and the glass-paneled door makes it easy to keep an eye on the status of whatever I am cooking. I also love its multilevel design, which gives you the option of cooking multiple foods at once.

The Wonder Oven is compact, which makes it great for a one- or two-person household. If you're cooking for more than two, however, a bigger appliance would likely suit your needs better.

The knobs are also slightly imprecise; it's hard to get the exact bake time on the dial or an exact temperature. While the appliance works like a charm for things like roasting potatoes, making toast, or using the air fryer, it might be tricky to get a precise cook on more finicky dishes.

Our Place recommends doing a trial run of the Wonder Oven before you use it to cook any food. Then, using the appliance is as easy as setting the dials to your desired temperature, cook mode, and time. If you're making use of the steam-infusion feature, just add water to the inlet on top of the oven once it has preheated. (I love these helpful step-by-step videos on the Our Place website.)

Over the past month, I've put my Wonder Oven to the test: using the steam-infusion tech to make toast, air-frying potatoes and chicken cutlets, baking a few cookies for dessert, and heating up frozen items.

Pro tip: keep an eye on what's inside! This little machine is powerful and works faster than I thought on some occasions.

Given its size, I'd recommend the Wonder Oven for singles or couples. If you're cooking for more than two people, things get pretty tight in the oven. (Although Our Place claims you can use it to roast a 4.5-pound chicken!)

The compact, multiuse design is great for city living because it eliminates the need for multiple appliances.

At nearly $200, the Wonder Oven isn't cheap. But while you can find air-fryer/toaster-oven hybrids for less, the price tag is comparable to many competing appliances.

The "worth it"-ness likely comes down to who you are and what you're looking to do with the oven. It's a great little machine, but the size might be a limiting factor for some larger families or people who like to batch-prep food. If you value aesthetics above all else, however, it's hard to find better — or cuter.

Overall, the Wonder Oven is a powerful machine and perfect for making easy and quick meals without the hassle of turning on the stove or lugging out a big air fryer.

Rating:

★★★★