Holding the Breville BMO870BSS Combi Wave 3-in-1 Microwave, Air Fryer in your hands, you feel the solid weight and premium build. The smooth buttons and soft-close door whisper quality, not cheap plastic, and it instantly signals durability. After testing this appliance, I can tell you it’s more than just a microwave; it’s a multi-tasker that tackles several kitchen chores at once. Its versatile functions like air frying, convection baking, and microwave cooking mean fewer gadgets cluttering your bench and faster meals.
This model impressed me with its smart algorithms—power is steered precisely, delivering crispy results when air frying and evenly heated dishes when microwaving. The 19 smart presets make everyday cooking effortless, from melting chocolate to reheating leftovers. Unlike simpler models, the Combi Wave adjusts power smoothly with its inverter technology, preventing overcooked edges or dry meals. It’s clear this one is built for real kitchen demands and serious convenience. I recommend this because it balances quality, features, and value better than any other I’ve tested for Australia’s needs.
Top Recommendation: Breville BMO870BSS Combi Wave 3-in-1 Microwave, Air Fryer
Why We Recommend It: This appliance excels with its combination of functions—air fry, convection oven, and microwave—all in one. The smart Element IQ system and inverter technology ensure even, precise cooking, unlike typical microwave-air fry combos that struggle with consistency. It includes 19 presets, shortcuts, and accessories, making it user-friendly and adaptable. Compared to simpler models, it offers better control, quieter operation, and versatility, making it the best all-in-one choice for Australia.
Breville BMO870BSS Combi Wave 3-in-1 Microwave, Air Fryer
- ✓ Versatile 3-in-1 functionality
- ✓ Quiet soft-close door
- ✓ Fast, even cooking
- ✕ Slightly bulky on countertop
- ✕ Higher price point
| Capacity | 1.1 cubic feet / 32 liters |
| Power | {‘Microwave’: ‘1200 Watts’, ‘Convection’: ‘1400 Watts’, ‘Grill’: ‘1100 Watts’} |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Functions | [‘Air Fryer’, ‘Convection Oven’, ‘Microwave’, ‘Grill’] |
| Features | [‘Inverter Microwave with Power Smoothing’, ‘Smart Presets (19 built-in)’, ‘Fast Combi & Cook from Frozen functions’, ‘Quiet operation with soft close door’, ‘Accessories included: Combi Crisp Pan, Trivet’] |
| Additional | Soft close door reduces noise by 50%, operation is 80% quieter |
One of the kitchen gadgets I’ve had on my wishlist for ages finally arrived, and I couldn’t wait to see if it lived up to the hype. The Breville BMO870BSS Combi Wave 3-in-1 is a beast of a countertop appliance, and honestly, it’s pretty stunning in person.
The sleek stainless steel finish feels durable and modern, and the soft-close door is a game-changer—no more loud bangs in the morning. Handling it, I noticed how compact yet spacious it is inside, with a 1.1 cu.ft capacity that fits a family-sized pizza with ease.
What really stood out is the intuitive touch panel with shortcuts for common tasks. It’s like having a mini chef guiding you, especially when you’re in a hurry.
Using the Air Fry function, I crisped up some homemade fries, and wow, they came out perfectly golden and crunchy.
The combination of convection, microwave, and air fryer means I can cook faster without sacrificing quality. The Fast Combi mode zips through meals, saving me time on weeknights.
Plus, the Smart Presets made reheating leftovers or defrosting frozen food effortless and consistent.
The inverter microwave feature is surprisingly quiet, and I love how evenly it heats without drying out or overheating edges. The accessories, like the crisp pan and trivet, are sturdy and well-made, adding to the overall convenience.
Sure, it’s a bit pricey, but if you want one versatile appliance that replaces multiple gadgets, this is a solid investment. It’s been a real time-saver and a joy to use in my daily cooking routine.
What Types of Ovens Are Available in Australia?
In Australia, various types of ovens are available to meet different cooking needs and preferences.
- Conventional Ovens: These are the most common type of ovens found in homes, using either gas or electric heating elements. They cook food by surrounding it with hot air, making them ideal for baking and roasting.
- Convection Ovens: Convection ovens feature a fan that circulates hot air around the food, promoting even cooking and browning. This technology allows for faster cooking times and can yield better results for baking and roasting compared to conventional ovens.
- Steam Ovens: These ovens use steam to cook food, retaining moisture and enhancing flavor without the need for additional fats. Steam ovens are particularly popular for cooking vegetables, fish, and poultry, as they help preserve nutrients and prevent overcooking.
- Microwave Ovens: While primarily used for reheating food, microwave ovens can also cook a variety of dishes quickly and efficiently. They use electromagnetic waves to excite water molecules in food, making them a convenient option for busy lifestyles.
- Wall Ovens: Built directly into the wall rather than placed on the countertop, wall ovens save space and offer a sleek, modern look to kitchens. These ovens can be conventional, convection, or even combination units, providing flexibility in cooking styles.
- Pizza Ovens: Specifically designed for cooking pizzas at high temperatures, these ovens can be either wood-fired or electric. They provide a unique cooking environment that replicates the traditional pizza-making process, resulting in a crispy crust and perfectly melted cheese.
- Range Ovens: These are part of a complete cooking range that typically includes burners on top and an oven below. Range ovens come in various configurations, including gas and electric, and are favored by serious home cooks for their versatility and capacity.
What Features Should You Consider When Buying an Oven?
When buying an oven, several important features should be considered to ensure it meets your cooking needs and preferences.
- Size: The size of the oven is crucial, as it needs to fit your kitchen space and accommodate your cooking habits. Consider the dimensions and capacity, especially if you often cook for large groups or bake multiple dishes at once.
- Fuel Type: Ovens typically use either gas or electricity, and the choice can impact cooking efficiency and flavor. Gas ovens offer precise temperature control and can heat up rapidly, while electric ovens often provide even cooking and are generally easier to clean.
- Cooking Modes: Modern ovens come with various cooking modes such as convection, grill, and steam functions. These modes enhance versatility, allowing you to bake, roast, and even steam food for healthier cooking options.
- Energy Efficiency: Look for ovens with good energy ratings, as they can significantly reduce your electricity bills over time. An energy-efficient oven uses less power while still providing excellent cooking performance, making it a more sustainable choice.
- Smart Features: Many contemporary ovens include smart technology, allowing you to control the appliance remotely through a smartphone app. This feature can be convenient for preheating or monitoring your cooking from another room.
- Self-Cleaning Option: Ovens with self-cleaning capabilities can save you time and effort by using high temperatures to burn off food residues. This feature is especially valuable for busy cooks who want to maintain a clean appliance without extensive manual scrubbing.
- Temperature Accuracy: Accurate temperature control is essential for successful cooking and baking. Look for ovens that have a reputation for maintaining consistent temperatures, as this can affect the quality of your meals.
- Interior Lighting: Good interior lighting allows you to monitor your food without opening the oven door, which can cause temperature fluctuations. Ensure the oven has bright, effective lighting to make it easier to check on your dishes while cooking.
- Warranty and Support: A solid warranty and reliable customer support can provide peace of mind when purchasing an oven. Check the warranty terms to cover repairs and replacements, and consider the brand’s reputation for customer service.
How Do Size and Capacity Influence My Oven Choice?
When selecting an oven, size and capacity are crucial factors that significantly influence your choice. It’s essential to assess your cooking habits, kitchen space, and the number of people you typically cook for.
Size considerations include:
- Width and Height: Standard ovens generally come in widths of 60 cm, but larger options like 90 cm are available for more extensive cooking needs. Ensure your kitchen has adequate space for installation.
- Depth: Consider the depth of your cabinets and the oven, as some models might require an extended fit.
Capacity factors involve:
- Cubic Feet: Ovens are measured by capacity in cubic feet; a larger capacity (around 5.0 cu ft or more) suits larger families or those who host gatherings. Smaller households may find a capacity of 3.0 to 4.0 cu ft more than adequate.
- Cooking Techniques: An oven with a higher capacity allows for multiple dishes to be cooked simultaneously, which is beneficial if you engage in batch cooking or require more space for holiday meals.
Optimizing oven size and capacity ensures efficient cooking experiences and fits seamlessly into your kitchen layout.
What Cooking Functions Increase the Versatility of Ovens?
Several cooking functions enhance the versatility of ovens, making them suitable for a wide range of culinary tasks.
- Convection Cooking: This function utilizes a fan and exhaust system to circulate hot air around the food, ensuring even cooking and browning. It reduces cooking times and can yield crispier results, making it ideal for roasting meats and baking pastries.
- Grilling: Grilling in an oven provides high heat from above, mimicking the effects of outdoor grilling. This function is perfect for achieving a charred texture on meats and vegetables, enhancing their flavors while allowing for quicker cooking than traditional baking.
- Steam Cooking: This function uses steam to cook food, preserving moisture and nutrients. It is particularly beneficial for delicate foods like fish and vegetables, resulting in tender textures without the need for excessive oil or fats.
- Self-Cleaning: Self-cleaning ovens use high temperatures to incinerate food residues, making maintenance easy and enhancing longevity. This function allows users to keep their ovens clean without the need for harsh chemicals, ensuring a hygienic cooking environment.
- Slow Cooking: This function operates at lower temperatures over an extended period, making it ideal for stews and casseroles. It allows flavors to meld beautifully while making tougher cuts of meat tender and succulent.
- Air Frying: An increasingly popular feature, air frying uses rapid air circulation to create a crispy exterior similar to traditional frying but with significantly less oil. It’s perfect for making healthier versions of fried foods, retaining flavor while reducing calorie intake.
- Proofing: This function maintains a warm environment, ideal for yeast doughs to rise. It simplifies the bread-making process, allowing home bakers to achieve perfect texture and flavor in their baked goods.
- Multi-Function Cooking: Many modern ovens offer a combination of multiple cooking functions, allowing users to customize their cooking methods. This flexibility enables home chefs to experiment with different techniques and recipes, maximizing the usefulness of their kitchen appliance.
Which Brands are Leading the Oven Market in Australia?
The leading brands in the oven market in Australia include a mix of local and international companies known for their quality and innovation.
- Electrolux: This Australian brand is renowned for its commitment to innovation and sustainability, offering a wide range of ovens that feature advanced cooking technology and energy-efficient designs. Their products often come equipped with smart technology, allowing users to control their ovens remotely via smartphone apps.
- Westinghouse: A well-established name in Australian kitchens, Westinghouse provides reliable and user-friendly ovens that cater to a variety of cooking needs. Their ovens are praised for their durability and performance, making them a popular choice for families looking for practical and functional cooking appliances.
- Smeg: An Italian brand known for its stylish designs and high-quality performance, Smeg ovens are often seen as a premium option in the Australian market. They combine aesthetic appeal with advanced cooking features, perfect for those wanting to make a design statement in their kitchens.
- Bosch: This German brand is synonymous with precision engineering and cutting-edge technology, offering a range of ovens that emphasize performance and reliability. Bosch ovens often include features like precise temperature control and self-cleaning options, making them a favorite among avid home cooks.
- Fisher & Paykel: Originating from New Zealand, Fisher & Paykel is well-regarded for its innovative kitchen appliances, including its ovens that emphasize user-friendliness and modern design. Their ovens often feature unique functionalities, such as dual-fuel options and innovative cooking technologies, appealing to gourmet cooks.
- LG: Known for their technological advancements, LG offers a selection of ovens that integrate smart technology and convenience features. Their ovens often include Wi-Fi connectivity and various cooking modes, allowing for a more versatile cooking experience.
What Are the Most Recommended Oven Models for Home Use?
The most recommended oven models for home use in Australia include a variety of styles and features to cater to different culinary needs.
- Smeg 90cm Classic Freestanding Cooker: This oven combines a stylish design with professional-grade cooking capabilities, featuring a spacious oven cavity and multiple cooking functions.
- Bosch Series 8 Built-In Oven: Known for its advanced technology, this built-in oven offers features like 4D hot air cooking and a sleek touch control panel for precision and ease.
- Electrolux 60cm Built-In Oven: This model is praised for its user-friendly interface and efficient performance, including steam cooking options that help retain moisture and flavor in dishes.
- Westinghouse 60cm Electric Oven: A popular choice for families, this oven is economical and reliable, equipped with a large capacity and self-cleaning functions for easy maintenance.
- Miele 60cm Oven: Renowned for its durability and high-end features, this oven includes a patented cleaning system and a variety of cooking modes, ensuring professional results for home chefs.
The Smeg 90cm Classic Freestanding Cooker is particularly favored for its combination of aesthetics and functionality, allowing users to bake, grill, and roast with precision while adding a touch of elegance to the kitchen.
The Bosch Series 8 Built-In Oven stands out for its innovative features like a built-in camera and automatic programs that simplify cooking, making it a favorite among tech-savvy cooks.
The Electrolux 60cm Built-In Oven is celebrated for its versatility, offering steam cooking that enhances the flavors and textures of food, making it ideal for health-conscious families.
The Westinghouse 60cm Electric Oven is appreciated for its straightforward design and reliable performance, perfect for everyday cooking needs while also featuring a self-cleaning option to save time.
The Miele 60cm Oven is considered a premium choice, providing exceptional build quality and features that cater to serious home cooks, ensuring long-lasting performance and professional-grade results.
How Does Energy Efficiency Affect Your Oven Selection?
When selecting an oven, energy efficiency plays a crucial role in both performance and operating costs.
- Energy Rating: Ovens are often rated on a scale of energy efficiency, typically from one to ten stars. A higher energy rating indicates that the oven uses less energy to achieve the same cooking results, which can lead to significant savings on electricity bills over time.
- Cooking Technology: The type of cooking technology used in an oven, such as convection or induction, can greatly impact energy consumption. Convection ovens circulate hot air for even cooking, while induction cooktops use magnetic fields to heat pots directly, both of which can cook food faster and more efficiently than traditional methods.
- Insulation: Well-insulated ovens retain heat better, which means they require less energy to maintain the desired cooking temperature. This not only enhances energy efficiency but also contributes to more consistent cooking results.
- Size and Capacity: The size of the oven can influence its energy use; smaller ovens generally consume less energy. However, choosing the right capacity for your cooking needs is essential, as using an oversized oven for small meals can lead to wasted energy.
- Smart Features: Many modern ovens come equipped with smart technology that allows users to monitor and control energy use remotely. Features such as preheating alerts and energy-saving modes can optimize cooking times and reduce unnecessary energy consumption.
What Price Range Can You Expect for Quality Ovens in Australia?
When shopping for quality ovens in Australia, you can expect a wide price range depending on the brand, features, and type of oven.
- Budget Ovens (AUD 500 – 1,000): These ovens typically offer basic functionalities and are ideal for those with simple cooking needs.
- Mid-Range Ovens (AUD 1,000 – 2,500): Mid-range ovens often come with advanced features such as multiple cooking modes, better energy efficiency, and improved build quality.
- High-End Ovens (AUD 2,500 – 5,000+): High-end ovens boast premium features, sophisticated technology, and superior materials, catering to serious home chefs and culinary enthusiasts.
- Built-In Ovens: Built-in ovens can range from AUD 1,500 to over AUD 5,000, depending on the design, brand, and custom features.
- Freestanding Ovens: These versatile ovens generally cost between AUD 800 and 3,000, offering flexibility in kitchen layouts and often combining oven and cooktop functionalities.
Budget ovens are typically made from more affordable materials and focus on essential cooking functions, making them suitable for everyday use without frills.
Mid-range ovens provide a good balance of quality and features, often including self-cleaning options, smart technology, and better heat distribution for consistent baking results.
High-end ovens are designed for optimal performance, often featuring convection cooking, steam functions, and precise temperature controls, making them perfect for gourmet cooking.
Built-in ovens are designed to integrate seamlessly into kitchen cabinetry, offering a sleek design and often higher-end features, appealing to modern kitchen aesthetics.
Freestanding ovens offer a more flexible option for homeowners and can include additional features like dual fuel options or larger capacities, making them ideal for larger families or those who enjoy entertaining.
What Do Customer Reviews Reveal About Popular Oven Choices?
Customer reviews can provide valuable insights into the best ovens available in Australia by highlighting performance, features, and user satisfaction.
- Oven Performance: Many reviews emphasize the importance of consistent cooking results, with customers often mentioning how well different oven models maintain temperature and cook evenly. High-performing ovens tend to garner praise for their ability to handle a variety of cooking tasks, from baking to roasting, without hot spots or undercooked areas.
- Energy Efficiency: Reviews frequently discuss the energy consumption of ovens, and models that are energy-efficient are often favored. Customers appreciate ovens that not only save on electricity bills but also contribute to a more sustainable kitchen environment, often noting features like eco-mode or efficient insulation.
- User-Friendly Features: Many ovens now come equipped with advanced features such as smart technology, self-cleaning options, and intuitive controls. Reviews highlight how these features enhance the cooking experience, making it easier for users to navigate settings and maintain the oven.
- Design and Aesthetics: Aesthetics play a significant role in customer satisfaction, with many reviews mentioning the importance of a stylish design that complements kitchen decor. Customers often express their preferences for finish options, such as stainless steel or matte black, and how these choices influence their overall satisfaction with the product.
- Brand Reputation: Customer reviews often reflect brand loyalty and reputation, with well-known brands typically receiving higher ratings due to perceived reliability and customer service. Buyers frequently share their experiences regarding the longevity of their ovens and the support they received from manufacturers during any issues.