"INTRODUCTION - this is an addition to our existing AEG oven, which although still great is an older model without many of the advanced functions of this oven.
INSTALLATION - we were somewhat worried about whether this oven would fit into a standard kitchen unit due to its additional functionality. However, it turned out to be easier than we expected, with a single electrical connection and the same electrical rating as the previous model. It fits perfectly. APPEARANCE - this oven looks sleek, modern and stylish. The all-digital controls do away with the need for any protruding controls and as such give a much smarter finish. We know from experience with our older AEG oven that the brushed stainless-steel finish is both fingerprint resistant & pretty easy to clean. When in standby the display just shows a smart digital clock (which dims at night) and for which the brightness can be changed.
USE - we were somewhat worried about the complexity of a full digital panel, compared with more traditional controls, but this proved to be unfounded. Whilst it does have a huge amount of functionality, all the basic functions are easily accessed and controlled. To turn the fan oven on at 150 C, for example, requires just three presses on the control panel. The menu system is well designed and is easy to navigate.
USE AS A NORMAL FAN OVEN - the oven was supplied with one set of telescopic runners - these are new to us and are surprisingly useful - especially if the oven is at a low level. The oven has a quick heat-up option which can be set to operate all the time, and it achieved 0-200 C in 7 mins, which is considerably faster than our previous oven. One of the reasons for choosing this model was its internal capacity, which is better than most on the market - the AEG engineers & designers deserve credit for fitting everything into a standard-sized unit. Using a known accurate thermometer, we checked & confirmed that the set temperature was achieved and remained constant throughout. ADVANCED FUNCTIONALITY - The oven has a vast array of additional functionality including: normal non-fan cooking, grilling, turbo-grilling, steam cooking, pizza setting, frozen foods, moist fan baking and cooking using the supplied temperature probe (this is excellent btw, allowing you to set the desired internal temperature of meat or fish and giving perfect results every time we've used it - especially good for a large beef joint or a Wellington). It also has many built in recipes - however, one of my criticisms of this oven is that I had to find the details of these recipes on the web - they did not come with the unit, which I feel is an oversight. That said, they do work well. There are even built in recipes based on weight (of the food, not the chef) which is a nice touch. In addition, there is a specials menu which includes even more functions such as plate warming, keep food warm, defrost (which works really well, see below), preserving, drying, dough proving (which is a real bonus for us) and slow cooking. STEAM FUNCTIONALITY- one of the interesting things with this oven will be building steam cooking into our routine. We initially tested this with defrost, which I was sceptical about, but which worked really well, completely defrosting a 2KG casserole in 100 minutes. A nice touch was that before the end of the programme, the steam stopped so that the oven had dried out before opening it. Cooking with steam keeps food moist and is commonly used in commercial bakeries, so I really welcome this functionality. Water is simply added via a small pop-out drawer on the control panel. CLEANING - one of the main reasons for choosing this model was that it has pyrolytic cleaning. We are used to this with our older oven and now wouldn't buy an oven without it. So far, we have only run the shortest cleaning cycle before we used the oven for the first time, but AEG have refined the options by introducing a third setting - you can now choose between Quick, Normal or Intense (1, 1.5 or 3 hours). Also, this model comes with standard "shiny" oven shelves which we prefer - the older model has non-stick shelves, which sound great, but which can't go into the dishwasher. In our experience, the pyrolytic cleaning is a life-saver - I love cooking but hate cleaning the oven - with this you just wash the inside of the door, remove the shelves etc and whack it onto clean. Once it's finished and cooled down, you wipe out a bit of ash from the bottom and the whole thing looks like new again. CONS - overall, we love this oven, but there are a few points that AEG could improve on. Whilst the supplied instruction manual is good and clearly written, it is a little basic. As mentioned previously, it would have been nice to have full details of the pre-programmed recipes supplied with the oven. It would also have been nice to receive some more information on how to use the steam functionality - many people won't be used to cooking with steam and this will be their first foray into a new technology. Accordingly, AEG could consider supplying a recipe book or possibly even a DVD with the oven to show how to get the most from it. CONCLUSION - this oven is highly recommended, simple to use, exceptionally easy to clean & looks lovely. It is more refined than our previous AEG oven - even the beeps when the set temp is reached are less intrusive. There is also a more comprehensive display when cooking, showing time of day, selected settings, time since oven switched on (or to end of programme), whether the oven is heating up or is at temperature. You even have the option to save your favourite programmes under a "Favourites option". I hope you find this review useful.
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