Our Place’s Wonder Oven Pro convinced us that air fryers are worth it

It took a while for air fryers to catch on. I didn’t make a fuss about the glorified convection oven when the first generation of this equipment was released nearly 15 years ago. But while I devoured the word right along with perfectly crispy fries, I couldn’t shake off a certain skepticism about average air fryer ingredients. Didn’t anyone else notice that there was a lot of Teflon?

But our place changed my mind wonder oven prodesigned in collaboration with the consistently brilliant chef and author J. Kenji López-Alt. It features eight different cooking functions, a wealth of useful accessories, a chic finish and, crucially, a non-stick ceramic coating. and It’s non-toxic – it’s an air fryer that I can stand behind.

Our Place Wonder Oven Pro

Now, this isn’t Our Place’s first air fryer – we also tested the original Wonder Oven – but the Pro is an upgrade over the first model in several ways. For one, the Pro has three additional features: fermentation, baking, and dehydration. Overall, the Pro can air fry, roast, toast, bake, thaw, bake, reheat, and dehydrate. Naturally, I tested all settings.

The grill function quickly cooked weeknight salmon, and the proof function was perfect for focaccia and pizza dough. The chicken cutlets were crispy on the outside but juicy and soft on the inside, and the fries were fatty and crunchy. I’ve always painstakingly dried citrus wheels for cocktail garnishes in a traditional oven, but now the Wonder Oven has taken over the job. And it’s big enough that you can put three slices of brioche side by side and toast them without touching, much less overlapping. I baked 6 giant blueberry muffins and they came out with soft, luxurious crumbs.

The ceramic non-stick coating was great at staying smooth and the food slid right off the tray when it was ready. It’s also important to me that the surfaces I often cook on are free of toxins, given the growing evidence that chemicals and microplastics in cookware and food remain forever contaminated. harm our health. Needless to say, I was excited to work with instruments made of ceramic, glass, and stainless steel. It wasn’t just the air fryer itself, but also the air fryer basket and baking tray that came with the machine.

The digital control panel is intuitive to use and uses a combination of touchscreen and analog dials to control time, temperature, and lighting. For longer projects such as dehydration or fermentation, the timer extends up to 24 hours. And guys, that’s fast. The brand touts the Wonder Oven Pro as being about 40% faster than traditional ovens, but my testing yielded slightly faster results than that. My frozen chicken cutlets, which normally take 30 minutes at 400°F, were done flat in 16 minutes. Apparently, the Wonder Oven Pro’s upgraded quartz and stainless steel heating element allows for faster cooking.

However, all of these upgrades have potential drawbacks. The Wonder Oven Pro is big. I live in an apartment with very limited counter space, and I would be reluctant to sacrifice real estate if the quality of the appliances was even slightly inferior. Pro replaces three or four separate appliances and is designed for triple-layer cooking, so you can cook multiple ingredients at the same time and get dinner on the table faster. But if you’re swimming in counter space, its size may not be so intrusive.

It’s also worth noting that five of the settings work best when preheating the machine. Our Place is clear in the instructions as to what those settings are, and preheating is just fast. I used an oven thermometer to check the Pro’s internal temperature, and it reached my target heat level within 5 minutes each time.

I will continue testing the Wonder Oven Pro so that I can share all of its best features. But for now, wonder oven pro Feels like a professional appliance that every home kitchen needs. If you’re willing to give it a little counter space, you might be able to replace a traditional oven for most uses, as I did.

See more air fryers

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Glass Air Fryer

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer and Convection Oven

instant pot vortex plus

Cosori TurboBlaze Air Fryer

tifer dome

At the time of publication, prices for the Wonder Oven Pro started at $325.