Cooking performance
There’s very little difference between electric ovens when it comes to straight cooking performance. Fiona regularly tests ovens by putting them through a range of tests, including cooking chicken, pizza, toast, scones and meringues. On the basis of cooking performance, all the ovens are worth considering, but they’re not all as easy to use and clean as our top-rating models. The What to Buy models are exceptional, setting the benchmark for electric ovens.
A kitchen essential, and a purchase you’ll want to get right the first time, your new oven should not only cook all your dishes to perfection, but also be easy to use and clean. It should be reliable and able to last through endless hours of food preparation.
For more information on Ovens and cooktops, see Kitchen.
CHOICE tests ovens from a range of price points. The more expensive models are usually multi-function with self-cleaning features. The cheaper models often lack some of the functions that multi-function ovens offer, such as fan assist and top and bottom elements, and don't have pyrolytic cleaning, but if you're on a budget, these ovens still perform well.
In this report we compare multi-function ovens, with and without self-cleaning features, such as catalytic liners and pyrolytic functions. Most are standard 60cm-wide single ovens, with three extra-wide options.
Impressive features
The recently tested Ariston OS99DPIX comes with features we haven’t seen before. Along with the regular settings, it also has a selection of automatic cooking functions for roasts, cakes, bread and pizza. The time and temperature are preset, and you can only make minor adjustments to the time. It also comes with a rotisserie and spit roast function, which Fiona used for the roast chicken test. While it cooked the chicken well, we noticed that as the meat cooks and shrinks it becomes unstable on the rotisserie. The oven also has a divider shelf to separate the extra-large space into two separate spaces that can be operated simultaneously. The top section operates as a grill and fast-cooking function, while the bottom section is fan-forced. This is a great way of using the oven’s capacity, and to test this, Fiona cooked sausages in the top section and pizza in the bottom and found they performed very well.
The Miele H 5241 B and previously tested Miele H 5241 BP both have a “moisture plus” cooking function, whereby small bursts of steam are injected into the oven cavity at different points of the cooking process. Simply place a glass of water below a filler tube located on the oven door frame and select Moisture Plus on the touch display. It can be used as a manual cooking mode or part of an automatic program, and it’s useful when cooking bread and meat.
Brands and models tested
60cm-wide ovens
- Ariston OS99DPIX
- Bosch HBA63B250A
- DeLonghi DE60MPS
- Electrolux EOEE62CS
- Miele H 5241 B
- Omega OO6A1X
- Westinghouse POR881S
- Whirlpool AKZM654/IX
Previously tested models
60cm-wide ovens
- AEG-Electrolux B5741-5-M #
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Belling BI60MFS
- Bellissimo TB60FSS-3
- Baumatic BO6FS #
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Baumatic BO67MS #
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Blanco OE606X
- Blanco BOSE6APX
- Blanco BOSE902X #
-
Bosch HBA63B450A #
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Bosch HBA73B550A #
- Bosch HBA63S451A
- Bosch HBG73S550A
- Chef EOC627W (The results also apply to the Chef EOC627S. It's technically similar, the only difference is it has a stainless steel exterior)
- Chef EOC647S
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DeLonghi DE60PYROS
- DeLonghi DE60MS
- Electrolux EOEM61CS
- Electrolux EPEE63CS
- Euro Appliances EBC46S #
- Euromaid 7 Multifunction fan forced BS8
- Euromaid 8 Multifunction Oven MS8
- Fisher & Paykel OB 60SCEX3 #
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Fisher & Paykel OB60SCMX3 #
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Fisher & Paykel OB60S9DEP #
- Fisher & Paykel OB 60S9DECPX1
- Miele H 4412BP
- Miele H 4810 B
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Miele H 5240 B
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Miele H 5241 BP
- Miele H4402B
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Neff B46W74NOGB
- Omega OO 612XN #
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Omega OO651XN #
- Omega OO651XR #
- Samsung BF1N4T015
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Siemens HB43AU550A #
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Smeg SAP109M-8 #
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Smeg SA 304X8
- Smeg SAP 306X-9
- Smeg SAP 399X-8
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St George 8500200PS
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Westinghouse PORS663
- Westinghouse POR667S
- Westinghouse POR668S
- Westinghouse POR883S
- Whirlpool AKPM759/IX
90cm-wide ovens
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Blanco BOSE902X
- Delonghi DE91MPS
- Omega OO971XN
See our full range of ovens and cooktops.
# Discontinued models.
To compare the ovens’ performance, our home economist Fiona Mair cooks a range of meals, including chicken, pizza, toast, scones and meringues. She tests the ovens’ ability to perform over a range of temperatures, times and functions.
We’ve removed two tests from the program – grilling sausages and baking custard tarts - as a result of what you told us in our Product Use Survey. The survey, which received more than 2500 responses asked CHOICE members about how you typically use your oven, and what factors are important to you.
Cooking performance
- Multi-shelf cooking - scones are baked over two shelves to test how evenly the ovens perform at a high temperature over a short time.
- Low temperature - Meringues are baked to assess cooking ability at a low temperature for a long period.
- Roasting – Fiona roasts a whole chicken to assess baking a non-uniform food at a moderate to high temperature over a long period, while retaining moisture and crisping the skin.
- Base cooking - Fiona also cooks a freshly prepared pizza at a very high temperature for a short period to assess the ability to crisp and brown the base and evenly cook the toppings.
- Fiona toasts bread to assess the grill area for how quickly it toasts bread and how evenly the heat is distributed.
Ease of use
Ease of use is based on control use, label clarity, and using and cleaning the grill and the oven.
Reliability
For reliability information on the oven brands from this test as well as reliability information in 25 other appliance categories, check out the latest results from our appliance reliability survey.
