Russell Hobbs Mini Oven 13824

...by Cookworks. Having had a Russell Hobbs kettle that lasted for years, I decided to go for the Russell Hobbs one, and a few days later, it arrived, care of John Lewis. It cost £99.95, with free delivery, and I got £6 cash back through quidco.com.

First impressions
It seemed really small when I finally got it out of the box - at least smaller than my previous mini oven. However, I think this was just because I was looking at ...
...microwave oven; in fact, it is large enough to fit a reasonable sized chicken in, although I doubt it would do the massive turkeys my mum usually buys for Christmas! In any case, it is perfectly big enough for me.

Another thing that put me off a bit when I first saw it was the shiny door. It is designed to be see-through, which it is, but from a certain distance, it also acts as a mirror. That's not really a problem, but I did think ... more

Although I've just moved into a three-bedroomed house, it is one of those old Victorian terraces with a tiny kitchen and bathroom added on at the back as an afterthought. This is fine for me because I live alone. I was disappointed, however, to find that the kitchen didn't come with an oven (it's a rented property) and that there wasn't really room for one, not if I wanted a freezer and fridge as well. A mini oven seemed to be an ideal solution; I had one in my previous property and always found it to be very reliable and definitely big enough for one person.

Why this model?
To be honest, when it comes to mini ovens with hobs on the top, there is not a great deal of choice. Much searching on the Internet came up with three real possibilities in my price range; one was this one, one by Bush and another by Cookworks. Having had a Russell Hobbs kettle that lasted for years, I decided to go for the Russell Hobbs one, and a few days later, it arrived, care of John Lewis. It cost £99.95, with free delivery, and I got £6 cash back through quidco.com.

First impressions
It seemed really small when I finally got it out of the box - at least smaller than my previous mini oven. However, I think this was just because I was looking at it out of context. It is bigger than the average microwave oven; in fact, it is large enough to fit a reasonable sized chicken in, although I doubt it would do the massive turkeys my mum usually buys for Christmas! In any case, it is perfectly big enough for me.

Another thing that put me off a bit when I first saw it was the shiny door. It is designed to be see-through, which it is, but from a certain distance, it also acts as a mirror. That's not really a problem, but I did think it would probably be hard to keep clean, which has proved to be the case. Being white, I was also a little concerned that the rest of the surfaces would also be difficult to keep clean. Again, this has proved to be the case, but then many ovens are white and other people manage to keep them looking good, so it isn't that much of an issue.

Apart from that, all looked fine. The oven seemed to be well put together, and came with two oven shelves, a baking tray with detachable handles, and, of course the two hobs on the top. There are three knobs to operate the oven (up to 250 degrees), and the two hobs. There are also two buttons; one operates the grill, the other the fan oven.

Before using, you need to burn the protective coatings off the elements, including the hobs. This is quite a smelly job, so needs to be done in a ventilated room or with the window open. The instructions advise people with allergies to stay clear.

I barely gave the instructions a second glance - it is obvious how to use it to anyone who has used an oven. However, the instructions are really easy to understand. I perhaps should have read them first though - I've just found out that when using the grill, the door should be left open to avoid the thermostat from switching it off when it gets too hot!

A few month's experience later...
I've used the oven for grilling, casseroling, frying and boiling on pretty much a daily basis. And on the whole, I've been very pleased. It is absolutely big enough for me to use, but I've also managed to cook the odd meal for friends and family without too much difficulty. The surface space that it takes up is minimal and it looks neat and tidy in my kitchen. My mum found it a little weird to be cooking on the hob higher than she's used to, but I've not found it to be a problem - it just takes a bit of getting used to.

Cleaning the inside of the oven is really easy. The sides and back of the oven are self-cleaning. I have no idea what material is on these surfaces, but it seems to work. All I need to do is to clean the bottom of the oven, which I usually do with a cloth and some hot water, but designated oven cleaners can be used. Outside is another story though.

There have been a few issues, though. Firstly, as mentioned already, the white outer surfaces of the oven are white and I'm a sloppy cooker, so food stains abound. They are relatively easy to get off with a bit of kitchen cleaner and some elbow grease, but there is some discolouration around the hobs. According to the instructions, this is normal and does not affect the operation of the oven in any way. However, I can't help but think that if it was a darker colour, the stains wouldn't show up.

Then there is the light. Inside the oven, there is a light that is on at all times whether the oven or hobs are in use or not. There is no way that I can see of switching it off, except by switching it off at the wall. When cooking in the oven, the light is obviously useful, but I don't see the point of it when it is just standing and it is wasting electricity. I try to remember to switch it off at the wall, but as the plug is in an awkward place, it isn't ideal.

Thirdly, the hobs seem to take an awful long time to heat up. This is probably at least partly to do with safety regulations, but I still find it a little annoying. As time goes by though, I've got used to it, and I suppose that every cooker has its little foibles!

Conclusion
Of course if you have a family, you will need more oven and hob space and so using an oven of this size would be very difficult. However, I really think this oven is perfect for students, old people and anyone who lives alone. It isn't without its faults, but it does what I need it to do and for the price I think it is very good value. Recommended. 

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