Hi all, I recently received my quarterly bills for gas and electricity and realised, on checking the past year's bills, that despite hikes in fuel charges, I have managed to save £70 on my electricity bill in the last 12 months! How this has come about is that the oven on my electric cooker broke 12 months ago and when I saw the prices for new ones and considered the installation cost, I looked for alternatives. I ended up buying a mini oven from Argos for £40 plus a 3 year warranty which covers not just breakdown but accidental damage too, for an extra £9. I wasn't expecting much but it has proved to be a fantastic little oven, plenty big enough for two people. It just plugs into the socket like any small appliance and there is not one time when I have wished I still had my old oven. You can fit, for instance, 2 pies and chips, a full size pizza (my son loves pizza, I don't!), casseroles (although I tend to use my slow cooker for them), a roast chicken and potatoes, a cake, stews, (not all these things at once!!) - anything you can do in a large oven, but of course you are only paying to heat a small area instead of a big oven, and this is where the saving must arise. It also has a grill. Another big plus, it is very easy to keep clean. It sits next to the microwave and between them, plus the rings on the top of my old cooker, there is nothing you can't do. You can also buy them with two rings on top should you need them. I also find it easier to use as it's on the worktop, so no bending. It also has a timer, up to an hour. As I said, for two people it's a brilliant piece of equipment that I wouldn't be without. The one I have is:-
Thanks Libby have passed this on to a great friend of mine who is considering a new oven the plates on his old one are ok but this will even save him bending as he has a pacemaker and can't bend.
Wow I have often thought of getting one of those as my kitchen too small to have a cooker. But I have a 2 ring thingie also bought in Argos - and 2 years ago bought microwave with oven and grill (not bought in Argos). If either of those go will get the mini oven instead.
Another type of oven you could consider is a Halogen Oven which you can buy for around £40 - 50. Like the mini oven you save electricity because it is a smaller space and because the cooking area is glass you can keep your eyes on the cooking without having to open the oven. It has a timer and is a fan oven making it much faster cooking than other ovens. I have had one for nearly two years now and I wouldn't be without it. You can also cook a complete meal in it with multiple ingredients as well. Because it sits on you work surface it is absolutely ideal for grilling. If you look around you can find some really good offers on line.
Hi David, thanks for your reply. A halogen was my first choice to begin with but I worried that with the motor being in the lid I might find it a bit heavy to lift off and then you need some counter space to put it on. Some of them come with hinged lid I know, but ultimately decided on the mini oven. Was really impressed with the halogens though, I watched them being used on Ideal World. Libby x
Interesting , my oven is ready for the scrap heap but can`t face the disruption so now I only use the rings on top and use my microwave on convection which I find just as good- except when I`ve got all the family coming for Xmas- Help !! Sheila x
Hi Sheila - thanks for your comment. With a mini oven you can definitely fit more in that you can with the average microwave/convection as with that you are confined to what you can fit on a turntable. There's more room in a mini oven, plus a tray and a shelf, although obviously there's not a huge amount of room. I think I'd be leaving by the back door as my guests came in the front at Christmas! But when I think how mum used to cook for around 8 at Christmas in a tiny kitchen with no microwave or modern appliances, I wonder how she did it. Your guests could each bring a dish for warming up? Have a great Christmas! Libby x
Hi everyone, I`ve been toying with getting a mini oven Libby as only 2 of us but wonder whether there would be savings as my stove is gas.I use my oven for breadmaking about once a week and make cakes sometimes.so really don`t know whether would be worth getting one. Hope that all makes sense.
Hi Boodles, I don't really know what sort of saving could make versus gas and also, if you are baking bread then you probably have a few "buns in the oven" at once (!), and you couldn't do that with a mini oven. But, for daily use, if you use your oven quite a lot normally, then I don't see why you wouldn't make a saving, not to mention the convenience. Gas used to be the cheaper option, but I think the gap has closed now. The convenience of the mini oven shouldn't be overlooked though. It heats up in 5 mins, which has to be a saving, plus you're only heating small area. Hope this helps! Libby x
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