A £195 wonder oven that can replace ANY gadget in your kitchen and is loved by Gwyneth and the Beckhams. Our expert puts it to the test…

Forget the deep fryer; A new essential kitchen gadget has appeared on the market. At just under a foot square – smaller than most microwaves – it’ll look good in a kids’ kitchen, yet it’s supposedly the only appliance you’ll need.

Introducing the Miracle Oven. You can fry, roast, bake, air fry, grill and heat it. It proved to be a sensation in America, selling out just eight days after its release.

The creators’ online cookware brand Our Place has many A-list fans, including the Beckhams and Oprah Winfrey, and the oven itself has been praised by Gwyneth Paltrow, who described it as “adorable” in a gift guide for her lifestyle brand Goop. But do we really need another trendy culinary gadget? Not to mention a £195 device that, as far as I know, does what I’ve been doing without it for years.

Ahead of its launch in the UK at Selfridges next week, I put one to the test with Our Place co-founder Shiza Shahid.

“It’s not just another kitchen appliance,” emphasizes Shiza (34), who lives in Los Angeles. “It’s a universal product that makes everyday cooking a little healthier, easier and tastier.”

The Wonder Oven is a good looking gadget. With sleek, rounded edges and Instagram-friendly colors (mine is a shade of beige called “Steam”), it makes my clunky black fryer look like a piece of industrial machinery.

There are only three knobs on the front: one to select the mode, one to adjust the temperature (up to 230°C) and the timer.

Inside, it resembles a mini oven, with two different levels for cooking multiple dishes at once, and a collection of wire racks, baking trays, and a crumb tray. Covered in non-toxic ceramic, Shiza says it can be wiped down with warm soapy water.

At first glance it looks small and not at all groundbreaking, and the Americanism (F instead of C, “broil” instead of “grill”) may irritate an English cook. However, manufacturers claim it uses half the energy, heats up 75 percent faster and cooks up to 30 percent faster than a conventional oven.

But can it really replace my oven, toaster and fryer? I tested different modes to find out…

BAKE: WHOLE CHICKEN

My family loves Sunday roasts and since I bought the fryer, I cook a whole chicken in it to save space in the oven. However, the Wonder Oven has a capacity of 12 liters (compared to the 6 liters of the air fryer), so I can cook a medium to large bird – up to 2 kg.

METHOD: Preheat the oven to 160°C in “Baking” mode while preparing the chicken. I rub it with spices and rapeseed oil, stuff half a lemon inside and leave it on the bottom shelf for 20 minutes.

Then things get complicated; you need to raise the temperature to 350F (175C) for 10 minutes, then change the setting to “Bake”, increase the temperature to 375F (190C) and cook for another 20-30 minutes until the internal temperature of the bird is 160F (70C). If the skin starts to char, add a teaspoon of water through the hole at the top of the oven to create more steam.

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

VERDICT: What a revelation. Perfectly cooked, golden chicken with white meat that melts in your mouth. This whole temperature adjustment thing is a little complicated, but the end result is worth it. 5/5

To bake cookies

The oven’s “Bake” feature gained internet fame on TikTok, where there have been over 20 million “Wonder Oven Cookies” videos.

However, in this case, the Wonder Oven’s compact size is a disadvantage. It holds about six cookies on two trays – no point if you’re baking for a crowd.

METHOD: You need to set the oven to “Baking” and the temperature to 160°C. There is only one baking tray, but the fryer basket can be changed by lining it with baking paper.

I make half a batch of my standard cookie recipe – butter, sugar, vanilla, egg, flour, baking soda and chocolate chips – divide the dough into six pieces and place them on two trays.

TOTAL TIME: : 10 minutes

VERDICT: Even though they look and smell delicious, the taste leaves much to be desired. They are still doughy on the inside and have an unpleasant crunchy, almost fried texture on the outside.2/5

FRY AND AIR HEAT: CHIPS

My air fryer can cook oven fries in 20 minutes, but requires shaking the basket regularly to keep them all crispy. Could the Wonder Oven, which also blasts food with hot air at a 360-degree angle, perform better?

METHOD: There are no official instructions for frozen fries, so I throw a portion of cut fries into the included basket (it’s a deeper, criss-cross version of the rack), set the “Air Fry” setting and set the temperature to 390F (200C).

After 15 minutes they look golden and hot. It takes kids ages to come to the table, but the “Preheat” function saves the situation; the chips only need a few minutes at 200F (95C) to regain their crispiness.

TOTAL TIME: 18 minutes

VERDICT: Not only does it cook fries slightly faster than an air fryer, but they are also tastier. The only downside is the capacity – there is only enough space for two portions, so it wouldn’t fit a family meal.4/5

GRILL: SALMON AND MIXED VEGETABLES

We don’t eat salmon very often, but the makers of the Wonder Oven claim that the ‘Broil’ feature (‘Grill’ to us Brits) makes it ‘the juiciest meat and fish imaginable’. Could we convert?

By adding a tray of mixed vegetables underneath, it’s also a chance to test out the multitasking feature.

METHOD: I start by preheating the oven to 200°C in “Broil” mode. Then I rub the salmon with olive oil, glaze it with a mixture of honey, sesame oil and lime juice and fry it on the lower shelf for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the chopped vegetables with olive oil and place them on a baking tray. Then I increase the temperature to 230°C, spread some glaze on the salmon and move it to the top shelf, while placing the vegetables on the bottom. Give the salmon five minutes until the internal temperature reaches 60°C and the vegetables 10-15 minutes.

TOTAL TIME: 20-25 minutes

VERDICT: Everything is perfectly tasty, but there is no noticeable improvement over oven-cooked salmon.3/5

TOAST: CHEESE TOAST

The exposed bottom heating element makes this not just an oven, but a giant, fashionable toaster. The steam makes the bread soft and chewy in the middle, and also acts as a toast maker.

METHOD: I turn the knob to “Toast” and set the temperature to 230°C. Then I fill fresh white bread with cheese and tomato slices, lightly spread butter on both sides to prevent it from sticking together, and place it on a baking tray on the top shelf. I set the timer for five minutes, check the degree of browning and give it another three minutes until the cake is golden.

TOTAL TIME: 8 minutes

VERDICT: I was impressed with how the oven browned both sides; it did the same job as a retro toast maker without squishing my sandwich. The tomatoes are hot and don’t burn my mouth, and the cheese is gooey, gooey, perfect. 5/5

OVERALL VERDICT

If you haven’t been doing well with your air fryer, this might be for you. It looks elegant (though a bit like a Fisher Price toy with twisty knobs) and takes up minimal space in the kitchen.

The ‘bake’ function is a let down for me, but it makes for a great roast chicken for the family and a decent cheese toastie… if you have £195 to spare.