Like any tool or appliance, you will need to "learn" how to use it correctly. The week that I bought this, I cooked:* a leg of lamb;
* a ham;
* a whole roasting hen;
* chicken wings, thighs, and drumsticks;
* pork spare ribs;
* Texas style ribs;
* bacon;
* asparagus;
* tomatoes.
Most of the time, the portions are too small to justify firing up the oven/range or to hop outside and clean then get the charcoal grill going. So, if I need to bake, broil, "grill", or roast, I use our new Super Wave Oven. I like this appliance and use it more than I do our oven and the small convection toaster oven.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT:
* does not burn what it is I am cooking;
* does not fill my house with the smell of burning grease;
* cooks very quickly and evenly;
* no burnt-on grease (carbonized grease);
* easy to use;
* almost a "set-it-and-forget-it" cooking appliance;
* takes up less counter space than my toaster oven.
WHAT I THINK OTHERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IT BEFORE BUYING:
___ The glass is HEAVY so care needs to be taken so that it doesn't slip from your hands during cleaning. It isn't impossibly manageable as some have asserted. Like everything else in your kitchen just be careful when you're handling it while it's wet. I rinse it with hot water and then wipe it immediately. The hot water warms the glass and will cause any water remaining after I've wiped it to evaporate quickly. This reduces the chance of it slipping from my hands.
___ Don't worry about grease on the cooking top--just wipe it with a warm, wet cloth. The remaining grease won't hurt it. Think about it, how do you clean your electric deep fryer?
___ Buy a pair of tongs along with this if your kitchen doesn't already have them. The tongs will allow you to work with your dish without fear of burning yourself when you're reaching into the glass bowl to move things around during cooking. Think about, how do you keep yourself from being burned when you're checking on your turkey or removing your dishes from a traditional oven?
___ You'll need a safe place on which to set down the hot cover/heating element while you work with the dish you're cooking. When the range top is not available because I'm cooking something else, I set the Super Wave Oven cover/top on either a wooden cutting board or an "air" cookie sheet.
WHAT I'VE FOUND OUT ABOUT COOKING WITH THIS APPLIANCE:
___ You may need to vary the temperature during the cooking depending on the dish. For example: I started the ham at a lower temperature and when it is near the temperature that I want, I increase the temperature of the oven.
___ I still use oil when "air" frying. The oil helps to fry the dish but doesn't get hot enough to burn.
___ I need to turn the bacon when I'm cooking it. But the house does not smell like bacon grease when I'm done!
___ Like everything else in the kitchen--if not life itself--preparation is the key ingredient!
WHAT I AM NERVOUS ABOUT:
___ The halogen, heating element. I am worried about the "filament" breaking from a slight bump or shake to the cover. I'm hoping that it was manufactured to a sturdy standard (like "super tough" duty or something like that).
___ I hope the plastic base is malleable enough to withstand a drop from the counter top. There are no rubberized grips or stubs that keep it from sliding around the counter.
Buy The Sharper Image 8217 Super Wave Oven Halogen, Infrared & Convection Tech 1300watt 16 Quart Now
We've never had a convection oven in our kitchen, and I looked forward to trying this hybrid convection/infrared cooking unit. Overall, the negative aspects of this device outweigh its positives.Some things to consider:
First: sheer size. I did the math, and at 15" tall (12" if you remove the metal extender ring) and 12" in diameter, you'll need to find a cool cubic foot of storage space when it's not in use. If your kitchen is like mine, and you already have a rice cooker, a slow cooker, a food processor and a countertop mixer competing for cabinet and counter space: good luck. I realize that the volume allows it to accommodate substantially sized contents. Just be aware that you'll have to find a place to keep it.
Second: weight. Approximately 17 pounds (advertised shipping weight is 18 pounds). Wherever you decide to store it, you'll be hefting it.
Third: lots of opportunities to burn yourself. See all that glass in the product picture? It all gets hot (as does the 3" metal extender ring). While it may be intuitive that these get hot, you'll be working in close proximity to them while turning items over or removing them from the cooking container.
Fourth: Clean-up. The main cooking bowl will take up most of a kitchen sink during clean-up. The heating and fan element, along with the power cord and power supply, are integrated into the glass lid. Obviously this is a "do not immerse in water" item. Cleaning up after the spatters resulting from cooking takes some thought.
One of the attractive features of this appliance is the opportunity to cook meats from frozen. Great idea, and seems like a time saver. Here's a reality check for one such scenario: cooking a 6.7 lb frozen chicken.
-the giblet bag. It's frozen inside the body cavity. I tried both running water and a brief stint in the microwave to get is sufficiently thawed for removal...no success. Neither was it extractable at the halfway cooking point (when you turn the chicken over). So I left it in the chicken.
-the cooking instructions for a whole frozen chicken call for it to be turned halfway through cooking. The included tongs for lifting the cooking rack out of the container simply can't accommodate the size of a chicken this large. So turning becomes an adventure with opportunities to both burn yourself...and send your half-baked chicken sliding across the counter..and maybe onto the floor.
Also of note in the included cooking instructions was a surprising difference in cooking temperatures for "whole chicken, 4 lb" and "whole turkey, 6 lb". The instructions indicated the chicken should be cooked at 460 degrees (F),the turkey at 350 (F). As they are both poultry, I was surprised by this, and had no confidence that either was correct.
Bottom line:consider carefully the wisdom of the "whole frozen chicken" recipe selection!
A brief discussion about cooking times and energy savings:
The description of this item indicates "up to 3 times faster" than a conventional oven. Pay attention to the "up to 3 times", and plan on about 2 times faster as a rule of thumb. This is a 1300 watt (110 v) appliance, so it'll use about the same energy as a high powered microwave or hair dryer. I'll assume this is still less than a 220 volt conventional oven (and leave that bottom line to the electricians). It will still use significant electricity when operating.
So, if you have a place to store it, and if your kitchen and cooking are such that you often need to prepare multiple entrees in the oven, and IF you select the correct recipes (stuffed peppers, baked potatoes, air-fried french fries or cuts of meat that can be easily turned), this might be a good choice for you. If not, this may be one of those appliances that finds a distant storage place...and then remains there until your next garage sale or moving day.I left my original review below. Nevertheless it is irrelevant given that this product ceased to work in less than ten days. Great while it lasted. Used PRECISELY as directed. I did notice that the wash cycle was probably splashing water into places that it should not.
In point of fact, when a product ceases to work after such a short period of time, it deserves zero stars.
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Quality product and well priced. It does what it is intended to do as it is intended to do it. I would buy it again. I would recommend it to a friend with the following caveats:
1. This device is not going to turn you into Julia Child or Bobby Flay. If your cooking sucks it will continue to suck. In fact, it might get suckier.
2. There is a learning curve. I made spectacular baked ziti. I also had a misadventure with buttermilk corn bread that approximated an early experiment from "The Fly" when matter was first transported between two telepods. The final result was a mix of carbon, concrete and primordial ooze.
3. The device is awkward. You need to figure out what to do with the hot top while you are inspecting, turning or removing cooked food. Moreover, reaching down and into the bowl to add or remove stuff is not what most people are accustomed to.
Being adventurous and expecting some disasters is the best way to achieve some masterpieces. You need a good pair of oven mitts. An instant read thermometer is a very good idea.
One way to get accustomed to this thing is to lower recipe temperatures by 50 degrees and then cook as directed. Food on the top rack is going to broil and brown accordingly or burn if you are inept. The best result for most dishes is achieved by placing the food directly on the rack but the glass bowl is easy to clean.
It is nice having something that doesn't smell, smoke or heat up my small condo. Convection cooking not only speeds things up but distributes flavors. Put some garlic and herbs inside a chicken and the flavors will infuse the legs. Convection also produces consistently even results. Halogen browns things very nicely. Unmentioned is that setting about a third between "Off" and "Thaw" is perfect for proofing yeast or rising dough.
Conclusion: This has the potential to turn out a wide variety of very good food. Leave it out and plugged in and you will enjoy it every day. Put it in a cupboard and it will likely stay there.I was so excited to have received the Super Wave oven as a Christmas gift.
THE GOOD:
No preheating necessary. Great for quick lunches.
Roasted veggies came out great.
Frozen convenience foods (pizza rolls, egg rolls, quesadillas) came out as desired.
The whole chicken that I roasted was moist and flavorful. It cooked in about 40 minutes.
THE BAD:
Deceptively advertises that food retains moisture. NOT true of all foods, even when using the scanty selection of recipes included with the oven.
Difficult and cumbersome to clean.
Stopped working after 123 days...and I had to pay $25 to send it back to 400 Returns Road, Wallingford, CT (if a company has a street named after it "Returns Road", that should be a clue to steer clear).
THE WORST:
The customer service number included in the box redirected me to two different telephone numbers before I could reach a human...and quite possibly the rudest human on the east coast. After discussing at length why it was necessary that I return the ENTIRE unit when only the electronic part was defective, she relented but gave me a bogus return zip code. The "error" was caught by my friendly local postal clerk. On investigation through Google, it seems that this is a tactic that this company uses to deter you from sending back their defective products.
That was only yesterday that I contacted the company, and today I received TWO solicitation calls for other products through this company. NO THANK YOU. Hopefully, I will get my replacement mailed to me without incident and it will work forever and ever. Yeah, I know...wishful thinking.
UPDATE OCTOBER 21, 2012: The replacement that they sent to me worked for five months. I called the company to tell them that this was the SECOND defective unit and was forwarded to a supervisor. After a fruitless day of waiting for a return phone call, I called the company again. As expected, they said "Send it back for a replacement". No thank you. I'll keep my $25 in shipping. It is amazing that this defective product is still being sold. What a shame, since the concept is terrific and I did enjoy the results of the oven while it worked. Bottom line: The Sharper Image is in financial trouble for a reason. Keep your money until they figure out that quality is important for success.
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