There are many reasons why you might be stuck without an oven. Perhaps your electric range has broken and you’re waiting for it to be replaced or repaired. You could be having a new kitchen fitted, and are having to ‘make do’ with a small makeshift cooking space in another room. You could even be living in a small apartment or away at college and not have the space for a full-size gas range and stove top.
Whatever your situation, don’t despair, because there are plenty of other cooking appliances you can rely on. And you can still enjoy tasty and healthy meals without having access to a traditional range. What's more, they all take up a lot less space and will happily sit on your countertop, to be used everyday, or whenever you need extra capacity.
Here are my top 5 choices of cooking appliances I’d used instead of an oven.
1. Microwave
I’m old enough to remember when microwaves were first introduced. They were the air fryers of the day — the one appliance that every household wanted to own. I even remember my parents going through the recipes in their microwave cookery book and attempting to cook meringues. There are no prizes for guessing they didn’t win any accolades.
However, microwaves still have a prominent place in the kitchen. They can do much more than reheating last night’s leftovers or defrosting a few slices of frozen bread. Many offer multiple cooking functions, from heating soup to cooking scrambled eggs to making delicious sponge puddings, without steaming up the kitchen.
We like GE Profile’s JES2251SJ for its range of cooking modes and capacity. The turntable is 16 inches, giving you lots of scope to cook large meals when your oven is out of action. There’s also the possibility of a two-in-one appliance, which is always a winner if you are short of space. Whirlpool’s Microwave with Air Fry Mode ($648 at Amazon) offers the flexibility of a microwave and air fryer in one without overcrowding your countertop.
Some microwaves also offer steam cooking, which is ideal for cooking vegetables to help retain the optimum amount of nutrients. Fish can also be steamed in a microwave and takes a couple of minutes to cook, depending on its size.
2. Toaster oven
A toaster oven offers a similar cooking experience to a standard oven — it’s just smaller. Instead of sitting within a wall unit or underneath a countertop, it sits on top. You can use it as your sole oven or for extra capacity when you’re entertaining, such as at Thanksgiving.
Some toaster ovens also provide similar features to full-sized ovens, so look out for those with multiple racks and interior lights. They may also include air fry, slow cook, and dehydrate functions, but you’ll probably pay more for these.
Toaster ovens are among the most versatile cooking appliances, as they can roast, bake, toast, and even air fry — giving you plenty of functionality in one appliance. We particularly like Ninja’s 12-in-1 Double Oven, which offers extra capacity over a standard model, allowing you to cook small snacks in the top section and full-size meals in the bottom oven.
3. Air fryer
Air fryers are the cooking appliance of the moment. While I couldn’t wait to buy one, my partner was reluctant to have ‘yet another appliance sitting on the countertop’! However, after a few weeks of using Cosori’s TurboBlaze Air Fryer, he was convinced. We use it daily, and I regularly roast a whole chicken, as it cooks faster than a standard oven and takes less time to clean up the mess.
Air fryers offer lots of versatility, so don’t think they are only meant for cooking French fries and other crispy food. You can cook a whole host of dishes, from juicy chicken to frozen mozzarella sticks and vegetables, plus snacks such as spring rolls and samosas. You can also enjoy a sweet treat, such as doughnuts, cookies, and muffins. My next mission is to try out some air fryer accessories so I can bake some fudgy brownies.
4. Instant Pot
An Instant Pot offers multiple functions and is often referred to as an electric pressure cooker. It can pressure cook, steam cook, saute, or slow cook — it all depends on the model you buy.
An Instant Pot works in the same way as other pressure cookers. An airtight lid locks in place, and the steam produced during cooking can’t escape. The steam increases the pressure inside the cooker and increases the boiling point of the liquids, speeding up the cooking time.
However, it is different from a slow cooker, which heats up slowly and cooks at one temperature, whereas an Instant Pot can cook at different temperatures. Apart from making stews, roasts, and soups, it can also cook vegetables and rice, and there are often specific program settings for making yogurt, cooking eggs and rice, and sterilizing.
If you are looking to buy an Instant Pot with multiple functions, we recommend the Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker ($119 @ Amazon).
5. Rice cooker
Rice cookers aren’t quite as versatile as Instant Pot s, but they still serve a purpose in the kitchen and can cook more than just rice. A rice cooker is essentially a steamer. Once the water in the bowl reaches boiling point, it evaporates and produces steam. Meanwhile, the rice grains absorb the water in the bottom of the bowl and become soft.
Depending on the model you buy, you can cook different types of rice in a rice cooker and use a keep warm or delay start function. You can also cook mother grains , such as oats, polenta, grits and quinoa. Small pasta also works well, particularly orzo. Beans are good too and can be added with rice if they are canned, although you’ll need to pre-soak dried beans. And for a meal in one, you can place vegetables or fish on top of the rice or in the steaming basket.
A rice cooker can also be used to make one-pot meals, like soups and stews, especially if the recipe is rice-based.
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