I’m hooked on the powerful but compact potential of the Our Place Wonder Oven air fryer

T3's Our Place Wonder Oven review in a sentence: an air fryer meets mini oven fusion that cooks brilliantly and is delicious to look at too.

I’ve tried and tested a small mountain of air fryers over the years but there’s one that has passed me by and it’s this, the Wonder Oven from Our Place. Based on looks alone, I already think it should feature in the best air fryers we all know and love here at T3 Towers. Our Place describes it as ‘the do-it-all countertop workhorse’, which for something so cute and compact, is quite a bold claim.

So I’ve been mighty keen to try it. I chose one in a charcoal matte colour, with black being the default colour for air fryers, mini ovens and all that. However, alongside the funky styling, Our Place also offers the Wonder Oven in cool colours that include the likes of Blue Salt, Steam and there’s even a limited-edition number called Spice.

In terms of what it can do, the Wonder Oven is a great all-rounder, with 6-in-1 functionality that makes it ideally suited to folks who want to do a little bit of everything. It’s perfectly happy carrying out standard air frying activities, like crisping up fries or giving chicken wings their distinctive crunchiness. Equally, though, the Wonder Oven can be used for steaming, rehydrating and baking too, amongst other things. It’s effectively an air fryer and mini oven in one compact package. And, that small size is the other very positive thing on offer here.

Price and availability

The Our Place Wonder Oven is available now and can be purchased in four different shades including Steam, Blue Salt, Char and Spice. It has a retail price of £195 for the UK market, which given its 6-in-1 versatility and quality design and build, makes it a very tempting proposition.

Design and build

To be honest, there isn’t much I don’t like about the Wonder Oven. The best thing is its compact design, with dimensions of 29.5cm height x 29.2cm width x 26.9cm depth plus it only weighs in at 5.3kg. What that means is it can be easily moved around in the kitchen and, once fully cooled, even packed away if space is at a premium. This contrasts with some of the countertop ovens I’ve tried that have been both bulky and heavy, making them less appealing to move around.

Considering its diminutive stature, the design of the Wonder Oven is very accommodating, with a 12-litre capacity making it undeniably practical for singles or couples. Used creatively, I think it’d also work for families too, especially thanks to the gaggle of different shelves that come supplied with the appliance.

These include an air fryer basket, wire rack, bake pan and crumb tray. There are two positioning options inside the Wonder Oven and all of the supplied accessories slid in and out without fuss, which is always a bonus.

For me, the other major appeal of this appliance is the look and feel of the control panel. This sits top and front on the unit and is deliciously well laid out. Everything is nice and clear, while the control knobs themselves feel like they're fitted on to last the test of time.

In fact, the overall build quality of the Wonder Oven is excellent. Plus, the size of it should make keeping it looking good over time nice and easy. I found it much easier to access the innards for cleaning than my microwave, put it that way.

Performance

On top of the good looks, the Wonder Oven proved to be excellent and very versatile too. As mentioned earlier, this is a 6-in-1 appliance, which mean it can be used to air fry, bake, roast, grill, toast and reheat. Cleverly, and unlike many rivals, it is also able to keep food moist thanks to a steam infusion design that prevents the scorching that happens with so many air fryers and mini ovens. Simply add a couple of teaspoons of water into that inlet on the top of the unit and you’re in business.

This wasn’t a gimmick either and I found the Wonder Oven really good at cooking consistently. Some mini ovens are either underpowered and don’t seem to achieve enough heat, or go the other way and incinerate oven contents if they’re not being managed minute by minute. I found the Wonder Oven great at getting things about right and it didn’t need as much babysitting either. Sure, I did find that the controls required some tweaking to get things spot on, but that’s no different o any other air fryer or mini oven I’ve tried.

Highlights? Well, the Wonder Oven is an awesome all-rounder, with solid results when roasting a chicken. I tried a 1.75kg bird and that fitted in with ease, though I did need to detach the legs first – it can apparently handle up to 2kg and I saw no reason to disagree. I liked the way the innards were lit up when it was in action too, which makes it much easier to judge progress.

There was some sizzling once things got up to full temperature (it can reach 232°C), which could I guess cause longer cleaning times for removing fat residue from the sides of the unit.

Nevertheless, on lower maintenance items, like pastries and for baking, the results really were rather good. The Wonder Oven is brilliant at browning and crisping things. I also found it ideal for doing roast potatoes and the like. Seeing as I do a lot of roasts it makes total sense and with some planning there is room to do just about everything in one go, allowing for different timings on the various ingredients.

Image 1 of 3

Verdict

I thought the Wonder Oven was excellent. Sure, it might be a little on the small side for anyone who needs to cook a lot of food, although there is now a Pro edition of the Wonder Oven to meet that need. It was hard to fault the results and I found the 6-in-1 functionality meant that it could do a little bit of everything.

Another standout feature is the option of adding a touch of water to help infuse the cooking environment with some moisture. Unlike many air fryers and mini ovens that tend to scorch food or even dry it right out, this is one of the main strengths of the Wonder Oven. It looks pretty cool too, right?

Alternatives to consider

An obvious alternative to the Our Place Wonder Oven, especially if you think it's going to be a little too compact for your needs, is to the Wonder Oven Pro. This is a much larger appliance and boasts 28-litres of cooking space, plus more rack flexibility. It costs £295 so is a little more but the gains are clear to see. We've yet to test it, however.

Elsewhere on the compact front, the Ninja Crispi comes highly recommended although it is less versatile than the Wonder Oven, but very compact. For more conventional needs take a look at the Salter XL Dual Air Fryer with its dual doors and drawers.