Can new countertop convention ovens replace traditional ovens

[NewnameC]

In other words can they be a family’s only oven? 

I’m asking for a friend whose parents wall oven has died. It is a built in and new ovens won’t fit in the current space/cabinet.  They have been unable to find resize the opening, and it may not even be possible.

It is for older family members and they are just normal cooks, no super elaborate meals. They would need an easy to operate oven. 
 

I think I read here that someone only has a countertop oven. Any suggestions on what to look for in buying a countertop oven that will be the only oven in the house.

 

[KatieJ]

If you are talking about a convection toaster oven, yes it can replace your regular oven.

however they are much smaller, so you’re not going to bake a turkey in it or maybe not even a full size cake.

They need to look at the size bakeware that fits in an oven and see if that will work for them.

We are empty nesters for 11 years now and I rarely use my full size oven.

[Innisfree]

Yes. We have one that's big enough to roast a chicken in, or bake a cake. It's not the most even heat distribution ever, but it does the job.

[prairiewindmomma]

Our oven broke earlier this year and it took a couple of months to get replacement parts. We purchased a countertop convection oven to use while we waited since we normally use our oven daily. 
 

A countertop convection can bake frozen pizzas if you buy a big enough unit. It can make decent cookies, bake chicken thighs/breasts etc. It’s not going to cook a turkey or an angel food cake or other things that are larger. 
 

It does take up a lot of countertop space. It doesn’t brown food as nicely, IMO. I think my close to $300 xl convection countertop oven would probably only survive 1-2 years of heavy use. I don’t know that it’s a great long term solution.

Have they talked with a cabinet maker? I am a bit surprised they are struggling with the resizing aspect. A cabinet maker can either use a wood filler overlay or a stainless one. It’s a common enough issue for a cabinet maker to take on.

[Katy]

I watch a couple families who sail around the world on YouTube that have recommended one.  Gone with the Wynns is the family I remember off the top of my head. 

[NewnameC]

The problem is the cabinet is too small into fit today’s ovens.

[NewnameC]

And they had an awful time finding one to fit the cabinet a few years ago. 
 

I don’t think they cook turkeys or big cakes.

[PeterPan]

Are you talking a residential size that fits a ¼ sheet pan? No obviously that is not a permanent solution. For resale value, they'll need to figure out a plan that works and leaves them with a proper full sheet size oven. There are *commercial* countertop convection ovens that cook just fine but aren't as well insulated. Again, not a long term solution if they need to sell, etc. 

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, NewnameC said:

It is for older family members

Ok, so think through this. You could get them a $250 Breville convection toaster oven and it would meet many of their needs, yes. However you want their estate paying for the remodel so the house is sellable. If you don't and you just go short now, what happens when they need to make a change of residence? It happens, they're older. 

Maybe talk with a handyman contractor and see what kind of affordable options they can come up with.

[NewnameC]

No contractors will come out. Have tried for a year for a bigger issue with absolutely no luck or no shows. 

No worries with fixing for resale as house will possibly/probably  be torn down on resale.

it wounds like the countertop models with work well enough for this Siri, so I will look into those. I’d love to hear names or suggestions of keywords to look for.

 

thank you 

[kokotg]

We have the ninja foodi xl (so it's an multi-function air fryer oven--toasts, broils, bakes, etc) and we rarely use our regular oven anymore even with a family of 6. We could get by indefinitely if our oven stopped working. Ours actually does claim it will cook a small turkey even, although we haven't tried that 🙂

[NewnameC]

Thanks. The online info says it will fit a 13 pound turkey.

[NewnameC]

46 minutes ago, NewnameC said:

Thanks. The online info says it will fit a 13 pound turkey.

I hit send too soon .

Is this oven hard to learn to use? The people who live there have mild cognitive disabilities. 
 

 

 

[Frances]

We got a Breville toaster convection oven at the beginning of the pandemic when our 22 year old stove died and we were in the midst of a multi-year whole house remodel. We didn’t want to replace the stove until we were ready to redo the kitchen. It is now my favorite appliance ever and we ended up planning a specific spot for it in our new kitchen. It doesn’t really take up any useable counter space in our kitchen and I use it more than the oven in our new stove. If it ever dies, it will be immediately replaced.

[itsheresomewhere]

We have a Ninja Foodie XL.  It fits a 9x13  casserole dish nicely, a whole chicken and a nice sized turkey.  Easy to use and  clean. 

[Innisfree]

55 minutes ago, NewnameC said:

Is this oven hard to learn to use?

I'd guess this would depend on the model. Ours (an Oster, at least five years old) turns off automatically after about 25 minutes unless you set the timer. I could see that causing problems, though it's also probably a safety feature.

[Lori D.]

Have you looked at an RV appliance supplier such as Camping World? Those are usually narrower sized oven+range top.

Or possibly Haier Appliances, or other store that specializes in smaller/narrower appliances?

From Amazon, here's a 20" wide gas range, and a 20" wide electric range.

Edited December 10, 2021 by Lori D.

[gardenmom5]

for me - convection vs regular bake differently.   I haven't cared enough to spend a lot of time with the convection.

I have had "toaster" ovens (so, smaller countertop.) - I had one supposedly big enough to roast a chicken.  I didn't like how it baked because of the lack of airflow around what I tried to bake.  (if you don't have free space on your rack - no amount convection fan is going to move the air.)  when I replaced it, I went smaller so big enough to reheat a pastry or piece of pizza.

pay attention to how they bake in addition to their interior size.  really go after ratings.

[KungFuPanda]

I would do the countertop as a hold over. It would buy you time to scour the internet and resale shops for an older, possibly used, oven that fits. Or time to reconfigure the space to install an all-in-one range. Would the space where the wall ovens sit be large enough to sit a regular or even smaller oven/range combo if you removed the cabinetry? 
 

is it smaller than 24”? https://www.ajmadison.com/b.php/Delonghi,GE%3B24+Inch%3BWall+Ovens/N~30+4294967261+4294964458+4294967291?gclid=CjwKCAiAksyNBhAPEiwAlDBeLItfmZjB0bQwxjxQAp7Tng5DJP3aaoX_qj5jxmx8Nv_91OktjYbdjxoCIE8QAvD_BwE