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Original poster

My oven has died and I don’t want to replace it yet. Help with alternative devices?

27 replies

Cape21 · 26/10/2019 15:51

I love to bake and I accept no baking for a while. But roasts? And roast potatoes? And is it worth investing in an air fryer. I have a slow cooker. I can cook joints in that. Just wanting to postpone a big purchase till Spring. Any ideas? Which gadgets do you use that help not needing an oven turned on.
I also have no grill but decided to buy a counter top one.this is my challenge to see how long I last before I get a new cooker.......

OP posts:
cubed123 · 26/10/2019 15:53

Try a halogen oven.
I use it to bake items like roasts, pizza, garlic bread etc when it’s one off small items that are not worth going into a big oven.

mumwon · 26/10/2019 15:54

pot roast in slow cooker & large fry pan to do wedge type potatoes

mumwon · 26/10/2019 15:58

(don't put much liquid in slow cooker) - layer root veg & pots on bottom scatter herbs & sprinkle a little salt & pepper on veg with a little oil than put meat on top with a little oil & herbs & salt/pepper (& cumin if you like it) & small amount of oil cook - not exactly roast but pretty good pot roast

VictoriaBun · 26/10/2019 15:58

I feel your pain !
We have a rangemaster 90 that has the main gas oven and then a tiny electric slit of an oven.
The gas bit packed up months ago so we have just been using the smaller oven. You can hardly get any baking tins in it due to its slither of a size.
Finances will have me putting up with it for years

AnotherEmma · 26/10/2019 16:04

Why are you waiting until spring to buy another? Finances? House move? Renovations?

Our oven died recently but we are planning to move house or renovate so we just bought a cheap (but decent) one to tide us over.

I couldn't live without an oven for long tbh!

formerbabe · 26/10/2019 16:06

We bought an oven for just over £100...it is absolutely fine

DramaAlpaca · 26/10/2019 16:07

Do you know what's wrong with your oven? If it's the element, it might be a very cheap repair. We did ours for under £20. I couldn't manage without an oven.

UnaOfStormhold · 26/10/2019 16:08

What's wrong with the old one, and can it be fixed?

666onmyhead · 26/10/2019 16:15

Freecyle or visit a kitchen shop to see if they have any old removed ovens . Spring is a bit too far away to cope with nothing . You can't cook a turkey with a hairdryer and GHD's you know !

DontCallMeShitley · 26/10/2019 16:22

Depending on how large your meals are, you could make do with a mini oven.

My oven also died a few years ago, and fortunately it was just the main one, the smaller one still works, but previous house had a crappy oven (not ours) so I bought a mini oven. Very useful for small meals and extra to the main one when it works.

I also use the microwave, slow cooker and until recently the hob, but that has also died now. I cook without it, just needs planning differently.

If you can still get them, try an electric frying pan, I had one and regret getting rid of it as it was big enough to cook a roast.

aatwi · 26/10/2019 16:23

Air fryers are good. Toaster oven too. You can bake in a toaster oven!

ConFusion360 · 26/10/2019 16:35

Ebay

Our fridge died two days before last Christmas and we got a massive Miele one for £50. Two years old. The seller even offered to deliver it as they wanted it out of the way before Christmas.

MangoSalsa · 26/10/2019 16:41

Dualities or Lakeland mini ovens are about £150. But you wouldn’t need to get a grill (unless you mean like an electric grill pan). We used a dualit one during long house renovations, it was brilliant.

Argos do mini ovens from £40 too.

ChicCauldron · 26/10/2019 16:43

Combination microwave/oven? I haven't had one myself but my parents did and liked it, although I doubt it would do cakes as well as a proper oven.

stucknoue · 26/10/2019 16:47

Microwave with grill is handy. I lived without a kitchen with just a standard microwave, rice cooker/slow cooker combo, teppanaki griddle and panini press. I admit that we ate a lot of rotisserie chicken and the kids were saying "not another take away" by the end. Slow cooker is definitely key in winter

cookiemonster5 · 26/10/2019 16:49

I have a pressure king pro. It's amazing! From roasts to stews to slow cooking and even cakes can all be done in it. I use it over my oven all the time and it's so quick too. Wouldn't be without it now.

OneTerrificMouse · 26/10/2019 16:50

I'm not gonna lie; our oven broke and so we bought a Remoska.

Never had a bad meal out of it. We replaced the oven a few years later and by then the Remoska's insides had worn away so we gave that away and went out and bought the smaller version with a glass lid, and I still use it several times a week.

They are awesome and you can do cakes, roast veg, loads in it.

joangray38 · 26/10/2019 16:54

I use a mini oven - grills does baked potatoes, joints etc. It’s avout the size of a large microwave.

BiMum5 · 26/10/2019 16:57

We're in the middle of a kitchen renovation and I've been using a mini oven that I got in the centre aisle of LIDL. It's excellent and holds quite a lot for the size of it but you have to use small Tom's.

BiMum5 · 26/10/2019 16:57

Small TINS!

Original poster
Cape21 · 26/10/2019 17:01

Thanks everyone. Some gadgets I hadn’t heard of here. So intrigued....
to answer the queries, on why not fix it.

  1. It is actually a rangemaster gas top with two ovens and a grill, the fan oven part broke first. Then the convection oven started flipping the electrics. Then the grill flipped the electric. So accept that there is a large electric issue plus a fan to replace plus the seals are gone on the fan oven and it has been limping a long for a while. The gas hob works fine.this is an old house and last time I had electrician in it cost me a lot to trace the wiring faults, I am postponing that cost too.
  2. We are going to New Zealand for the month of December. So I don’t need it for Xmas dinner
  3. I want to wait post Xmas and see what I can afford.
  4. It is a good lever to try new things and see if I can make the most out of my other gadgets
  5. I would prefer to not limp on with a second hand cooker as it would need to be the same size as what I have otherwise it means moving kitchen units out and more expense. And I like the idea of saving up for a smashing new cooker/oven
OP posts:
StinkGhoul · 26/10/2019 17:10

Ours broke a few months ago. When we moved in two years ago I bought a seconds smeg cooker and dishwasher from an eBay seller. It’s been nothing but trouble.

We have a small catering oven which sits on the counter and takes two decent size trays. We use it every day. Waiting for Black Friday sales to try and get a new one as we need it for Christmas.

handbagsatdawn33 · 26/10/2019 17:27

A friend recently bought an InstantPot & thinks it's wonderful. When my pressure cooker & slow cooker die I'll probably get one.

UnaOfStormhold · 28/10/2019 08:36

Instant pot is brilliant for all sorts of things but is not the best oven substitute because it excels at wet cooking not dry. I think a combi microwave would be your best bet.

user1461609321 · 29/10/2019 22:39

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