"What's the better option - an OTG, a microwave oven or a conventional oven"
So here are the different options you need to consider. All of them differ in cooking method, price, etc. Consider the space you have in your kitchen, your budget and what sort of use you have for your oven before zeroing in on one.
(a) Conventional ovens
Conventional ovens work on an electric element for cooking or a gas burner. In this type of oven, heat radiates up and pushes cold air down which can lead to uneven cooking or baking. However, this type of oven is very common and usually inbuilt in kitchens or come as part of the kitchen range.
(b) Convection ovens
Convection ovens cook food a bit differently. There's a fan at the back that forces air circulation throughout the oven, cooking food more evenly. This also results in quicker heating and is said to consume less power. The cooking time will differ from that of a conventional oven.
(c) Microwave Ovens
These are the 'ovens' that most of you probably own. They are most popularly used for heating and defrosting and use radio waves for this. There are some microwave-oven-specific recipes that are best for baking in a microwave. If you try a normal recipe in the microwave, it may not work out well so don't make that mistake.
(d) Microwave cum Convection Ovens
(e) Oven Toaster Grill (OTG) Oven
These use old-fashioned filament coils for heating and cooking (much like a geyser). Although they work fantastic for making toast and even grilling, baking in them doesn't work out as best as in the other ovens. Before I moved to Singapore, I had an OTG in which I used to bake and although the food turned out just fine, sometimes, the crust used to dry out or the cake used to get unevenly cooked. I made these Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies and my first No-Knead Bread in an OTG and although they tasted just fine, I am sure they would have come out much better in a convection oven.
**Disclaimer**
This post and information on it is based on my research. I claim to be no expert so if you find anything wrong or unclear, do drop a note.
Nags
Good luck Sita! 🙂
Sita Natarajan
Nags,
Thanks for answering my questions so patiently.Actually I am new to baking and hence hesitant to choose the right oven.Am doubtful whether this type of electric oven would give better results for baking or the food would get burnt.hope i settle with the right one.
Nags
Honestly, I don't know enough about this model to recommend one for you. I have a Delonghi oven and it works well. Why don't you go with the model that's in stock?
Sita Natarajan
Hey Nags,
Kindly scroll down the page
http://www.cornellappliances.com/page/4/?s=oven&x=37&y=9 and compare the Electric Oven: (1)CEO-TS30L
with (2 ).model cco33 in the page
http://www.cornellappliances.com/page/2/?s=oven&x=37&y=9.
Both are of 28l.first one is 28l 1500w. It is having holes on the right side from top to bottom.the second one is 28l 2000w with holes on the top only.Which one would be a better one.Kindly reply.
Nags
42L seems too big. I use a 26L and that's a decent size for home baking, so I would recommend the smaller size. Of course, I claim to be no expert 🙂
Sita Natarajan
Dear nags
Sorry for confusing you. Kindly compare
Electric Oven: CEO-TS30L
in the page http://www.cornellappliances.com/page/4/?s=oven&x=37&y=9
and model cco33 in the page
http://www.cornellappliances.com/page/2/?s=oven&x=37&y=9.
waiting for your reply.
Nags
I see that both the ovens you are considering has the same serial number? Unless you bake everyday or very frequently, your power consumption will not go up too much. I would suggest you go with what's in stock and fits your budget.
Sita Natarajan
Hi Nags,
Your post regarding the various types of oven had helped me a lot in clarifying the different aspects of oven.I an in Chennai and my mother has gone to Singapore for a small trip.Since i wanted to purchase an oven she had been to a shop which had displayed Cornell oven 28l.The site is http://www.cornellappliances.com/page/2/?s=oven&x=37&y=9.Could you please help me in deciding the better oven among these.Actually she had booked for 28l oven 2000w (cco33).When I went through the site i found another 28l oven(cco33) with power consumption of 1500w(CEO-TS 30L).Since I am concerned about the electricity bills and the product is not available at present and may take 2-3 daysI want to reconsider the option .Does the oven cook fast if power is high? S he is not able to ask the sales person since they talk Chinese.kindly give your suggestions and help me choose a better oven.Kindly reply soooon.
Mehnaz Kapadia
Hi Nags!
This is a very useful post and its part II too! Thanks!
Nags
So glad this post on types of ovens helped 🙂