Not drowning, just microwaving (Bosch HFT 742 S)

Member Name: gryphon

Product:	Bosch HFT 742 S
Date:	07/04/01 (475 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Versatile, reliable, easy to use

Disadvantages: kids entranced by the mirror front

A microwave is a microwave is a microwave. . . .

NOT

A Bosch HFT 742 S is also an oven, a fan assisted oven, and a grill

When planning a refit of our kitchen, with Ikea‘s finest [ok- middlingest; not cheap cheap, but not too OTT ], we wanted to keep our (t)rusty free standing cooker, but decided that it would be nice to fit a microwave as well; with two kids, and both of us working shifts, it seemed a prudent idea.

We got to work designing, and the final plan included a tower to hold the microwave at around a metre off the ground, with pan drawers below and a cupboard above. After a lot of looking round, we ended up spending more than first intended, and buying a Bosch combination oven.

It was simplicity itself to fit- it just sits on two wooden bearers and plugs into a standard socket, then a trim kit in four pieces screws in place to finish it off, for that official ‘built in ‘ look.

The oven has a semi mirrored glass front- although it shows finger marks, it has taken repeated cleaning for the last 5 years, and still looks as good as new. The controls are on a panel down the right- rubber buttons over microswitches, push buttons to select what mode it’s operating in, and two rotary switches- one to select microwave time, and one for oven temperature. Your selections are shown by LED indicators, and a clock for the time.

We all know the advantages of microwaves- some of our favourite time and labour saving uses are:
Making porridge for breakfast in the winter- just one bowl to wash up.
Just one container to wash after scrambled eggs.
Rescue cold tea and coffee after being called away by the baby and children
Cooking frozen spinach
Warming baby food. [Yes, we do stir to ensure there are no ‘hot spots’]
One bowl suet puddings [turn out very light and fluffy, very quickly]

The revelation has been in the other uses as a combination
oven- it cooks things so much quicker- we can come home, turn the oven on to warm, and have good roast potatoes in only 45 minutes.
My toad in the hole used to be a bit of a disaster until I started using the combi function: now it takes just 35 minutes, and the batter tends to puff up because of the microwave.
Jacket potatoes are not only quick, but have crispy skins.

The oven comes with a comprehensive ‘how to’ book, plus a hardback recipe book, which has been well used.
It has one metal shelf, a glass shelf/dish and another metal pan that all fit across the oven at any of half a dozen heights, so’s you can do more than one layer of cooking- the fan evens the temperature through the whole oven, so there’s no having to swap your fairy cakes around when doing lots for the school fair.

It’s a real bonus having an extra oven when cooking for loads of people- it means that I can look at 12 for Christmas dinner with equanimity [and a glass of sherry], knowing that I can cope with all the different demands on cooking space.

We haven't used the grill much, as we already have an eye level one on our gas cooker, but microwave, fan oven and combination mode have all seen a lot of use.
Because of the safety interlocks, we are happy to let our 6 year old warm milk up etc. [with just a little supervision!]

The biggest problem is that the kids will sometimes sit and stare at themselves in the reflective front, and not get on with their meal [grrrr], but we’ve had no mechanical or electrical problems at all. A reliable piece of equipment that has served us well.

Summary: