This oven is very stylish and features a stainless steel casing with a double glazed double door with heat reflective glass. The oven door pulls open downwards to a 9o degree with an easy to pull handle. Inside the oven are two shelves. There is also a grill tray with handles that you can use if grilling something. There are four shelf levels inside the oven, despite being only supplied with two shelves.

The controls are at the top of the machine and feature push-pull control knobs. These look really stylish as the knobs can be completely sunken inside the control panel when the oven is not working. The dials alter the function and a control of the thermostat. I like the oven because you can choose to just have the top part of the oven on rather than heating all the elements.

The oven has a fan is designed to cool the oven after use. The fan switches on automatically after a few minutes of cooking. Warm air is blown out through the aperture near the oven door handle. When the oven is switched off, the fan will remain on in order to cool the oven and kitchen units. It then turns itself off when it has reached an appropriate temperature.


*Features*

Time delay - You can set a timer on the oven to come on at a certain time and cook for a certain duration. This is useful for when I am at work and means I can cook something ready for when I get home.

Thermaflow fan cooking- the placement of the fan ensures no transfer of flavour from one dish to another.

Fan controlled defrosting - this defrost setting circulates room temperature air around the food slowly, defrosting it hygienically in less than 1/2 the time!

Thermal grilling- This alternates between grill and fan for a 'spit-roast' effect without the need for turning the chicken or other piece of meat. I like this as it really browns the skin but keeps the meant succulent and tasty. It does take longer to cook though than when using the regular setting.

*My experiences*

This oven is rated A and I find it reliable and really efficient. It is simple and easy to use with plenty of space inside. Often when cooking I use the conventional oven setting as it allows me to cook on just one level and without the fan. This helps to brown dishes such as lasagne, pizza and quiches. The oven browns evenly and at a reasonable speed. When I first used the oven, I was curious to see a lot of steam coming from the oven and indeed, this oven does produce a lot of steam when cooking that is released only when opening the door!

The steam condenses on the glass door creating quite a lot of water droplets that are visible through the glass. I'm not sure if this system makes the food any tastier but it does appear to be a much quicker way of cooking. I was slightly concerned that this moist environment would create soggy dishes; however my pies and meals are still crumbly on the outside with the middle hot and soft. The manual suggests that to reduce the amount of water droplets, it is advisable to heat the oven up for ten minutes before hand. I regularly do this, however I still get quite a lot of condensation forming. If I wanted to I can cook with just the fan, this is probably the fastest way of cooking and the whole oven heats up to the same temperature.
The grill is easy to use and quickly toasts or grills items such as bacon and sausages. The grill is a lot quicker than my old one which is great. I try to avoid using the grill though as it is a pain to clean when fat splashes.


*Cleaning*

Surprisingly the exterior is a haven for finger prints and takes a while to polish to new looking. As a fairly recent purchase, the oven is still really easy to clean and I intend to keep it this shiny! I use oven cleaner to remove tough stains, however on the whole the oven stays quite clean. The special catalytic liners on the top, sides and back of the oven absorb grease and at high temperatures the grease oxidises making it much easier to remove.

*Overall*

This oven is a stark improvement on my last one but I was not impressed as I should have been. Although I find the oven easy to use and set, I do find that there are too many features that I do not really see the benefit of.

I paid £350.00 for my oven and think that it is an awful lot of money to pay. It is a good looking machine though and fits in well with my kitchen. So far I have not experienced any hiccups with it and would probably recommend it if you can pick one up cheaper than I did.