I live in a very small studio flat which came equipped only with a microwave and two ring hob - very restrictive in terms of cooking! Fortunately, a friend of mine very kindly gave me her Cookworks mini electric oven which has impresses me beyond all expectations. It is the size of a large microwave so sits conveniently on the work surface and came with a shelf and slide-in baking sheet. The heat source is bars on the top and bottom of the oven, with functions to select both for general cooking, just the top bars for grilling and just the bottom bars for warming. The oven heats up extremely quickly and much to my surprise cooks as well, if not better and certainly faster than a conventional oven. It also has a timer dial which turns the oven off when it runs out - a useful safety and energy saving feature. I used to be a keen baker and have yet to try any cakes or bread in my mini oven but am keen to do so - especially with the Christmas period looming! These ovens cost around £50 to buy new and although I was gifted mine, I would definitely buy another should the need arise and have certainly saved money on my food bill now that I can cook almost everything, rather than being limited largely to microwave meals.
