5 Best Ovens, According to Food Network Kitchen
No matter what kind of oven you're looking to cook with in your kitchen, you want to make sure you find one that bakes evenly and has features that are actually useful.
Best Buy
Our Top Oven Picks
- Best Overall: GE Profile 30-Inch Smart Built-In Convection Oven with No Preheat Air Fry and Precision Cooking
- Best Budget Oven: Whirlpool 5.0 cu. ft. Oven with FIT System
- Best Gas Oven: Frigidaire 24-Inch Gas Oven
- Best Splurge Oven: Jenn-Air NOIR 30-Inch Oven with V2 Vertical Dual-Fan Convection
- Most Versatile Oven: Frigidaire Gallery 30-Inch Electric Oven with Total Convection
By Sharon Franke for Food Network Kitchen
For a sleek, contemporary kitchen nothing beats a cooktop built into a countertop or an island and an oven installed in the wall. However, even if you have a range with a cooktop and an oven in one unit, you may want an extra full-size oven to press into action when you’re baking up a storm or entertaining a crowd. The best ovens will heat evenly so you can bake several layers of cake at once, roast a chicken to golden brown perfection, and broil steaks to rival the ones you grill outdoors. To help you select the best oven for you, here’s what to look for and our top picks at a variety of pricepoints.
What To Know About Wall Ovens
Unlike standalone ovens with ranges on top, wall ovens require some additional considerations and installation knowledge.
Wall ovens come in standard sizes.
30 inches is by far the most common size for wall ovens, and all of our recommendations are for that width. However, if because of space restrictions (think: tiny apartment) or to replace an existing smaller oven, you need to install a 24-inch model, you will get very similar performance from the smaller version of our picks.
They’re available as double-ovens.
In double wall ovens, both ovens are identical in build, but they might have different cooking programs. If you have room, the budget, and the need for two ovens, pick the double version of our selections. You can also buy a double unit that combines an oven with a microwave or a steam oven. However, keep in mind that if one oven stops operating and is beyond repair, you have to replace the entire model (both ovens). It might be a better idea to install a microwave or steam oven with matching trim above the oven just in case one of them needs replacing in the future.
Where to install wall ovens
One of the benefits of wall ovens is that they can be installed at waist height so that you don’t have to bend to put food in, pull it out, and check on it during cooking. If you’re putting in a double oven, think about how easy it will be to use both ovens. You can also install a wall oven under a countertop to create an uncluttered look in your kitchen. But keep in mind that you will have to do a lot of bending when you use it.
Installing a wall oven is not a DIY project.
Before you buy a new wall oven, even if you are replacing an older unit, it’s essential that you call in a professional to measure the space where you plan to install it and assess whether or not you have the proper electrical connections. Consider calling in an electrician if you have any concerns. Once you make the purchase, leave the installation to the pros.
What Features to Look for In All Ovens
Flush installation: Wall ovens that can be installed in alignment with surrounding cabinetry will give a sleeker look.
Convection oven: In this type of oven, there’s a fan to circulate hot air which will speed up cooking and promote browning. Often, there’s also a heating element near or around the fan. When using convection, you usually have to reduce the oven temperature and cooking time. Some ovens will automatically convert the temperature for you. In general, convection works better for roasting than for baking but results vary from brand to brand.
Self-cleaning oven: We think this feature is essential. Look for a traditional self-cleaning cycle which is often referred to as high heat or pyrolytic self-cleaning. While a quick or steam clean cycle may help loosen soil, it will not thoroughly clean an oven with lots of baked-on spatters from roasts or spillovers from pies and lasagna.
How We Picked
To select our best ovens, we relied on our writer’s years of testing cooking appliances as well as our staff’s experience baking, roasting, and broiling in our test kitchen to develop recipes and in their own homes to feed their families. We checked professional review sites to see what they recommended and also looked at star ratings and comments from folks like you.
In addition to considering whether they bake evenly, we considered what special features they offered. Our picks contain a selection of ovens at various price points.
This contemporary-looking convection oven will give you perfect results whether you program in your own temperature and time or rely on the cooking programs. All of the controls are on an interactive color touchscreen that’s exceptionally intuitive to use. When you choose one of the settings, it tells you which pan and oven rack position to use. A temperature probe is included to help give precise results. As this oven can air fry, you don’t have to invest in a bulky countertop appliance to serve a healthy version of chicken nuggets or mozzarella sticks.
With the GE Profile, you get two racks, one of which glides out on rollers; both can remain in the oven during self cleaning. You have the option of steam cleaning or running a traditional self-clean cycle if your oven is heavily soiled. Once you connect the oven to Wi-Fi, you can control it from your mobile device so you can preheat it from the car or the laundry room, check the temperature of your roast if the probe is in place, and download new cooking programs as they become available; you can also give it voice commands via Alexa or Google Assistant. It’s available with a stainless steel or black stainless-steel finish. GE guarantees that this model will be able to replace any 30-inch oven, regardless of brand, or it will reimburse you up to $300 for installation.
Without setting you back a bundle, this sleek-looking stainless steel Whirlpool will seriously upgrade the look of your kitchen. You can even opt to install it flush with your cabinetry. It doesn’t have a host of fancy features but it’s generously sized and has an electronic control panel with delay start, keep warm and time baking settings. In addition, it has a self-clean cycle. Whirlpool’s FIT system guarantees that it will fit into your cabinetry or the company will pay $300 towards adjustments.
While 30-inch electric wall ovens predominate, we know that there are some of you who need to replace an existing 24-inch gas model. This contemporary-looking Frigidaire is bound to be an improvement in both appearance and performance over your existing oven. It has a smooth touch control panel for all functions which include timed baking and a self-clean cycle. Below the oven there’s a handy storage drawer for stashing sheet pans and baking dishes. If you’re looking to match your existing kitchen appliances, this oven is available with a black or white finish as well as in stainless steel.
You can tell from the look and feel of the Jenn-Air, that it’s a category above our other picks. While it’s also pricier, it won’t set you back as much as ovens from other luxury brands. For a built-in look, you can opt to install it flush with your cabinets. It has a state-of-the-art control panel that you scroll through to select temperature, time, and the various settings. On it, you can access a database of recipes that includes color pictures of how your food should look at varying degrees of doneness to help you decide if you want your prime rib rare or medium.
As you would expect, this is a convection oven and it will automatically adjust the temperature and time. Unlike most wall ovens, this one comes with three racks and two of them roll out, which is particularly handy when you need to pull out a rack to baste a heavy turkey. Noir comes with a probe, features bright halogen lighting, and has a self-clean setting. It can be connected to Wi-Fi so that you can preheat the oven or, if you’re using the probe, check on the temperature of your roast from the backyard or an upstairs room. You can hook it up to your Nest thermostat and when the oven’s on, it will decrease the temp in the kitchen. Jenn-Air also offers a Rise version for the same price which has identical features but a more conventional look with more stainless steel and less black glass.
In addition to baking and roasting with convection, this large oven can inject steam to help meats come out crusty yet moist and cakes rise higher and fluffier. It also air fries, slow cooks, and even cooks sous vide, eliminating the need to equip yourself with a host of countertop appliances. A probe is included for cooking to precise temperatures. One of the two racks slides out on rollers to make it easy to pull it out when you need to top a casserole with cheese or baste a chicken.
You’ll find both steam clean and traditional high heat self-cleaning cycles on this oven. It’s available with your choice of a smudgeproof stainless steel or a black stainless-steel finish. If it doesn’t fit in an existing 30-inch cutout in your kitchen, Frigidaire will pay you up to $300 for adjustments.
