The clever halogen oven is powered by an electric motor which converts the intense infra red waves produced by the halogen bulb into heat. It also powers a fan to circulate the heat evenly within the glass chamber of the oven and cooks the food very quickly. The halogen oven can roast and fry food as well as boil and bake and even grill. This small oven can cook as well as a large oven and as there is no heat up time, it is far quicker to start cooking –and the oven is self-cleaning too. The halogen oven also uses up to 75% less electricity to cook than a larger conventional oven, so saving energy and money.
There are few downsides – though it is quite small the halogen oven does take up space on your worktop, which is bad news for small kitchens. Also the oven lid gets very hot and for many ovens there is not stand provided – and as the lid is glass, it can break and take lots of money to replace so care is needed. In some cases a microwave is quicker than a halogen oven, but they both have their particular uses.
Halogen ovens can be found online from less than £50 and some much less than that – such as the JML. The Andrew James and Wolf Halogen ovens are also popular makes and it is wise to shop around for good prices when you find a brand you like.