I first reviewed the Our Place Wonder Oven back in June 2023. After rigorously testing it in my Brooklyn kitchen for over two weeks, I was genuinely impressed. Apart from finding the air fryer function slightly less effective than a standalone air fryer, the oven performed admirably (and looked great on my countertop to boot). With six cooking modes—toast, roast, broil, bake, air fry and reheat—and an impressive temperature range, my family and I found ourselves relying on the oven long after the official testing period had ended. Unfortunately, nearly a year after my original review, the oven hasn’t held up the way I hoped it would.
I was genuinely impressed with the Our Place Wonder Oven when I first tested it out. However, nearly ... [+]
While it certainly has many redeeming features, I’ve encountered enough breakage to warrant updating this review. Ahead, learn more about why the Our Place Wonder Oven didn't work out for me, and what I’d recommend potential buyers to consider when purchasing one.
Our Place Wonder Oven Review
A Few Minor Hardware Issues
Most notably, one of the control knobs recently snapped off. It's true that we use the Wonder Oven multiples times a day, but I believe it's reasonable to expect kitchen appliances to be durable enough to withstand daily use. While we plan to take the oven to a repair shop to address the control knob issue when time allows. In the meantime, we've resorted to using a small pair of pliers to operate it, which is less than ideal!
Beyond the broken control knob, the oven itself works less efficiently than when we first bought it. It still cooks food faster than a traditional oven, roasting veggies in about 15 minutes rather than 20 or 25. But the roast, bake and toast functions have started to deliver uneven results. A mini sheet tray of green beans, for example, used to get golden all over. But now, I find sections that are undercooked while others are close to burnt. My daughter’s morning waffle, which I toast at a gentle 350 degrees, also burns around the edges within minutes.
It's true that we use the Wonder Oven multiples times a day, but I believe it's reasonable to expect ... [+]
Challenging To Clean
Keeping the Wonder Oven clean has become increasingly challenging over time. In my initial review, I mentioned that while the oven and its accessories were not dishwasher safe, they cleaned up easily with soap and water. However, accidental spills and splatters on the oven’s walls, along with wayward crumbs that managed to escape the included crumb tray, have left stains inside the oven and on its door. Since I cook in a real kitchen (and real kitchens are known for making real messes), I don't expect my appliances to stay as pristine as they look in an Instagram ad. However, I've found that the positioning of the heating mechanism inside the oven—a square-shaped “ring” around the oven’s bottom—makes it physically difficult to scrub off stubborn stains. The bumpy-textured back wall presents a similar cleaning challenge.
I Still Use It Daily, Though
Almost a year after adding the Our Place Wonder Oven to my kitchen, there are still things I genuinely like about it. For an appliance with so many different capabilities, it is admirably compact and space efficient. The smooth-textured exterior remains beautiful, and it's easy to keep clean, even after being splattered with oil from something I fried on the stovetop. The oven’s reheating feature has continued to work well. I particularly love the option to add a few drops of water to a vent at the top to create steam inside, and I value its ability to restore a slice of leftover pizza to just-delivered freshness.
Final Thoughts
Our Place’s Wonder Oven has been a staple in our home, serving up countless meals over the past several months. And I suspect that we'll continue to rely on it for the foreseeable future (preferably with a fixed control knob). But after having more time to get to know the oven, I can no longer wholeheartedly recommend it to home cooks. Priced at nearly $200, I consider it an investment appliance, and expect it to withstand the test of time. I hope that Our Place can address some of these issues because the oven's concept is promising, and it's a beautiful appliance—it simply needs to be more durable in the long term.
