The new Smeg Countertop Oven is more than just a pretty face — I put it to the test

Smeg’s range of curvy retro 50’s style appliances is iconic. And the brand has finally added a multi-functional countertop oven to the line up. Like the other products in the range this oven comes in a range of colors so you can match it to your existing Smeg appliances.

Having tested some of the best air fryers as well as the best toaster ovens I know that even the most multi-functional of these cooking appliances would struggle to compete with the sheer number of cooking modes and presets on offer from this Smeg Countertop Combi Steam Oven.

So, in an effort to get hands-on and see if this feature-rich oven is worth its hefty price tag, I managed to persuade the folks at Smeg to lend me one for a week so I could use it in my own home. And spoiler alert, it’s far too big for my little two-bedroom home, but boy can it cook up a feast.

Smeg Countertop Air Fry Oven with Steam: $999 @ Crate & Barrel
With 10 functions and 33 pre-set- recipes, Smeg’s new Countertop Oven provides form and function. It’s full of features while its iconic retro design will add style to any kitchen. Available in white, black and cream.

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Smeg Countertop Combi Steam Oven review : Price and availability

At the time of writing, you can only buy the Smeg steam oven direct at Crate & Barrell for $999.

It is available in the U.K. for £849.95 direct from Smeg, in a range of fun colors. 

Smeg Countertop Combi Steam Oven review: Design

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The oven arrived in a much larger box than expected, requiring a two-man delivery team. And when I unboxed it, the oven itself was bigger and bulkier than I had anticipated. And while there’s no denying its vintage style good looks, this big countertop oven will look incongruous in a compact kitchen.

The curvy shape is complemented by the minimal control panel. There are just two dials, one on either side of the screen and each one has a button in the center. All the available options are selected via the two dials and I found it pretty intuitive to get to grips with.

There are a lot of settings to get your head around, but at a high level, these are divided into three main sections; traditional menu, steam menu, and chef menu. The traditional menu is all your usual oven settings, such as static, convection, and broil, but it also offers an air fry mode.

The steam menu includes steaming alone, or combined with either broil or convection oven. Then there’s the chef menu which comprises 33 preset cooking programs for a variety of foods. These use various cooking methods and the cook times are determined by the weight of the food.

For steaming, there’s a removable water tank that’s accessed via a pop-up flap on the top. And the oven comes with a rack, enameled cooking tray, as well as a stainless steel perforated tray. All three accessories can be stored inside when not in use.

Smeg Countertop Combi Steam Oven review: Performance

Chef Menu

The chef menu is pretty easy to navigate, but I did have to consult the manual every time I used it. While the 33 chef presets are divided into easy to navigate categories, once in each category, you select the one you want by number, which is impossible to memorize.

Meat and poultry

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There are seven presets in this category and I chose to try out the ‘whole roast chicken’ one. The cook time is determined by the chicken weight, which you have to input in the settings. My chicken was a 4lb/ 1.8kg chicken, but the weight setting only goes up to 3.3lbs/ 1.5kg.

So all I could do was select the highest possible weight, knowing that I’ll probably have to add a bit of extra time on at the end. It preheated for 6 minutes and once the chicken was in, the timer counted down from 1 hour 22 minutes.

At the end of cooking it looked golden on the outside, but I was skeptical about how well it was cooked inside. My meat thermometer confirmed it was at least 180°F/ 80°C throughout and therefore thoroughly cooked.

In addition to being well cooked, the meat was perfectly succulent and tender, with crispy, tasty skin.

Vegetables and side dishes

While my chicken was resting I made use of the ‘roast potato’ preset to make some roast potatoes to serve with it. I had already par-boiled the potatoes before coating them in oil and putting them onto the enamel tray.

Again, I had to input the weight, which was roughly 1lb/ 450g. This adjusted the cook time to 20 minutes, which seemed quite short. However, after this brief 20 minute cook, I was surprised and pleased when I removed golden, crunchy roast potatoes.

Cakes and sweets

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I made my tried and trusted lemon drizzle cake to see how it baked using the sponge cake preset. When I came to input the weight of my 1.8lb/ 0.8kg cake into the settings, once again my batch was heavier than the maximum 1.5lb/0.7kg option.

Just like with the chicken, I went ahead with the maximum possible weight and hoped for the best. The cook time was 45 minutes and I left the cake in for the entire time. When I removed it, it looked a bit darker than usual, but had cooked through and risen well.

The texture of the cake was outstanding, it was hands down the fluffiest lemon cake I’ve ever baked, and I’ve made this exact recipe countless times. I put it down to the addition of steam in the program. 

Bread, pizza and flans

Within this category is a preset for proofing bread dough which I used when making pizza dough. You simply have to select the weight of the dough and the oven figures out the timings. Initially I was going to cover my dough with film, but I noticed that this preset uses steam, so instead I covered the bowl with a damp dish towel.

It took 48 minutes for a small 14oz batch of pizza dough. And the dough had doubled in size at the end of the timer, which really sped up the proofing process.

Traditional cooking menu

Bottom fan assist

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This is the setting that’s best suited to cooking pizza. I rolled out my homemade pizza dough onto the oiled enamel tray and added my toppings while the oven preheated to 400F/ 200C. The pizza was cooked in 20 minutes and the base was golden and crisp.

Broil

I used the broil function to quickly melt and brown some cheese on top of a vegetable bake. It took quite a long 12 minutes to preheat to 450°F/ 230°C but then melted and browned the cheesy topping in just 10 minutes. 

Air fry

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The air fryer takes around 6 minutes to preheat and annoyingly there’s not a countdown timer, so I had to use my phone to time the food. Chunky home cut fries usually take 20-25 minutes in most standalone air fryers, but after 20 minutes in this at 400F/ 200C they were nowhere near cooked through.

When I gave them a turn after 20 minutes, there was some sticking to the perforated tray and I had to use a sturdy stainless steel spatula to loosen them. In the end they took 40 minutes and were enjoyable to eat, but not quite as good as in my usual air fryer.

It was a similar story for breadcrumbed fish filets, these took double the time that they usually take in my air fryer and yet the breadcrumb coating wasn’t as crunchy. All-in-all I have to say I’m disappointed with the air fry setting.

Steam cooking

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To steam a tray of broccoli florets I filled the water container and switched on the steam setting. It spent around five minutes preheating and then I added my broccoli, on the perforated tray. 

There are no guideline times in the manual, so I just had to keep an eye on it. I opened it up a couple of times to stick a fork in the broccoli. It cooked in 15 minutes,  but still had a pleasant al dente texture. 

It’s mildly annoying that you can't set a timer when in this mode, so I had to use a timer on my phone. But this aside, I was pleased with the flavor and texture of the steamed broccoli.

During all of my tests the outside of the oven, while warm, never became too hot to touch. But I noticed that the cooling fan would frequently run for up to 45 minutes after the oven was switched off.

Cleaning

Cleaning the enamel interior isn’t too tricky thanks to the integrated steam function. The instruction manual walks you through how to use the steam function to loosen burnt on food deposits, taking the hard work out of keeping it pristine.

The trays and the rack however are more annoying to clean because they can’t go in your dishwasher. So depending on what you’re cooking, you may choose to line the enamel tray with aluminum foil to make cleaning less tiresome.

Smeg Countertop Combi Steam Oven review: Comparison

At just under $350 the Ninja 12-in-1 Double Oven with Flex Door is an outstanding countertop oven that’s considerably cheaper. Admittedly it lacks the steam function and the preset programs for various foods. But it still packs in 12 cooking modes. Uniquely, its interior cooking space can be divided into two separate cooking zones, making it incredibly versatile.

For those that love the look of this Smeg countertop oven, but have realized its size is a barrier. I urge you to take a look at the Our Place Wonder Oven which is arguably one of its best-looking competitors. The Our Place oven is much smaller and therefore better suited to apartments and cooking for 1-2 people. It’s also considerably cheaper, but the range of cooking modes is limited in comparison and I was disappointed with the air fry function.

Smeg Countertop Combi Steam Oven review: Verdict

The price and the size will put this countertop oven out of reach for a lot of people. It certainly won’t suit compact kitchens and small apartments. However, its size isn’t wholly negative. This is what allows it to perform so many functions, as well as offer a very generous cooking capacity.

Virtually every cooking mode impressed me and it gets top marks for performance. But do note that the air fry function can’t rival a standalone air fryer.

The array of cooking modes and presets make it incredibly versatile. And on top of all of this, it looks so much cuter than most of its competitors. Ultimately though, only you can decide if your need justifies the space it requires and the hole it’ll leave in your bank balance.