I’ve wished to attempt an air fryer for some time, since I began seeing them pop up on-line. The thought of getting deep-fried meals with out all the additional oil is interesting, however I couldn’t justify the counter or space for storing.
However what if I may air fry in a microwave? The Combi Wave 3-in-1 from Sage presents simply that – a microwave, air fryer and convection oven multi function. Its Quick Combi mode makes use of all three features directly to cook dinner on a regular basis meals sooner.
Cooking with the Combi Wave 3-in-1
Straight out of the field, I used to be shocked by how large the Combi Wave is. I suppose I shouldn’t have been – I knew that you would roast a whole hen in it. At 61 x 56 x 38.4cm, it suits within the hole left by my earlier (already massive) microwave, however solely simply.
The settings are managed by two dials and a choice of buttons, and are proven on a big show display. The menu is intuitive and simple to navigate, and a little bit of fiddling round revealed extra choices than I anticipated. On the within of the door is a collection of buttons for preset choices, from popcorn to melting chocolate.
The oven preheats shortly, and on all settings will let you know when to insert and switch your meals. Nonetheless, annoyingly, it doesn’t pause to present you an opportunity to do that, and strikes onto the cooking part immediately. This isn’t an enormous drawback – it simply means you need to be sure you have every little thing prepared earlier than you begin the programme.
You’ll be able to select whether or not it alerts you with a beep or a jingle, and alter the quantity or mute it. The followers, nevertheless, are fairly noisy.
I cooked a wide range of meals within the Combi Wave to check out its varied features. The place doable, I additionally ready the identical factor by a standard methodology to match the 2. There are a number of completely different choices for cooking, so I used the provided recipe book for steering on what features to make use of and for the way lengthy.
Jacket potato
It’s not straightforward to make a superb jacket potato in a microwave. Although the flesh of the potato cooks sooner than in an oven, the pores and skin by no means crisps up correctly. So, I used to be excited to see if the Combi Wave may very well be the very best of each worlds and make a crispy jacket potato with out an hour-and-a-half cooking time.
The outcomes have been disappointing. Following the directions within the recipe guide, I put it in on the Quick Combi setting for 45 minutes, however the outcome was nonetheless onerous within the center and the pores and skin was comfortable. It’s onerous to say whether or not the issue was simply unhealthy directions – additional time would definitely have softened the centre of the potato, however I’m unsure whether or not the pores and skin would have crisped up.
Brownies
As somebody who bakes as a interest (and has made a couple of microwave mug cakes previously), I discovered it onerous to think about that baking in a microwave may end up properly. However I used to be pleasantly shocked by the brownies and salted caramel sauce from the supplied recipe guide.
It’s a normal recipe, cooked with the oven mode. After I took it out after the beneficial time, it was nonetheless liquid within the centre, so I gave it an additional 15 or so minutes. However as soon as it had cooled, it turned out to be deliciously gooey and wealthy, with a pleasantly chewy crust.
I wouldn’t suggest making salted caramel sauce within the microwave, although. Although the tactic is extremely straightforward, the sugar crystallised and the sauce ended up gritty. I’d recommend making the identical recipe in a saucepan as a substitute, brushing down the within of the pan with a moist pastry brush to cease crystals from forming.
Prawn katsu
I’ll be sincere, probably the most thrilling factor about an air fryer for me is to have the ability to eat fried meals with out feeling responsible concerning the quantity of oil. So, if I may make crispy, golden katsu with solely a spritz of oil, I might be a complete convert to air frying.
Following the recipe supplied, I dunked king prawns first in flour, then egg, after which panko breadcrumbs. I cooked half of them on the air fryer setting for seven minutes with a coating of cooking oil spray. On the identical time, I shallow-fried the opposite half in vegetable oil.
After I took them out, I used to be dissatisfied to see that the panko breadcrumbs had barely browned in any respect. The air-fried prawns have been cooked by way of, however in comparison with shallow-fried prawns, that they had a lot much less flavour.
I ended up browning the air-fried prawns within the pan earlier than I ate them, to make them slightly extra appetising.
Roast hen
Roast hen was simply the very best factor I made within the Combi Wave. The preparation is identical as if it was moving into a daily oven – although the Combi Wave preheats way more shortly than my oven, so I bought caught out by it ending the preheat part and beginning the cooking part earlier than I used to be prepared. I made a garlic and herb butter, which I unfold beneath the pores and skin, and seasoned the skin with salt and pepper, and into the microwave it went.
The Combi Wave has a perform particularly for hen, so all it’s worthwhile to do is choose the proper weight and let it do the remainder. The 2 largest increments are 1kg and 1.6kg, so I used to be involved that my 1.2kg chook would find yourself underdone or dry. I selected the 1.6kg possibility, on the idea that dry hen is healthier than meals poisoning.
This turned out to be the juiciest roast hen I’ve ever made. The pores and skin was deeply browned, and the meat was tender and flavourful.
The round pan is simply 26cm in diameter, so there’s no room for trimmings and I needed to cook dinner the roast potatoes in my oven. It’s a disgrace that such a giant countertop cooker can’t match multiple meals in at a time, however then again, cooking the roast potatoes individually meant I may crank up the warmth on the oven and get them crispy with out drying out the meat.
For juicier meat and no worries about it being cooked right through, I might undoubtedly select to roast a hen within the Combi Wave once more.
Hen drumsticks
I used this recipe for crispy hen drumsticks, and cooked half with the air fryer mode on the Combi Wave, and half within the oven. For each halves, I cooked them at 200ËšC for 10 minutes on both sides.
There wasn’t an enormous distinction between the 2, however the air-fried ones had barely crispier pores and skin. The oven-cooked drumsticks leaked extra liquid, and the meat of the air-fried ones was juicier in consequence. This most likely additionally helped to make the pores and skin crispier.
Oven chips
I air-fried some oven chips within the Combi Wave for 25 minutes at 230°C, in keeping with the information on the machine, and cooked some within the oven for a similar period of time at 200°C.
The air-fried chips have been a lot browner and crispier, however the smaller ones have been over-done. Whereas the oven-baked chips have been comfortable and fluffy inside, the air-fried ones have been dry and a bit crunchy.
Further features
Soften butter
You’d suppose that, after years of baking, I’d have discovered that there are particular substances you need to get out of the fridge forward of time to allow them to come as much as room temperature. However no. I nonetheless wrestle by way of with too-solid butter.
The ‘soften butter’ perform on the Combi Wave works like a appeal. It got here to an ideal consistency for creaming with sugar (or mixing with garlic and herbs for a roast hen) with none of it melting.
Defrost
On the microwave perform, you possibly can dial the ability right down to completely different percentages, and the show reveals what every energy stage will do. In contrast to earlier microwaves I’ve owned, the defrost setting truly defrosts meals with out cooking any of it.
Maintain heat
My two air-fried hen drumsticks have been achieved earlier than those I cooked within the oven. So, I left one within the microwave on the ‘hold heat’ setting whereas I taste-tested the opposite. After I took it out, it was nonetheless piping sizzling, and the pores and skin was even barely crispier than it was earlier than – not like a number of fried meals I’ve made, which might go soggy shortly.
Verdict
Should you don’t have area for a full oven, the Combi Wave is a superb selection. You gained’t have the ability to cook dinner every little thing you’d do in an oven – for instance, a aspect of roast potatoes on your roast hen – but it surely’s nonetheless a surprisingly versatile cooker.
The air fryer mode isn’t significantly spectacular, and for many purposes I attempted it wasn’t a lot completely different from what’s doable in an extraordinary convection oven. That mentioned, it’s tough to know whether or not that’s the limitation of an air fryer, or whether or not the supplied recipes wanted tweaking. And each the air-fried hen drumsticks and roast hen have been higher than ones cooked in an oven.
I might suggest the Combi Wave 3-in-1 not as a alternative for an oven, however as an amped-up microwave that’s one beneficial equipment in your kitchen.
Various mixture microwaves to contemplate
Panasonic 4-in-1 Mixture Steam Oven
This mixture oven permits not simply microwaving, baking and grilling, but in addition steaming. When you’ve crammed the equipment’s 800ml reservoir, it’s going to boil this water to provide steam and launch it by way of two steam retailers.
With a 31 litre capability and cooking over two ranges, there’s loads of area to organize a number of meals directly.
The 4-in-one Mixture Steam Oven additionally encompasses a grill, and 36 preset features that mix the completely different cooking parts to swimsuit several types of meals or drink.
Russell Hobbs RHM3003B Mixture Microwave
The Russell Hobbs RHM3003B Mixture Microwave is a extra inexpensive possibility, if the Combi Wave is a bit too expensive on your liking. In addition to a microwave, this equipment additionally encompasses a convection oven and grill. It comes with a grill rack and baking tray, and has a capability of 30 litres.
KitchenAid KMQFX33910 Mixture Microwave
This mixture microwave from KitchenAid appears to be like swish, with its stainless-steel surfaces and seize deal with. But it surely’s additionally packed stuffed with options. Just like the Panasonic, it presents steam cooking, however with the twin steam perform, you possibly can cook dinner two separate meals directly. It additionally comes with a crisp plate that heats up shortly, which is designed for pizzas, chips, samosas and extra.
The KitchenAid can be designed with baking in thoughts, with options comparable to a dough rising programme and Crisp & Bake Know-how for even, golden outcomes.
