Chef iQ MiniOven Review

Design and features

• Touchscreen display/app  
• 11 preset modes provide versatility
• Various trays for cooking 

The Chef IQ MiniOven arrived in a brown cardboard box, and inside of that, a branded Chef IQ box. Everything was securely packed to avoid damage or scratches during the shipping process. There are several PFAS-free accessories, including the crumb tray (which is inserted at the bottom and always remains in place) air fry/dehydrate basket, baking pan, glide rack, wire rack, ceramic egg tray, and user guide. 

The 25-quart Chef IQ MiniOven has a tempered glass door, and 3 shelves (or rack positions), and the self-closing door has a cool-touch handle. Inside, the convection fan is in the appliance’s celling, and there are 4 upper heating elements and 2 lower heating elements inside the iQ MiniOven as well.

On top of the iQ MiniOven is my favorite feature: the touchscreen display – which is a lifesaver.

From the touchscreen display, I can select one of the 11 cooking functions: air fry, bake, toast, broil, roast, air broil, reheat, slow cook, keep warm, dehydrate, and proof. However, instead of selecting one of these options, I can also select one of the presets, which include frozen foods, eggs, toast, meats, poultry, vegetables, seafood, baked goods, herbs (rosemary, oregano), and also a plant-based preset (protein burger, sausage, vegan chicken nuggets and tenders, meatballs).

I love the presets because they provide detailed instructions. For example, when I wanted to cook salmon, I scrolled down to select seafood, and the next screen provided an option to select salmon, tuna, swordfish, cod, halibut, trout, lobster, snapper, shrimp, Chilean sea bass, striped bass, catfish, tilapia, Mahi-Mahi, monkfish, grouper, or branzino. 

After selecting salmon, the next screen provided 3 additional choices: filet, steak, or burger. After choosing filet, I could bake the salmon so it’s medium, medium-well, or well done. After selecting “well done,” I’m taken to a summary screen that indicates the salmon will be baked at 315°F for 13 minutes with the fan on low. I could also choose the keep-warm setting in case the salmon finishes baking before I’m ready to eat it.

And if that’s not enough, I can also tap the instructions bar to find out which tray should be used, and what rack position should be used. Other helpful instructions are to pat the salmon dry, coat it with a thin layer of oil, and season to taste.

After I pressed the start button, the control panel noted the current temperature and informed me that it would take around 5 minutes before it reached 315 degrees F. After it reached the desired temperature, I inserted the tray of salmon, and the display provided a countdown of the remaining time. 

Performance

• Guided recipes are helpful
• Able to view cooking progress on phone
• Food tends to come out perfectly cooked

For one test, I wanted to bake some frozen cookies. I selected baked goods, and then cookies. (Other baked goods options are muffins, muffin tops, cake, brownies, and pancakes). From the next screen, I selected between gluten-free, pre-portioned, or spoon and shape. Since I had pre-portioned Nestle Tollhouse Cookies, I selected that option. The next screen provided a summary of the temperature (350 degrees F) and time (10 minutes) and informed me that the fan would be on low (although I can adjust it to a higher fan speed). I chose not to use the keep warm option. Under tips, I was instructed to use the wire rack on the sheet tray, positioned on the middle rack.

The next screen informed me that CHEFiQ MiniOven was currently heating up to 350 degrees (and was currently at 79 degrees F.) I have the option to skip preheating and I can also make edits to the cooking module. After inserting the cookies, I kept an eye on them to be sure they didn’t burn (or need additional time). When the allotted time counted down to zero, I received a voice alert to remove food, and there’s also a notification on the control panel to open over door and remove food – or keep baking. 

The cookies were delicious – crunchy on the perimeter, and hot and soft on the inside, with melted chocolate chips. 

Chicken wings are always one of my favorite foods to test. I chose poultry, and then chicken (other options were Cornish hen, turkey, and duck). Under chicken, the options were breast, wings, thighs, whole, whole butterflied, drumstick, leg quarters, burgers, and sausage. After choosing wings, the recommended cooking method is air frying for 22 to 35 minutes based on whether it’s 1 pounds, 2 pounds, or 3 pounds. Again, the control panel displayed the cook settings (450 degrees for 22 minutes), and I could choose to keep it warm. Instructions were to pat the chicken wings dry and season to taste, then place them in the air fry basket in an even layer in the middle rack, and flip halfway for even cooking.

There’s an audible alert when the cooking session reaches the halfway point, so can flip the wings over – and another alert, “Please remove your food from the oven,” when the chicken wings were done. I love that because depending on what I’m doing, a beep could be coming from my phone, TV, or some other device in my home, so hearing the actual words is quite helpful. After this notification, there’s an option to add more time to keep cooking.

The chicken wings were juicy and flavorful, with a slightly-crunchy exterior – and it took a lot of discipline not to eat over half of them

To test the toast function, I selected toast, and then had the option to choose from white bread, whole wheat bread, white bagel, and English muffin. After selecting wholewheat bread, I chose the 3^rd browning setting (out of five possible browning options), and I also chose fresh, as opposed to frozen. Accessory tips were to use the wire rack and put it in the middle position.

The toast came out crunchy and thoroughly browned. In the photo above, I showed both the top and bottom side (you can see the wire marks on the bottom side). I like crunchy toast, so I added some peanut butter and peach preserves – and it was delicious.

I thought testing eggs would be rather tricky since I only like scrambled and hard-boiled eggs. Under eggs, the options were sunny side, over easy, over medium, over hard, mini omelet, egg white mini omelet, and egg white. I wanted scrambled eggs, so I selected the closest option – mini omelet – added a little milk and a dash of pepper, and whisked the eggs before pouring them into the egg tray. I used two eggs, but they filled up 3 of the 6 tray compartments. 

The scrambled eggs were quite tasty – they were fluffy, creamy, and soft. It was like eating a scrambled egg patty – akin to the egg patty in McDonald’s Egg McMuffins and Sausage McMuffins (I wonder if that’s how they get those perfectly formed eggs). 

For my next test, I made pork chops. After selecting meat, my options were beef, pork lamb, veal, bacon, chops, and ribs. After choosing pork, and then chops, I could choose between loin chops, rib chops, and shoulder chops. I selected loin chops, and the options were boneless and bone in.

After patting the pork chops with paper towels to absorb some of the oil, the pork chops were browned and crispy around the edges, and juicy and tender when I cut inside. 

To test French fries. I went to frozen foods, and then selected French fries. My options were straight cut fries and sweet potato fries. The IQ MiniOven defaulted to air fry, and using my phone, I was able to adjust the slider to the correct amount (under a pound). I was instructed to put the fries in the air fryer basket in an even layer and put the basket in the middle rack position. 

The fries were slightly crunchy, and light and fluffy on the inside.

In addition to using the controls on the display panel, the app provides the same degree of functionality. For example, I can choose cooking functions, adjust settings, and view detailed cooking instructions. I can also remotely start and stop the iQ MiniOven for most cooking functions. However, I can’t remotely start the broil, air broil, or toast functions.

There’s also an option to use temperature probes with the iQ MiniOven. Chef iQ sells smart wireless meat thermometers. However, they’re sold separately as single-, double-, or triple-probe sets.

Should you buy it?