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It’s easy for someone like me to get caught up in the hype surrounding new kitchen appliances, as my job allows for two of the most manic sides of my personality: a love of shopping and a love of cooking. Luckily, I’m also extremely skeptical about almost everything, otherwise I’d be broke and drowning in junk appliances. So when I came across the Combi Wave—Breville’s catchy name for a combined microwave and air fryer—I was intrigued.
So what is this thing and do we all need one in our kitchen? Here’s what I found out so you can decide for yourself.
A little taste of the combi microwaves in this article:
What is a combi microwave?
At first I thought a Combi Wave was some kind of steam-powered Combi ovenbut it’s a little different. “Combi Wave” is Breville’s name for a combined microwave and air fryer, also called a multi-oven microwave or combo microwave. There are a few models on the market right now that all claim to have all of these features, which can be a little misleading.
Breville, for example, states that the Combiwave is a three-in-one combination appliance: microwave, hot air fryer and convection oven – but a Hot air fryer Is a convection oven (they cannot deceive us). Likewise, the Toshiba Combo 8-in-1 (Oh Really) In the description of the countertop microwave, “broiling” is equated with “grilling.” Again, this is just convection heating with a change in temperature and fan speed. Not the same as grilling burgers on a grill.
In other words, be aware that companies are stretching the definitions a bit here. Honestly, I don’t know why – a microwave that also fries with hot air is a pretty cool concept in itself. It’s like building a flying car and saying, “Well, it also glides And hovers.” I was there with the “flying car,” you can stop there.
How to use a combi wave?
I would guess that most people interested in buying a combi oven grew up with microwaves, so there isn’t much of a learning curve here. Operating a combi oven can feel new yet familiar, especially since this appliance is the same size and look as a regular microwave. Fortunately, combi ovens come with many helpful presets.
The Breville, for example, has presets for heating power and time so you don’t have to put too much effort into it. It has special settings for melting chocolate and even softening butter. Click the microwave button and navigate the display to defrost, popcorn, or just set a time, like any old microwave. Be sure to use the correct glass turntable that came with the combiwave, and don’t do anything you wouldn’t do with a regular microwave (like heating up crumpled foil).
Click the “Air Fryer” button (which may also be called “Convection” or simply “Oven”) to activate this system. Then the electric heating element heats the air, similar to an air fryer you may have, and the fan turns on to blow the hot winds around your food until you have crispy nuggets or perfectly baked cookies. Again, be sure to use appliance-specific pans and appropriate cookware, according to your appliance’s user manual.
Is it worth buying a combo microwave?
Whether buying a combi oven is worth it depends on your priorities, cooking style and budget. Conceptually, I find a single appliance that does microwaving and air frying very attractive indeed. If you use these two appliances a lot, combining them would make life easier and free up much-needed counter space (which is especially helpful for apartment dwellers like me). However, the combi oven is still young, so unfortunately they are quite expensive. Both the Panasonic Multioven Microwave And Breville Combi Wave at a proud $500, so that the Toshiba Combo 8-in-1 And Toshiba 4-in-1 model as a “cheap” option at around $200. I guess we’ll all have them when they come down in price in a few years. For now, I’m sticking with my uncombed wave.
