The wife and I are thinking about getting one of these table top halogen
ovens after seeing one for the first time at a friends house.

We have looked on YouTube and various other wiebsites and seen all the hype
about them.

Are they really that good....?

Do they break down often and are spares easy to get....?

On 28 Aug, 18:55, "the_constructor"
wrote:
The wife and I are thinking about getting one of these table top halogen
ovens after seeing one for the first time at a friends house.

We have looked on YouTube and various other wiebsites and seen all the hype
about them.

Are they really that good....?

Do they break down often and are spares easy to get....?

I would highly recommend one.
They save electricity as they cook things in a fraction of the time of
a conventional oven - for example something that perhaps takes 20 mins
in an oven will do in the same, or sometimes less time, from a
standing start, no need to get it up to heat first. You can also of
course cook at the 'fan oven temperature' shown on packaging or in
recipes, which is lower to start with.
I had one that wasn't halogen, that lasted probably about five years
and I've had the halogen one as a replacement now for about three. The
first one just simply stopped working and unfortunately I can't tell
you about spares (which I know is what you're most interested in)
because I had the replacement one bought as a present so didn't have
to worry about fixing the first one. However, if it's any help at all,
the first one performed consistently throughout its life.
As has already been said, the cleaning isn't *that* easy, but unlike
the previous poster I'd say due to the gubbins being in the lid
meaning you can't, of course, give it a good old sloosh in a washing
up bowl and so the method I use is to invert it in the top of its
glass bottom and wash it with a fairly dry sponge, so water doesn't
get in to the motor etc.
I'd agree with the previous poster's comment that you can't fit a
whole lot in one (if you wanted to roast a chicken that would be all
you could do in it at one time) and would also mention that the fan's
quite strong...so if you're cooking faggots in their foil tin with a
loosened lid, if said lid's not still well enough secured it'll be up
on the bottom of the heating/fan/motor housing burning merrily before
you can say knife, but I still wouldn't be without mine.