Pretty In Pink: Bake, Reheat, Grill In Style

No reason why ovens should stick to being black, white or silver.

Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest stories and updates.

Ovens have become an integral part of a fully functioning kitchen. Not only as an appliance that bakes, but these days, many ovens in the market have a string of added features to keep your kitchen looking neat, instead of it being riddled with different appliances to do different things.

While the key factor in selecting an oven is functionality, some people also factor in the aesthetic element. Especially with the Internet and the world becoming borderless, we have become more exposed to designs and ideas, hence many of us are now more interested in themed kitchens.

With many companies now offering their appliances in a wide range of colours for the theme-conscious consumer, it is still difficult to find top-of-the-shelf brands for kitchen appliances that have embraced pastel pink as a colour option.

As someone fully invested in turning my kitchen pink, I have scoured and surfed various brands looking for a pink coloured oven that is both good and can fit my theme.

Samsung is one of the few I discovered that showed no fear in embarking on the pink path. Apart from their microwave and microwave oven, Samsung has also released the Bespoke refrigerator series which comes in pink.

Look and Feel

The MS Convection Microwave Oven in Clean Pink is most definitely pleasing to the eyes.

Its pastel shade would fit perfectly with different shades of pink to complement a themed kitchen. Even if you’re not going for a theme, the light pink colour can easily match or blend in with other colours.

For the pink afficionado, the shade may look too light on its own but when paired on the countertop or an oven nook with other darker shades of pink, the Clean Pink provides a nice balance to the theme.

This convection oven however is very heavy and caution must be taken when lifting. A wide countertop is highly recommended or a custom designed nook.

The oven door is pretty solid, which would prevent young children from opening and closing it. A slight force is required to open the door and this gives me peace of mind in the event there are little tots around.

Various Modes

As is the case with many other modern appliances, this convection oven has various functions which would eliminate the need to have a separate microwave for the purpose of reheating food or a dedicated oven for baking.

It has an Auto Cooking mode with presets for different types of dishes but it also has a manual mode so you can adjust the temperature and time according to what the recipe dictates.

For those more familiar with the old oven style, they may find the digital panel slighty cumbersome at first but once you have familiarised with the icons for the different modes, it gets pretty easy.

Hot Food in a Spell

In exploring the modes, I went with the most basic function first; reheating food. In just a few clicks, the turntable was already spinning and in 30 secs, at 600w, my food had warmed up nicely.

The manual booklet can be overwhelming at first, especially if you’re the kind of person who hates reading manuals. However, if you take the time to patiently skim through it, you will see that everything is laid out in an easy to understand manner.

I personally found the manual mode to be a lot more convenient than the preset auto cooking mode.

Baking In Style

To compare this convection microwave oven with my other oven which is easily about two decades old, I decided to bake a simple strawberry-flavoured butter cake.

Take note that the manual says not to use stainless steel, aluminum or copper dishes. So I used a carbon steel and teflon baking pan.

The oven comes with two racks, so I used the low rack on the turntable and placed the pan on it. I opted for the manual convection mode and set the temperature at 180°c and timer for 45 minutes. The manual indicated that the pan should be covered with an aluminium foil.

In exactly 45 minutes, the pleasant smell of butter and flour wafted in the air and the cake was done to perfection. I found this to be very convenient as there was no need to add to the timer as the oven’s temperature accuracy meant there was no need to add to the timer to ensure the cake’s centre was fully cooked.

Smart Oven

According to Samsung, the Hot Blast feature is much like the convection feature but the heating elements generate stronger heat and distribute stronger air flow inside the oven. The Hot Blast feature is good with pizza and lasagnes, among others.

The oven is also equipped with an Air Fry Technology, which means there is no need to have a separate air fryer.

This microwave oven comes with two racks as mentioned earlier; a low rack and a high rack. There is also a crusty plate which can be used to grill or keep pastries and pizzas crisp, and a pro steamer.

Even if you’re too lazy to Google recipes, the manual provides several basic cooking ideas under its Cooking Smart section.

Yay or Nay?

As someone who embraces technology to a certain degree but not a fan of complicated appliances, I only found the digital panel frustrating for a spell. Once I sat down to properly understand the manual, I was already able to master some of the modes.

It is a fairly easy oven to navigate and as detailed extensively at the start, the colour makes for a pleasant addition.

So to sum it up, the 35L Samsung Convection Microwave Oven with HotBlast is a yay from me.