Sage Appliances Combi Wave 3 in 1 Microwave, Brushed Stainless Steel, SMO870

Product Information

When it comes to kitchen electricals built to last, Sage are one of the most trusted brands out there. Whether it’s a creamy barista-style latte, a beautiful, bubbling Neapolitan-style pizza, deliciously hearty stew or fresh glass of OJ, Sage appliances are built to create restaurant quality meals and drinks at home, in style. Start your day the right way

Sage have made it possible for you to cook your food more evenly and efficiently, thanks to Element iQ Technology. Using smart algorithms to steer power around the oven to where it’s needed most, it adjusts temperature automatically to create the ideal cooking environment to give perfect results for everything you cook. But that’s not where customisability ends: there are three different volume settings for alerts, as well as the option to turn off sound entirely. Units can be displayed either in kilograms and Celsius or ounces and Fahrenheit. After microwaving a 350g fridge-cold baking potato for 3mins on each side and letting it stand for another minute, it had already achieved an internal temperature of 99°C. The inside was mostly soft and fluffy, with a little bit of hardness. After cutting it open, I used A Bit More for 50secs to get a softer result. While the texture would have come out better in a traditional oven, under 7mins of cooking time is remarkably fast. This feeling of luxury continues on to the soft-close door, which isn’t something you know you need until you’ve used it. It’s noticeably nicer to open and close than my everyday, mid-price microwave which like most others, has a rather clunky open and shut mechanism.You'd think that, after years of baking, I'd have learned that there are certain ingredients you should get out of the fridge ahead of time to let them come up to room temperature. But no. I still struggle through with too-solid butter. Elements IQ System™: Smart algorithms steer power to where and when it's needed to create the ideal cooking environment, for perfect results. Enjoy crispy golden results and many more delicious meals when using the Air Fry, Roast and Bake functions.

But what if I could air fry in a microwave? The Combi Wave 3-in-1 from Sage offers just that – a microwave, air fryer and convection oven all in one. Its Fast Combi mode uses all three functions at once to cook everyday meals faster. Cooking with the Combi Wave 3-in-1 This isn’t a huge issue because the main fast combi, microwave and air fryer modes offer everything you could possibly need in the way of customisation. But as Sage has made the decision to include these smart food menu settings, it would be helpful if they offered a little more flexibility. It's a standard recipe, cooked with the oven mode. When I took it out after the recommended time, it was still liquid in the centre, so I gave it an extra 15 or so minutes. But once it had cooled, it turned out to be deliciously gooey and rich, with a pleasantly chewy crust.The settings are controlled by two dials and a selection of buttons, and are shown on a large display screen. The menu is intuitive and easy to navigate, and a bit of fiddling around revealed more options than I expected. On the inside of the door is a series of buttons for preset options, from popcorn to melting chocolate.

I would recommend the Combi Wave 3-in-1 not as a replacement for an oven, but as an amped-up microwave that's one valuable appliance in your kitchen. Alternative combination microwaves to consider Panasonic 4-in-1 Combination Steam Oven Make microwave cooking more convenient. For commonly used tasks such as melting chocolate or baking a potato, easily use the intuitive one-touch shortcuts control panel located next to the microwave oven LCD screen. An additional favourite setting allows you to create your own custom preset so you can cook your food exactly the way you like it. And if you need some additional cooking time, simply press the "A Bit More" button.The air-fried chips were much browner and crispier, but the smaller ones were over-done. While the oven-baked chips were soft and fluffy inside, the air-fried ones were dry and a bit crunchy. Extra functions Soften butter Once the cooked rice was fridge-cold, I heated 1.5 cups (200g) of it with two tablespoons of water using the medium-high microwave reheat setting for 2mins. While the temperature was 96-97°C in the middle with no noticeable cool spots, according to the thermal camera, the edges were closer to the 70-80°C mark. The results were disappointing. Following the instructions in the recipe book, I put it in on the Fast Combi setting for 45 minutes, but the result was still hard in the middle and the skin was soft. It's hard to say whether the problem was just bad instructions – extra time would certainly have softened the centre of the potato, but I'm not sure whether the skin would have crisped up. Brownies Chocolate brownie with ice cream and salted caramel sauce, cooked in the Combi Wave Fast Combi and "Cook from Frozen" Functions: The Fast Combi function is designed to cook your favourite dishes faster. Combining Convection Oven, Grilling and Microwave to achieve the desired temperature and perfect results faster than traditional ovens. The Cook from Frozen function is designed to achieve perfectly cooked results from frozen. The function uses the convection oven, grill and microwave at different cooking stages.

Compared to BMO735 operation sound (59.7dBA), the SMO870 operation sound is 56.4dBA when using the microwave function, based on independent laboratory testing performed on 21/06/2018. The BMO735 is an overseas model not sold in this country. I wouldn't recommend making salted caramel sauce in the microwave, though. Though the method is incredibly easy, the sugar crystallised and the sauce ended up gritty. I'd suggest making the same recipe in a saucepan instead, brushing down the inside of the pan with a damp pastry brush to stop crystals from forming. Prawn katsu Prawn katsu, shallow-fried (left) and air-fried (right)

The Combi Wave is a powerful microwave but it could replace your oven too.

Sage’s the Combi Wave 3-in-1 does all that and quite a bit more. With more power, settings and functions than you can possibly imagine, it’s so much more than just a microwave. If you’ve been dreaming of owning a mini oven or air fryer but don’t have the room, you’re staring the solution right in the face – if you’re willing to stump up the cash. Sage the Combi Wave 3-in-1 review: What you need to know