I have been thinking of replacing the microwave with a jet stream oven. Has anyone had any experience with these types of ovens? If so, what is your opinion of them? Do they cook as quickly as a microwave? Are they good quality?

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), March 26, 2000

Answers

I had a microwave and gave it away because it did not brown things and I was worried about what microwaving was doing to my food with the molecular agitation! I bought a Jet-Stream counter top oven at Sam's and have been very happy with it. It cooks much faster than regular ovens, so you have to set the heat lower and the time for a shorter period but it doesn't take long to train yourself to adjust recipes downward. Aslo, you need to use the upper rack to kind of mash lightweight things down or they fly all around in the oven, even with the fan on low. The fan is so powerful that I keep mine on low all the time. I had a major disaster with custard spewing out of the cups and flying all around in the oven that I don't want to repeat.

They do have a web site and a person who answers questions. One caution, though, when you buy it, you only get the oven itself and two racks for abour $89. The little plastic extender rings that you find out you need after you buy the oven? They are $39 each with shipping. My oven did not come with a price list, but i got one from the website. I was pretty annoyed by this. Rather than spend all that money, I simply cut my food up so it fits in the oven, as in cutting chicken and duck in half since they are too tall to roast in the Jet-Stream. Often the two halves will fit side by side. Or, and this is a pain, you can just roast each half, one after the other. Or freeze half and cook it another day.

But the oven really works well. I had an American Harvester glass oven, similar design, which was taller and did everything I wanted. When the mechanism finally burned out, I wasn't able to find another, so I bought the Jet-Stream, which looked like a dinky little plastic thing but which, in spite of its looks, works really great! (Except for the exceptions).

-- Elizabeth Petofi (tengri@cstone.net), March 27, 2000.

I second everything Elizabeth says about the Jet Stream. I would only add that it is very noisy! I like mine a lot.

-- Peg (jnjohnsn@pressenter.com), March 27, 2000.