When the time comes for choosing the best countertop oven for your kitchen, you’ve reached a milestone in terms of more wholesome home cooking. But, before you rush to the online store, it might be better to think things through because a countertop oven in Japan doesn’t come cheap compared to other types of standard kitchen appliances.
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Countertop Oven Choices in Japan
What kind of countertop oven to get in Japan, depends not so much on the price point, but more the kind of cooking you prefer to do.
The Countertop Convection Oven – best oven in Japan for baking and roasting
The best choice in terms of traditional baking and roasting in Japan is a countertop convection oven. The convection fan intensifies the heat and distributes it more evenly. The result is better outcomes at a lower price.
These ovens are usually larger, more robust, with more functions a convection oven toaster. A convection oven toaster can be limiting in its size and especially with the timer. They usually don’t have a pre-heating function. A countertop oven isn’t as hot to touch and safer to be around. They also have much better thermostat control and a longer product lifespan.
In Japan, your choice for a countertop convection oven is somewhat limited. The best overall is the Delonghi Pangourmet, and it’s also designed for the Japanese market. But, a good contender is the recent Epeios convection rotisserie oven.
Other choices tend to be parallel imports such as Oster, Ninja, or Cuisinart — but they are mostly 120V/60Hz and require an adaptor. Other types of larger countertop convection or rotisseries ovens do pop up on online portholes. Many of them are little known Chinese brands, or generic ovens, and their quality cannot be assured.
DeLonghi Pangourmet – best countertop convection oven in Japan
This popular DeLonghi, designed for the Japanese market, has an inbuild dough kneading function, 12 automatic bread baking presets, as well as proofing. It has all the standard oven functions of bake, roast, broil, and keep warm. A handy lever switches between bread baking and the convection oven.
Epeios CP247A Convection Rotisserie Oven – best air fry rotisserie oven in Japan
The Epeios is a relatively new oven on the block. It’s specifically designed for the Japanese market with various easy cooking presets. The rotisserie mechanism doubles up with a rotating wire drum for French fries, pop corn, or roasting coffee beans. It has a delay timer and other functions like defrost, keep warm, and food dehydration.
The Combination Oven Microwave – best ergonomic choice
A combination oven such an a ‘microwave gill oven’ is a good choice if you really need a microwave which can do a little extra with a grill and bake function. They’re not so great for roasting or making sandwich bread and heavier bakes. A grill greater than 1 000 W is usually the better choice. Some of these ovens have many preset cooking functions.
Iris Oyama MO-T1501 – best affordable grill oven microwave in Japan
This Iris Ohyama oven microwave has a comparatively powerful grill, and with a bottom element, it can toast bread two sides at the same time. There are 8 standard auto menus, and the oven is good for making crispy pizza, grilling fish, and other types of small oven preparations. It has a ferment function, and the oven / grill can run up to 95 minutes on the timer.
See other easy to use oven microwave reviews
The Steam and Superheated Steam Oven – most popular ovens in Japan
Essentially, a steam oven and a superheated steam oven are quite different, although both usually incorporate a microwave. A steam oven just has a reservoir mechanism, or a steam griddle, to release steam into the oven.
Steam cooking helps maintain a more pleasant texture to vegetables and fish, as well as helping to preserve nutrients. It’s good for ‘soft’ baking too. Some convection ovens, and even oven toasters, also have a steaming function — even if it’s only a small water dish placed in the oven.
A superheated steam oven, on the other hand, adds an additional heating parameter by superheating steam to well over 100℃ before releasing it into the oven. Most superheated steam ovens can also do basic simple steaming, and some may even have a convection fan.
Toshiba ER-SD70-W – best combo steam oven in Japan
This Toshiba is an affordable choice for a steam oven microwave. It steams via the double griddle pan, so there is no reservoir mechanism. There are many presets, but the interface is very intuitive. It has 4 levels of fermenting from 35℃ to 45℃ for up to 90 min. The grill runs up to 30 min, and the independent oven can also preheat. It can bake simple breads and the microwave has a low of 100 W good for slow cooking and defrosting frozen sashimi.
Full Reviews of the Best Countertop Oven Choices in Japan
We have full reviews for 5 great countertop ovens available in Japan. Three are traditional convection ovens, each with their own unique and distinctive features. We also review one of the best bargains for an oven microwave combo, and a stream oven microwave with 34 presets and an independently functioning grill oven.
- Delonghi Pangourmet
- Epeios Convection Rotisserie
- Iris Oyama 15L Oven Microwave
- Toshiba Steam Oven Microwave
DeLonghi Pangourmet Bakery – best countertop convection oven in Japan
At A Glance
14 Bread preset | Dough kneading | Proofing |
Defrost | Keep warm | Pizze stone |
Convection | Oven light | 100‒220℃ |
True to its name, the Pangourmet is designed to double up as a bread machine. If you want an oven primarily for making bread, this is the model to go with.
For bread, you customize the loaf size using the weight setting, and select from light, medium or dark crust settings. From the digital display you can choose various presets for different types of bread. Just like a bread machine.
Although the digital controls are not as straightforward as a simple dial, they are mostly for gourmet breads. The main drawback is some people don’t like how it only opens from the left hand side.
The EOB2071J is a Japanese model and the instruction manual with recipes only comes in Japanese. A similar English version is available online.
User Pros and Cons
Most people agree that this oven heats up fast, cooks fast, and does a good job all round. A most appreciated thing is also the pizza stone for its varied uses. For its internal dimensions, this oven is also quite compact.
On the other hand, the dough kneading function is not so reliable all the time – so a little hand kneading may be necessary. Like any bread machine, if the mix is too dry or with wholemeal flour, the kneading paddle isn’t always sufficient. That said, if bread is what you really need to make and if you have a disability or arthritis, a good quality bread machine is a better choice. It also only bakes round loaves, unless you have your own square pan.
The other point is that repairs outside of warranty are expensive. These generally run up to ¥23 000 and it appears that the product life is only about 5 years.
See our Reviews for the Best Bread Machines in Japan
Epeios CP247A Convection Rotisserie Oven – best air fry rotisserie oven in Japan
At a Glance
16 presets | Rotating drum | 18 mnth warranty |
Keep warm | Defrost | 1-8 hr timer |
Fermentation | Dehydrator | Delay timer |
14 L capacity | 1 400 W | 50℃ ‒ 220℃ |
Epeios is the kitchen and home living brand of Patozon corporation out of China. They are more famous for their Mpow ear and head phone sets. Their ambition is to take Chinese product design and quality to the next level.
This oven is specifically designed for the Japanese market, the interface is only Japanese, and it has full PSE certification for domestic electrical compliance. Taking Japanese expectations into consideration, this oven has 16 cooking presets.
Presets and Key Features
There are 16 presets for different food types or cooking styles. These include presets for chicken, chicken wings, fish, steak, skewers, potato fries, pizza, toast, and vegetables. Other favorites are cake, cookies, and popcorn. It also has defrost, keep warm, ferment, and dehydrate.
The timer runs from 1 to 8 hours depending on the function or temperature range. This means that you can do proper dehydration operations, like making jerky, which often run from 4 to 6 hours. It’s also suitable for slow cooking without using convection.
The key feature, however, is the rotisserie function. This is something you only really find on more expensive foreign brands like Kitchenaid or Cuisinart. This Epeios, however, is one of the most affordable choices for a multi functional rotisserie and convection oven in Japan.
The rotisserie mechanism also doubles up for a air-fry rotating mesh barrel, which can also be used for roasting coffee beans and the popcorn function. To roast coffee beans, it may take a couple of cycles running the oven at 190-200℃ for 15 minutes.
The package comes with a mesh basket for air frying (similar to a halogen oven), a grill or oil drip pan, and one wire rack. All spare parts, including extra oven racks, are sold at a reasonable price on Rakuten.
A rough guide to what you can fit inside is a 25cm pizza, 6 chicken wings, or 4 slices of standard shokupan. The warranty is 18 months and the company has 24-hour customer support. A 10 cm clearance necessary on the sides.
User Pros and Cons
As a relatively new comer on the scene, this Epeios has been well received and reviewed across forums. Baking results are good, food doesn’t easily burn, and the included recipes work well. The preset functions are particularly easy to use for recent ‘corona cooks’.
People love the stylish design, and the black stainless steel is easy to keep clean. The inside cleans easily as well, which is important for a rotisserie oven. Some people worry about the height, but it is well designed to average Japanese kitchen standards.
Some feel the average price is a little high, but all things considered, it’s in line with what one would pay for a small rotisserie oven elsewhere. The manual, although good enough, isn’t as detailed or as well explained as typical manuals for Japanese range ovens. The included recipes are also not that many.
Iris Oyama MO-T1501 – best affordable grill oven microwave in Japan
At a Glance
8 presets | 100 V 50Hz/60Hz | 95 min oven |
Grill: 1270W | 50Hz : 750W | 40℃ ferment |
Oven: 1270W | 60Hz : 1000W | 110℃ ‒ 200℃ |
This oven is one of those Iris Oyama value for money cost performers. This means it’s pretty affordable all round, has some good points, but at the same time isn’t anywhere near top of the range.
One of the value features of this oven is its toasting function. The power output of the grill is much better than many other grill oven ranges, and reaches levels of a typical oven toaster.
There are both lower and upper elements, so you can toast two slices on both sides at the same time. This is great for making crispy pizza too. This feature is not so common even on higher spec ranges which only do one side at a time.
That said, although the microwave is multifunctional with various presets, it’s not as powerful as most other microwaves. It’s sufficient for reheats, but takes much longer for defrost or microwave cookups. For bentos, it’s great and also, of course, for morning toast.
Overall, this Iris is a great value proposition for a decent enough microwave and a good grill function. This means you can forgo the need of an oven toaster which makes up for it’s slight bulkiness. It’s good for soft breads and small bake menus, or casseroles. Unfortunately, there’s no online manual available.
User Pros and Cons
Most people are happy with the cost performance of this oven. The most useful thing is being able to do toast and reheats using the oven or the microwave. If you’re looking for a more high spec microwave, this may not be your best choice. Additionally, there’s no sound mute and some people feel that the operation beeps and alerts are a little loud.
Toshiba ER-SD70-W – best combo steam oven in Japan
At a Glance
34 presets | Infrared sensor | 30-45℃ Ferment |
1 430 W | 100-200W : 90min | 100-250℃ |
26 L capacity | Double griddle pan | Preheat |
Grill : 30min | Oven : 90min | Made in Thailand |
If you want to try a more multifunctional oven microwave, with steaming, this Toshiba is a really good choice. It’s relatively quite easy to use, and the usual going price is a pretty good deal for what you get.
The steam function on this oven uses the included griddle pan (角皿), so there is no reservoir to fill. You place water in the bottom of the double griddle pan and your food on the top grid plate when steaming.
This is NOT a superheated steam oven. It’s basically an oven range with lots of presets, while the grill and oven function can be operated independently.
Tips on Toshiba ER-SD70 Preset Menu
Although it looks overwhelming, the interface is pretty well set up. On the far left is the manual cooking menu [ 手動調理 ] in white. With these, you set your own temperature settings for microwave [レンジお好み温度], oven / ferment [オーブン 発酵], and grill [グリル].
Right below are handy quick sets for the timer in 10 min, 1 min, or 10 sec intervals. To the right, is the temperature [温度] setting or the preferred doneness temperature [仕上がり] for the microwave.
To the right of the LCD are two auto menus. The one on the left, in white, sets auto options [オートメニュー] 11 through 34. The grey touchpad menu to the right has popular one-touch [一タッチメニュー] menu options.
One-touch menus 3 to 5 are non-fry or oil less cooking options. (3) is for chicken karaage [鶏のから揚げ], (4) is potato fries [フライ], and (5) other or basic fried food [お手軽フライ]. Toasting (8) is only one side at a time (裏返し), but defrost [ 解凍] includes an option for frozen sashimi [ さしみ] .
If you press start [あたため/スタート] once without any other settings, you can fast heat rice [ 1ごはん] and pressing twice selects for precooked deli foods [2おかず]. The auto menu on the door is subdivided into side dishes [惣菜 16-20], speed menus [スピードメニュー 21-23], breads and sweats [パン。スイッチ 24-30], and those for steaming [角皿 スチーム 31-34].
Whenever steaming is required for a menu, you will see [ 角皿 スチーム] which means you must slide in the included griddle pan with water in the bottom.
Some noteworthy functions are (13) conbeni bento [コンビニ弁当], and (20) chawan-mushi using steam [茶わん蒸し]. Also (24) for basic breads [手軽パン], pizza, and butter rolls. You can use the fermentation function [発酵] to make your own fresh pizza dough or bread rolls.
Menu (30) is for making brownies [ブラウニー]. Number (15) is [カラッとあたため] or crispy warm up using the oven pan and grill and not the microwave. You can use this for frozen croquet, tempura, or French baguettes.
The Grill, Steam Oven, and Microwave
When you place the griddle pan into the oven, automatically you will not be able to use any microwave functions. When you place the griddle pan inside, you will be directed to the grill function by pushing the grill button on the lower manual control panel. You can grill for up to 30 min, but the temperature is set, so no variable grilling.
The fermentation function runs at 30, 35, 40, and 45℃ for up to 90 min, so this is quite a wide range for many applications including natural yeast and yoghurt.
To operate the oven independently, just press the [オーブン・発酵] and select your temperature and time. You can also preheat [予熱] the oven. As mentioned, with auto menus, you may be directed to place in the griddle, with water, to do oven steaming [角皿 スチーム ].
The microwave can be used in manual mode with power settings of 100W, 200W, 500W, 600W, and 1 000 W. So it is very functional, even for low thawing or limited low temperature cooking. For sashimi, there is an auto defrost function. 100W can run for 90 min.
The manual and recipe book are only available in Japanese, and you can download them from the manufacturer’s homepage.
User Pros and Cons
Although well received in general, one of the main flaws of this oven is no backlit controls. This makes it difficult to see the controls in a dark room or corner. Also, the soft oven light switches off when you open the door.
For the microwave, there is no special function for frozen rice, and you need to experiment with what containers are more effective. This means that the infrared sensors are not top class. Sometimes containers with lids don’t get the results desired.