It’s rare to find a countertop oven that can keep up with a busy weeknight schedule and still feel fun to use, but the CHEF iQ MiniOven surprised me from day one. I brought it home to see if a single 25-quart smart oven could really replace my toaster, air fryer, and half the small appliances crowding my cabinets. After several weeks of baking breads, air-frying snacks, slow-cooking stews, and even dehydrating fruit, I can confidently share what it’s like to live with this 11-in-1 machine.
CHEF iQ MiniOven Review
- 11 COOKING FUNCTIONS: Bake, broil, and roast, but the MiniOven is also an airfryer, food dehydrator, proofer, toaster, and slow cooker with a 70–500°F temperature range; it’s more versatile than...
- POWERFUL MOTOR: The iQ MiniOven comes equipped with a 3200 RPM DC motor. Roast up to 30% faster than conventional air fryers and cook precisely with varying fan speeds for each function.
Key Features and Specs
Before diving into my personal experience, here are the essentials:
- Capacity: 25 quarts – big enough for a 13-inch pizza or six slices of toast
- Wattage: 1,750 watts with a high-speed 3,200 RPM DC motor
- Temperature Range: 70°F to 500°F
- Functions: 11 in total—Bake, Broil, Roast, Air Fry, Dehydrate, Proof, Toast, Slow Cook, and more
- Smart App Integration: Pairs with the CHEF iQ app for remote control, presets, and real-time temperature tracking
- Accessories: Wire rack, ceramic PFAS-free baking pan, air-fry/dehydrator basket, egg tray, drip tray, and a unique glide rack
- Extras: Soft-close door, rack indicator lights, haptic-feedback touchscreen, and optional iQ Sense thermometer compatibility
- Dimensions & Weight: 16.14″D x 16.34″W x 14.41″H; 26.15 lbs
On paper it’s impressive, but specs don’t tell the whole story—so here’s how it performed in my kitchen.
Detailed Review
Before we break the MiniOven down by design, usability, and cooking performance, let me set the scene. I tested it daily for nearly a month, making everything from breakfast toast to a full roast chicken dinner. I used both the manual controls and the CHEF iQ app to see how well the “smart” features worked in real life.
- 11 COOKING FUNCTIONS: Bake, broil, and roast, but the MiniOven is also an airfryer, food dehydrator, proofer, toaster, and slow cooker with a 70–500°F temperature range; it’s more versatile than...
- POWERFUL MOTOR: The iQ MiniOven comes equipped with a 3200 RPM DC motor. Roast up to 30% faster than conventional air fryers and cook precisely with varying fan speeds for each function.
Design and Build Quality
The MiniOven immediately stands out with its matte-black finish and modern touchscreen panel. At just over 16 inches deep, it fit neatly under my upper cabinets without hogging counter space, even though it offers a roomy 25-quart interior. The soft-close door is a small luxury I didn’t know I needed until I stopped hearing that usual metallic slam. A wide viewing window and natural-tone interior light let me check on food without opening the door and losing heat.
The included accessories feel premium: the ceramic baking pan is PFAS-free and cleans easily, and the glide rack slides smoothly even when loaded with a heavy Dutch oven. Rack indicator lights are another thoughtful touch, highlighting exactly where to place trays for each function.
Ease of Use
From unboxing to first bake, the MiniOven kept things simple. The touchscreen controls respond instantly, with subtle haptic feedback and clear icons for each cooking mode. Temperature and time adjustments are quick, and I appreciate the audible alert when preheat is done.
- 11 COOKING FUNCTIONS: Bake, broil, and roast, but the MiniOven is also an airfryer, food dehydrator, proofer, toaster, and slow cooker with a 70–500°F temperature range; it’s more versatile than...
- POWERFUL MOTOR: The iQ MiniOven comes equipped with a 3200 RPM DC motor. Roast up to 30% faster than conventional air fryers and cook precisely with varying fan speeds for each function.
Pairing the oven with the CHEF iQ app was straightforward. Once connected to Wi-Fi, I could start or stop a cook, change settings, and check internal temperatures right from my phone. It felt surprisingly freeing to monitor a slow-cook session while relaxing in another room. The app’s chef-tested presets—like “Roast Chicken” or “Air-Fried Fries”—are genuinely useful, not gimmicks.
Cooking Functions and Performance
The heart of this oven is its powerful 3,200 RPM DC motor, which drives adjustable fan speeds for each function. That extra airflow means faster, more even cooking than a typical toaster oven.
- Air Frying: Crispy wings and golden fries came out restaurant-quality without a drop of oil. Compared to my standalone air fryer, cook times were about 20–30 percent faster.
- Baking & Roasting: A 13-inch pizza baked evenly with a perfectly browned crust. Roasted vegetables caramelized beautifully in less time than my full-size oven.
- Slow Cook & Proof: I tested a beef stew on low for eight hours; the MiniOven maintained a steady temperature and automatically switched to “Keep Warm” at the end. For bread proofing, the gentle 80°F setting produced a perfectly risen dough on a chilly day.
- Dehydrate: Apple chips dried overnight on the mesh basket and came out crisp without sticking.
- Broil & Toast: The broil setting melted cheese on casseroles in minutes, while toast browned evenly across all six slices.
The 70°F to 500°F range gives real flexibility, and the oven rarely needed more than five minutes to preheat. Noise levels were surprisingly low, even with the fan on high.
- 11 COOKING FUNCTIONS: Bake, broil, and roast, but the MiniOven is also an airfryer, food dehydrator, proofer, toaster, and slow cooker with a 70–500°F temperature range; it’s more versatile than...
- POWERFUL MOTOR: The iQ MiniOven comes equipped with a 3200 RPM DC motor. Roast up to 30% faster than conventional air fryers and cook precisely with varying fan speeds for each function.
Cleaning and Maintenance
All removable parts—the crumb tray, glide rack, and ceramic pan—slide out easily and wipe clean with warm soapy water. The black exterior resists fingerprints better than stainless steel, which kept it looking sleek between uses. After heavy air-fry sessions, the mesh basket did need a short soak, but that’s typical for air-fry accessories.
- 11 COOKING FUNCTIONS: Bake, broil, and roast, but the MiniOven is also an airfryer, food dehydrator, proofer, toaster, and slow cooker with a 70–500°F temperature range; it’s more versatile than...
- POWERFUL MOTOR: The iQ MiniOven comes equipped with a 3200 RPM DC motor. Roast up to 30% faster than conventional air fryers and cook precisely with varying fan speeds for each function.
Pros:
- Eleven versatile cooking functions in a single compact appliance
- Rapid, even heat with powerful 3,200 RPM motor
- Smart app control with unlimited Wi-Fi range and useful presets
- Premium PFAS-free accessories and thoughtful touches like rack indicator lights
- Soft-close door and smooth glide rack feel high-end
- Wide 70–500°F temperature range covers everything from proofing dough to searing steak
Cons:
- At 26 lbs it’s not the easiest to move for deep cleaning
- Learning curve if you’ve never used app-connected appliances
- Mesh air-fry basket requires extra scrubbing after greasy foods
- Price is higher than many basic toaster ovens, though justified by features
Conclusion and Recommendation:
After weeks of daily use, the CHEF iQ MiniOven has earned a permanent place on my countertop. It genuinely replaced my old air fryer and toaster oven, and even kept my full-size oven off more often than not. The smart integration isn’t a gimmick—it let me monitor dinner from the couch and delivered spot-on results thanks to precise temperature control.
If you’re looking for a single appliance that can bake, roast, air fry, dehydrate, and slow cook with professional consistency, this is it. Busy households, apartment dwellers, or anyone who wants maximum versatility in a small footprint will love what the MiniOven offers.
Those with extremely limited counter space or who never plan to use the smart features might prefer a simpler, lighter toaster oven, but for most cooks, the convenience and performance justify the price.
My take: The CHEF iQ MiniOven feels like having a sous chef built into a countertop oven. Whether you’re crisping fries, proofing sourdough, or slow-roasting Sunday dinner, it delivers impressive results with minimal effort. For me, it’s the rare kitchen gadget that really does replace several others—and makes cooking more enjoyable every day.
