4 out of 5 stars.
I would like to thank Mouths of Mums for giving me the opportunity to review this device. I was sent a free LG NeoChef Smart Inverter Convection Oven in exchange for at least four reviews. This will be my second of the four published to both my own blog, as well as to the Mouths of Mums site.
Please note that my rating for this product may change in each review as I get to know the device more, learn the tips and tricks and so on. For now, the rating is 4 out of 5.
Apologies for my second review being late, these things called Christmas and the New Year got in the road. 😉
So what have I been up to? Well, a few things actually and I am simply LOVING what my new ‘Beast’ (my pet name for my new kitchen baby) can do.
Firstly I tried to make yoghurt and was originally rather disappointed. Proving yoghurt takes at least 8 hours and I usually make it overnight in my All in One device. But as the Smart Inverter AKA Beast said it could make it too, I gave it a go. As I don’t like leaving ovens and similar devices running all night alone – a quirk of mine no doubt – I made it during the day and so was not only inconvenienced by not having the Beast to use for other things, but the noise it made did get on my nerves rather quickly. I will say here and now that the noise level isn’t too loud, just persistent. Very similar to when using a dehydrator.
And speaking of dehydrators… the Smart Invertor can be used to dehydrate too! And that’s where I went wrong with my yoghurt. After proving it for 8 hours I then put it in the fridge for 24 hours to cool – like I always do when making yoghurt. Annnd… after 24 hours it was still very runny and watery, but tasted like a yummy dairy free yoghurt all the same.
A failure? I had thought so, until I went to prove some pizza dough in the Beast the following day and realised, when making the yoghurt, I’d had it on Slow Cook setting 2 – dehydrate! Not Slow Cook setting 3 – Prove! It will mean I have to spend another day making my dairy free yoghurt in the Smart Inverter, just to ensure it was my at fault, but I can honestly say I do find using my All in One easier for yoghurt making.
I will say, however, that the runny and watery yoghurt tasted really nice and we simply couldn’t waste it. So put it, some over-ripe bananas, frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries and tinned lychees into my Thermomix and blitzed up some gorgeously purple breakfast smoothies. Tasted amazing! No dairy, no gluten/wheat, no added sugar (just the fruit) and all gone in a matter of minutes!
So I see that as a win win personally!
Due to my hordes nagging me, I also bought some potato gems and cooked them in the Beast. I am not a fan of this sort of pre-made thing, but it was part of putting the Smart Inverter through its paces and so I did. I cooked them following the instructions in the manual (the cook book that comes with the Smart Inverter is near useless) and did it twice in one week. Both times came out perfectly cooked, evenly cooked and just as easy – maybe even easier – than doing it in the wall over. Also not as noisy or hit and miss in its cooking (or time consuming) as in my airfryer. Didn’t heat up the house and kids were super happy. I really must try it now with homemade chips and see if just as successful!
The only other thing I’ve had a chance to try in my Smart Inverter was pizza. At first I just wanted to prove some yeasty dough and was then going to make it into an old style Lardy cake… but lunch time was approaching, I had a house full of hungry hordes and not much else on offer. So I checked my giant pizza dish fitted in the Beast (that’s a 13 inch diameter pizza pan) and it did! So I put the dough on it (gorgeously fluffy from its proving), smeared on extra virgin olive oil, herbs and some salami and mozzarella cheese. Put it in on the pizza cooking setting and left it do its thing.
Yes the dough used was probably two thirds more than the recipe that comes with the Smart Inverter, but it cooked through, puffing up more like a giant focaccia than a pizza. But it was cooked all the way through, cooked evenly and my kids, hubby and visiting family members loved it and want me to it again – often!
So another win to the Smart Inverter.
Other than these minor experiments, I have been trying to find if there is a way to cook popcorn in the Smart Inverter using the Crisp Tray and Steam dome… I even asked Mouths of Mums via Facebook message but couldn’t find the recipe anywhere and got no reply (but it was Christmas and the New Year after all). So that is the downside I have to the Smart Inverter… I don’t feel that confident just yet to experiment with it like I do other devices as I am terribly worried about breaking it – I love my beast too much!
Though I have gained some confidence after both the yoghurt and pizza so can see myself just going for it one of these days. It can’t be any worse that popcorn in an airfryer, right? And that is still a laugh!
For now I can honestly say I am LOVING the Smart Inverter and have hardly used any of my other cooking devices since then. Making pizza in it didn’t heat up the whole house like my wall oven would have – a huge bonus when summer gets so hot – and it reheats food faster and more evenly than my old microwave… which is now looking for a new home as the Beast is here to stay! 🙂
Would I recommend this device to others?
Yes I would, I have already been making friends and family jealous when listing all the things it can do and all the things I have made – and plan on making with it. I do feel, thanks to the lack of recipes and support that come with the Smart Inverter that it is better suited to someone who has had a similar device before. This is not a Beast for a new cook or someone who needs their handheld throughout the cooking process. The Smart Inverter is definitely not for the inexperienced.
Would I buy this device for myself?
The price still daunts me… but so far it is worth it as the Smart Inverter is so many different devices in one you really are saving money when buying one as it replaces pretty much everything else!
In summary – A heavenly helper sent to help those into whole food cooking make food faster, easier and for more people. Loving it!
Until next time,
Janis.
Janis's Journal 