Oven that produces a perfect roast chicken in 30 minutes

...but you’ll have to cook up a way of finding £3,000 to buy it!

FOR cooks in a rush, it sounds like a dream – an oven that roasts a chicken perfectly in 30 minutes.

But Smeg’s new three-in-one Galileo Omnichef – the first to combine a microwave, traditional and steam oven in one – comes at a price, with basic models starting at £2,999.

The Italian firm claims the use of all three methods reduces normal cooking times by up to 70 per cent without drying out ingredients.

The microwave cooks rapidly, the conventional oven crisps and browns and the steam function ensures food is moist and tender.

It means a whole roast chicken can be prepared in just half an hour rather than the usual hour or more – with baked or roast potatoes ready in just 15 minutes.

The ovens cost between £2,999 and £3,399, but Smeg is planning to release cheaper models this year.

They are controlled by a ‘Vivoscreen’ on which cooks choose from more than 150 pre-set recipes that automatically select which method to use – and at which point in the cooking cycle – with the correct temperature and time. It can use one, two or all three of the cooking types at once, giving seven combinations. If families fancy a pasta bake, for instance, the cook can combine the raw ingredients in a dish and press the oven’s pasta bake setting. Its microwave will cook it, the steamer keeps the vegetables moist and the traditional oven browns the topping.

Smeg chief executive Vittorio Bertazzoni said Michelin-starred chefs helped to develop the Galileo, adding: ‘Families want to be able to cook food quickly, but increasing the oven’s temperature or blasting dinners in the microwave doesn’t make for enjoyable meals.’