I am thinking about buying an Electric fry pan because my power account was too high last month.I tend to roast meat quite often and my oven is old.I know they are perhaps appliances from the past but I think I would get good use out of one.The elements on my cook top are not very big so I would use the fry pan for frying,and pikelets etc.Can anyone recommend a good versatile one that can take the height of roast meat.Thanks.

I have a Breville Banquet, which a a large rectangular pan with a high glass dome lid that has a vent that can be adjusted.
My only gripe with it is that it doesn't hold a constant temperature, but fluctuates up and down, making it quite difficult to judge timing when cooking a roast. It measures approximately 365mm long x 280mm wide and 80mm deep, with the domed lid adding a further 30mm in height at the centre top.

I prefer my Breville Toast & Roast (used to be called Pronto) bench top oven, in which I can do not only roasts, but bake cakes and biscuits. I use it much more than I do either my normal oven or the electric frying pan. The really good thing is I can rotisserie a fairly large chicken or evenly shaped roast, which is superior to roasting them. However, the grill in this appliance is not particularly good. I find the two bars too far apart to be really effective. The same can be said for the grill in the normal oven, too. I'd love to find a griller with close-together bars that grills food evenly without me having to move the food around so much. Even toast or steak is difficult to make satisfatorily in both ovens, using the grill function.

Thanks for your reply Lorna,I do think this may be the way to go. I agree with you saying that I could get more use out of a mini oven.I looked into buying one of these a while ago and it probably was because of my power account,but I didn't follow through and buy one because at the time I worried about having enough bench space.I spent a lot of time yesterday reading reviews of Electric Fry Pans and a lot of people complained about heat fluctuation and the non-stick coating coming off.I couldn't find a good review.I might have to let that idea go and make room on the bench for a bench top oven.

I have the Breville Smart Oven. It's more expensive than most mini ovens but I got it because reviews of them weren't all that great whereas reviews of the Smart Oven were much better. I find it worth the money as I use it far more than I do my normal oven and it does an excellent job. It roasts very well and I find the grill function very good. I've got rid of my toaster and use it to toast. It also cooks things like cakes and biscuits perfectly. If you had a large family it might not be so useful, but there are two of us and it suits us perfectly.

Also, do shop around. The price for the Breville Smart Oven varies greatly from about $287 to $550, all for the same model - BOV855BSS. I also note it doesn't seem to have a rotisserie function, but that may not matter to you. I use the rotisserie on my benchtop oven a lot, especially for chicken.

Thank you CarolynC and Lorna.I did google this model this morning and came up with a $324.99 price.I will look for the best price thanks.

I see that $279 price is from Heathcotes in Hamilton. I've bought at several things from them online in the last few years (because of their very good pricing) and have received good service. I post this in case you are hesitant, Marylew. That said, Briscoes will price match online prices, so long as it is a physical store somewhere in the country. You could just print out t he Heathcotes page and take it with you.

Thanks Jenna I never knew that Briscoes would match another firms price.Good to know.

After reading the above, I went and purchased a Breville Smart oven Pro on special. It is fantastic. Best purchase for years . I have not used my large oven once.

I just purchased the Breville Smart Oven Pro last week and am loving it so far! It heats up so quickly which is great, Have used it a number of times this week and have been very pleased with the results.

I'm just baking some biscuits this afternoon - the first tray seemed a bit darker than usual so have turned down the temperature a bit. Have you had good results baking biscuits in this oven? I've done a few batches of muffins this week and they turned out prefectly.

I've had no problems baking biscuits or anything else in it - it bakes more evenly than my big oven.