Hotpoint SI9 S8C1 SH IX H

Verdict

Offering a huge internal space, steam cooking and excellent temperature control, the Hotpoint SI9 S8C1 SH IX H is a lovely oven to cook in. Its clean interface makes selecting manual modes simple, plus there are automatic modes that can help you get started – although, having familiarised myself with this model, manual use was the quickest way to get started.

Introduction

Ask anyone what they look for in an integrated oven, and their response is likely to be lots of space, even cooking and simple controls. Thankfully, this is exactly what the Hotpoint SI9 S8C1 SH IX H delivers, while also adding the option of steam cooking to the mix for professional results.

Design and Features

Neat and stylish, the Hotpoint SI9 S8C1 SH IX H offers some nice features that help distinguish it from the competition. First up is the soft-close door, which shuts gently, rather than banging shut with a sudden jolt.

In the box, Hotpoint supplies a wire shelf, a baking tray and a slide-out tray with a wire rack on top. The latter can be positioned anywhere in the oven, but I opted to place it at the bottom. It’s a touch fiddly to fit, since the tray supports have to be removed first; but this is a job that will need to be done only once.

Internally, there are five shelf positions and a massive 73-litres of cooking space inside. That’s enough to handle a large roast dinner – potatoes, meat, veg and all.

At the top of this oven you’ll find a pop-out spout, which is used for filling the steam container with up to 1.5-litres of water. The handy LCD panel indicates when it’s time to top up, and when you’ve added enough water for the cooking mode. My only complaint is that it takes a while for the water to run into the tank, so topping up took longer than I had expected.

Multiple steam modes are available, depending on the type of food you’re cooking, and how crispy you want the final results.

This function can also be used for cleaning the appliance, gently steaming the inside of the oven to remove grease. I recommend using this mode when the stains are fresh, rather than trying to remove very burnt-on mess.

Control of the oven is via the responsive touch controls on its front. As well as the usual range of manual options, from fan and convection cooking to grilling, Hotpoint has also introduced a range of automatic modes.

Automatic modes include cooking programmes for pizzas, vegetables and meat, where the ideal cooking mode and time are configured according to the type of food you’re cooking – and, for some items, the weight you enter. The end time will be shown on the screen; note that there is an option to adjust this, if you want your food to be ready at a specific time.

I found these modes useful for getting started, but thereafter I prefer to set cooking times based on the type of food I may be cooking. For example, free-range turkey usually cooks faster than regular turkey.

For the manual modes, the oven pre-heats and then gently beeps to let you know when it’s time to add food.

Performance

• Very even heating
• Steam mode is easy to use and effective
• Even grilling

There are two very important things with an oven: its ability to hit the right temperature and whether it heats evenly. Hotpoint employs electronic temperature control and multi-flow technology to maintain the right temperature throughout the oven – and it works well.

To test the appliance, I placed a baking tray of ceramic beads into the oven. Setting the heat to 200ºC, I left the tray inside for 20 minutes once the Hotpoint SI9 S8C1 SH IX H had hit temperature. Using a thermal camera to take a photo, you can see that the beads are slightly warmer towards the back of the over, where the fan is, and slightly cooler towards the front.

Using a temperature probe, the temperature read 202ºC at the back and 194ºC at the front. A spread of 8ºC is pretty consistent. It was the same with the shelf placed at the top of the oven.

Next, I tested the steam facility by cooking a baguette. Baguettes are best cooked on a high temperature, with steam used to achieve crispness on the outside but a soft inside. As you can see from the results, my baguette was perfectly and evenly cooked.

Next, I moved onto the grill test, filling the top shelf with bread to see how evenly the Hotpoint SI9 S8C1 SH IX H could toast. As you can see in the image below, the grill delivered perfectly even results across its cooking surface.

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