Sage the Quick Touch Crisp summary
The Sage by Heston Blumenthal range of kitchen appliances stands out for being user-friendly and thoughtfully designed – this oven is no exception.
Combining a microwave and grill (but no convection oven), the unit comes with a crisper pan that aims to eliminate the sogginess often associated with microwaved food. Preheated before cooking, it heats from below while food is cooking, and also allows you to add a crispy finish via the grill.
First impressions of the Sage Quick Touch Crisp
Defrosting a chicken breast on the Smart Defrost setting took four-and-half minutes, and while the edges of the chicken had cooked and were steaming, the centre had fully thawed.
In testing, the grill produced some well-cooked bacon, and heated leftover pizza through nicely, with no soggy bottom and bubbling cheese. The pan does get very hot, and there’s no handle included, so care and attention is needed – but it’s also non-stick, which makes for very easy cleaning.
A comprehensive instruction booklet includes relatively easy-to-follow instructions with diagrams, which are needed to get to grips with the huge number of options on offer.
It also includes a list of cooking tips for perfecting everything from vegetables to pork chops, and a couple of recipes for soup, which can be cooked in the microwave before blending.
The microwave, when used alone, has ten power settings, with labels such as ‘Cook’, ‘Melt’ and ‘Soften’ appearing on the control panel to guide your choice – which is very handy when there are so many settings on offer.
The ‘Smart Cook & Grill’ and ‘Smart Reheat & Defrost’ buttons help you tailor your cooking: presets for cooking, reheating or defrosting items such as cut chicken, pies and pastries and caramel take the guesswork out of heating times, power, and how best to combine grilling and cooking.
Meanwhile, buttons for common choices such as baked beans, potatoes and pizza are built into a shortcut panel inside the oven door, and there’s also a favourite button which you can programme to cook your favourite food at the touch of a button.
Extra functions on offer include a kitchen timer which can be used independently of the oven, a child lock, and an ‘A Bit More’ button, which adds 30 seconds to your cooking time. Timings can be set in five-second increments, and you can adjust the temperature mid-microwave if needed.
A baked potato cooked using the shortcut button came out fluffy and cooked through, without the need for any extra cooking, while chicken breasts defrosted evenly without drying out at the edges and cooked well – the pre-heated crisper pan meant there was no flabbiness.
Overall, this is relatively user-friendly for a sophisticated bit of kit – it might take a bit of time to learn how to use it, but it’s ultimately worth the effort.
