Andrew James Halogen Oven a Number One best Seller

By Jennifer Ashe

Although still a medium sized company of less than 100 employees the Uk based Andrew James Ltd. continues to  punch above its weight as far as innovative products and commitment to excellence in business.

Their catalogue boasts some of the best designed, most popular and very reasonably priced Kitchen ware found anywhere on or offline. Whilst other companies have continued to offer the bog standard Halogen Oven, Andrew James ‘ very well made basic product has been redesigned at least a couple of times, using advanced features, giving customers real improvements in an already excellent product.

Good solid Model with full Specification

The first Halogen Oven from this company, available in the Uk around August 2009 was very competitive, of a standard 12 Litre size , very well manufactured and by including the spare halogen bulb and making sure it is easy to  replace, the team at Andrew James attacked the Achilles heel of the device, its susceptibility to bulb failure, with vibration and age.

AndrewJames12L-450
Andrew James 12 Litre with Dial Timer & Temperature

 

Other manufacturers still have not learnt this lesson, so consequently, their customers end up with a useless unrepairable box and less of a reputation.

Their model also stuck to the full specification of 1400 watts, I notice several other makes use smaller wattage bulbs, which diminish its overall performance in terms of time to cook, but also with a smaller range of temperature, they limit the recipes which call for the higher temperature. Andrew James show their faith in their products too, by offering a full two year guarantee,  scanning through the Halogen Oven section on Amazon, I could find no other products with a guarantee to match.

Incorporating digital Technology

The second generation of Halogen cooker, which appeared around mid 2012 ,was physically similar but by incorporating a digital control panel, users could be precise in timer and heat settings.

AndrewJamesDigital
Andrew James 12 Litre with Digital Controls

 

After all a recipe calling for X minutes and a temperature of Y degrees, needs to be repeatable, if you are to cook well.  The digital controls also address the very annoying modern problem of the markings for the two dials on the older models, in that they wear off, very quickly, leaving you to guess where the correct settings are.

Current Hi Tech Model

Today, the current Andrew James model is the hinged lid design, which was introduced around March 2013. This is one of the best improvements to the basic design in my view.  One of the most vunerable group of users of halogen ovens is the elderly and lifting a heavy and very hot, potentially dangerous lid from a steaming cooker, is not easy, even if you have youth and strength on your side. The lid, still attached to the stand, can be raised up to fit the extender ring, to give its full capacity , or to reduce the concentrated heat at the top

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Andrew James 12Litre with Hinged Lid Digital Control

 

 

I am glad to see the designer opted for the separate time and temperature displays. It really is a step backwards to see models with only one. A cook needs to see instantly, how much time is left and what the temperature is set to. Even the older dial type Halogen cooker shows these vital settings, at a glance.

For anyone who has had to ring up about products they have purchased, the last thing anyone wants to hear is a foreign call centre. No matter how friendly and how well trained the staff, its just not the same as having calls answered by experts, in the same building as the products are sourced and dispatched from. Andrew James scores well with all its customers, in keeping its inquiry service on site , so full marks again . They are also making strides trading in Europe the right way, having French and German speaking staff on hand to answer queries.

Constant Improvement

I am always reassured when reviewing kitchen gadgets like the Halogen Oven, when new models appear, which are an advance in technology or at the very least address the faults that manufacturers previous models had. The situation of the British Motor Industry in the 1970s comes to mind,  with new cars rolling off the production lines with the same faults that the cars had ten years previously !  I found this recent feedback ( Sep 13) , referring to the JML Halogen Oven, which model was on sale way back, at least 2009 :  I had to return 4 of these JML ovens. I have now got one from Alex James which is digital and it has lasted more than 6 months already. The heating section is black and well protected and does not discolour easily. You also get a free extra bulb (only company I have seen to do this)which you can fit easily yourself, and A 2 year warranty.

The customer is obviously referring to Andrew James not Alex James)

Also this feedback:

I purchased this halogen oven around 2 years ago and within weeks the fan started to play up. Reason was the nut that held the fan blade on kept coming loose. After constant tightening of this nut it eventually kept coming loose every time I used it. This coupled with the fact the bulb did not last longer than a couple of months I gave in and purchased an Andrew James halogen oven – pure quality, in my opinion the best halogen oven you can buy.

Good Range of Accessories

By keeping up with advances in technology, or incorporating useful methods from other existing products, Andrew James has beaten the competition out of sight, the leaders in any market know that it is only by adding value ,  will you be able to stay at the top. It doesn’t have to be innovative or clever either , I notice that the accessories offered with an Andrew James Halogen Oven are by far and away the best in number and in completeness. You aren’t going to be faced with a recipe calling for a pan , skewer or rack that isn’t provided straight out of the box. Another sign that the company is doing well is the number of medium and high end products offered, in the Ovens Cookers and Hobs section for example, I can see a Sous Vide cooker, Slow cookers, mini oven, Tagine, Halogen ovens in different sizes and colours, Digital Induction Hob and Electric Wok all of which look high quality and functional.

Most Useful Extra

If you, like me have a family of chip lovers, consider purchasing a Air Fryer attachment for your Halogen oven. The Andrew James model for example, which is suitable for use with any 12 litre model. After trying it out, I can say there is no easier way to turn out perfect chips and with the minimum of effort.

 

AirFryerAttachment When cooking oven chips in a conventional oven, not only does it take nearly twice as long, but unless you are very careful and attentive, you end up with many ‘burnt offerings’. The Halogen in comparison, does the job a lot more evenly, due to the swirling hot air method of cooking.  Just remove half way through, to give the attachment a good shake and quick stir round and you will end up with marvellous, low fat, delicious chips. If you prefer them a little crispier, just turn down the heat to 80% of the recommended heat( always read the instructions for your particular frozen chips ) for the last half of the time and cook for slightly longer.

21 thoughts on “Andrew James Halogen Oven a Number One best Seller”

  1. Hi,
    I live in Canada & really want to purchase a Andrew James Halogen oven however I tried to buy one on Amazon.com.uk and none of the sellers were willing to ship to my Toronto address.
    Please advise & thank you for your help.
    sincerely
    Tony Chuk

    Reply
    • Hi Suzanne,
      The 12L Andrew James with the hinged top measures , in centimeters 47.0L x 33.0W x 34.0H

      Jennifer

      Reply
  2. Hi Suzanne,

    Can you pls. tell me if AJ halogen oven is compatible with Australian power rating standard of 230 Volts.

    Regards,
    Pat

    Reply
  3. how do I lower the height of the lid ,,after using the extention ring on my Andrew james halogen oven

    Reply
    • Simply the settings which are set up using buttons for plus or minus temp and time. The power of both ovens should be the same so use with the same settings.

      Reply
  4. Used the extender to cook Sunday roast – yummy ….. BUT CAN’T LOWER THE LID!!
    It seems to be totally stuck.

    HELP PLEASE

    Reply
  5. i just bought a New halogen oven from Highlander company in Australia. It is a brand new and as i switch on the oven, the halogen light is not burning. is my oven a manufacturing defect? i would like know.

    thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • Hi
      Yes it sure sounds like it. Check for any signs of mishandling? Any marks or dents in the packaging ? Although not extremely robust, the halogen lamps usually stand up to normal postage handling ok.

      Reply
  6. Please can you tell me if your halogen ovens are fan assisted, I have a german one that I have had for nearly 20 years and it is still fantastic, but my daughters bought me a newer British one and to be honest it is rubbish (not one of yours), it has no fan and after just three months the inside of the lid went rusty. I want to buy another one as I use them more than my conventional oven and at xmas it allows me to cater for many people, but I am not prepared to buy another without a fan

    Reply
    • Hi Deborah
      The FAN and the HALOGEN heater are the two main elements of a Halogen Oven. All the ones I’ve reviewed have at least these two things, some have rotisserie built in or some other feature, but the combination of Fan and Halogen is what makes this product so great for cooking.

      Reply
  7. Please can someone tell me if I can cook frozen meals which need to be cooked from frozen in my Andrew James Halogen. Many thanks.

    Reply
  8. Andrew James just resupplied me with a replacement 12 litre digital halogen oven because I was a week or two inside guarentee and the electric fan motor failed. They could not tell me where to buy a new motor or even better motor. They simply sent a complete new oven. That was very good of them. BUT I still want the motor. I searched the web for days… new Fan Motor Halogen Oven replacement

    I have found the motor – See below web site. It is this – (Actifry Motor » 34.55.00.10 ) (Steam cooker) –

    motor 220V – 220-240V – 50Hz – 15W – Class B – Model No: ZL – YJF6016C

    Will cost about 18 Euros – supplier is in Athens… and about another 8 Euro to ship to UK –

    BUT from China where it is made it is about $2.50 to $3.50 plus shipping – YJF6016C-80
    Brand Name: DONGLONG –

    Minimum Order:50 Pieces

    Price/Payment: US $2.5 – 3.5 / Piece – […]

    […]
    Shade Pole Motor( SITO-YJF6016C) –

    Reply
  9. The timer and temperature markings are wearing off on my halogen oven. Can I but replacement decals anywhere

    Reply
  10. My Andrew James Digital halogen the fan has stopped working has anybody had this problem the bulb is ok but fan does not work.

    Reply
    • You could try to find out if it’s just stuck, sometimes the rotor will get rubbish in the mechanism and just jam up
      BE SURE TO UNPLUG FIRST – then remove the cover and manually turn it, to see if the fan rotates freely
      if it does – then it’s a control problem that is beyond DIY skills

      Reply

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