A pan size, or a rotisserie

Rommelsbacher BG 1805/E vs Sommertal Minibackofen 45L

Baking, or a whole chicken?

Two well-specified European countertop ovens, both publishing a temperature range at both ends. What separates them is what each was designed around. A note for American readers: both are European ovens with no current Amazon.com offer. For the same two jobs in the US — baking in a tall cavity, or a rotisserie chicken — see the Elite Gourmet French-door, which publishes its inside dimensions, and the NutriChef PKRTO28 with its rotisserie, on the toaster ovens page.

Rommelsbacher BG 1805/E

8.4/10

Wins 6 of 8

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Sommertal 45-liter mini oven with rotisserie spit and interior light

Sommertal Minibackofen 45L

7.8/10

Wins 2 of 8

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Item by item

Compared on	BG 1805/E	Minibackofen 45L
Capacity	42 L (about 44 qt)	45 L (about 47 qt)
Largest pan	12.4 in (31.5 cm) across	Not published
Temperature range	Stepless, 176–446 °F	212–446 °F
Heating modes	7, each also with the fan	4 — bake, grill, convection, rotisserie
Rotisserie	Motorised, rated for 2 chickens	Yes
Timer	120 minutes, with continuous setting	60 minutes
Rack levels	4	Not published
Power	1,800 W	2,000 W
Listed on amazon.com	Yes	Yes

A tick marks the better answer on that line only. Counting ticks does not decide the page — the two verdicts below do, because these products answer different questions.

Which of the two belongs in your kitchen

Buy the BG 1805/E

Take the Rommelsbacher for baking. It publishes the largest pan it takes — 12.4 inches across — plus a stepless 176 to 446 °F, seven heating modes, four rack levels, a 120-minute timer and a door that dismantles for cleaning.

Buy the Minibackofen 45L

Take the Sommertal for value and for a whole chicken. Forty-five liters, 2,000 W published, a rotisserie, convection and a real 212 to 446 °F range on four separate dials. Its 212 °F floor is 36 °F above the Rommelsbacher’s.

What readers want to know

Why does a pan size matter more than quarts?

Because quarts are a volume and a pan is a width. Two ovens of the same volume can differ by inches of usable width, and the width is what decides whether the pan you already own goes in. See measure before you buy.

Which goes lower?

The Rommelsbacher, at 176 °F against 212 °F. That is the difference between holding something warm and slowly cooking it, and it is one of the few figures both makers publish so it can actually be compared.

Each one in detail

Mini ovens

Rommelsbacher BG 1805/E

42 L · 80–230 °C (176 to 446 °F) · 7 modes · tins to 31.5 cm (12.4 in)

The only mini oven on this site that publishes what will actually fit inside it: baking tins up to 31.5 cm (12.4 in) in diameter. Forty-two liters, four stainless elements, stepless 80 to 230 °C (176 to 446 °F), seven heating modes, a motorized spit rated for two chickens, a 120-minute timer with a continuous setting, four shelf levels and a door that comes apart for cleaning.

Best for: Baking, in a household that owns tins and wants to know they will go in.

8.4/10

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Mini ovens

Sommertal Minibackofen 45L

45 L · 2,000 W · 100–230 °C (212 to 446 °F) · rotisserie

Forty-five liters and 2,000 W with a rotisserie spit, convection, and a published range of 100 to 230 °C (212 to 446 °F) on a 60-minute timer. Four functions — bake, grill, convection and rotisserie — on four rotary dials, with an interior light, a double tempered glass door, stainless elements and a zinc-lined cavity.

Best for: A whole chicken, in a household that does not want to heat a full-size oven for it.

7.8/10

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