We baked cupcakes in an oven with artificial intelligence

The home oven market is one of the least interesting areas in the kitchen. For years it seemed as if it was stuck in time: Once there were simple dials that made a “click,” then came the digital buttons, later a colorful screen and automatic programs that no one really used. In the end, in almost every home, we still return to the same old story – choosing a heat mode, turning the temperature, and waiting for the cake to come out right.

But as with robotic vacuums, televisions, or even smartphones, here too someone had to try to break the stagnation. This time it’s AEG, bringing to Israel (official import by Mini Line) the 7000 Series Multifunction Oven Matt Black ABE75722T, a new oven that tries to turn what we know into something a bit smarter, with artificial intelligence that promises to take baking and cooking a step forward.

The oven in the AEG 7000 series (exact model: ABE75722T) is a built-in oven – meaning one intended to integrate into kitchen cabinets and not stand alone. This means it is part of the kitchen’s design line no less than an electrical appliance. In this case, we’re talking about standard built-in oven dimensions (width about 59.5 cm, height about 59.4 cm, and depth about 56.7 cm), so anyone replacing an old model is unlikely to face any compatibility issues. The internal volume is 71 liters – not unusual, but it does allow baking relatively wide trays or preparing a large family meal.

The model I tested actually came in a glossy finish. The advantage here is clear – a shiny, elegant, and eye-catching look that feels like a premium product from the first moment. The disadvantage, as with almost every glossy product, is that fingerprints are immediately visible as well as small scratches if not careful. Alongside this, AEG also offers the same oven in a matte version, which those who prefer simpler maintenance will probably find advantageous. In other words, there are two options here aimed at two different types of users: Those who like a shiny, luxurious look, and those who prefer a muted, practical finish for everyday use.

In terms of design language, AEG didn’t invent something entirely new here but went for a very clean and minimalist line. The front is quite bare: A wide color touchscreen at the top, a thin handle aligned with the door, and no extra elements that don’t really need to be there. Some may love it and some may feel it’s a bit too cold, but it definitely aligns with a broader trend in the world of electrical products – making them less of a “device” and more of a “part of the kitchen.”

Bottom line, this is not an oven that tries to surprise with an unusual design, but one that radiates modernity through simplicity. Those looking for visual “wow” won’t find it here, but those wanting an oven that blends into the overall kitchen design line without drawing too much attention – will get exactly that.

In the “smart” ovens we’ve known until now, the automatic programs were quite limited. We pressed “pizza” and got a fixed temperature, we pressed “cake” – again, a preset time and temperature, without any real connection to the recipe in our hands. Here, first of all – the oven is connected to the network and receives updates. Yes, give it a moment – there are software updates for an oven. Alongside this, artificial intelligence comes into play: In the AEG app you can enter a link to a recipe, and the oven activates the Taste Assist feature, which generates a program tailored to the specific dish. It’s not magic – you still need to prepare the ingredients and follow the steps – but the stage of guessing heat or duration is almost entirely removed. This is what differentiates this model from the old automation we knew.

In addition, there’s the Food Sensor – basically a thermometer with a wire and metal tip that needs to be inserted directly into the food. The thermometer connects to a dedicated input inside the oven, and once it’s in you can see the exact temperature of the food both on the screen and through the smartphone app. This may be less sexy than using artificial intelligence, but in practice much more useful day to day. When you put in a whole chicken, roast beef, or even a thick quiche, this sensor provides real-time information on what’s happening inside. It prevents those annoying moments when you open the door again and again, lose heat, and create uneven baking.

Another addition is the AirFry function, which comes with a dedicated tray. Here it’s important to keep things in proportion: I have a Ninja at home, and this feature didn’t actually make me give it up. The Ninja is much faster and also gives a crispier result. But the oven’s AirFry has another advantage – it can prepare large quantities at once, making it suitable for families or entertaining. You just need to take into account that it takes more time than a standalone air fryer, so it’s more of a nice solution for those who want to “fry” with hot air in bulk, and less a true replacement for a dedicated device.

Beyond that, everything expected from a 2025 premium oven is here: Pyrolytic self-cleaning in three levels (one, two, or three hours, depending on dirt level), a front ventilation system that keeps the door relatively cool even when the oven runs at high heat, and a four-layer glass door that’s easy to dismantle for cleaning. Even the issue of kosher use got official attention – after pyrolytic cleaning the oven can be used for both meat and dairy, and there is also a “heavy libun” option recognized as koshering for Passover.

All this is backed by a 4.3-inch color touchscreen, which centralizes all menus and settings. The interface is relatively intuitive – not perfect, sometimes it takes a few seconds to find exactly the menu you’re looking for – but still much clearer than the dials and buttons we knew from older models.

I started my tests with something simple – cupcakes. In the app I found a dedicated program for cupcakes, and it also appeared in the oven’s menus. This was an excellent test, because it’s a recipe I’ve been making for years, so I knew exactly what to expect. Here I was pleasantly surprised: The result was perhaps the best I’ve ever baked. All the cupcakes, both those closer to the door and those in the back, came out identical – baked evenly and precisely inside and out. Anyone who bakes a lot knows the frustration of a tray that doesn’t bake evenly everywhere – here it simply didn’t happen.

Next, I tried something more challenging: Frozen chicken thighs stuffed with rice, the kind bought at the supermarket. Here I didn’t find a dedicated recipe or ready program, but I used the Food Sensor thermometer that connects to the app. It let me see in real time what was happening inside the chicken, without guessing, without opening the door, and without the unpleasant surprise of the chicken looking ready on the outside but still raw inside. This feature made the test much calmer and simpler.

After that, I moved on to air frying schnitzels. As I said earlier, compared to my Ninja it takes more time to reach the same level of crispiness, but the result was excellent. The schnitzels came out crispy, and with a large quantity it even felt more worthwhile than running several rounds in the Ninja. At the same time, I also threw in baked sweet potatoes, and again got a good result – soft inside and crispy outside.

Finally, I decided to test a Japanese cheesecake – a recipe I found online. Here I encountered a small limitation of the artificial intelligence: For the oven to “understand” the recipe, it’s important that the word “Oven” appear in English within the instructions, otherwise the app doesn’t always recognize it as a recipe suitable for activation. This means sometimes you need to search a bit more until you find a matching recipe. In my case it worked – the oven identified the options, and the cake came out very successful.

One of the things that most affects oven use over time is cleaning. Here we’re talking about a pyrolytic oven – meaning one that cleans itself with extreme heat. At AEG they explain that you can even run the cleaning daily, with the system heating the oven cavity to about 500 degrees. At this heat all fat and food residues stuck to the walls simply burn and turn to fine ash. At the end of the process, all that remains is to wipe away the dust with a cloth.

For those unfamiliar, this is a huge difference compared to manual cleaning most of us are used to – scrubbing with soap, grease spray, and lots of sighs of despair in front of stubborn dirt. Here it’s a completely automatic process: You choose one of three programs (short, medium, or long – between one to three hours, depending on how dirty the oven is), press a button, and let the heat do the work.

The practical meaning is that such an oven requires much less physical maintenance. It also explains why after regular use, the oven still looks “new.” This advantage may be less flashy than an artificial intelligence menu or perfect cupcake baking, but it’s no less valuable – because in the long run it saves a lot of work and extends the appliance’s lifespan.

The AEG 7000 is not just another oven with a few more baking programs, but a genuine attempt to take a stuck category and update it to an era where the kitchen also deserves some brains. The artificial intelligence here enhances the experience – not only because it actually adapts recipes, but also because it is connected to the network and receives automatic updates. The meaning is that the oven doesn’t remain “stuck in time,” but continues to improve and update over time without you having to do anything.

The internal thermometer, the precise baking results, and the pyrolytic cleaning make this oven much more convenient for daily use. Not everything is perfect – AirFry takes longer than a dedicated device like the Ninja, and the interface requires some getting used to – but overall this is an oven that manages to create a different experience from what we’ve known until today.

It’s also important to say this: It’s not cheap. Its official price is NIS 7,990, which places it at the top end of the market. Those willing to pay this amount will get an oven that feels like a step forward, with a combination of precision, convenience, and smart features that provide real value, and not just “another baking program.”