It may not be the most interesting bit of gadgetry we’ve seen, but LG’s new 38L SolarDom is certainly worth talking about. Mainly because it combines a microwave, oven, grill, air fryer, steamer, and defroster into a single appliance. It may not look like it from afar, but catch a glimpse of the price and you’ll have no trouble believing it.
As long as the SolarDom doesn’t become the primary topic of conversation ’round the dinner table — mixed with anecdotes about getting up to pee in the middle of the night — we’re happy. We get it. LG’s cooked something up that’ll certainly fascinate the culinary-minded folks more than the rest. We just don’t need to hear about it, yeah?
We get it, life’s good
LG has made some great strides when it comes to kitting South Africa out with its latest gear. Only recently, the company brought in one of its latest TVs, the OLED evo W6. Right before that, we got a look at some pricey new dehumidifiers. LG leaves no room for doubt that this is a first-rate appliance, what with its R17,000 price.
LG reckons this is the first major overhaul for the line-up in more than a decade, and the first to ever add a dedicated ‘Air Fry’ mode. “We didn’t build this to win an argument against an existing air fryer,” says Carol Guedes, head of sales at LG SA. “It exists to make the case for not needing one in the first place, and everything else that’s crowding the counter alongside it.” LG isn’t just punting this as a space-saving appliance, though.
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LG claims that the Charcoal Lighting Grill uses infrared heat to cook your chops, instead of a regular element. It reckons that this cuts cooking times by up to 30% and even reduces energy consumption by an impressive 40%. These figures are, however, being compared to the company’s “earlier sheath-heater models.” In other words, take LG’s claims with a grain of salt ’til we can see what it’s really made of. And a bit of gravy, if you’ve got any.
The SolarDom will, of course, also connect to a smartphone. It wouldn’t truly be 2026 without another app to log into. It might be worth the annoyance to try out the dedicated Air Fry mode, which is (probably) better than your machine because it features dual heaters, cooking your food from both sides simultaneously.
