Your recommendations for an excellent, reliable Toaster Oven

[Breadcrumbs]

We currently have a Cuisinart Exact Heat Convection toaster oven and while it really does a great job cooking and broiling, it hasn't made great toast and, recently, its stopped toasting on one side.

I'm going to get it repaired and donate it to a neighbour's son who needs one for his dorm room so now we're in the market for a new oven.

I definitely want convection. We make a lot of toast and, do a lot of broiling and cooking so I need a workhorse machine.

Do you have a toaster oven that you'd recommend?

[LuluTheMagnificent]

What's a good one for under $60?

[sueatmo]

http://tinyurl.com/6oovbcq Cuisinart CTO-390PC Exact Heat Black Toaster Oven Broiler

This is what I own, and I recommend it. It performs well and it is easy to clean up.

[rasputina]

We replaced our old dying toaster over that was probably used only for toast and reheating stuff like pizza with the Breville Smart Oven and I swear I hardly turn my big oven on anymore. The thing is amazing.

[KitchenGeek]

We've had a Breville for about 16 months now, we use it a lot, definitely as much, if not more, than the "real" oven. The only thing I've found I can't cook in it well is fresh bread, it is just too tall and the top gets burned.

But lately we've been noticing that the convection fan is getting louder and louder, an annoying warble that sounds to me like the bearings (or more likely bushings) on the fan impeller are wearing out, maybe due to the heat. I expect at some point the fan is gonna stop spinning.

The next problem that popped up a few weeks ago is the blue backlighting on the display is now flickering. Sometimes it totally goes dark for several seconds. I hope it doesn't quit, the display is pretty much unreadable without the backlight.

Maybe I'll call Breville and see what they say.

[mrtzara]

Any feedback on ovens making a loud popping sound as they cool down? I know this is just contraction of the metal, but my mom (in her 80s) is startled every time it happens. If it's possible to get a replacement that won't do this, I'd love to do that for her.

[flourgirl]

My smart oven never does that.

[deroumanie]

I love love love my Hamilton Beach one! You can find it at Amazon for $80. Works great, and makes amazing rotisserie style chicken. Mmmmmmmm....I now use it daily, for anything that doesn't require the extra space of a conventional oven. I highly recommend it. And by the way don't bother with the reviews that say it sucks because you can't "toast bread". It may not have a button for it, but it doesn't take much effort to stick the bread in and wait for it to brown perfectly on both sides.

Link...

http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-...

[qianning]

We purchased the Kitchen Aid Convection Toaster Oven (KCO223CU) in Dec '10 it is a new model, just released in the past six months, adding convection to a pre-existing line. Anyway, I love it!

We looked at several other makes/models including the Breville. For me the Breville was a bit large for our space, vented the wrong way for our space and had digital controls ( I prefer analog controls for ovens) and I think I didn't like the way the crumb tray worked--could be wrong about that can't remember exactly - and had heard that it could be very loud and hot. That the Kitchen Aid was half the price of the Breville clinched the deal.

This toaster oven has been my favorite purchase of the past year, hands down. It makes good toast, has flexible controls, works well as a small/alternate oven, heats well and evenly and is not noisy when the convection fan is running. We got ours through Amazon.

[flourgirl]

I haven't noticed any issues with the Breville being loud - but yes, it does get hot.

[BobB]

The Breville makes no sound at all (OK, a slight whir if you have convection on but not really noticeable), and the crumb tray is one of the features that attracted me to it - slides out very easily from the front, unlike some that are only accessible from the rear.

It is pricy, but in my opinion worth it.

[Breadcrumbs]

I totally agree w you on both counts Bob. My old Cuisinart was so noisy and, when the convection function was activated (most of the time we used the oven) there would be the added din of the vibration that the fan caused. We actually thought there was something wrong w our Breville because it was so quiet when we first used it.

I also like that you can use the top of the oven to warm plates, we do this all the time.

[flourgirl]

Good point about warming plates - I have a warming drawer, but it's so close to the floor it's kind of a pain to use - never thought about using the top of the Breville for that purpose!

[Breadcrumbs]

I wish I could take credit for the idea but when we purchased the oven it was one of the features that the sales associate pointed out . . . they had a video in the store that highlighted all the features and apparently the top of the unit was engineered to be used as a plate warmer. I haven't pulled my manual out in a while but I think it was mentioned in there too.

[flourgirl]

Manual? There's a manual?

Ha, just kidding, and I'm usually pretty good about flipping through those - but I guess I dropped the ball this time. And I purchased mine at BB&B - no sales associate and no highlight video anywhere to be seen. ;)

But that's such a great feature. Now I love my oven even MORE!!! I just have to remember to remind my son that this oven gets pretty hot on the outside.

[Suzettem]

Is it unnatural to be in love with a toaster oven? Just had our Breville about a month, and I'm still amazed that I find ways to use it every day. Including some surprises like the plate-warming convenience, crispy thin crust (frozen) pizza, and -- wait for it -- perfect toast. I suppose my only complaint is that it comes with a lot of accessories (various roasting pans, pizza pan, etc.) and had to find a place to store them.

[jamesneo05]

Good to know another Breville fan :) Although I am not able to make Exact toasts with my Toaster Oven (Might be I a using some wrong technique) but all in all it has been a great experienced using Breville BOV650XL Complete features given here at http://www.toasterovenguide.com/brevi...

[MoCoMe]

In case any future people do searches, I'll throw this out there.

I got the Oster convection oven from Costco about 2 years ago and love it. I use it to bake pizzas and small items. Best toast I ever had. Never tried a breville before though! It was a lot less expensive- <$100. They also sell it at amazon.

[lynnlato]

Umm, I've had my Breville compact smart oven for about 3 hours and I know that I am in love with this thing too! I love how quiet it is (no timer ticking or bells ringing). I love the digital display and the control knobs. I love the door & handle. I love that it makes perfect, evenly-toasted toast. I love that it's the perfect size for my family - not too big or too small. I love that the crumb tray is removeable. The only thing I can see being a small issue for me is that it gets very hot externally. Much hotter than my old toaster oven.

All-in-all, I think the $179 bucks was money well spent.

[DPGood]

We've had our Breville, not the compact, the other one, for a couple years now. It's great! I'm sure the compact is too.

[buttertart]

Does the Breville (or do the others discussed here) have a clock or timer that you can use independently from the oven being on? I'd like to be rid of my microwave aka the giant electronic timer since that's what it's used for 95% of the time. The idea at least is that I'd use an oven/convection oven more than the MW.

[BobB]

The Breville does not have a timer-only mode. However, it does have a warming mode where the temperature can be set as low as 120°F, so if you're willing to waste a little bit of electricity you could use that mode for timing.

[DPGood]

Our Breville doesn't have a clock. It does have a timer too, but it can not be used independently without heating it.

You will not be disappointed if you buy one.

[Breadcrumbs]

bt, for what it's worth we continue to adore our Breville toaster oven, I'd highly recommend it. I especially like it's large interior, I'm amazed what I can fit in there!

Not sure if this would be of interest but I love my Pampered Chef timers. I have 2. They function as a clock, can count up or down. They have a clip on the back so can clip to an apron and they also have a magnet on the back as well.

I even travel w mine!!

Here's a link:

http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_produ...

[buttertart]

Thanks, all. I'm seriously considering. Now if Breville were to come out with an oven/convection/mw I would be on it like a pack of wolves. Not 100% sure that I'd want to give up the mw function even for the little I use it (and there is but one little corner suited to a big countertop appliance in my kitchen).

[flourgirl]

I agree about the mw issue. I have both the breville and a mw, but only because I have room for a stand that the mw sits on. I don't use the mw much, but I would sorely miss it for the few things I do use it for.

[Breadcrumbs]

Just wanted to report back that we did purchase the Breville BOV800 XL and have been absolutely thrilled with it. It has a larger interior space than any others we've had, toasts, bakes and broils to perfection and, is a dream to use.

I just rec'd my April '11 issue of Cook's Illustrated and note that this is the ONLY toaster oven of the 10 they tested to receive perfect scores in all test categories and, their "Highly Recommended" rating.

Thanks so much for your solid recommendations, sincerely appreciated.

[flourgirl]

I have this oven too and I love love love it!!! It was worth every penny.

[Rona Gindin]

I got a Breville recently and I'm very happy with it. I didn't get the big one, though.I got the "compact," which still fits four slices of toast and a small pizza, and it's less expensive ($177 on amazon.com vs.$215 for the big one). The only thing I don't like is that the oven shuts off automatically, sometimes when you're not done cooking something. But I assume that over time I'll figure out how to work around that.

www.RonaGindin.com

[flourgirl]

Regarding ther automatic shut off, I always set the timer on the Breville oven for longer than I need and use the timer on my range if I need one for whatever it is I'm cooking/baking in the Breville. I agree that this is an annoyance but I guess it's a safety feature.

[BobB]

That's actually one of the features that I like about the Breville. I know how long I want to cook things for so I set the timer and away it goes. Plus, I like the fact that the timer only starts counting down when the oven has reached the preset temperature.

[flourgirl]

The main problem with it is if the item hasn't finished cooking, it can be kind of a pain that the oven shut off. There's lots of times I set a timer for something, and it hasn't finished cooking or baking at that point. Also, sometimes I forget about the timer, walk away to do something in another room, and the oven had been shut off for a while and I didn't realize it. But really, I've been using the oven for a while now so I'm used to working with that function & it really hasn't been much of an issue. I do love the oven.

[ElsieB]

I got the same smaller footprint model (needed to fit the space) and use it mostly for toast or reheating. So far it seems to be a nicer quality than most of the toaster ovens out there.

[MelMM]

I also bought the Breville a few months ago. Boy do I love that oven! I cook all kinds of stuff in it... pizzas, cakes, rack of lamb... It is really like having a second oven. Actually my wall oven is like the second oven now, as I only use it when the item is too big to fit in the Breville.

[BobB]

Same here, which makes it quite an energy-saver.

[ninrn]

BREVILLE USERS: Does this oven get so hot that it might damage solid surface, acrylic-based countertops? Thanks.

[BobB]

Not underneath - it's raised on sturdy plastic feet. I wouldn't put papers under it but the counter will be fine.

On top it does get hot, and in fact the manual recommends using the top as a plate warmer.

[flourgirl]

I have corian counters, I've had my Breville for about 2 yrs now & the counter is just fine.

[Klady]

Used the smaller Smart Oven for the first time and don't like how hot it gets. I have a small kitchen and the room is hotter after the unit has been on a while. If anyone touches the outside by accident, it's going to be VERY hot. I wondered why that handle sticks out so much. It could be a safety feature to keep your hand away from the unit so you don't get burned.

[jenni49]

I totally agree with recs for the Breville. Wonderful, reliable machine. If you have a Bed, Bath & Beyond nearby, its 20% off with the coupon & no shipping charge. That helps a bit.

[Breadcrumbs]

I'll definitely check out the Breville, it sounds great. Maybe my Cuisinart was just a dud but I'd rather not risk another one. Thanks so much for your help!

[Beckyleach]

I have a Cuisinart that no longer is in production, but you may be able to find one kicking around somewhere. It's been used almost DAILY for quite a few years (5?) with zero problems. I love it!

I don't know which Cuisinart you have, but this one toasts beautifully and the darkness/lightness settings are very precise.

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-TOB-1...

[sueatmo]

This is a wonderful appliance! I love mine. I didn't know it was no longer in production.

[iyc_nyc]

Definitely the Breville if you have space for it. Well engineered, roomy, bakes and toasts great. Looks nice too.

You can find many reviews on Amazon w an easy search.. and also find mention of it on threads here (just search "Breville" in last 12 mths.

[Sid Post]

I got that model ($250) which seemed very expensive at first. It was money well spent. It cooks better then any oven I ever had in an apartment. I recently used it while living in a hotel because I could not take the hot plate cooking options any more.