Breville Smart Convection Toaster Oven Air

[chocomouse]

Does anyone have a Breville countertop oven? I'm thinking about buying one and would love any input. Thanks.

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[Mike Nolan]

We haven't had a toaster oven in a looooong time. There was a recent thread on the BBGA forum about kitchen appliances and someone who put in several Wolf appliances got a Wolf toaster oven as a thank-you and says it is great. (It's $600+, it better be!)

The last Breville thing I bought was probably a stick blender, and I went through about five stick blenders, none of which lasted very long, before I spent the extra money to buy a Bamix. (They invented the stick blender and IMHO still make a good one.)

One of the ones I bought I took apart after it broke. The coupler between the motor and the blade was a cheap piece of plastic that had cracked.

[BakerAunt]

I do not have any Breville appliances. I do have a countertop oven and a toaster oven in other brands. The two serve different purposes, and for me, are not interchangeable.

I have a Cuisinart countertop oven. It is 16 inches long, with interior 12 x 10 1/2 inches. I bought it at Tuesday Morning five or six years ago when my kitchen oven was down for repair for about a month. I probably paid $99. It's convection, as are most small countertop ovens. I was able to bake some cookies and breads, although not a high-rising bread, as it might hit the overhead heating element. It did not get used much after that, but I brought it here and decided to give it precious kitchen space, and it has earned its spot. I've roasted halved acorn squash and small butternut squash. I particularly like roasting potato or sweet potato pieces in it. It came with a pan and a rack. The pan is deeper than most, so it takes advantage of the oven's inner dimensions.

It is handy for when the big oven is being used for another project, and it heats up faster, being smaller, and cools down faster.

I am not in love with how the time gets set, as for minutes I have to keep punching the minute button, which is a hassle when I want 50 minutes. When I set it for an hour, it always sets for 1 hour 5 minutes for some reason.

I'm glad that I have it, and it has performed well. I leave it unplugged when not in use.

I also have a Krups toaster oven, which I bought at Tuesday Morning back when I bought my first house in 2001 and did not yet have an oven. It does not do well for baking, even though it has an oven setting. The door does not seal well, which is typical for most toaster ovens. I like it for toasting cheese on bread and for warming up leftover pizza. It does not get counter space; I pull it out of one of the utility closets when I need it.

I find that the toaster oven and the countertop oven are not interchangeable.

[aaronatthedoublef]

We have Breville microwave. I do not like the display which is hard to read unless right next to it and the control buttons are all behind the door. It performs reasonably well but not any better than the Sears one it replaced which was a third the price.

I would love a smaller, counter top oven. We have two in the range but they are both full size. It would great to have a smaller option.

[chocomouse]

Thanks Aaron. I've read other negative comments about the legibility of the display, on the countertop oven. I have a small oven in my range (it's a JennAir, with a grill and center vent to the outside, but it's 35 years old and not performing reliably any more. There are just two of us, and I use the oven mostly for baking (mostly breads). I'm also looking at buying a new microwave, mine is 35 years old also, and I'd like a smaller one, so both new appliances would fit better in the footprint of my kitchen. I love, love, love, my Sharp microwave! I use the Sensor Cook for fresh vegetables; it cooks them perfectly, "al dente". I finally found one microwave that has a sensor cook for fresh vegetables, a Farberware, which would not be my first choice of manufacturer. Of course, that's no guarantee that sensor cooking asparagus will give it the right "chew". "Sensor Cook" today seems to mean to heat up a prepared meal - and we don't eat that way. I'm in no rush to buy, so will continue to research.

[navlys]

I know I'm late to the party but I just had to comment. I love my Breville Smart Oven. I sold my former one for a larger model with a " fry" function. I use it all the time. It holds 9x13 dishes and can accommodate a 12" pizza. I use it everyday and feel it saves electricity because I don't have to heat up my large oven.

[chocomouse]

Thanks, Navlys - that's encouraging information! Does it bake a decent pizza? I use a 14" cast iron pan for mine - and love the way it comes out - perfect. I know I can't use that pan in the Breville. Have you baked bread in the oven? I'd also like to use it for "steaming" fresh vegetables, instead of a pan of water on the stove. Does the air frying, without any oil, accomplish that? I also dislike heating up my big oven, as I do most days of the week. I think I've about made up my mind to buy one. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[navlys]

Sorry I just saw your reply. I have not tried to bake bread in the oven. I have not tried to steam veggies in it either but I will now. I have air fried frozen sweet potato fries which came out crispy. I reheat pizza and it comes out well. I always use it to roast potatoes and bake chicken dishes....I have not tried the dehydrate function either.

[aaronatthedoublef]

I tried baking bread in the toaster oven at work years ago. I was surprised at how well it worked. I had most of the office in the kitchen to see what smelled so good!

It was part of blog I was starting on baking things fresh at work. I never made it past my rolls.

[BakerAunt]

The only issue for bread is to make sure you have the overhead clearance in the oven to keep it from hitting the elements at the top. My current convection oven would not work for a high-rising loaf. I did do a little baking in a toaster oven, but the one I have does not make a good seal when closed, and that affected how well an item baked.

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