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In the market for a countertop convection oven - recommendations?

homey_bird
9 years ago

Hi everyone - I am also considering posting this question on Appliances forum of GW. However, I want to get feedback from kitchens community as well, because I typically get really awesome hands-on feedback here.

So I am in the market for a countertop convection oven. This is my standard go-to oven due to its size. Everything including morning breakfast and kids' cupcakes get cooked in this, so it is important for me to have a well functioning, reliable oven. I'm ok going with high end, for good quality.

We used to have a Breville, which lasted about 3 years before it died. We paid ~300.00 including shipping+taxes etc. I have to say, that Breville worked very, very, very well. The only complaint that I have is that at that price point, I'd expect it to go on for longer than 3 years.

Checked out Cuisinart in costco - excellent price for $99.00 and in general a decent brand. But the reviews mention that it does not heat to the correct temperature, which is serious flaw IMO.

Black and Decker - another known brand, but never have had any experience with it. On Amazon, reviews are all over.

Breville came with a lot of bells and whistles. I do not care for those personally. I do care for a solid reliable heating mechanism. It worries me if the temperature inside is not same as the setting.

Can the folks here provide any advice, share experiences and recommendations for the brands above OR if I missed out on anything?

Comments (16)

  • sjhockeyfan325
    9 years ago

    reviews mention that it does not heat to the correct temperature, which is serious flaw IMO.

    Since Costco has a great return policy, you could always buy it and check the temp with a thermometer. Return it if it isn't working properly.

  • snowbean
    9 years ago

    We love our Oster counter top convection oven. I believe Walmart sells it for 99 dollars still. it was the largest I could find and we use it for everything from breakfast / lunch to dinner items like baking salmon or french fries or just for keeping food warm on heat safe pyrex . My in laws bought one too.

  • funkelsgw
    9 years ago

    Just my 2 cents. I recently read in Consumer Reports that due to the size of these small ovens, you do not need convection at all, which might broaden your choices a bit. We have a Cuisanart for 5 years and it works quite well. The only criticism I have is that the plastic did crack. The footprint is rather large, so we'd like to go smaller at some point soon.

  • homey_bird
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    sjhockeyfan, I was just reading your thread on Appliances forum :-) Looks like you have gone through similar type of decision making ....

    Anyway - thanks for your note on Costco return policy. I have never returned a used item to Costco, but from your post it looks like they will take it back if defective or not as per your expectation. Thanks for the advice. I would love to keep this discussion going, however. It does not hurt to get a few other recommendations :-)

    Snowbean: thank you for sharing about Oster.

    Funkels - thanks for sharing the information on non-convection. It makes sense but I still do not feel ready to let that feature go, mainly because my Breville baked amazingly well due to even heat distribution. I do partly attribute it to convection. A lot is riding on this oven in my kitchen.

    Also -- wanted to throw in a Steam Oven in the discussion. Any stories regarding this one? For us, both DH and I are now vegetarian so I am wondering if steam ovens do really add value to vegetarian cooking at all. Seems like main benefit is in meat dishes. Any comments?

  • User
    9 years ago

    There's Breville----and everything else. I'd look at fixing the existing oven.

  • sjhockeyfan325
    9 years ago

    LWO, what in your opinion makes Breville better than "everything else". Is it the ability to cook evenly? Bells & whistles? Construction?

  • weissman
    9 years ago

    I second the recommendation for Breville. I'm not sure how long I've had mine but more than 3 years and it's still working fine. It's great as a second oven and it makes toast better than any other toaster oven I've ever had.

    I'm not sure what bells and whistles you're referring to. It does have a number of different cooking modes: bake, reheat, warm, etc. but I don't consider that a big deal.

    I don't know what it would cost to repair but if mine broke, I'd most likely just go out and buy another one.

    Amazon and BB&B both have them for $249.00 with free shipping. I got mine at BB&B with a 20% off coupon.

    This post was edited by weissman on Mon, Jun 23, 14 at 17:15

  • nancyj
    9 years ago

    We have the Cuisenart and I love it. In fact, it's my most used and loved appliance, and I think it's indispensable with kids. We use it daily to make toast, pizza, chicken nuggets, etc. I love that we can fit an entire pizza in there (the old Cuisenart we had couldn't accomodate a full pizza). I can't speak to the uneven heating issue because it's not something I'd notice (I'm a neophyte in the kitchen).

  • tomatofreak
    9 years ago

    I had this one for years and I bought it used! When it died, I bought a Welbilt, loved it, too, and cried when it, too, died years later.

    I currently have the Black & Decker (bought new) and it doesn't hold a candle to either the Farberware or Welbilt. I also have a Cuisinart 6-slice toaster oven. (They're in different kitchens.) The smaller Cuisinart does a great job of toasting, but it's not convection and I rarely use it for baking.

    I keep my eyes open for the Farberware Turbo every time I cruise through a thrift store! Sometimes old is *much* better than new.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Farberware Turbo Convection oven

  • chesters_house_gw
    9 years ago

    I have a Breville, which I bought because it eliminates the toaster. But in the summer/retirement house I have a used 1/4 size Cadco. I'd do the Cadco and a toaster combo in a heartbeat. I bought the Cadco used -- there's a pretty good churn in these so they're easily found on Craigslist and Ebay. Two dials, one for time, one for heat. Steady. A workhorse. It's the go-to for small things I don't want to heat the big oven for (roasting vegetables, etc) , and it's the oven for overflow when there's a lot going on.
    They make a 1/4 (about as big as the bigger Breviile) and a 1/2 that run on regular 120 lines.

  • homey_bird
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Lots of great suggestions and a really useful discussion. Regarding the size aspect: for me, a smaller oven than 12" will not be very useful. Like I said, this is the "go-to" oven for me. I hardly use my regular oven because it's way too big for my family of size 3. I have found that my Breville size was perfect.

    Like I mentioned, my only gripe is reliability of Breville and from that perspective I would also love hearing from Cuisinart Convection oven owners if they have had a good experience.

    My only source of information so far are reviews that are largely critical of cuisinart (dated interface, unevenness of heating and inability to heat at correct temperatures). They do not seem to complain about reliability, but I do not want to live with a device that last long but under-performs during a long lifetime.

  • Marc Johnson
    9 years ago

    We've had our Breville for 18 months now and still in love with it. Our Thermador that is being replaced in less than 3 weeks just decided to stop working (just the oven, thank g-d the top burners are still working!). We'll be putting the Breville through some extended use over the next month - will report back!

    I love how all the appliances & fixtures in our kitchen are figuring out that they are not long for this world - they must be talking.

    - Freezer is now off +10 degrees and getting worse by the day
    - Faucet (Delta touch) is going insane coming on every time the dishwasher comes on
    - Thermador oven stopped
    - Disposal burping and groaning and not grinding anymore

    T-minus 10 days to demo ... 24 days to Appliance delivery !!!

  • a2gemini
    9 years ago

    I have the delonghi that is similar to the Breville in size and function.
    It is 5-10 years old. (At least)
    I can cook a big pizza, giant pot pies etc.
    I am not sure if it is still made

  • snowbean
    9 years ago

    Like I said earlier, our Oster measures 16 to 18 inches across and I can bake and roast all sorts of food. We have used ours since 2007 and my in laws bought one recently. Just read reviews search model
    TSSTTVXLDG is the model number hth. It's a work horse !

  • a2gemini
    9 years ago

    I went on the delonghi website and it is still made. Retails for $199.
    Pizza up to 12 inches, bakes, toasts and has a keep warm cycle.
    I thought I would not use it after reno but i still use it
    Here are my Zingermans pot pies during reno - we ate well!

  • sjhockeyfan325
    9 years ago

    Forget the oven - what are Zingerman's pot pies - they look soooo good!