Breville BOV800XL The Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ

Comment: I bought this to replace a toaster oven and a regular toaster, as well as to provide additional oven space for holiday cooking. It is very intuitive to use - the night I got it, I cooked a pork roast in it before I ever read the directions. I've had it about 3 weeks now, and have used all of the functions except pizza and frozen foods. I love it! Nice toaster, but so much more. The only caution I have is that if you're not used to convection baking (I'm not), pay attention as the food cooks because it will be done a lot quicker. The unit is very easy to clean and comes with a nice variety of pans - altogether a great purchase!

Comment: I have to subtract .05 stars for no light. I can't find anything else to gripe about. Since I got it I've tried to throw everything in it that failed in my previous toaster/convection ovens. Apart from toasting bread and bagels perfectly from fresh or frozen the thing is a small oven rather than a toaster. Calling it a "toaster oven" isn't nearly as accurate as calling it an oven that also toasts.

Many convenience foods specifically say not to cook in a toaster oven. I have tried to do these in other toaster/convection ovens with predictably bad results. Burned top and bottom with raw inside. The Breville cooks like my big oven but preheats much, much faster and doesn't heat up the kitchen as much. It does pizza better than my big oven and reheats leftovers well. Other items I've tried and baked perfectly: Baked potatoes, refrigerator biscuits, frozen turnovers, toasted pecans, pot pie, potato casserole and bread. It heats very evenly and consistently according to my digital probe. Preheat uses full power but if you increase the temp while cooking, say from 325 to 375, The temp will rise more gradually so it doesn't scorch the food. That's actually smarter than my big oven which will now be used only for cooking things too big for the Breville oven or things that splatter or leak (the big one is self cleaning, I'm lazy).

It's only a month old but zero complaints so far. The bamboo cutting board for the top was worth buying. Bite the bullet and spend the extra money for something that does what it's supposed to. I'm glad I bought the bigger one.

Comment: The Breville BOV800XL has performed flawlessly having it now for 2 months. It replaced my microwave so it took some getting used to being that using real heat is different than microwaves. I certainly feel safer in my kitchen now. After reading lots of reviews and seeing some of the competition's ovens on a retail floor, the Breville was a clear winner. It heats up fairly quickly and cooks very evenly. The supplied cooking pans are very convenient too. The hot trays do tend to slide out when you don't want them to so be careful. And the sliding shelf hangs up a bit where it gets pulled magnetically on the door. Also, compared to a microwave, the outer case gets hot so nothing can be on top of it or touching it, like the power cable. I am very critical of control feel and I find that even though light, the controls are well made and easy to use as you select desired modes, temps and times. The front mounted crumb tray is great too, really easy to use and clean. A very good product for what it does.

Comment: The Unit arrived in great shape but did not have any paperwork/documents accompanying it. A call to Amazon resulted in their suggesting I contact Breville which was a lost cause and resulted in no help. Another call to Amazon and they qquickly got the booklet asnd other paperwork to me. Bravo. The machine is really all it is claimed to be and gets the food cooked in minimum times with great results. Saves heating half the house with the regular oven during these hot summer days. Toasts/Bakes/Broils and heats evenly and quickly and now has the wife looking for books and articles on convection cooking tips/tricks/recipes etc. She is very happy with this addition to her kitchen and that, in my opinion, is the final proof this machine has passed the muster.

Comment: I bought my Breville Smart Oven about three weeks ago and love it. I have only used my big oven one time in the last three weeks. I have cooked everything we have eaten in the Breville including two loaves of pear bread (at the same time). The controls are so simple that you don't need instructions and it heats up amazingly fast. I haven't received my electric bill yet, but expect to see a lower bill. I would recommend this oven to anyone.