Help with choosing a toaster oven .

My oven has been on the fritz for a while . Probably a thermostat problem . Older Wedgewood and no one around to fix it . I have been thinking about getting a toaster oven large enough to do pizza , whole chicken , other . Any suggestions for brands or types would be helpful . Cost is not important I just want it to work well . Thanks …

The Breville is coin-of-the-realm. 3 sizes, the largest of which will do a 13" pizza.

In your thinking, I recommend you reflect on the fact that toaster-ovens are rarely great ovens, and seldom great toasters. For instance, the big Breville takes up to 7 minutes to toast bread, and is mediocre at baking pizza. They are not even that great at space-saving if you follow the warnings about clearances. You can bake a whole chicken, (tented) but I wouldn’t want to try roasting one.

I chose the big Breville for my beach house because I didn’t use an oven there much. I tossed my cheap toaster, and I wish I hadn’t.

These are sold, IMO, mostly on the 1-button convenience features (hence the name “Smart” oven). If these are important to you, and you don’t mind the unhappy compromises, you might be happier with a T-O than I was/am.

Aloha,
Kaleo

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I have been very happy with my Cuisinart toaster oven. I have a convection toaster oven/broiler–I bought it refurbished, since new ones were rather expensive, and it’s been working beautifully for five years. It toasts nicely, it’s good for both roasting and re-heating, and the broiler is plenty hot. There are quite a few versions of this machine now, and you can pick the features/size/price point that work for you.

I have always had toaster ovens, not vertical-slice toasters, which I dislike since they always seem to either burn my bread or take ages to toast it. I like being able to see what’s going on in the toaster, so I can take the bread out when it’s done to my liking. I also like to have an alternative to using my big and slow-to-preheat Viking oven, particularly if I’m just warming a slice of pizza, making one baked potato, etc.

emglow 101 have you taken a look at this thread Breville Smart Oven Pro
I have the 800 pro xl breville with all the offered features that I like and purchased it for more than half off during one of those ridiculous sales at Macy’s cellar. William Sonoma offers to replace the unit if you have any issues, an exclusive WS warranty when you purchase from one of their stores.

In general I have found that newer model toaster ovens just don’t work as well as the older models You will most
likely be disappointed with anything less than top of the line. My smart oven can make excellent toast but only with certain types of bread…If you have room I would recommend a smart oven in addition to a toaster.

I can cook a whole chicken in my smart oven but I’m always afraid I’m going to burn the house down when I use it in that capacity, for baking it’s fine. Pizza I only make on a stone in a conventional oven.

Thanks for the info . After reading the replies I will probably look around for someone to fix my Wedgewood . :no_mouth:

I think that is a wise decision

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Hi emglow101,

I have two Oster convection ovens: I call them my toaster and roaster. The small toaster oven has all manual controls and makes great toast. The much bigger “roaster” oven functions like a real oven–and has automated controls. Both of them together probably cost less than the cheapest Breville.

They’ve performed flawlessly for two years now.

Ray

My sister had an Oster for years, she loved it and it was fantastic.
She replaced it and is really disappointed with the replacement.

I have the medium size Breville Smart Oven and love it. It cooks a 10" quiche beautifully, bakes potatoes, toasts both bread and English muffins, bakes cookies, etc. really well. Were I the chicken eating sort I would not hesitate at all to roast one. We have been using it regularly for about five years with no issues. Were it to break I would buy another in a heartbeat.

Why not?

Top elements too close to the bird.

Thanks. Suppose it depends on the size of your chicken :slight_smile:

Sort of. The bottom rack position in the Big Brevilles is almost exactly 6" from the top elements. I haven’t seen any chickens lately that would give me 2" of clearance. Forget using a rack or perching on aromatics. :wink:

I recall an exchange with you on this very topic on Another Website!

My Breville, purchased 8 years ago at Bed Bath & Beyond is still going strong. We broil pork chops, roast chicken, bake everything in it. It’s a beast. The toast, however, is now made in some fancy Italian thing that has a panini rack. I’ve conceded the toast is not as good when it’s made in the Breville.

As a matter of fact, I’m using my Breville tonight with a baked pasta dish. It’s not all bad, but it’s not all good, either.

It’s a toaster oven.

You don’t necessarily need a specialist. Ovens just aren’t that complicated. If your owner’s manual has a circuit diagram (many do) anyone that can use a multimeter can at least track down where the problem lies. A competent ham radio operator, a cable TV installer, an electronics technician, an engineer who isn’t tied to a desk … lots of sources for help.

Have you considered the Cuisinart CSO-300N combi oven? The Amazon reviews (here and here) and this eGullet thread (some thirty pages in two parts) make it sound almost too good to be true.

No circuits in my 50’s Wedgewood . I’ll figure it out . Just don’t want to start replacing parts that are still working .

If you have a thermostat there is a circuit.

I have found that Cuisinart products have deteriorated. Reviews might be good but they don’t last. I don’t buy them any more.