Black & Decker TRO651 Toast-R-Oven, White Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this originally as a replacement for a toaster, but find myself baking a lot more now that I have it. What separates this model from the others is it is roomy enough to bake a small pizza or a large steak inside. This really comes in handy if you hate heating up a large oven (and the whole house) just to bake a small item.
The oven comes with a broiling pan in addition to a grill rack and it heats up very quickly thanks to four separate heating elements; two above and two below. A blue indicator on the front of the oven lights up when it's turned on and a safety feature turns off the heating elements automatically when the oven door is opened. Three separate knobs control how you want to use it. One selects the temperature you wish (up to 450 degrees), another timer selects how long you wish to bake (up to 30 minutes), and a third and less-useful timer is designed strictly for toasting. Allegedly you can set it to light, medium, and dark for perfect toasting but the oven's definition of light, medium, and dark may vary from yours depending on whether you're toasting a thin, light item like white bread or a thicker item such as an english muffin or bagel. One minor annoyance is you have to remember to make sure the temperature gauge is flipped over to the "toast" setting when using this third knob or the oven won't come on at all.
A nice feature is a slide-out tray that can catch crumbs and drippings so the underside of the oven isn't dirtied. Black and Decker recommends you do not use it when toasting items, but I haven't had any problems as long as I keep it clean. They claim the tray and the rest of the interior are non-stick but don't believe it. Once you start grilling, you'll be scrubbing away just as much as a regular oven. Perhaps I'm a clean-freak, but in spite of the slide-out tray I usually place a broiler pan underneath the rack for grill items just so I won't have to scrub the heating elements. It catches all the juices so the oven stays clean but when cooking this way you'll have to flip your chicken or steaks as it won't grill both sides evenly.
Like regular baking items, plan on scrubbing the grill and pans after you're done. Just sticking them in a dishwasher won't get them clean enough. The oven has a rounded glass window that cleans easily enough without removal. This thing can get pretty hot when it's going so you'll need to give it space on each side for it to ventilate properly. It comes with a thick, industrial-grade power cord, but even then I worry the oven can get hot enough to melt through it (no problems so far.) The unit comes with a one-year warranty, but the warranty registration asks enough suspicious questions (e.g. what interests do you like, how much do you make) that your information is likely being sold to mailing lists, telemarketers, and other scum. I'll pass.
Finally, my only major gripe is in regards to the reason I bought the thing in the first place. It's just not a very good replacement for a regular toaster. Even though it heats up quickly, the fact that the interior is so big and roomy means it will take twice as long to toast a piece of bread. It also tends to toast items rather unevenly for some reason. If you're buying it as a supplement to your regular oven, then I say get it. If you're simply looking for something to toast bread, bagels, or muffins, you'll probably be better off with a standard toaster.
Hope the review helped.

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Hamilton Beach 31199R Countertop 1.1-Cubic-Foot Convection Oven with Rotisserie Review

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(More customer reviews)Before buying this particular oven, I read as many product reviews as could be found. They were for a similar Hamilton Beach Oven but not this exact one. And many were quite negative. But it seemed to be just what I wanted. This would be my third countertop oven. The first one lasted over 25 years. The second one, only about 8 years. It arrived earlier than predicted, always a plus. I burned every single thing I put in it for the first week. Not the oven's fault. I'm laughing as I write this. It is so efficient and works so well and I forgot the times on the previous oven were due to it's "dying" process. So, didn't think to compensate for a "new" oven. Well, now I'm doing much better and things are marvelous from this little jewel. Cookies, main dishes, heating up sauces quickly, (I just moved, gave away my microwave and decided not to buy another), sandwiches, even toast from atisan breads are perfectly cooked. So all the burnt foods were obviously "operator error".
At first, I worried what oven ware would fit into it but no worries. I now have a very tall stack of things that will fit comfortably in this oven including several 12-inch glass baking dishes for pizza and cookies. I only had to buy cookie sheets as all the rest (bread pans, muffin tins, springform cake pan, angelfood cake pan, etc) all fit inside very nicely. And best of all, the really large and oversized items can be given away, taking up less storage space in a space-challenged apt.
I would buy this oven again and again. It's the best. Oh, yes, the "bell" rings at the completion of cooking times and I can hear it in the most distant places of this apt. We've had really hot weather this summer and I've so appreciated only having to heat the kitchen for very few minutes to cook meals then a very quick cool down afterwards. I've not even turned on the large stove/oven that is built in to this apt. And I don't plan to, either. This oven is all I need. Oh, yes, I've been using it since the end of July 2007 - slightly under a month and with daily usage.

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For everything from cooking a 5-pound chicken to baking two 12-inch pizzas or a birthday cake, this extra-large 1.1-cubic-foot countertop oven makes it possible to cook whole meals without turning on the full-size oven. Three simple-to-use control knobs allow for setting the temperature; for choosing the function--broil, convection, bake, or rotisserie; and for turning the unit off or selecting the cook time or "continuous on". Its convection method continuously circulates heated air around food, resulting in even heating and 33-percent faster cooking times than a traditional oven. Or use the revolving rotisserie rack to cook meat to moist, tender perfection. Other highlights include a power indicator light, a see-through window for checking on food at a glance, a stay-cool handle, and an easy-to-clean design. Accessories include two oven racks, two baking pans, a broil rack, and a slide-out crumb/drip tray, as well as a rotisserie skewer and a rotisserie lifter. Not sure where to start? Hamilton Beach throws in a user manual with recipes for herb-rubbed chicken, baked potatoes, meat loaf, pumpkin cookies, muffins, and much more. Dishwasher-safe parts make cleanup a snap, and the stainless-steel front-panel design looks great in any kitchen. The countertop oven measures approximately 12-1/2 by 17-1/2 by 13-2/3 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

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Black & Decker CTO6301 Digital Advantage Stainless-Steel 6-Slice Convection Toaster Oven Review

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(More customer reviews)After my horrible experiences with the Black & Decker TRO700S 4-Slice Toast-R-Oven, Stainless Steel, I swore I wouldn't buy another Black & Decker toaster oven. But when I was checking out several toaster ovens at Bed Bath & Beyond, low and behold there was this particular model available. Compared to the other models around, this one had the best combination of features and size for the price. The Krups convection oven felt cheaply made, unwarranted for the price. The other oven I considered, a Kitchen Aid convection oven, was very well made and looked great, except it did not have a convection feature and the elements were poorly exposed. I wanted to check out the Sanyo SK-VF7S Digital Convection Oven, Stainless Steel Finish that has been getting great reviews, but unfortunately this store didn't carry it. So, I decided to take a chance on "fool me thrice, shame on me". At least I could take it back to the local store if it didn't work out.
This Black & Decker oven is much better made than the TRO700S. It's also a bit bigger and has more solid feeling controls. It's also digital, so you don't have an annoying ticking sound while cooking. It also seems more robust than the Sanyo, potentially delivering more value for the money.
The Good: Excellent design, versatile tray system, non-stick inner surface, decent crumb guards over the heating elements, great capacity (it'll even accommodate a 12" pizza), wide viewing area, and even cooking. There are a lot of nice functions, including "bagel"--the bottom heats at half the top temperature, so it doesn't crisp the bottom of the bagel too much (nice). The exterior does get hot, like most toaster ovens, and its even worse with a brushed steel surface; however, the right side (where the convection fan is located) tends not to get scalding hot. The BROIL mode works well, despite not having the convection feature functioning. And although the toasting function takes long to work, it does brown the toast evenly.
The Not-so-good: The digital controls are confusing and take some time to figure out. The directions are OK, not great--but you definitely need to read them. The display does not have a clock, as one usually finds on digital appliances, but this is OK--once you realize it. The unit beeps at you when you select a cooking function, and it's rather loud. The convection feature only works in BAKE mode, not BROIL--I found this strange and disappointing. When you use it, there is no count-down indication of toasting progress (unlike with timed cooking/baking); you just have to trust that it will stop at the right time. Lastly, this product is designed more as an oven than a toaster--a single piece of toast takes about 50% longer to toast than in a conventional toaster. However, the workaround is to move the shelf to the upper position and then just flip the toast once it has browned on one side. Only a minor inconvenience. Also, there is no backlight to the LCD display, so if you're cooking at night in low light it's a little difficult to see the display details.
Overall, I give this unit a thumbs up... for now. I trust that since I didn't find any initial defects, it should operate well going forward. It is not a perfect oven, but then it seems NO company out there is bothering to perfect the convection/toaster oven. Sometimes I think I should go into product design, as I see so many flaws that can be easily avoided. Anyway, you won't go wrong getting this oven. :-)
NOTE: I really recommend seeing a toaster oven in person before buying it. This way you can get a sense of how it looks, feels, and operates. It's that tangible experience you just can't get on-line. Also, you can save more buying it in person (I paid $67 with tax, at BB&B with a 20% off coupon). However, if you aren't able to get to a store that has the appliances you're interested in, then you have to rely on what you see on-line. I hope my review helps you in your decision.

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A useful addition to any busy kitchen, this convection toaster oven helps make mealtime a snap, whether keeping up with the everyday demands of an on-the-go family or cooking for a crowd during the holidays when additional cooking space comes in handy. Its user-friendly, push-button control panel and digital display help ensure easy programming. The oven's heat can be adjusted up to 450 degrees F, and its functions consist of toast, broil, bake, and convection bake (convection cooking helps food cook quickly and evenly with no hot spots). Use the appliance for anything from toasting up to six slices of bread at time to broiling a chicken or baking a casserole or pizza for dinner--its extra-deep curved interior makes it possible to accommodate larger size dishes and pies up to 12 inches. It also offers preset function buttons for automatically cooking a variety of popular menu items such as bagels, pizzas, frozen snacks, potatoes, and cookies. Other highlights include a 120-minute timer that shuts off automatically after the elapsed time, an audible bake and toast signal bell, a nonstick interior, upper and lower oven-rack positions, an "on" indicator light, and a glass door for viewing the cooking process at a glance. Accessories include a pizza pan, a baking pan, and a removable crumb tray. With its beautiful, brushed-stainless-steel exterior, the toaster oven measures approximately 17-3/4 by 14 by 11-1/2 inches.

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