We have a family that seems to be all over the map these days when it comes time to sitting down and eating.
Although we do make a serious effort to eat at least one or two meals together as a family each week, more often that not, our meals are eaten as we rush through the kitchen on our way out the other side to some activity or another.
That’s ok. We are a busy family with sports and scouts and dance recitals and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Who Won the Basketball Game?
Our kids are well adjusted and we feel they are benefitting from the social interaction that comes from the clubs and sports and dance troupes they are involved with.
However, we worry about theirs diets and eating habits as a result of our many meals on the run. I started to become concerned that we were reinforcing eating habits that they would carry over to their own families one day.
Who Ate the Enchiladas?
On many evenings, dinner might consist of frozen enchiladas thrown into the microwave … Lord knows that it takes so long to pre-heat our big oven, that by the time the oven is up to temperature, we are already late for our game.
It was about this time that I started hearing good things about a certain toaster oven – just that this “toaster oven” was not just a toaster, but a full fledged convection oven, providing one with real convection oven cooking – only smaller.
Here’s how it happened …
Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven, 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ
We’ve got a “toaster oven” where I work and do you know what we use it for? That’s right, to make toast.
On some days we bring in a bag of bagels and if you set this thing just right, your bagel won’t break your teeth.
I’m not sure what this thing is called but I do know one thing – this toaster oven is not going to improve my family’s eating habits.
One day my friend down the street invited me over for coffee on a Saturday afternoon and guess what I saw on the counter that didn’t look anything like what we had at work. A Breville convection oven. My friend told me that this might just be the best toaster oven out there.
See The Breville Smart Oven at Amazon.com
Smaller is Better – Or is It?
My friend is in pretty much the same situation that we are in with the migratory family and one day their big oven broke.
They weren’t using it much anyway, but the one time they tried to roast a chicken on a particular lazy Sunday afternoon, their big oven refused to meet the heat.
Enchiladas in the Microwave
My friend had been researching convection toaster ovens for the last few months and had finally pushed the PURCHASE button at Amazon.
And there on the counter sat a Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven, 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ.
Whatever that means, right?
The Breville Smart Toaster Oven was like nothing I had ever seen in a countertop oven. This was not a just a countertop toaster oven , but a full fledged real oven – only smaller.
What did this mean?
Well, first of all I learned that I could cook any sized meal for my family in this thing except for maybe a Thanksgiving turkey.
… big deal – I could cook any sized meal for my family in my conventional oven (given the time) plus the Thanksgiving turkey to boot.
Besides – this toaster oven cooking thing is destined to go the way of the microwave cooking thing of the ’70s, right?
Time and Money is Wasted in the Pre-Heating of My Big Conventional Oven
I was challenged to measure the interior of my big conventional oven and then to honestly access my need to heat this entire space in order to cook the meals that would keep my family healthy.
I was also asked to measure the time it takes to pre-heat my big conventional oven and then compare that pre-heat time to the total time needed to cook a complete meal in my Breville – preheat included.
It takes my big oven up to 10 minutes to heat to around 350 compared with about 3 minutes for the Breville. That is a lot of wasted time, electricity, and money!
Toaster, Toaster, How ‘Bout a Roaster?
The Breville toaster Oven has a .8-cubic-foot nonstick interior. This number meant nothing to me until I learned that I could stick a whole chicken into this thing and, pre-heat and all, have it on the table quicker than my big conventional oven.
A whole chicken in a “toaster oven?”
This is a large toaster oven on the inside and a small toaster oven on the outside. This Breville countertop convection oven has been designed with space on the inside while at the same time minimizing your countertop footprint.
But I Can’t Even Set Up My VCR – It’s Still Blinking 12:00
Alright, I don’t use a VCR anymore, but you know what I mean if you are my age.
I used to have a pretty difficult time with the “toaster oven” where I work – I would stick my bagel on the rack, close the door, push some buttons, and hope for the best.
The Breville on the other hand could be operated by a child (or an adult with a child’s mind.)
Just to mention, the top of this thing does get hot (as do all countertop toaster ovens) and is designed to heat plates – so make sure to tell your children not to touch the top.
First of all what a thing of beauty this Breville Smart Toaster Oven is. Sitting on my friend’s counter, this thing looked like some high end appliance …
And then it is so easy to use!
9 pre-set functions
The Breville Smart Convection Toaster Oven control system is designed with 9 pre-set functions built right in. Simply turn the function select knob to choose between toast, bagel, bake, roast, broil, pizza, cookies, reheat, and warm.
Say for instance, you want to toast up to six whole wheat bagel halves for a high fiber start to your morning. Simply turn the Function Select dial (‘O’ in the diagram) until the arrow points to bagel and press the Start/Cancel button ‘N’.
The time and temperature are already preset so you simply get your favorite toppings ready until the timer lets you know your bagels are done and automatically turns the oven off. Perfect bagels every time – crisp on the outside, warm and soft on the inside.
If you find the bagels are not crispy enough for your liking or maybe too crispy perhaps, simply adjust the preset time with the Time knob ‘Q’ and/or the Temperature knob ‘P’ – you are in control. The smart function remembers this setting for the next time as well … very cool!
The same thing goes for the other functions as well whether you are broiling a steak, roasting a chicken, or baking a pizza. You can either choose to use the default pre-sets or adjust the time and temperature according to your menu.
And the Element IQ of the Breville BOV800XL The Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven insures that whatever you put into it is going to come out to die for.
Element IQ Technology – the Smarter the Better
Element IQ technology provides smarter control over the heat that the Breville Smart Oven applies to the foods you are cooking. Element IQ automatically adjusts the heat of the elements to provide optimal energy-efficient operation.
Element IQ controls the power to each element as would a dimmer switch on your wall. This technology also insures that your food is cooked evenly and perfectly throughout for a delicious meal every time.
Five Quart Heating Elements Give You Perfect Results, Saves You Time and Money
The Breville Smart Countertop Convection Oven has 5 quartz heating elements that give the oven precise control when cooking your food. These Breville countertop convection ovens pre-heat in minutes and consume less than 50% of the power wasted by a big conventional oven.
Depending on how much you use your big conventional oven, switching to the Breville Smart Oven BOV800XL could save you the price of the unit in electricity alone!
When you see just how quickly and efficiently it cooks delicious, mouth watering meals, you will be using it instead of your big oven and your microwave as well.
And since the temperature of your oven is precisely controlled, foods cook faster too.
The Toast and Bagel function uses the two of three quartz heating elements on top and the two quartz heating elements on the bottom. Notice the position of the rack. The rack is now in the center of the three rack positions.
The Broil function of the Breville BOV800XL The Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven uses the top three quartz heating elements. The rack is moved to the top position in the Broil function.
The Bake function of the Breville BOV800XL The Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven uses the same quartz heating elements as the Toast function but the convection fan is now turned on by default. The rack is now moved to the bottom position.
The convection fan insures that the heat of your oven is evenly distributed so that whether you are baking a cake or a casserole, you can be confident that it’s going to come out just as you had hoped.
Even though the Convection fan is a default for your Bake and Roast functions, you can turn it on or off for any of the other functions with just the press of a button.
Boy Do I Hate to Clean My Full Sized Oven
Relax. The Breville BOV800XL The Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven is super easy to wipe down inside and it features a removable crumb tray that pops right out the front instead of the back as with some other toaster ovens.
This makes cleaning your Breville Oven a snap.
What is Included With My Breville Convection Toaster Oven?
Some other toaster ovens require you to purchase accessories you need to to cook with. Not the Breville Convection Toaster Oven.
The Breville includes every accessory you need to get started right away with any cooking project, big or small, right out of the box. Your oven comes with a 12 x 12 enamel broil rack (A), a 12 x 12 enamel baking pan (B), a 13 inch non-stick pizza pan (C), and an easy to remove crumb tray (J).
One cool thing about this oven is that it is recessed in the back to accommodate the 13 inch pizza pan allowing you the extra size for your hungry family or card night.
We love frozen pizza in our family. You would be surprised how many healthy varieties you’ll find out there today. And they really do cook up in no time allowing you to serve up a healthy meal on the go.
We like to experiment with our own toppings such as chicken, pineapple, onions, and olives for instance and your family will come up with its favorites as well.
Looks Aren’t Everything – Or Are They?
Looks certainly aren’t everything but when you have this sitting on your counter, you are going to want a toaster convection that not only performs but looks good as well.
Your Breville Toaster Convection Oven is attractively housed in reinforced stainless steel. This stainless steel toaster oven not only functions as a high end oven but looks like one as well.
You will receive lots of compliments from both friends and family on not only the meals you cook but also the attractiveness of this Breville convection oven on your countertop.
What Are Other People Saying?
This Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven currently holds a 4.5 star (out of a possible 5) rating at Amazon. It has currently been reviewed at Amazon by over 400 people which at the moment is more reviews than any other of the best toaster ovens at Amazon.
Here are just a few of reviews you will find about the Breville countertop ovens …
- A great addition to the kitchen
- Wish I had gotten it earlier
- Well worth the investment
- Gourmet toaster oven, sophisticated yet simple to use
- Have used almost everyday
- Awesome small oven
- Agree with all the 5 star reviews
- Great oven
You can read more Breville toaster oven reviews and Breville toaster oven ratings by heading over to Amazon yourself or clicking on the picture of the Breville toaster oven below.
Please stop back and let me know if you purchase a toaster oven and how your toaster oven is working out for you.
See The Breville Smart Oven at Amazon.com
