 "Indispensable, I love it" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Brooklyn, NY United States |
I bought this toaster oven about a year and a half ago, and I use it every day - often several times a day. It was considerably less expensive than previous toaster ovens I have owned (I paid less than $80 elsewhere), and I was a little concerned that it would be cheap or flimsy, but it's not - I just love it. It's got lots of space, convection, bun warmer, cleans easily...the only thing I would change about it is the lack of a keypad to enter time, so I do spend a bit of time waiting for the timer to scroll up or down.
My son just called from college to ask if I would get one for his dorm's kltchen - he feels guilty heating up a big oven just to reheat some pizza or whatever (and we thought they weren't listening!). I'm giving it serious thought :-)
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 "Buyer Beware" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from pacific northwest |
I bought this oven two years ago (to replace the microwave) and for the most part it has performed well-enough for re-heating left-overs if you aren't in a hurry. If you want to toast bread though, use a toaster, it's faster.
My biggest complaint with this oven though, is that the rack slides out very quickly and there is NO SAFETY STOP on it. It not only slides out crazy fast, but it wobbles and tips down as it does so. Trying to remove a hot baking dish or tray with sizzling grease in the bottom is a burn hazard, even more so when one is trying to grip with hot pads and everything is unstable and awkward. The oven opening is shallow, just really difficult to get in there without sliding that rack, or accidentally touching the heating element on top. For the price, it should have been designed better.
Also, the inside is non-stick. I am trying to limit my exposure to this chemical coating, and was disappointed that the oven and the trays that came with it were all coated with what is essentially "teflon"..you can do your own research on that.
At the time of purchase, I was unaware of the "glass-shattering problem" and frankly, now that I've read so many reviews about it, I'm ready to toss this out now rather than wait for that to happen next. I'm surprised that there hasn't been a SAFETY RECALL--and that the unit is still being sold AS IS.
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| "Love this useful kitchen tool!!" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Montclair, VA USA |
| This is my first toaster oven. I love it! It is easy to clean. Food cooks wonderfully in it. I just couldn't be happier. It is so useful to us, since we are down to just the two of us. We don't have to heat a big oven for a small amount of food. I mix a batch of cookies and cook a few each day so that we always have fresh cookies. The oven actually cooks the cookies more nicely than my big oven! Does a great job on everything! I have cooked potatoes, mini-meatloafs and many meats. I just couldn't like it more! |
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| "Terrific" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Philadelphia, PA |
| This is a great toaster oven. Im a single woman so it sucked to turn on the oven to bake one chicken breast - this oven is roomy and lives up to the expectation. Have not used the warming tray function but the cooking function is great. |
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 "Really nice toaster oven" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Palo Alto, CA USA |
| I agree with many of the reviewers and will not repeat the details. I owned a wonderful Panasonic toaster for many years and although it looked bad (old and worn) in my new kitchen, I could not find a replacement I was happy with, until this one. I tried the Cuisinart and returned it. My main gripes were that I need an auto shut-off, that is one of the main things I like about using the toaster oven, and that the crumb tray should slide out from the front. It is ridiculous to have it any other way. I also wanted something my older kids wouldn't find difficult to use, as they are not as motivated to read the manual as I am. This T-fal fits those requirements with a few extra pluses, such as the warming drawer, and a depth of only 10 1/2 inches that doesn't jut out onto the counter like the Cuisinart. The only thing that keeps this toaster from being perfect is that the default baking timer is set to 30 minutes. My most frequent toaster oven tasks are for 3-10 minutes, so holding the button down until it reaches the lower numbers is a drag. I would much prefer it started at zero or even 5 or 10, and I could hold it down on those occasions that I needed more time. |
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| "Avanti Elite Convection: worth the money and lost counter space." | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from New Haven, VT, USA |
I used four slice toasters for years and always had to jam four slices into them to make grilled cheese or Mexican pizza for my kids. They were junky hardware store ovens that performed their basic task satisfactorily. When my last one became incontinent to the point of becoming a fire hazard, I sprung for the high end, six slice. The Avanti is such a nice change that it shouldn't be in the same paragraph with those other toasters. It is well designed, simple to use, easy to clean and just a joy to own. I don't feel like I paid the extra money for bells and whistles that I don't use. It browns four slices of large toast evenly (six small pieces would fit, but not the larger bread that seems to be the standard now.) It takes up more counter space than the four because of its larger depth which is a trade off I'm willing to make for its larger capacity.
My bottom line here is that if you want something that is built well and is easy to use, go for this one. If counter space is at such a premium that you don't want to give up any more of your precious real estate, opt for a smaller one or maybe it's time to enlarge the kitchen. |
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