"You LOVE russia, DON'T YOU?" | 2009-10-26 |
| - Reviewed By h-nice |
Why do I have to verify that I'm over 13? What, 11 year olds don't have opinions on toaster ovens? Forget that noise.
Anyway, I'm 34, and I have this toaster oven. A couple of things you should know about it:
* This ain't your grandfather's toaster oven. It's also not his wrench. ha HA!! But seriously, this is much more like your actual, you know, oven than it is like one of those dinky little two-slice things at that house you rent at the beach every summer. Those things bite. This thing rules. Like, it heats well and quickly and evenly, and can fit a whole bunch of crap. I use my real oven way less now that I have this thing. Up to and including a souffle, this is where I turn.
* The outside gets sort of hot. If you're the kind of guy who takes a lot of citalopram because he's always worried about things, TRUST me when i tell you that you're going to spend some time wondering if this is going to catch other junk on fire. IT TOTALLY WON'T, but it does get warm -- just move it 3 inches from the wall, and ask your doctor to up you to 40mg.
* The complaint about the rack coming out is valid, but sort of in the way that 'THIS KNIFE IS SHARP!' is true. I mean, yeah, but seriously? Learn how to use your TOASTER OVEN!!!!
* The broiler's only OK. Do you want a salamander for your kitchen? Cause I do. I should just get a nice acetylene torch. But I won't. I KNOW I won't.
* This thing is really well-made and attractive JUST LIKE ME. Except that I'm not really well-made. I have bad knees and my neck hurts sometimes. If my parents weren't total redneck xenophobes, I'd speculate that I was made in China.
So, that's it. This is a great little oven, and seriously useful. Not perfect, but neither are you. There. I said it. |
| |
"good oven, but rack falls out - quite dangerous" | 2009-10-18 |
| - Reviewed By User: A235YRSPAD8TPW |
| Overall, I like the oven for heating stuff up. I haven't tried baking in it yet. But I HATE that the rack falls out. It's not as bad on the lower supports as it is on the upper ones, but if you have anything with even a little bit of weight, it falls out within a couple of inches of pulling it out unless you slide it out very, very slowly and then put something underneath the rack to rest it on while you pull out whatever you have in there. But that requires resting something on the open door and I'm not sure what a good idea that is, especially in terms of possibly damaging the door hinges. The way the rack and the metal trays fit in feels unstable in general, although the rest of the oven feels fairly tight and well designed. Unlike other reviewers, I find that the convection oven cooks somewhat hotter and faster than my conventional oven. I would recommend lining the metal trays (not the one with the holes) with aluminum foil because they're difficult to get clean, in part because they're so small. I agree with the reviewer who recommended gauging when something is done by the feel and appearance of what you're cooking. As a rule of thumb (based on many years' experience), if I'm baking, I know it's done once I can smell it. |
| |
"Great Oven, Odd Design" | 2009-10-15 |
| - Reviewed By lightsrms |
I adore the way this oven works. I don't "cook," I reheat (mostly) steaks from Sizzler. It does this in splendid fashion, keeping the rare center, crisping up the outside of the steak.
But the warming tray thing is very problematic. I have it on my cooktop so I can use the fan when broiling, but the warming tray lid will not open completely. Even though I never use it, it gets filthy from the main oven use and since the glass lid is not removable, it's nearly impossible to get truly clean. Since there is no flange between top and bottom ovens, this also causes grease and dirt to build up on the warmer glass cover.
It isn't as easy to clean as it claimed to be. The insides and top of the main oven refuse all attempts to get them clean.
However, for baking and broiling, I've never used a better oven. Bar none. The timer works well, rack positions are many and the timer and intensity settings make everything come out exactly as you want them. |
| |
"So far so good" | 2009-08-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: AC9C478543Q5H |
| This replaced a 15 year old DeLonghi Alfredo that is still going strong, but a little tired looking and lacking in modern features like convection. The Avante Elite looks very nice. It has nice heavy, enameled pans along with the wire racks. Toasting seems a little slower than my previous oven. It is simple to operate. It is quiet. The warmer on top is nice. I miss the interior light and the quicker toasting of the DeLonghi, but not the noisy clockwork timer. Overall I like it. Hope it lasts. |
| |
"Best Convection Oven I have ever owned" | 2009-08-04 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3BLHPQ8X0RAXL |
| You cannot go wrong purchasing the convection one. It's all I ever use. I got it as a gift and cannot go a day withou using it. Great Item. |
| |
"After 4 years, still doing its main job well" | 2009-07-04 |
| - Reviewed By jeffjones8 |
| I've owned this convection oven almost 4 years and have used it a great deal. The good: as a convection oven it works great. It is easy to set or adjust the cook time and temperature, the rack can hold a good sized dish and their is adequate height to put taller foods in the oven, the unit is small enough to be put away out of sight under a counter. The rack and pan are easy to remove for cleaning. The not-so-good: one of the control buttons was mislabeled (but it is very easy to operate so not a big deal), the bun warmer doesn't work that well, as a toaster it isn't that great but can get by with it if a real toaster isn't available. Bottom line - I always prefer to use this oven instead of my full size oven unless the things I am cooking are too large for the Avante. It heats fast, cooks well, cools quickly, and can be stored out of sight, nice product. |
| |