T-Fal OT8065002 Avante Elite Toaster Oven Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had the Avante Elite Toaster Oven for about 6 months now and have used it almost every day since I bought it. I originally bought it thinking I'd mainly use it for toast but after experimenting with different items I found that it can serve as a pretty adequate oven/stove top. I'm far from a gourmet chef so this review is from the perspective of someone who can follow a recipe to make a tasty treat but who has never broasted or flambayed and who doesn't yet know what parboiled means.
As a toaster: Just about excellent. It does the "Toast" function very well. Toast was just the right amount of crunchy. The "Toast" setting also adjusts its toasting time pretty accurately so that if the oven is still hot from having used it to cook something, it will set itself to toast for less time. However I have noticed that if I've used the oven on the "Broil" setting (which gets it VERY hot) I need to remove the items from the oven a little earlier than when it actually thinks it will be done. If I left them in there until the timer went off they wouldn't get burnt or even overly dark, just darker than I personally like. I've also made toasty sandwhiches with the Toast feature. I make my sandwhich on buns or french bread and stick them in the oven, set it to Toast, and they come out toasty and melty like you would get at Quiznos.
As an oven: Excellent. The oven part of the Avante Elite cooks meat thoroughly and fairly evenly. I've cooked chicken, beef, hot dogs, breaded eggplant patties, and frozen entrees. I've also baked pizzas and banana bread. All came out pretty delicious. I usually rotate the pizzas once during cooking because the back end of the oven tends to cook things faster than the front end. The oven itself is larger than it looks. I've been able to fit all the frozen pizzas I've tried (including the fairly large Digiorno pizzas).
As a stove top: Great! I don't know if the manufacturers intended for the top "warmer" to be used as a makeshift stove top but that's what I've used it for many many times. I set the oven to the "Broil" setting (caution, it gets the whole oven very hot, but that's the very reason I use this setting) and place a stove-top safe dish on top and then fry, boil, saute or cook *almost* as I would on a normal stove top. I've fried bacon (using the included baking sheet although the bacon can be cooked inside the oven with the included broil pan) and eggs, cooked spaghetti, sauteed vegetables and tofu and have even tried cooking corn and rice up there. The corn and rice are a bit harder because the water doesn't come to a fast boil as it would on a real stove top so unless you have a lot of time, the corn and rice will have to be cooked elsewhere. The top warmer also is somewhat warped (probably from all the extreme temperature changes it undergoes) and so I had to buy a tiny egg-frying pan (it's so cute! if I'm able to add my pictures to this page, you'll see it) so that the egg would cook evenly. That is, I tried to put the baking sheet down first and then fry the egg on that but the egg just slid to one corner of the sheet and I had to make scrambled eggs that day instead. Those came out pretty good though!
So if you want a great toaster that also does justice to the "oven" part of its name AND works great as a makeshift stove top, this toaster oven is worth the money.

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Toaster oven

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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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Hamilton Beach 31199XR Countertop Convection Oven Review

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(More customer reviews)We purchased this one after reading the reviews here of several models. I called the mfr to learn the differences between the 31199XR and others, and was told 31199XR lacks the rotisserie components. That's fine with us as we would never use them! It also lowered the price quite a bit. If you do not plan to use the rotisserie, buy this model!
We bought it because the thermostat on our very old range died, we can't find a replacement, and we are planning to remodel the entire kitchen next summer---so we did not want to buy a range just now.
The convection seems to speed up browning of items but not necessarily cooking all the way through, so you have to be careful --- we browned a couple of pot pies last night more than we wanted to! We are still getting used to using the convection feature.
The oven bakes everything in the same time as usual with a full size range. The difference is in the preheat time---it preheats way faster than the large stove. Also, we use the convection feature to speed the preheating phase and then turn it to Bake for the actual cooking. We have an oven thermometer hanging from the rack.
I roasted a 7 lb turkey breast in it shortly after it arrived--everything perfect. I did have to put foil on the bird partway through cooking, to keep it from overbrowning, but I do that for the full size oven, too.
The top does get hot but not as blazing hot as some reviews indicate. Ours is placed well away from cabinet bottoms, other appliances, etc. All of our existing casseroles and pans will fit inside except a 13 x 9" baking dish. I have a lot of Corningware pyroceram and even the large oval French White casserole fits (rather snugly).
You have to keep the inside spotlessly clean---these electric ovens *will* start fires if you leave a lot of grease and crumbs inside. The bottom pulls all the way out, for cleaning in the sink -- that gray thing in the photo is the handle that runs along the edge. The racks also come out, and when it is cool you can clean the inside easily. If you bake something that drips, like yams, put a piece of foil under it to make cleanup easier.
Someone in another review said he burned his hand opening the door--- I place my hand over, not under, the handle when opening the door and I do not get burned---I also have in my possession a number of potholders, and I use them! : -- )
We are very pleased with this purchase and to tell the truth, we are planning to continue using it after the remodel. It's great for baking something for one or two. I highly recommend it.

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Perfect as a second oven or as an energy-efficient alternative to turning on the full-size oven, this countertop appliance can toast, bake, broil, and convection cook a variety of foods quickly and easily. The toaster oven provides three user-friendly control knobs for selecting the function, temperature, and time. Its full-range temperature-control knob can be set all the way up to 450 degrees F, while the power-control knob/two-hour timer offers automatic shut-off with an audible "ready" signal or can be set to the "stay on" position. The unit provides two racks and an extra-large capacity that can accommodate toast for the whole family or two 12-inch pizzas at a time. Other highlights include a power indicator light, a see-through door for convenient visibility, a slide-out crumb/drip tray, and an easy-to-clean design. Two baking pans, a broil grid rack, and a user manual with a wide variety of recipes are also included. The countertop toaster oven measures 19 by 16 by 13-1/2 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

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