Breville BOV800XL The Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ

I'm a fan of all things Mac so I often use my admiration for Apple as a reference for reviewing products. First, the package arrived today without a dent. It ships in a Breville box (be careful it you ship it as a surprise) inside another box. It is very well packed so there was no damage. Unboxing the oven reminded me of unpacking an Apple product. They really want you to feel that you have just purchased something great. The box is no ordinary convection oven box. But you don't buy an oven because of the box, right? I've posted a photo of what comes with the oven. You get a crumb tray, a wire rack, a two-piece broiler pan and a non-stick pizza pan. That's a good amount of extra stuff. Note that Breville recommends that the broiler pan not go in the dishwasher as it is enamel coated so it's going to take some elbow grease.

This is my third convection oven, My first was a Black and Decker. It was terrible but I bought it before Al Gore invented the internet so there were no reviews to read. The second was a top-rated Cuisinart. The controls on the Cuisinart cracked, warped, toasted and ceased functioning after a year. So I was very excited to get an oven with sturdy knobs and a stainless steel front. Many reviewers have noted the magnetic wire rack device. It's not rocket science. They put two magnets in the door that grab the wire rack when it is in the middle slot. That's the only slot in which the magnets work. It is a nice feature.

I baked a California Pizza Kitchen pizza. It turned out great. These pizzas, although delicious, are notoriously messy. They tend to drip grease and cheese. It did get a little smokey when the drippings hit the bottom elements. The design of the crumb tray catches all this junk for easy clean-up. You won't have to scrub junk off the bottom of the inside of the oven because the bottom pulls out and goes right into the sink.

The next test was toast. Although it's best to use an actual toaster for toast, this oven did a much better job toasting bread than my other ovens, especially the Cuisinart. I started with two slices of sourdough placed in the center. I posted a photo showing you the results. Please note that I flipped over the piece on the right showing you the bottom. It actually turned out better than either of my previous ovens. However, it took over 5 minutes to get this result so it's not quick. But if you get upset waiting over five minutes for toast, then you have other problems.

The top of the oven does get warm, which will come in handy as a food warmer. The handle is sturdy. I appreciate that it does not connect to the front glass.

The electronic controls are very intuitive (like an iPhone) and easy to use. The computer sensor inside seems to work as advertised. This next point is minor but the electrical cord is rather short. The plug-in is a unique design that sticks out farther from the wall than most cords. This might be bad if you have limited counter space and the outlet you're using is directly behind the oven. It sticks straight out of the wall by about four inches. I'm not sure why they designed it that way but for some people this might be a frustration.

What I cannot tell you is how this oven will perform over the months and years ahead. I am hoping that this oven will outperform the expensive Cuisinart. I'll revise this review this summer after we've used it for a while.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this oven. Breville seems to have done some great research on convection ovens. It will be interesting to see how Consumer Reports and the folks at America's Test Kitchen will rate this oven in the future. I'm guessing it will do very well.