Cuisinart - A Toaster Oven that's More Than a Toaster!

Hallelujah Cuisinart! My husband and I recently received a Cuisinart Convection Oven Toaster Broiler with Exact Heat Sensor as a wedding present. I wasn't crazy about the idea of getting a toaster oven because I couldn't see the point in having an oven AND a toaster AND a toaster oven. But my husband won, and I will be eternally grateful!

The first thing you must realize when considering the purchase of a toaster oven is that, if you purchase a quality unit, it functions as much more than a toaster. I've cooked everything from biscuits to pot pies to roast in ours, and I am yet to be disappointed. Yes, you can relegate your regular toaster to the used appliances section of your garage, but don't be fooled into thinking that this will be the only casualty of your kitchen revolution. Your old out-dated oven could be next!

First of all, I must say that I didn't really know what made a convection oven different from a conventional one. According to the Cuisinart instruction booklet, when you use the convection oven setting, a fan "gently circulates the heat and surrounds the food to provide exceptionally even temperature." This setting cooks food approximately 30% faster than conventional ovens and does not dry out the food.

What I've found is that a chicken (yes, a 4 1/2 lb. chicken will easily fit into the 0.5 cubic foot oven) cooked on this setting comes out moist and delicious with no hint of any rubbery texture and baked items such as cinnamon rolls are completely done in the middle just as the outside is turning brown. Perfect!

The toaster oven also comes with a broiling pan and drip tray that can be adjusted to accommodate a variety of meats, so cooking everything from a whole chicken to a fish filet is convenient and very easy to clean up.

Along with the convection oven setting, the toaster oven offers broil, bake, toast, brown, defrost, reheat, and even a special bagel button. The toast setting allows you to toast up to 6 large slices of bread at a time. There is a slide-out crumb tray that is removable from the back of the unit so that bread crumbs can be removed effortlessly.

There are many advantages to this product, but I must say that the price could be a bit prohibitive to some. We received this unit as a gift, and if we hadn't, I'm not sure that we would have paid $250 for an additional appliance that we really didn't need. But now that I've used it, I believe that it's worth the money and would recommend it to anyone. In my opinion, the time saved alone is enough to justify the cost. And in the summer months, I'm sure I will appreciate not having to use the oven as much.

We also received a Cuisinart food processor, hand mixer and blender. I have yet to open and try these appliances, but I'm sure that they will be of the same high quality as the toaster oven. Look out old appliances! Cuisinart has invaded, and your future doesn't look good.