Euro-Pro TO251 Convection 6-Slice Toaster Oven with Pizza Pan Review

I bought this from Sears to replace my dirty ugly (but functional) old Kenmore toaster oven.I am pretty happy with it, but there are a few things about it that are not perfect.

I think this toaster oven is the same as many others out there.If you are shopping for toaster ovens, you will see that there are lots of different models and brands offering pretty much the same configuration of controls and features as this one. I suspect that they are all made in the same factory and just have different body styles and name brands slapped on to them.

Anyway, here are some of the features that I like about it:
- It has a "Stay On" setting, so if I am baking something that will take more than 60 minutes I don't have to keep turning up the timer to keep the oven on.
- It offers different cooking combinations of top heat, bottom heat, both, convection on and off.
- It has a bulge in the back ("pizza bump") so that I can put a 12 inch diameter pizza pan in it (one was in the box, but I prefer a pizza screen).Not counting the bulge, the interior is about 9" x 12".It is 4.75 inches from the rack in lowest position to the top heating elements.
- It came with a second rack so I can heat things on two racks at the same time if I want to.
- The stainless steel body means that I can scrub the body without having to worry about removing color (and it looks good)

A few flaws that made me contemplate returning it:
- The outside gets hotter than my older (Kenmore) toaster oven.I put a grill thermometer on the top, when baking at full temp, the top surface reaches 220, about 20 degrees warmer than my old Kenmore.I looked and there appears to be an air gap between the roof of the oven and the outside top surface, but I could not tell if there is any insulation in there.But that means it gets the kitchen hotter, and it provides a hotter warming shelf (plates now get too hot if left too long).[I have moved my ugly old toaster oven out to my patio, and if it is too hot to bake inside, I will bake out there instead.]
- The temperature dial goes down to 150 degrees, but when I have tested it with various cooking modes, the actual oven temperature didn't go lower than 200 in one cooking mode, and 180 in another one.I had been hoping to use this for things like slow roasting and food drying, but that is too hot.
- At the corners of the glass door, there are little cushions that probably protect the glass door from shock, but they also prevent the glass door from closing the whole way, so there is a gap of about 2.5mm to let the heat out (using more electricity and making the kitchen hotter).I haven't decided if this is a feature (perhaps it was felt that some air flow was needed) or a bug.
- If you pull the rack out more than one inch, the back is no longer supported so the back of the rack falls down, and what you are baking slides down to the back.This is a real design flaw, but I have just gotten used to the annoyance and hardly pull the rack out now.

However, in spite of these flaws, I find that I am really happy with the purchase and have enjoyed using its many functions.

Also, note that the ridiculously huge dimensions given in the Amazon listing (at the time of this writing) are the size of the box, not the toaster oven itself.The toaster oven is 17.75 wide x 10.25 tall x 13.5 deep, not counting little bumpers which stick out of the side and back about a half inch to prevent it being pushed too close to walls.

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Product Description:
Perfect as a second oven or as an energy-efficient alternative to turning on the full-size oven, this countertop appliance offers an extra-large 3/5-cubic-foot capacity and can toast up to six slices of bread at a time. The toaster oven provides three user-friendly control knobs for selecting the function, temperature, and time. Choose from keep warm, broil, bake, toast, or grill--its convection heating delivers fast, even cooking with no hot spots. In addition, the toaster oven's full-range temperature-control knob can be set from 150 to 450 degrees F, while its 60-minute timer offers a variety of toast settings, a "stay on" function, and automatic shut-off with a "ready" signal. Use the handy appliance for anything from breakfast toast and English muffins to appetizers and side dishes. It can even accommodate a 12-inch pizza. Accessories include two wire racks, one bake pan, a pan/rack remover, a pizza pan, and an easy-to-empty pull-out crumb tray for quick cleanup. With its brushed stainless-steel exterior, the attractive 1380-watt convection toaster oven measures approximately 21 by 15-4/5 by 11-4/5 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

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Black & Decker CTO6301 Digital Advantage Stainless-Steel 6-Slice Convection Toaster Oven Review

After my horrible experiences with the Black & Decker TRO700S 4-Slice Toast-R-Oven, Stainless Steel, I swore I wouldn't buy another Black & Decker toaster oven.But when I was checking out several toaster ovens at Bed Bath & Beyond, low and behold there was this particular model available.Compared to the other models around, this one had the best combination of features and size for the price.The Krups convection oven felt cheaply made, unwarranted for the price.The other oven I considered, a Kitchen Aid convection oven, was very well made and looked great, except it did not have a convection feature and the elements were poorly exposed.I wanted to check out the Sanyo SK-VF7S Digital Convection Oven, Stainless Steel Finish that has been getting great reviews, but unfortunately this store didn't carry it.So, I decided to take a chance on "fool me thrice, shame on me".At least I could take it back to the local store if it didn't work out.

This Black & Decker oven is much better made than the TRO700S.It's also a bit bigger and has more solid feeling controls.It's also digital, so you don't have an annoying ticking sound while cooking.It also seems more robust than the Sanyo, potentially delivering more value for the money.

The Good:Excellent design, versatile tray system, non-stick inner surface, decent crumb guards over the heating elements, great capacity (it'll even accommodate a 12" pizza), wide viewing area, and even cooking.There are a lot of nice functions, including "bagel"--the bottom heats at half the top temperature, so it doesn't crisp the bottom of the bagel too much (nice).The exterior does get hot, like most toaster ovens, and its even worse with a brushed steel surface; however, the right side (where the convection fan is located) tends not to get scalding hot.The BROIL mode works well, despite not having the convection feature functioning.And although the toasting function takes long to work, it does brown the toast evenly.

The Not-so-good:The digital controls are confusing and take some time to figure out.The directions are OK, not great--but you definitely need to read them.The display does not have a clock, as one usually finds on digital appliances, but this is OK--once you realize it.The unit beeps at you when you select a cooking function, and it's rather loud.The convection feature only works in BAKE mode, not BROIL--I found this strange and disappointing.When you use it, there is no count-down indication of toasting progress (unlike with timed cooking/baking); you just have to trust that it will stop at the right time.Lastly, this product is designed more as an oven than a toaster--a single piece of toast takes about 50% longer to toast than in a conventional toaster.However, the workaround is to move the shelf to the upper position and then just flip the toast once it has browned on one side.Only a minor inconvenience.Also, there is no backlight to the LCD display, so if you're cooking at night in low light it's a little difficult to see the display details.

Overall, I give this unit a thumbs up... for now.I trust that since I didn't find any initial defects, it should operate well going forward.It is not a perfect oven, but then it seems NO company out there is bothering to perfect the convection/toaster oven.Sometimes I think I should go into product design, as I see so many flaws that can be easily avoided.Anyway, you won't go wrong getting this oven.:-)

NOTE:I really recommend seeing a toaster oven in person before buying it.This way you can get a sense of how it looks, feels, and operates.It's that tangible experience you just can't get on-line.Also, you can save more buying it in person (I paid $67 with tax, at BB&B with a 20% off coupon).However, if you aren't able to get to a store that has the appliances you're interested in, then you have to rely on what you see on-line.I hope my review helps you in your decision.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Black & Decker CTO6301 Digital Advantage Stainless-Steel 6-Slice Convection Toaster Oven

Product Description:
A useful addition to any busy kitchen, this convection toaster oven helps make mealtime a snap, whether keeping up with the everyday demands of an on-the-go family or cooking for a crowd during the holidays when additional cooking space comes in handy. Its user-friendly, push-button control panel and digital display help ensure easy programming. The oven's heat can be adjusted up to 450 degrees F, and its functions consist of toast, broil, bake, and convection bake (convection cooking helps food cook quickly and evenly with no hot spots). Use the appliance for anything from toasting up to six slices of bread at time to broiling a chicken or baking a casserole or pizza for dinner--its extra-deep curved interior makes it possible to accommodate larger size dishes and pies up to 12 inches. It also offers preset function buttons for automatically cooking a variety of popular menu items such as bagels, pizzas, frozen snacks, potatoes, and cookies. Other highlights include a 120-minute timer that shuts off automatically after the elapsed time, an audible bake and toast signal bell, a nonstick interior, upper and lower oven-rack positions, an "on" indicator light, and a glass door for viewing the cooking process at a glance. Accessories include a pizza pan, a baking pan, and a removable crumb tray. With its beautiful, brushed-stainless-steel exterior, the toaster oven measures approximately 17-3/4 by 14 by 11-1/2 inches.

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