****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
After having a bad experience with a Breville Convection Toaster Oven breaking down on me after a little over a month, I decided that I really didn’t need a top of the line toaster...but I ended up buying one anyways. The Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven is probably the priciest toaster oven I purchased, but dang, does it work well. This little beast pretty much replaced my standard oven when making oven baked items for my family. I’ve made turkey legs, lamb roasts, oven fries, meatballs, cookies, and even reheated leftovers in this thing with great results. Also, this little oven makes for a great slice of toast - it seems to do it all. The oven heats up quickly, has a great convection setting that makes items like fries and chicken skin crisp, and is relatively intuitive to use.As per suggested by other reviewers, I did paint a few layers of clear nail polish over the buttons prior to use, and I haven’t had any issues with the lettering on the buttons fading or chipping off. The outside of the oven does get a bit hot like most toaster ovens do, but the heat and temperature seems to stay within the oven as well - I didn’t have any issues with heat leaking out the door or the door not completely shutting. This toaster oven comes with two wire racks, metal oven tray with metal rack on top, and a pizza stone. It has a light so you can see clearly into the oven - something I didn’t even know I would need or end up loving - and the timer bell is loud enough to hear, but not so loud that I would wake up everyone in the other rooms when it goes off. The oven automatically shuts off once the timer sounds, so you don’t need to worry about keeping track of the unit to make sure it’s off.In terms of cleaning the unit, it’s relatively easy to clean. I have been wiping down the inside and outside of the unit every few weeks, although it’s recommended to wipe down after every use. My oven doesn’t seem to be getting much build up despite almost daily use, although I would recommend wiping it down if you cook foods in it that have a tendency to splatter oil such as meat. I’ve owned this unit for a little over half a year and find it to be one of the most useful kitchen appliances to have on hand - it definitely earned its spot on my kitchen counter. Overall, this is an attractive, well made, and very useful appliance to have in the kitchen - it’s definitely worth every cent that I paid for it and I would buy it again.
