Can do the job most of the time, but....- The KitchenAid Toaster Oven

KitchenAid should be able to do better….

I must start this review by stating that my husband surprised me with this very attractive appliance. It was extremely sweet of him and I do appreciate it! That being said, I think KitchenAid could have done better. This is technically called a countertop oven, although it is making its life in our house as a toaster oven mainly. Purchase price on this one was roughly $130 on sale. We needed a replacement for a ten year old toaster oven that was looking pretty shabby and no longer fit in with our new kitchen remodel.

What I like….

I love the looks of this appliance! It is extremely attractive! I have the stainless steel version, but it is also available in a really nice red or simply black. All three options are very pleasing on the eye. The oven has a stay cool curved handle at the top of the front tempered glass door for easy access. The door easily pulls down to reveal the wire rack on the inside. It has three black dials for function, temperature, and time which give this oven a huge range of flexibility in function. You can bake, broil or warm at temperatures up to 450 degrees as well as toast in this oven.

The size both on the inside and the outside are perfect for this family and our needs. The 0.5 cubic foot interior is big enough for six slices of toast or the occasional Boboli we like to cook in the small oven. The lady at the store said it is big enough to roast an entire chicken according to my husband, but if I ever have a need to roast an entire chicken, I think I might use my full size double oven.

The exterior measurements are 10.38 inches high by 20.0 inches wide with a depth of 14.75 inches. This is the perfect size to fit nicely under most upper cabinets. I like that even with a roomy interior cavity, there is still ample counter space in front of the oven.


What I don’t like….

There is one big thing I truly don't like about this oven. It does not toast well. It toasts too slowly and as a result my bagels turn to hockey pucks. In the beginning it did toast fine, but after a few uses, I am now permanently in hockey puck city.

In addition, I am completely paranoid about Teflon or anything with Teflon on it. I have heard so many different stories about the good and bad and potential of health hazards associated with Teflon at different temperatures. I am unsure of what to believe at this point, so I try to stay away from it in general. This oven has an interior which is coated in Teflon for easy cleaning. If I had been the one to bring this one home, I would have returned it based on the use of Teflon in the interior alone. I think KitchenAid could have come up with a better idea.

Because it does have Teflon, I try to use it less for cooking at high temperatures. I noticed the first time my husband decided to use broil to reheat a slice of pizza, there was a bit of smoke coming out of the oven. I had him toss the pizza and take the oven outside and cook on high heat with nothing in it for half an hour. It seems that you need to cook off the newness before really using it the first time in order to get rid of any toxic residue that might be lurking from the factory. Since doing this, there is no smoke or fumes at high temperatures and I am not worried about it happening again.


How does it work????

This is a fabulous toaster oven......for everything but toast! The oven is equipped with a really cool curved wire rack which are supposed to allow the toast to toast to perfection. This does not happen, but reheating in it is always successful. Anything we have reheated has also been heated evenly and thoroughly. I have broiled garlic bread in it and been delighted with the results.

Cleaning is easy…

Both the curved wire rack as well as the crumb tray on the bottom come out and easily go in the dishwasher. They clean to shiny new and slip back in easily. The exterior needs to be wiped down every few days for little fingerprints, but stays cleaner than some of my other stainless steel appliances. The interior wipes down easily as well. This is most likely due to the addition of Teflon. Overall, very little maintenance is required on my part to keep it clean.

Other info:

- 1400 watts of power
- One year warranty
- also comes with a broiling pan and grilling rack(both dishwasher safe)


Overall…..

Overall, I like this oven if I ignore the toaster function, but the whole point was that I wanted a TOASTER oven - hence the name. If you would like a toaster oven that toasts, then I would highly recommend that you steer clear of this one.