Practice makes perfect with this Oster Toaster Oven.
Pros:
Nice look and features. Does most things well with a bit of practice.
Cons:
Toasting bread is time consuming. You will need to do some trial and error.
The Bottom Line:
If toasting is not that important to you and you have a little patience, this is the toaster oven for you. We like it better after a few months.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
We decided about a year ago that we needed a Toaster Oven. The problem was that we were looking for certain features and a stainless steel look. Also adding to the problem was our space limitations on our counter top. We looked for about 6 months before we found the Oster 6297 Toaster Oven with Convection Cooking. Everything seemed to be just about right with our decision with a few small exceptions.
Bell and Whistles.
This Toaster Oven is relatively small in overall size at about 20 ½” high by 11 ½” deep by 15 ½” wide. The inside size is about 19” high by x 9 1/2” deep by 13” wide. Weight of this Toaster Oven is about 18 pounds. The outside is made of a combination of stainless steel and silver plastic. The door is made of glass so you can watch our food being made and pull it out at just the right time. Inside you will find a non-stick metal interior with two removable racks and a removable crumb tray. The function knobs include the following:
*Function Selection: with Warm, Broil, Toast and Bake settings.
*Temperature Select: with settings ranging from 0-450 degrees
*The Timer: settings include from 0-60 minutes and a stay on setting. (You must go by 20 minutes to properly start the timer then return to anything under 20 minutes.)
This oven does allow for convection cooking on the bake setting. There are two handles on the side to make moving this Oven easier and there stay cool during baking. This Toaster Oven also comes with a removable roasting pan and broiler insert.
What we found so far.
Our main reasons for buying this Toaster Oven were adding an appliance that would help with baking duties while helping keep our house cool, the ability to warm leftovers, and toasting. This oven does two out of the three things very well with the exception being toasting which does one side well and barely warms the other side. We found that toasting bread or anything else for that matter is a so so experience and requires some practice. Our experience has told us to cut back the temperature from 450 degrees to 350 degrees and set the timer for a bit longer. Also we found that rack adjustment is very important and turning the bread may be necessary. This is a bit more time consuming and harder than using a conventional toaster.
What we like.
This Toaster Oven does do most of what we want it to and it is attractive on our counter top. The stainless steel exterior is a great match for our other appliances and the size is small enough to fit in our limited space. We like the fact that this Toaster Oven has convection baking which not only gets things done faster, but allow about 25 degree decease in heat. The Timer feature is great for baking foods to the perfect temperature and shuts off automatically with a bell to let you know when your food is ready. This Toaster Oven is great for heating up leftovers and keeping meals warm. Also we like the rounded front and rear of the interior for making pizza or using round pans. The two racks are removable and when reversed allow for different heights. Cleanup is fairly easy with the nonstick interior and removable crumb tray.
Mild Dislikes.
I already mentioned the toasting problem. This problem is not a really big deal for us since we don’t eat a lot of toast but if toasting is your reason for buying this product, you may want to look elsewhere. This product will take some trial and error for finding the right settings and cooking height placement. Finding the proper height placement, temperate, and time will insure that your food is heated properly throughout.
All in All: This product does take some getting used to. The toasting problem is the most likely thing that will turn most people off. We have had this Toaster Oven for more then 6 months and have pretty much mastered most of its quirks. Our problems with style and space limitations made this our Toaster Oven of choice and now that we have found the proper way to use it, we are quite pleased with the functions, features and performance. The fact that this is our first experience with owning a Toaster Oven doesn’t make us experts, but we would certainly buy this model again if given a choice.
Thanks for checking out my reviews!!!
Steelfan
