Counter Top Oven (Toaster Oven) Opinions Wanted

[sodface]

I've got an itch to buy a decent counter top oven - I'd normally call it a toaster oven but that seems to torque the Wolf people off - so I'll just say counter top oven.  It would be nice to have something better than the cheapo ones I've used in the past, one that would save me from using the big oven so much.  And when jeff v posted that great looking pizza cooked in a Breville, that really clinched it.  I looked at both of these today at the kitchen store:

Wolf Gourmet WGCO100S Countertop Oven with Convection

Breville BOV900BSS The Smart Oven Air, Silver

The Wolf was like $549 and the Breville was $399.  I know the Brevilles are well thought of but then you read the one star reviews and see quite a few of the "loved it, for the xx months it worked" comments which gives me pause.  Both seemed of decent quality in the store with the Wolf looking and feeling more solid, along with a 5 year warranty.  There's a chance that my 13 3/8" Fibrament-D stone would fit in the Breville because it has a rounded scoop in the back wall of the oven for the 13" pizza pan it comes with.  The Wolf back wall is flat and about 12" deep so I'd have to get a different pizza stone for that one.  It also doesn't have a light which reviewers thought was just crazy at that price point (I agree).

I know these don't really get hot enough for certain pizza types but I thought they'd be good for squares or crackers along with a lot of other non-pizza baking tasks.  Any thoughts?  I could probably get by with the $50 one we keep in the camper 

[samyron]

I have the Breville BOV800XL. I absolutely love it. I have tried making pizza in it, but I wasn't terribly happy with the results. It maxes out at 450℉. I tried using a pizza screen (13") to bake and it just didn't brown as much as I would have liked. I could probably have parbaked my crust before dressing it.

As a normal oven, though, it's awesome. I've baked a loaf of bread in a standard load pan and it came out great. I've broiled boneless-skinless chicken thighs which very good results. I've also used it to make roasted potatoes in a cast iron skillet.

It's also great a reheating leftover pizza.

I can't recommend the oven enough.

[sodface]

Thanks for the recommendation samyron, good to hear.  I'm not convinced I need all the bells and whistles that the Breville above comes with but the larger internal dimensions are appealing.  Is there anything you don't like about your BOV800XL or a feature that you wish it had?

[samyron]

I agree about the bells and whistles. I don't use most of them. Toast & Bake are pretty much all I use. Occasionally I'll use "Bagel", but most of the time I just use Toast, no matter what I'm toasting. The only thing I wish was it got hotter (500+℉). But I'm not sure I'll find that on any countertop oven.

One thing I will say, while it cooks excellently, if you can, go somewhere and feel it. For $400, I expected it to feel a bit more "solid". I have a Breville Espresso maker and it does feel solid, the Smart Oven didn't. It doesn't necessarily feel cheap, but it doesn't feel like it was $400. With that said, I would absolutely buy it again.

Here are a few pictures of the roasted potatoes. I showed these to a co-worker when he was on the fence about buying the smaller model and he went out and purchased it.

[sodface]

Thanks for the comments and pics, those potatoes look great!

[sodface]

Wow, speaking of bells and whistles:

June oven.

[jeff v]

My Breville is 3+ yrs old and still works great. If you have Bed Bath and Beyond near you, you can sign up for  discounts and they regularly send coupons for 20% off a single item.

The Wolf is gorgeous though.

[sodface]

Just for the record, I went with the Wolf, despite it being ridiculously expensive.  I'm sure the Breville's are great units but I just kind of liked the look and feel of the Wolf, really solid, and it has a 5 year warranty and gets good reviews so hopefully it holds up over time.  I did go to BB&B with a 20% off coupon in my pocket with the intent of buying a Breville and then just didn't.

So far, the few things we've cooked in it have turned out pretty good.  My wife baked some stuffed zucchini in a full 13x9 pan and I did some 11" pizzas which I wasn't entirely unhappy with, other than my shaping skills and the color on the last pie.  Pics here:

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=26286.msg540340#msg540340

[jeff v]

I hope you like the Wolf. I want one.

[Artimas]

I have the Wolf. It's an excellent small oven, but not really hot enough for pizza. I use it for almost everything else.  I use it more than my regular wall oven.

[foreplease]

Just for the record, I went with the Wolf, despite it being ridiculously expensive.  I'm sure the Breville's are great units but I just kind of liked the look and feel of the Wolf, really solid, and it has a 5 year warranty and gets good reviews so hopefully it holds up over time.  I did go to BB&B with a 20% off coupon in my pocket with the intent of buying a Breville and then just didn't.

So far, the few things we've cooked in it have turned out pretty good.  My wife baked some stuffed zucchini in a full 13x9 pan and I did some 11" pizzas which I wasn't entirely unhappy with, other than my shaping skills and the color on the last pie.  Pics here:

https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=26286.msg540340#msg540340

I know you are loving this and having great success with it. Today I found myself wondering if it has a self-cleaning cycle? We have 2 ovens (1 oven, 1 range) and are not thinking about adding a countertop oven - I don’t even know where we would be able to fit one in - but curious about cleaning cycle or how difficult it it to clean.

[sodface]

I know you are loving this and having great success with it. Today I found myself wondering if it has a self-cleaning cycle? We have 2 ovens (1 oven, 1 range) and are not thinking about adding a countertop oven - I don’t even know where we would be able to fit one in - but curious about cleaning cycle or how difficult it it to clean.

Tony, no cleaning cycle so far as I can tell.  Cleaning thus far has been easy and basically limited to pulling and cleaning the drip/crumb tray at the bottom and wiping out the interior.

From the manual:

Interior of Oven
Allow to cool completely before cleaning. To clean inside of oven, wipe oven
walls and bottom of oven with a damp, soapy cloth. Repeat with a damp, clean
cloth. For stubborn stains, use a plastic scouring pad.

Glass Oven Window
When window is cool, use a razor blade to gently lift baked-on foods. Spray
glass cleaner on cloth to clean. Wipe with a damp sponge to rinse. Dry
thoroughly with a clean cloth.