Cuisinart TOB-175BC Convection Toaster Oven/Broiler, Brushed Chrome
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Cuisinart TOB-175BC Convection Toaster Oven/Broiler, Brushed Chrome
Customer Review: Sleek, Modern and Excellent Performance
Summary: 5 Stars
When our old toaster oven bit the dust, we went in search of a replacement, originally excluding convection toaster ovens b/c of the added price and fact that our oven/range already has this feature. But in the search I realized that to get a regular toaster that made good toast and worked as it should (and wasn't a cheapy Sunbean or Toastmaster), it wouldn't cost much more for the convection feature. Consumer Reports led me to this model, and after checking it out at a b&m store and doing additional research on amazon, I decided to purchase the Cuisinart convection toaster w/ Exact Heat in brushed crome. Never was there a woman who loved a toaster so much. It's sleek and modern, easy to use, feature-ladden, and everything works so smoothly. You'd think that would be a given, but of all the 10 models I checked out in the stores, this was one of few that didn't squeak or rattle when the door closed, have racks catch on the side walls and crumb trays jam trying to get them back in, hum loudly w/ the fan on, and provide an accurate read-out of the exact settings you're trying to achieve. I always found that light-to-dark dial settings make it impossible to get accurate & repeatable toasting performance from a toaster oven. We've used our machine for weeks to make toast for all our holiday guests, and I think we've won some converts by how good the toast is.
What I love:
*smooth & quiet-including the fan, timer, rack, crumb tray and door
*digital read-out which tells you precisely how much time it'll take to make your toast or the exact temperature you want to bake something, which is imperative when you actually want to bake a bread or casserole
*IMO, it makes perfect toast, especially w/ defrost feature from frozen bread or bagels
*the convection feature defrosted and warmed frozen leftover ham w/out drying it out--that's AMAZING
*the broiler pan isn't flimsy and cleans beautifully--high quality SS
*the rubber feet really keep it in place, preventing kiddos from pulling it off the counter
*it doesn't take up 2 cubic feet of countertop space like some mammoth models do, yet it's large enough for my large pyrex casserole--I only have 25sq ft of countertop space, so size was important since we often store it on top of the fridge
What I don't like so much:
-there are few "cool spots" to touch, unlike my cheapie toaster oven--it gets hot and needs some inches all around (so do all toasters, though)
-there's no rack grabber, which other models such as the Euro Pro and Oster had, but we made one out of wood. One Delonghi's rack comes out when the door opens via a pusher in the back of the oven...that would have been helpful.
-as others noted, the recommendation to unplug the unit when not in use makes the clock feature pretty useless
-I can't fit more than 4 slices of bread on the rack to toast...although I can fix six large bagel halves, so go figure...maybe I have mutant bread slices! Also, this model would be great with a second crome rack.
While there are some definite pros and cons, I believe that for the price, this machine is great. The warranty is good, and I was most impressed by the performance & CR recommendation. If I ever have to buy an other toaster as a gift, this will be the one. My husband is also alight with glee since he's a toast snob. I expect it to last many, many years.
Customer Review: Maybe the best choice available
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had this oven for several months now. I missed an opportunity to by it as a factory refurbished unit, and ended up buying it new here. Initially, I wanted to hold out for a convection oven with a larger capacity, but the reality of unit size and lack of availability of a larger oven with similar features convinced me to by this model.
I think I made the right choice. It is large enough to bake and broil a wide variety of things without having to resort to the "big oven", it has accurate, even temp control, and enough features and custom settings that I am still discovering new and better ways to use it.
It is a pretty large oven, does everything advertsed in best of class fashion, it's very easy to clean, and looks "right" no matter how your kitchen is outfitted. Even simple tasks like making toast are handled better than any regular toaster or cheap toaster oven that I have tried. When toasting bread or bagles, the first part of the cycle brings the bread up to teperature without bringing the heat elements up to "toasting" tepmerature. Towards the end of the cycle, the elements glow bright red, and toast both surfaces very evenly, and to taste. The result is perfectly toasted bread, bagles, pizza slices, etc, without cold centers. The cycle can easily be tailored for your favorite bread. Perfect.
Before I forget, someone posted a "review" here that really was a question about what temp the oven is capable of. The oven can also broil, so that would indicate that it can reach high temps, and in fact, it can. The "bake" setting allows you to select a temerature on the display up to 500 degrees. Most any cooking technique that can be done with a quality conventional oven can be done with this gem. And more. When I first started using the oven, I checked it's indicated temp with my electronic thermometer that I use for calibrating industrial sensors. In every case, the indicated air temp was within a few degrees of reality. My full sized oven wasn't anywhere near that close when it was new.
Broiling, baking, defrosting, and reheating leftovers are also given the benefit of digital control over the cooking cycle. Even the crumb tray was designed for effective operation, and ease of cleaning. I have used a number of dedicated convection ovens, and more than a few toaster ovens over the years, but this one is in a class by itself. Even if you grew up with the microwave, this oven won't gather dust on your countertop.
Update... July 12, 2005. This oven is used most every day, and has proved to be a solid performer. As time passed, I have used pretty much all of the functions of the oven, and learned to customize settings to please me along the way. I have not had a single problem with the oven since the day it arrived, and being easy to keep clean, it still looks factory new (when I clean it). It is about as large as I care to have on the countertop, and for bigger jobs, I simply use the main kitchen oven. For most anything else, this is the oven that gets the call. I still rate five stars.
Customer Review: A great little convection/toaster oven
Summary: 5 Stars
We just purchased this toaster/convection oven today, after several burning incidents with the similarly equipped Oster. While the face of the Oster was prettier to my eyes (more chrome, less plastic), the handle of the Oster was such that, if in wrapping your fingers around the handle you accidentally touched the front of the toaster, you'd burn yourself. The Cuisinart, in contrast, protects your hands from the hot door with a plastic bar immediately behind the handle -- a wonderful feature given that we have young children in our house. So, while the top and sides may get hot, as long as you're reasonably careful you shouldn't burn yourself.
The Cuisinart also does a better job of toasting bread. It's not quite as huge as the Oster was, so it heats six pieces of toast in just 3 minutes, compared to 6 minutes for the Oster. Also, the toast comes out nice and crispy on the outside but relatively soft and moist inside -- just the way we like it. (The Oster dried the bread out entirely, without even browning the outsides -- more like cardboard than toast.)
We had read reviews about the Cuisinart being loud at high temperatures in the convection oven setting, so we tested it at 500 degrees tonight, and it only emitted a quiet hum -- not bothersome in the least. (Perhaps the other customers had lemons, or since receiving those earlier complaints, Cuisinart has fixed the problem?)
The Cuisinart has also cut a nice compromise between a relatively large capacity yet moderate counter footprint. (The Oster, in comparison, was so huge it stood out awkwardly in our nicely-sized kitchen.) While the Cuisinart looks only slightly larger than our old DeLonghi toaster, it is large enough to cook the sweet potatoes or pie on those holidays when our regular oven is dedicated to the turkey. If the Cuisinart were larger, it would not function well as a toaster; if smaller, it would not really be useful as a convection oven.
The trays and racks that come with the oven are solidly built, and with no knobs to break, i imagine this toaster will last a long time. Given the wonderful attributes of this toaster/convection oven, no wonder Consumer Reports has raved about it. And, if you shop at Costco, you may be able to pick one up for about 3/5ths of the on-line price (they seem to tweak the model number, but not the oven).
My only complaints are minor and already noted by others: the Oster had an interior light switch, which the Cuisinart sadly lacks. Also, the Oster's crumb tray removed from the front, a more convenient design than the Cuisinart's where the tray is removed from the back. These are relatively minor problems, especially given how wonderfully the oven actually cooks and toasts. But perhaps the good folks at Cuisinart will tweak these items with their next release....
Customer Review: Beautiful, amazing toaster oven
Summary: 5 Stars
I never expected I'd spend this much on a toaster oven. My old Black and Decker, the $... variety, worked just fine... except for that disturbing buzzing it'd make sometimes when I turned it on. And it was small. When this Cuisinart came up on my Gold Box one day I was utterly tempted. I looked at reviews. I researched it on Consumer Reports (where it received the best scores, but did not get a best buy rating only because of price). And I was impressed enough to buy it.My first thought when I received this in the mail and unpacked it was 'Wow, what a beautiful appliance!' Because it is. It's shiny chrome with a black front, a heavy-duty glass door, and digital display. All the buttons are soft-touch, and it feels like it's made well.
But then, what else do you expect from Cuisinart?
My second thought was 'Wow, this thing is big!' It's much larger than your average toaster oven. In fact, the tray and broiling pan that came with it is twice the size of my old toaster oven. The manufacturer website says that the pan is large enough to hold a nine-inch pie plate, and I believe it. It definitely is. You can actually seriously cook with this thing, for more than one or maybe two people if you're lucky.
I've used it twice so far, once to broil a burger, the other to broil/bake some chicken. And I've already noticed a difference. It's wonderfully silent and it cooks very fast. But it also gets very hot. I never knew that my old toaster oven wasn't broiling at the right temperature until I had the fat that drained from the burger popping and spitting at me.
It has a convection feature which I haven't yet used, but that's only because I haven't tried to bake in it yet. It is also capable of toasting 6 slices of toast at once, and has a memory feature so you can remember how your toast was last done. It will also reheat toast or keep it warm for you.
The oven comes with a small manual with some recipes that look excellent in it. It also gives you the opportunity to take advantage of the three rack positions you can use by showing where you'd use them. The manual also has several helpful hints for using the various features, such as recommendations for darkness settings on various types of toast.
Advantages: Beautiful to look it, easy to use, definitely on with the temperatures, convection oven capabilities, programmable toasting
Disadvantages: the top of it gets hot, so don't leave anything on top of it, and it's expensive.
I'd definitely recommend it, especially if, like me, you're looking to build a functional kitchen with quality appliances, the sort that's a joy to cook in rather than a chore.
Customer Review: It beeps like a SMOKE DETECTOR!
Summary: 2 Stars
OK.
Consumer Reports rated this toster-oven very highly.
It costs an arm and a leg.
So, it should be a high quality piece of consumer electronics, right?
Well, I'm still evaluating the actual cooking part. However, the incessant beeping might drive me to smash this thing before I can properly evaluate it. You see, whenever it reaches the set temperature, or finishes a task you've given it, it beeps 5 times.
Loudly.
VERY loudly!
There is no option to stop the beeping by hitting the stop button or by opening the door (like you can on some microwave ovens). There is no option to adjust the volume.
And, whose bright idea was it to make it sound like a SMOKE DETECTOR? Really! The same volume and frequency of tones as my smoke detector! WTF?!? Why would that possibly be considered to be a GOOD thing?
I've spent decades being conditioned to think "FIRE!", when I hear that sound. Not, "Yummy food is ready."
Don't buy this if you plan on using it early in the morning (or late at night), while other(s) are still trying to sleep!
The LCD has no lighting of any sort. This will also hinder it's operation early in the morning or late at night (when it's dark), unless you have (and use) an external light source. Or, memorize the controls and menu navigation of it's "computer".
Also, throughout the manual, Cuisinart tells you to unplug the toaster oven when it's not in use. But, guess what happens when you do that? The clock gets reset! Good planning on Cuisinart's part!
UPDATE
The evenness of toasting appears to be highly reliant upon the reflective qualities of the bottom of the toaster oven. Therefore, if it's covered in toast crumbs, your toast will be more toasted on top, than on the bottom. To remedy this, you'll either need to clean the tray on the bottom (time consuming, if you want to do it properly) or flip the toast 2/3 through the process.
I've managed to train myself to stop the cooking process before the timer reaches zero. However, if I happen to be particularly busy in the kitchen, it still manages to give me a nice boost of adrenaline (from fright) when it starts beeping. I don't think I'll ever get used to that flaw in this device.
Also, the lack of backlighting on the LED display (or buttons) is still highly annoying.