T-Fal Avante Elite 6 Slice Convection & Toaster Oven with Separate Warming Compartment
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of T-Fal Avante Elite 6 Slice Convection & Toaster Oven with Separate Warming Compartment
Customer Review: Convenient Timer; Works Well For Warming/Toasting/Baking/Broiling; Rugged For Everyday Use
Summary: 4 Stars
I ordered this kitchen appliance with a gift certificate last year May 2007. Thus, I have used it for almost a year now. Overall, I am thankful to God that it has lasted this long after almost daily constant use. After our microwave and toaster no longer worked, I decided not to replace them, but opted instead to look for a combination convection oven/toaster oven or combination microwave oven/toaster oven. After reading some of the good reviews for this model and seeing how the price was not as high as others, I gladly ordered it.
We are a two adult household, and I normally warm up leftovers and prepare around two to three meals daily. Although it takes up a good amount of counterspace at one corner, I am glad to have it and have used this convection oven to either warm, toast, or bake. Thankfully, it has consistently worked well. I probably used the broil function once or twice, which also worked well. We do have a regular gas oven (an older model), but I mainly use that for bigger and holiday meals. With this combination convection oven/toaster oven, it takes less time to heat, very convenient, and it keeps the kitchen much cooler (in comparison to a gas oven).
The main feature I appreciate and like on this oven is the automatic digital timer. Not many combination convention oven/toaster oven models include this feature, so I had to do a bit of research. I am glad to write that it works very well each time I've used the oven. The digital clock is still crisp and clear, and the buttons on the oven are still sturdy. I try to clean the oven from time to time, and it is advisable to remove crumbs and line the bottom with foil. The removable crumb catcher is also convenient.
When I first saw this oven, I thought the covered glass top warmer was an attractive feature, which I assumed would be convenient to warm breads, rolls, and pancakes while keeping an eye on them. However, I have not really used that feature too often. I've used it maybe two or more times just to keep pancakes warm while toasting or baking something in the main oven. I lined the warming element with foil for sanitary reasons. Caution: Do not bake anything at over 300-350 degrees in the oven while warming the top warmer; and do not leave the food on the warming element for too long. I left my pancake stacks on there for too long (while using the main oven) and the pancakes at the bottom became stiff and a little burnt (although the others on the stack were perfectly fine and nice and warm).
I also like the larger size of the baking area of the oven (in comparison to smaller toaster ovens), which fits up to four of my Grab-It Pyrex covered bowls when heating up leftovers. It also fits a larger cake/brownie pan nicely. It could also fit two Pyrex bread pans at the same time. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't fit my Pyrex covered bowl with cover (so I must use my gas oven for that one). Make sure you have ample room (vertical) to be able to open the glass top cover easily and fully. Take measurements of your kitchen counter space and how much room you have below your top cabinets (if any) and counter, in order to make sure you are able to fit this larger oven under there and open the glass top. I did not think of this and couldn't place my whole oven under my top cabinet because my cabinets are too low; but thankfully, the oven fit just enough when I moved it closer to the edge of the counter, away from the top cabinet and the glass top cover could open wide enough to place the food in.
The one thing that I did not expect was the softly buzzing heating fan noise that is audible when the convection oven is being used. It is not too annoyingly loud, but if you are cooking something for long periods, it may be noticeable (you may want to leave the kitchen while baking something if the noise gets to be too much). When the toaster oven portion is being used, it is much more quieter (in fact, it is barely noticeable when in use...but the timer will beep when toasting is done and food ready).
In comparison to other models and reviews I've read and for the many features and pluses and because of my personal experience using it daily, I would definitely highly recommend this oven for everyday and constant use. Why not avoid the unhealthy fast-food/junk food/microwaved food meals, and instead, enjoy preparing healthy home-cooked meals using this oven!
Customer Review: Extremely versatile, but not without quirks
Summary: 4 Stars
For those of you who read the first paragraph and only skim the rest: this is a reliable and versatile countertop oven that can handle anything that a "real" oven can do, given the limited interior size. It has a couple of annoying little quirks. But in a product category crowded with cheaply-made junk that can barely bring a Pop-Tart above room temperature and breaks down weeks after the warranty expires. the Avante Elite is a keeper.
Details:
I've had this oven for a couple of weeks now. I ordered the Avante partly out of frustration. I'd bought a GE and then a Black & Decker toaster oven at local big-box stores, but returned them unopened after doing a Google search at home and finding page after page of reviews posted by angry and disappointed owners. The Avante was well-reviewed by The Famous Consumer Magazine and gets high marks from just about everyone.
I was immediately impressed with its construction. It feels like a major appliance and not a tin box. The controls are dead-simple. The convection fan does make a bit of noise, but it's nothing you can't live with. And unlike most other toasters and toaster ovens I've tried, the sides of the Avante are merely warm to the touch when in operation.
I was looking for something to toast bread and bagels in but I also wanted a unit that could credibly take over most of the work of my "real" oven. The Avante didn't disappoint. After two weeks of cooking main courses, sides, and desserts in it, I'm convinced that (apart from its small cooking space) I can cook anything I want in this thing. A pan of cornbread came out evenly-browned. A lasagna was cooked consistently all the way through. Even breakfast popovers puffed up nicely.
I still don't know how I feel about the warming compartment. I do use it often. When the chicken comes out of the frying pan way ahead of the vegetables I've got roasting in the oven, I just toss the meat in some foil and pop it in the warmer. Very handy.
Still, other toaster ovens this big have a single, larger cooking space. I don't know if I'll still be a fan of the warming compartment the first time I want to try to roast a whole chicken or bake a couple of trays of cookies at the same time.
My sole serious complaint about the Avante is its slide-out rack. I can vouch for the other comments about the thing. I was aware that there was no "stop" on the rack to prevent it from sliding all the way out, but I had imagined that I could just pull it out an inch or two...you know, far enough to get a better grip on the casserole dish or the pan I was cooking. "Big deal," I thought. "Just be careful."
Nope. The thing slides out as though it's on ball bearings. If you're not anticipating it, you can very, very easily send your piping-hot food tumbling onto the counter and then onto yourself. Even if you hold tightly onto your baking dish, it's way too easy for that 400-degree metal rack to clatter right out onto the counter and brand you in a sensitive area.
Another quirk: if you intend to use it as a "real" oven, invest in a simple $6 oven thermometer. I've found that the actual internal temperature is about thirty to fifty degrees lower than the temperature you've selected. The oven also heats up slowly. That's a surprise, given its small size. But you'll quickly anticipate these adjustments after a couple of weeks with the thermometer and it ceases to become any kind of an issue.
You should also expect to adjust a recipe's published cooking time. The Avante is no speed demon. Typically, I extend the oven time by 25 to 50 percent. Even a couple slices of toast take four or five minutes, compared to a conventional toaster's two or three.
Like the temperature problem, I don't consider this a major issue. No matter what oven I use, I never go by cooking time anyway. I pull a dish out when it's the right internal temperature or has the correct appearance.
So although thr Avante it's not without faults I'm convinced it's the best toaster oven you can buy for less than $100. For someone like me who typically only cooks for one or two people, it's a perfectly fine alternative to lighting up a huge oven. Even if you're cooking for a family, I can easily imagine scenarios in which a secondary cooker would be a big convenience.
Customer Review: Beautiful and versatile
Summary: 4 Stars
This is by far the best-looking toaster oven out there. It also does a great job heating (wouldn't call it warming, really), baking, and swallowing up lots of food to warm up. The design is such that it doesn't take up much more space than a little toaster oven but can hold big dishes. I've used it to toast (bread and bagels), bake (mostly vegetables and casseroles), make quick foods such as fish sticks, and warm up leftovers and bread.
1. Toasting: The rack needs to be high for this, as detailed in the manual. It's a little tricky to find that high rack shelf - but it's there. The toaster is slow; ridiculously slow. Various relatives have stood in front of the toaster and wondered whether it's working at all. There is no reassuring red glow, somehow it toasts without that. It shows you how many minutes it will take for any one setting (you can adjust the toast setting by numbers, 1-10), and it seems long to wait for >5 minutes for a slice of toast. My husband and I call it "French Toast" because T-Fal is a French company and this definitely isn't *fast* food. But the toast it produces is of impeccable quality.
2. Baking: At first I thought the oven was loud, but it's either gotten quieter or I don't notice it much any more. It's fast and hot, needs some getting used to. I wonder how it compares energy-wise ... whether it would make more environmental and economical sense to bake a casserole in the gas oven or in this convection oven.
3. Warming: Don't forget to use the tray provided for the warmer, because that'll make cleaning easier. The warming compartment is a nice feature, making good use of a little extra space on top. It gets pretty hot in there, but when I use it to warm up leftovers I sometimes leave them in aluminum foil and that prevents them from getting too hot. It won't fit taller dishes or bowls or a whole loaf of bread. I used the "warming" setting for bread today, putting the bread in the main compartment, and was surprised that it burned on top after 10 minutes. This thing is hot, watch out.
4. Optics: Pure pleasure.
5. Chucklehead warning: For some reason, I touched the glass front of the unit after having made some "French Toast". It was really really hot. (Duh, you may say. OK, just trying to help).
6. Finally, a couple of flaws: It's dark in there. Since there's no orange glow from heating elements, you can't see what's happening inside. They really should install a light in the oven. Also, the racks tipple forward when you pull them out, along with any dish that may be on them.
But overall, beautiful, effective and versatile unit that doesn't take up much space.
Customer Review: A great purchase and a flexible appliance
Summary: 5 Stars
I really, really love this little oven, and I'll give you the reasons why:
* it cooks foods fast (faster than my full size oven, faster than a non-convection oven)
* it heats up fast (I have a medium-sized kitchen and my gas oven can really heat it up)
* with two teens in the house, it lets them heat up foods and snacks easily - they're actually cooking more
* it cleans up pretty easily with the non-stick broil pans and pop-out crumb catcher on the bottom
The features on this unit that sold me were: a full-size frozen pizza would fit inside; convection made for faster cooking times; online reviews were generally very positive; the "upper rack" idea seemed useful (though in fact, we've only used it twice, it worked as expected). None of the toaster ovens I saw at local stores offered as much as this one.
Something that surprised me were the online comments about how it does not make toast "in the same manner" that a toaster does. This is true. If you want toast the way a toaster makes it, don't buy any toaster oven! You just won't get the same results. However, after the first time or two, once I had figured out the settings I liked, I no longer found myself missing toast "the old way." Yes, it's different, a little less moist, but no less tasty. At this point, no one in my family of 4 has any reservations about it. We collectively decided there was no need for a toaster after all. The difference was not significant.
I really like that you can change cooking style, times and settings at will, and quickly. I found that after cooking a frozen pizza, I wanted to "brown the cheese a bit more" on top. Click! From Bake to Broil, and a few minutes later it was done. My son wanted a more crispy thick crust, so he once added a few minutes on the Toast setting with the pizza sitting in a lowest rack position (closer to the bottom heat element). Crispy crust indeed!
We regularly remind ourselves how useful this purchase has been. It sees use at least once a day. We enjoy it quite a lot.
If there's anything I might want to improve on it... it could use another half to one inch of height (for slightly larger roast chickens!) and I have found myself wishing for an inside light (to see when pizza is browned, for example). Neither of these has been a showstopper. If I went to buy another toaster oven today, I'd order this one again in a heartbeat.
Customer Review: 1/2 Toaster, 1/2 Oven
Summary: 5 Stars
Very good buy for $85 +free ship. Bought this one to replace a smaller Black & Decker toaster oven that served us very well over 5-6 years until controls gave out (the B&D still works, just have to keep the button pressed in).
I looked at reviews of several toaster ovens before purchasing the T-Fal. The less expensive ones ($25-$40) were getting dinged because of occasional mentions of overheating or fire risk. Not worth the chance. I also wanted something as small as possible because we have little counter space in our 10' x 10' kitchen, so a more expensive one was not an option.
The T-fal gave dimensions on Amazon & it was 3 inch wider, deeper, taller than our B&D. No big deal - wrong. It was bigger than I thought when I put it on the counter, looked like a monster compared to the B&D. Also, I could not open the top warmer lid to the point it stays open. This because of height restrictions -- bottom of my kitchen cabinet is at about 54 - 60 inches. I can open the top, but I need to hold it open. My fault, not the product or mfr. But be aware that size matters in a small kitchen.
The function buttons are very simple, nothing complicated - one button for toast, one for bake, another for broil. You can set how long it stays on, and it beeps (electronically) three times when it shuts off. There is a clock, but it could be easier to set.
I mainly use it to toast bread, bagels, sandwiches and to bake small pizzas (sauce with cheese on a pita - easy). The toast function takes longer than the old B&D (about 4.5 vs 2 minutes), but thats OK by me. The bake function works very well, I prefer it muchly over starting the oven to bake something small.
Clean-up is a snap with a removeable crumb tray, glass doors and non-stick surfaces.
Negatives: you can pull the rack out about 30-40 percent before it tips forward and burns you. It's controllable, not a big deal, unless you don't know about it. I did know thanks to previous reviews and I was prepared for it.
The fan was louder than I expected (I expected no noise since the B&D has no fan). But it is a soft sound, lower than my computer fan and only on during cooking.
Overall, it's a well built, well-designed machine.