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: Buyer Beware
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this oven two years ago (to replace the microwave) and for the most part it has performed well-enough for re-heating left-overs if you aren't in a hurry. If you want to toast bread though, use a toaster, it's faster.
My biggest complaint with this oven though, is that the rack slides out very quickly and there is NO SAFETY STOP on it. It not only slides out crazy fast, but it wobbles and tips down as it does so. Trying to remove a hot baking dish or tray with sizzling grease in the bottom is a burn hazard, even more so when one is trying to grip with hot pads and everything is unstable and awkward. The oven opening is shallow, just really difficult to get in there without sliding that rack, or accidentally touching the heating element on top. For the price, it should have been designed better.
Also, the inside is non-stick. I am trying to limit my exposure to this chemical coating, and was disappointed that the oven and the trays that came with it were all coated with what is essentially "teflon"..you can do your own research on that.
At the time of purchase, I was unaware of the "glass-shattering problem" and frankly, now that I've read so many reviews about it, I'm ready to toss this out now rather than wait for that to happen next. I'm surprised that there hasn't been a SAFETY RECALL--and that the unit is still being sold AS IS.
Customer Review: Good for cooking; terrible for baking...
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought this item a couple of months, have used it at least once daily and like it for the most part. Since there is only two of us and we don't eat a lot of the same foods, it's great to cook a single portion or two single portions and not have to heat up the big oven.
However, don't try to bake anything in it that needs to rise. I was so excited to be able to cook a banana bread in it (using a recipe from a book for toaster/convection ovens) and it literally fell flat! I had read from other reviewers before buying it that it was a poor oven to cook in, so it's not a huge issue for me, knowing that before buying it.
I love that the tray comes out the front and is easy to clean and it's large enough to clean the inside easily as well. The warming tray is great for heating up leftover omelets while making your toast.
The toast feature does take longer than a toaster (as some others have complained) but you can toast anything you wish to absolute perfection. Since I'm a bagel eater, I'm used to waiting a long time anyway!
The only mechanical issue I've had is that the clock sometimes loses it's time when I'm trying to set it to cook something. Not a major issue, but irritating because it takes so long to re-set the time!
Since this is the first Convection Toaster Oven I've ever owned, I cannot compare it to others, but overall I give it 3 stars.
Customer Review: I use it a lot more than I thought I would
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had this little oven for over 6 months now so I can tell you what I think about it, I love it! I had originally bought it with the intention of using it in our camper, but it gets much more use in my kitchen.....so much, that it stays in there permanently now. I have only used my regular oven a few times this summer. I am sure it has helped us save a few dollars on the air conditioning bill.
I can bake just about anything I need to in this oven. I will admit I have not baked a cake in it though (yet). It's very simple to use and everything I have cooked has come out great. I must agree with another reviewer on the warmer taking up a lot of space however, space that could have been more useful had it been integrated into the oven area. I guess I just don't have much use for the warming area myself, but I was aware it was a part of the deal when I purchased the oven :). All in all I would highly recommend this oven to anyone who thinks they might have a need for it.
I am not sure what the comments about the danger in the top door glass exploding is all about (maybe I need to go back and re-read that). The only way glass can explode is if something cold comes in contact with it while it's hot, from a sharp tap, or perhaps there was a hairline crack already(in which case you should discontinue use immediately). I feel completely safe with my oven and would buy the same one again.
Customer Review: COOKING CAN BE EASY!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I decided to buy this oven, I was not even looking to buy a convection toaster oven. I stumbled across this item looking for cookware. I read all the reviews, thought about it a few days and then decided to just buy it. Boy, am I glad that I did!!! And so is my family. The day we received it, I cooked muffins for my daughter and her friend for a snack. Extremely easy. All I needed was six muffins and the oven did just that for me. Since then, we have cooked more muffins, a meatloaf, bacon, toast, english muffins, chicken strips, waffles and bratwurst. My kitchen doesn't heat up like when I use my regular oven and the food has turned out better than when cooked in the regular oven. It was so easy for my husband to use this also while I was shopping and I just gave him a 15 second class before I left. I didn't notice any smoking when cooking meat or any of the other foods. This is my first Convection Toaster oven, which has replaced the microwave and toaster, and I can assure you we expect to use this oven alot. I love the design, the warming tray does just that, even when you have something else cooking you can throw buns or anything else up top to keep warm. It's great! The oven is big enough to cook meatloaf or chicken breasts and yet is not so monstrous that you lose your entire counter for one appliance. I would recommend this to anyone. What a great idea for the kitchen!Customer Review: Adequate, not the best
Summary: 3 Stars
I've had this toaster oven a little over two years. The manual it comes with is woefully sparse. Over time, I've learned how to use the oven by trial-and-error.
For example, to use the toaster function two or more times successively, the setting has to be increased each time. I usually use the No. 5 setting for toast which is 4.40 minutes. If I want to toast more bread immediately after, at the same No. 5 setting, the time decreases so I have to increase the setting number to toast at 4.40 minutes. If you forget to reset the number and use the toaster 30 minutes or more after, the higher setting reverts to its original toasting time and your toast is at best overdone, at worst burnt. Each setting's time increases about 20 seconds. Also, the warming tray is a great idea but there's no separate control for it so if you're baking at 350 degrees in the oven, the warming tray's temp isn't much below that. I've had food burn when placed there. These procedures and others--increasing/decreasing the oven temperature and the time for baking and broiling--aren't difficult to figure out but it's annoying to have to. They are not covered in the manual.
The design of the appliance is also problematic. About 6 months ago, the oven door handle fell off. Basically, a screw got loose. But, there is no way to re-attach the handle.
So, now I'm investigating other brands.