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: Toasts and bakes well
Summary: 4 Stars
We purchased this convection toaster oven to try something for baking smaller batches of foods for just the two of us. We also wanted something which would toast well, as counter space is at a premium in our house.
This T-Fal toaster oven toasts well, but a bit slower than our toaster did. It takes about five minutes to toast dense bread, starting from a cold start. The oven adjusts the toast setting if it is warm already. The toast comes out very evenly browned.
We haven't done a lot with the oven yet, but it works well for heating pizza, french fries, etc. I wish the included pans were a nonstick surface. This oven has a more square opening, so an 11" square pan would fit. The top warmer oven hasn't really come into play too much for us yet, but I can see how it may be handy to warm buns, etc while something else is cooking or broiling.
We haven't had any problems with noisy fans or clunky doors. I do agree with the comments on the tipsy oven racks. T-Fal should design in another guide along the rear of the rack track so the racks don't tilt out as soon.
Customer Review: The brave little toaster oven
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been using this toaster oven for about 3 months and I love it! This toaster oven is brave enough to take on anything. It works perfectly on everything from toast to pizza. It works great on frozen chicken and you just can't beat it for heating up take out foods and leftovers that your microwave would leave tough and soggy. I am in the middle of a kitchen remodel and I have not missed my oven at all. I even baked up a batch of Christmas cookies in it and although they took a few extra batches due to size limitations they were perfectly and evenly baked.
I had to send the first order back due to a broken crumb tray but I have been very happy with the easy replacement from Amazon and the quality of this toaster oven. I did a lot of research before buying this oven and I have been very pleased with all it can do.
Pros: Cooks a wide variety of foods as well as if not better than a full size oven without using all of the energy. Easy to clean. A great buy!
Cons: It does take up a bit of counter space. It was much larger than my last toaster oven.
Customer Review: Great Toaster Oven
Summary: 4 Stars
We have owned the T-Fal OT8085002 Avante Elite toaster oven for about two months. So far it works well and we are happy with it. I purchased it after reading the Consumer Report review and ratings. As consumer report said it bakes a great chicken. Season a 4 lb chicken and put it in the Tfal for 1 hour at 375. The result is really good. The toast function works well. We have broiled salmon and the broil works well also. Baked potatoes come out fine.The electronic timer feature works far better than an analog dial. It's great to be able to set an exact cook time and adjust it as you check the food cooking progress. It's also good that you always have a set time at which the oven will shut off if you forget about it. We used to forget that our previous toaster oven was on, The timer only worked with the toast function. Our only complaints about the Tfal is that it would be nice if the cooking space was a little bigger and the convection fan seems to be a bit noisy. The fan is not quite as noisy as it was to start with, so maybe it just needs some more use.
Customer Review: First impressions and questions
Summary: 4 Stars
I just received this item yesterday and read instruction book. Seems simple to operate, but I am confused about some features based on descriptions on Amazon website and lack of information in the booklet. Is it self-cleaning? Nothing in the booklet, but Amazon says yes. Hot to the touch? Amazon says 'no', but that's obviously not true. Amazon says crumb tray is not removable - false. Do you need to pre-heat oven? No explanation of that. The page in the booklet listing cooking options does not indicate what the blank squares on the right column mean (I guess that's the 'warmer'?). What does 'grilling' mean, as opposed to broiling? Should warmer be used with or without a pan?
My general impressions, before using it (I ran it per the directions to get the smell out -- was not noisy or particularly smelly), are that the controls are easy to use; it takes up more space than I personally would like, I don't love the appearance, but I decided on it based on comparison of reviews on Amazon and Consumer Reports. I hope I learn to love it.
Customer Review: not happy with the temperature in the oven
Summary: 2 Stars
I have been using convection ovens for over 30 years and this one doesn't live up to my expectations. The oven is not well designed. Most of the heat is escaped into the bread warmer section and the heat inside the oven is not well circulated. If you don't need to warm up the bread or rolls, then it's too bad. It's another compartment to heat. With my old convection oven the chicken is cooked faster and doesn't dry up. With this oven, everything takes 15 minutes or longer and the broiler is not strong enough. Among all the convection ovens i have used, Krups and Moulinex were the best. I have had this oven for almost 2 years and will get rid of it when i move. It's not energy efficient. The purpose of the convection is to cut down the cooking time but this one doesn't and sometimes takes longer because the heat loss. The trays sit only one level. When i broil i want to move it up but this one doesn't allow you.
It's been almost 2 years and it is going down the hill. To bake a regular sized box of brownies takes over an hour!