Author: Maurice Savaryego, M.Sc.Eng. (Learn More)
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Compare Countertop Convection Toaster Ovens: Breville Smart Oven BOV800XL vs. Cuisinart Chef's TOB-260N1
![]() This article is NOT about ordinary toaster ovens!
We have no doubt that once you have tested these toaster ovens, you will be more than satisfied. Indeed, the toaster ovens that will be reviewed below can toast bread very well, but they do a lot more than just that! As a matter of fact, they come with just about every feature your energy consuming regular builtin oven offers, including convection cooking, and as such, the term "toaster oven" does not do justice to them. Note also that these are not microwave ovens, but true convection ovens with builtin heating elements to generate the heat required for cooking. Countertop convection toaster ovens present a number of important benefits:
Note that nowadays, there are also non-convection countertop toaster ovens that are superior to traditional toaster ovens. But this article will focus only on countertop convection ovens, as they are energy-wise more efficient, and they perform much better than non-convection units when it comes to speed and evenness of cooking.
This article will compare two very popular countertop convection toaster oven units bought by Amazon customers. They are the Breville Smart Oven BOV800XL and the Cuisinart Chef's TOB-260N1. These two ovens were not just the most popular in their category at the time this article was written, but they had also received excellent reviews from Amazon customers with an average rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 stars for each!
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Comparing the Selected Countertop Convection Ovens
The following pictures show the two countertop convection ovens selected for comparison:
The following table compares the various features of the two countertop convection ovens (please read the table notes that follow for a better understanding of the features offered by each):
Table Notes 1 - 10 Explained:
Note 1:
Non-stick interiors make cleaning these two ovens a breeze.
Note 2:
With convection cooking, a built-in fan circulates the hot air within the oven. This speeds the cooking process by stripping away the cold air that surrounds the food. Convection cooking cooks food faster and more evenly. Both ovens considered here provide convection cooking.
Note 3:
Speed Convection is a feature exclusive to the Cuisinart oven that eliminates the need to preheat the oven.
It cuts down on the cooking time since no preheating is needed.
Note 4:
Dual Mode is a feature exclusive to the Cuisinart oven that allows to combine two different cooking functions (or two different temperatures within one cooking function), providing maximum flexibility in oven cooking.
Note 5:
This feature is exclusive to the Breville oven and adds additional cycle time to the selected cooking mode to allow for thawing and proper cooking. The additional time varies depending on the selected cooking mode.
Note 6:
The following are the list of pre-set cooking functions offered by each of these two ovens:
- Breville: Pizza, Toast, Broil, Bake, Roast, Bagel, Cookies, Reheat and Warm. The oven comes with these 9 functions already calibrated at settings for best results. However, these settings can be modified to match your own preferences
- Cuisinart: Toast, Bagel, Waffle, Bake, Broil, Roast, Pizza, Sandwich, Keep Warm, Leftover and Defrost. The oven comes with these 11 functions already calibrated at settings for best results. However, these settings can be modified to match your own preferences. Note also that additional cooking modes can be created by using the Dual Mode and Speed Convection. .
Note 7:
With this feature, the rack pops out when door is opened making removal of cooked items very easy.
Note 8:
Both ovens considered here are equipped with an LCD screen. The following pictures show the control panels with the LCD screens of the two ovens:
Note 9:
This is a great safety feature that turns off the oven when the cooking time is up.
Note 10:
The following accessories come with each of the two ovens:
- Breville: A 12" non-stick pizza pan, one baking pan, one cooking rack and one broil rack.
- Cuisinart: A 13" pizza stone, 2 cooking racks, one baking pan and one broiling pan.
Note: For exact prices, please refer to the Amazon products section below.
Descriptive Official Product Videos
Before deciding which of these two countertop convection ovens suits best your needs, you might want to view the official product videos:
Breville Smart Oven BOV800XL Video:
Breville Smart Oven BOV800XL Video:
Cuisinart Chef's TOB-260N1 Video:
So which of the two countertop convection ovens to buy?
Here we have two excellent convection toaster ovens that at the time this article was written had received from Amazon customers an average rating of 4.5 stars each out of 5 stars! This simply means that you will probably be very happy with either of them once you have used and tested them. However, as the feature comparison table above shows, there are some differences that you should consider before making up your mind. To help you in your decision, we will highlight below how each of these two ovens achieves the goal it was designed for - producing consistently perfect cooking results.
- Breville Smart Oven BOV800XL: This oven has a special design that recognizes that different foods require different cooking processes and heat distributions. For instance, when you cook a cake, it is important that it is cooked uniformly. But when you cook meats, you want the interior to stay tender and the exterior become crisp. This oven modifies the cooking process and heat distribution to produce results that match whatever it is you are cooking. This innovative capability is implemented through a new patented technology that is applied to the different cooking choices and functions found on the oven.
- Cuisinart Chef's TOB-260N1: This oven equips you with two very useful features, Dual Cook and Speed Convection that contribute in producing perfect results. Dual Cook enables you to combine any two cooking functions or two temperatures and run them consecutively. The feature allows you to program separate times and temperatures for each of the two different functions or program two different temperatures and times within the same function. This is ideal for those recipes that require multiple cooking steps. One great way to use the Dual Cook feature is to add Keep Warm to the end of a cooking function so any dish can be held at the proper serving temperature – perfect for the holidays and entertaining.
Speed Convection is a special feature developed to cook your food even faster. It is recommended especially for frozen entrees, roasting vegetables and meats.
Compared Countertop Convection Ovens on Amazon
Please click the Amazon image below for the convection oven of your choice to see exact price information or to purchase.