Attractively housed in reinforced stainless steel, this 1800-watt convection toaster oven features a 4/5-cubic-foot nonstick interior and Element IQ technology, which provides smarter control over the heat. Choose from nine pre-set functions: Toast, Bagel, Bake, Roast, Broil, Pizza, Cookies, Reheat, or Warm; each one comes with its own pre-programmed temperature and cooking time, eliminating the guesswork. The unit's broil function activates just the top heating elements to melt and brown food; its toast function activates the top and bottom heating elements to seal and crisp; and the bake function uses both the top and bottom heating elements, as well as the convection fan, to ensure thorough cooking, inside and out. Instead of the oven's five quartz heating elements having a fixed wattage, however, Element IQ functions much like a dimmer on a light switch, increasing or decreasing the power with a simple turn of the knob. The time and temperature for the pre-set programs can easily be adjusted to accommodate individual preferences--the oven will even remember the new settings for next time.

Thoughtfully designed, the oven's push-button and turn-knob control panel, as well as its blue back-lit LCD screen, makes it effortless to operate the unit and to see the current function, temperature, and adjusts made. Other highlights include fast heat-up times, energy-efficient operation, three rack positions, a wire rack that ejects automatically halfway out of the oven for safe removal of hot items, an embossed and ribbed top surface that can be used as a warming tray, and a front-access removable crumb tray for quick cleanup. Combining durable materials and powerful performance with a strikingly modern design, users will want to leave the oven out on display and conveniently accessible for everyday use. Accessories include a 13-inch non-stick pizza pan, a 12-by-12-inch enamel baking pan, and a 12-by-12-inch enamel broil rack. The oven measures 18-1/2 by 12-1/2 by 10-3/4 inches and carries a one-year limited warranty.

The Smart Oven's Element IQ puts the power where it's needed most. For each of the 9 pre-set programs, Element IQ delivers the right power at the right time and when adjusted to taste, it even remembers. Element IQ works much like the dimmer in your light switch-it can turn the power up or down. Instead of the 5 heating elements having a fixed wattage, Element IQ automatically puts the power where it is needed most for the specific cooking task. Not only does the Smart Oven heat up faster than a conventional wall oven, it's also more energy efficient than its predecessor, making it a kitchen tool you will use every day.

By C. Vincent "biblegal"

I purchased this oven last week after having done a lot of research about it. I needed a compact oven and looked at many. When I finally saw the Breville Compact Convection oven in person, I knew it was the right one for my needs. The oven itself looks absolutely great!!!! It will complement any kitchen. When it is first purchased, it is necessary to do a 15 minute burn-in. This is very important. I took it out on our back porch so the fumes would not bother our birds. You could definitely smell the protective coating. Now, however, there are no fumes whatsoever. The oven is extremely quiet in convection mode and heats evenly. I am a terrible cook, but this little gem at least elevates me to a somewhat higher scale. I did some cookies, banana walnut bread, broiling of hot dogs and also some reheating. The cookies were perfect and evenly baked all around. Nothing burned. Same with the walnut bread. What a pleasure not having dry spots near the edges. It was terrific. The hot dogs were perfect. Crisp outside and nice and moist inside. There are, of course, intelligent settings for various items such as baking, broiling, pizza, reheating, warming, etc. I have not tried all of the features, but I expect they will work just as well as the ones I tried. I did not use it to toast bread yet, but I would suspect it does a better job than a pop-up toaster.

The dials are easy to use and you can customize to your heart's content. Even though there are pre-programmed settings, it is very simply to adjust, and the oven remembers your settings without defaulting to the original. If you want to get the original settings back, just unplug the unit and plug it back in. Everything will revert to factory settings.

Because of the size of this oven, you can only do small amounts at a time. So I don't know if trying to do cookies for a large family is practical because you would have to make so many batches. Of course, you cannot do large roasts, turkey, etc. But that is what a large oven is for.

This is a wonderful product that performs as advertised. It did not disappoint me so far, and I do not expect it to. I highly recommend it.

By lapis

This is a fantastic oven. And it really is a compact oven instead of a glorified toaster oven. I now use my full-sized oven at least 50% less often. I love all the different settings (toast, bake, warm, reheat, etc.) and I love the convection feature. I've used it to make toast, pies, cakes and roasted vegetables, and to warm chocolate sauces. I couldn't be happier.

A couple of points to be aware of: This oven uses a lot of voltage. The only reason I know this is because I couldn't put it on the same circuit breaker as the refrigerator. The frig light would flicker when the oven was in use, and it felt like something was going to go out if the refrigerator motor started running. I moved it to a different part of the kitchen, and it's been fine. (Though again, I wouldn't use the microwave and the oven at the same time.) I live in a pre-war building, so perhaps newer houses or apartments won't have the same problem.

Also, be aware that the top of the oven gets VERY hot during use. We like it because it's useful as a plate warmer, but some people may be uncomfortable with it. Breville apparently sells a separate wooden cutting board to put on top of the oven if you don't want to use its plate warmer feature and are worried about the heat.

If you only want to toast bread or bagels, this oven is overkill. But if you want to add a second oven to your kitchen and/or be able to replace much of what you use your full-sized oven for, this is it.

By Christopher P. Blouin

This is the first review I've ever submitted on Amazon. If you just want the short version, here it is: This is simply the best countertop oven you can buy. Period. With but one relatively minor exception, I honestly cannot think of one thing that could be improved with this wonderfully engineered and designed appliance. The oven cooks quickly, evenly and without fuss, exactly as you should expect for something in this price range. I live in an apartment that does not have a kitchen, so this is my stove, and I could not be happier. This Breville is gorgeous with a very attractive stainless steel exterior and real glass door with a generously sized handle. The door, in addition to featuring a large glass area to make it easy to monitor your cooking, also features a very clever magnet system that pulls the rack out for you when it is placed in the middle position. Very nice. The display is bright and easy to read and understand. The oven features several different pre-programmed cooking functions, such as bake (obviously right?), cookies, toast, bagel, reheat, warm, roast and broil. Each setting controls the temperature of the IQ Logic heating elements and the time of cooking. In addition, both temperature and cook time can be adjusted and memorized for future use. The oven also features a handy "frozen" button which is ideal for re-heating TV dinners and frozen pizzas.

Having had this oven for about six months now, I can confidently say that it is one of the best investments I've made. The one and only minor complaint I have with this oven is that the knobs for temperature, time and function are plastic coated to look like metal. Honestly, they feel incredibly cheap, almost like they are going to fall off in your hand. They haven't of course, and I'm sure they will work fine, but at $250, Breville really needs to source some solid feeling knobs with some heft to them. Then this would be a perfect product. As it stands, I can still heartily recommend this oven for anyone who wants the best countertop oven there is.