Last spring our previous Black & Decker Classic Toaster Oven died after 13 yrs of daily use. Big decision, what to buy? Our primary use of our toaster oven is firstly to make toast. And to a lesser degree to reheat small portions of leftovers where use of a microwave isn't appropriate (like when crispness is required). So, you can say our needs and expectations of a toaster oven are quite basic. Off we went to Target. We were amazed at the range of offerings. These new "toaster ovens" seemed able to do just about anything. Perhaps we were not expecting enough from our machine. So after about 40 minutes we walked out with Euro-Pro's top end model. We brought it back the next morning and exchanged it for Black & Deckers high end model that boasted that it could prepare a 12" pizza. That lasted in our house until nightfall when we repackaged it and brought that back too.
What was wrong with these models? They took almost 10 minutes to toast a piece of bread or two! When it takes that long to make a slice of toast, no matter how light you make it it comes out so dry that the toast will snap in half if you flex it.

So there sitting in a corner of a shelf was the trusty B & D TRO 355. The familiar appearance of it was comforting. So, for about $19.99 we had our replacement. The TRO 355 is a very simple machine. You have a darkness control, which if turned fully clockwise also sets the unit on oven. A toaster start switch (a rocker switch) and a rotary temperature control that ranges up to 500 degrees and then finally top broil. Simple.

You throw a couple of slices of toast in, select the darkness level and in two (not 10) minutes you have toast. Now, Ive read reviews of this model and its newer replacement (TRO 360) that have all said that it either scorched their toast black or didn't toast it sufficiently. I don't know, but my wife and I don't seem to have very many "issues" with our appliances. We read the instructions and use the thing accordingly. In the 9 months we've had our unit we may have scorched a piece or two. Usually because someone has forgot to change the toast darkness setting after toasting a dense bread such as Rye and then popping in a couple of slices of soft potato bread. I plead guilty.

My 8 year old likes frozen waffles or pancakes for her hurried breakfast in the morning. Haven't scorched a piece yet.

Now, while B & D claims you can toast up to 4 slices of bread at the same time, they better be pretty small slices of bread. Yes, you can jam 4 slices in, but they won't all be uniform in color. The overlap of course will not get very brown.

The oven function seems to work pretty well (although it does take a few Minutes to get up to temperature) if you are reheating small portions. As for real cooking? C'mon, are you kidding? Of course not!

As for durability, only time will tell. Our previous TRO 355 lasted 13 years. In the 9 months this one has been in service we've had no problems with it

The only real issue I have with this machine is that when you are using the oven function, you have to remember to turn it off when finished. Simply opening the door turns it off only while the door is open. Close it and the oven is back on. For the absent minded or the severely rushed this could be a real safety issue. After almost 14 years of using this model we're used to this shortcoming.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 19.99