Our family has not had good luck with toasters for the past six years. They just don’t make toasters like they used to. So when it came time to buy ... yet again ... another toaster to replace a broken one, I thought, “Why not try a toaster oven this time.” It certainly wouldn’t cost much more than a brand name 4-slice toaster. That’s when I discovered and purchased the T-Fal Avante Elite Convection Toaster Oven.
Description
This 1600 watt black and chrome toaster oven is not only a toaster oven, but it is also has a convection cook feature and a warming area. The oven measures 19 1/4" x 14 1/2" x 12" and is designed to fit on a counter top.
There are two glass doors on this oven. One door is on top of the oven and lifts up to reveal a warming area located above the main oven. The main oven door opens outward so that when the door is completely open, it is parallel to the counter. The two handles are designed to nest side-by-side when both doors are closed. (The handle for the warming area is smaller than the handle for the main oven.)
Beneath the main oven area is a slide-out crumb tray. There is a spot at the front of the tray with the word “Push”. Push this area in toward the oven, and the tray releases, sliding outward. It is easy to remove the tray for crumb disposal.
To the right of the warming and oven areas is a control panel. At the top of the control panel is a digital clock/timer. When the oven is not in use, the display acts as a clock. When the oven is being used, the display acts as a timer and shows the cook settings. Beneath the clock/timer are three buttons: Temp, Time, Clock. Under these three buttons is a rocker switch with a plus and minus sign on each side of the switch (for adding or subtracting cooking time or adjusting the temperature setting up and down). Beneath the rocker switch are four more buttons: a large Bake button, and three smaller buttons: Warmer, Broil, Toast. At the bottom is another button labeled Start/Stop. All the buttons are raised so that they are not flush with the surface of the machine.
This toaster oven comes with a baking pan, reheating pan, broiling pan, two baking racks (grills), and a pair of tongs. All three pans are enameled.
Features
Here is a short list of this toaster oven’s features:
* two ovens (warming oven & main oven)
* convection oven
* thermostat adjustable in 25-degree increments from 150 F. to 500 F.
* two shelf positions for rack
* reversible oven rack to vary grill height
* non-stick pans
* crumb drawer
* non-stick oven walls
First Use
The T-Fal Toaster Oven came packed in a cardboard carton with protective packing material. I removed the oven and set it on my kitchen counter. It takes up a lot of counter real estate, too. I knew ahead of time by the measurements, that this toaster oven would not be able to sit all the way back on my counter beneath the cabinets or else the door for the warming area on top of the oven would not be able to open upward.
First set up is easy. The manufacturer recommends wiping the outside of the appliance with a damp cloth before plugging it in. I saw no dirt or grime on the toaster oven, but I wiped it “clean” anyway. Then, as the instructions stated, I turned the empty toaster oven on the Bake setting for 15 minutes with the oven doors open. This is supposed to eliminate the “new” appliance smell. I didn’t notice any odor when I did this.
Operating the Toaster Oven
There are two rails in the oven where the grill can rest. The rack for the oven has two heights. Hold the rack one way, and it sits high on the two rails. Turn the rack over and it sits lower.
Bake – The default temperature is 350-degrees F. Press the plus or minus key on the rocker switch to lower or raise the default temperature. The temperature can go as high as 500-degrees F.
Cooking Time – The default setting is 30 minutes when the Time button is pressed.
Broil/Grill – There are two settings: Hi and Lo. The default setting is Hi.
Toast – The default setting is 4, and there are 9 possible settings.
Warmer – Use the warmer while the oven is in Bake, Broil/Grill, or Toast mode ... or press the Warmer button to use the top area for warming.
There is a Cooking Guide on page 13 of the user manual. This one-page guide has three columns: Ingredients (what is being cooked), Function (Bake, Broil, Toast, Warmer), Time (how long to cook), and shelf position (whether the rack is placed in the high or low position).
For example:
Buns/Rolls/Croissants (reheated) – Warmer for 5 - 10 minutes
Cookies – Bake at 450-degrees F. for 10 - 20 minutes with oven rack in the high position.
Chicken Baked – Bake at 450-degrees F. for 70 minutes with rack in the low position.
Frozen Lasagna – Bake at 450-degrees F for 30 minutes then Broil on Hi for 5 minutes with rack in the high position.
My Experiences
I love this toaster oven for preparing toast, English muffins and bagels. Supposedly this oven will toast six slices of bread at a time. They must be using very small pieces of bread in their illustration. I can only fit four slices of bread at a time on the rack for toasting. In case you are wondering, I buy the brand Country Kitchen in both the Canadian White and 12 Grain.
For Toast and English Muffins, the 3 or 4 setting works well for me – toasted without being too dark. Bagels cook well on setting number 6. If I remove the toast and then insert more bread for toasting, the oven senses it is already warm and adjusts the setting to compensate for the partially warmed oven.
When toasting, both oven doors (the main door and the warming door) fog over with humidity. There are no exhaust fans in the toaster oven to draw out the moisture. Once the toast cycle is complete, and the oven door opened, it doesn’t take long for the humidity to disperse.
I have used the Broil setting to cook open-face sandwiches (cheese melted on bread). I find it only takes about 5 minutes for the cheese to start melting and bubbling, so I always keep an eye on the broiler when it is cooking. A disappointment is the size of the broil tray. I assumed I would be able to cook four open face sandwiches at a time, like I do with toast. The broil tray is so small that it is a tight fit for two slices of bread.
The one feature I don’t have luck with is convection Bake. I’m sure persistence will eventually allow me to break the cooking “code” for successful meals. I distinctly remember the chicken and rice casserole I attempted to cook ... yuck is a kind word for it. The chicken didn’t appear cooked all the way through. No matter how I tried to make sure the dish cooked all the way through, I just couldn’t make it work.
The most annoying feature is how the rack pulls from the oven. It is tippy. A set of tongs came with the oven. The tongs are designed to grasp the toast and also have a curved piece on them that hooks over the oven rack to pull it from the oven. Unlike a regular oven rack, the toaster oven rack tips toward me when I pull it out of the oven. If I’m not careful, my food slides toward me along the rack. I haven’t lost anything on the floor yet, but I’ve come close a few times.
I’ve been using this toaster oven for about four months. The only wear I notice is where the oven rack slides on the built-in rails inside the oven. The ends of the rails are beginning to lose some of their non-stick coating.
Cleaning & Maintenance
The crumb tray is wonderful. It is easy to push the button and slide the tray out for cleaning. This is one of my favorite features of the oven. Do not insert the crumb tray in the dishwasher. It can be hand cleaned with warm soapy water.
It is easy to wipe the outside of the oven with a damp cloth to clean it. Use only a damp sponge and mild detergent. Clean the inside of the oven the same way. The oven interior has a non-stick finish to make cleaning easier.
Purchasing & Warranty
This oven retails for $149.99. I bought it from JC Penny for $99.99. This toaster oven has a one-year Limited Warranty.
Update -- February 22, 2008
I thought you would like to know that this toaster oven is still working great. I've actually become better at convection cooking. I find that if I lower the temperature by 25 degrees and shave a minute or two from the cooking time, that it works well. The Schwan's pizza comes out delicious! The only problem I've noticed is that the crumb tray sometimes doesn't want to slide all the way into position. I can't see a reason for the problem, and a bit of finagling eventually snaps the tray fully into position. This is a wonderful toaster oven.
Summary
I like this T-Fal Avante Elite Convection Toaster Oven. My main reason for purchasing it was to replace the broken toaster. It has served well for toasting a variety of bread products. I would hesitate to buy this oven if I wanted it as my only oven in the house. We are very happy with it!
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