Just when I thought the toaster oven review post was over. Not so fast...
Our thoughtful third born son purchased one for us when he saw we threw out the Breville. He did not know our plans. We all got a laugh out of it!
Caleb is laughing and saying, "You kind of messed up my Christmas present for you when you replaced the toaster oven!" Don't worry; we have a use for it.
Update: I took this picture for my friend Denise because she asked how the old cutting board would fit on the new oven. Since I've had a few friends interested in the toaster oven post, I shared it here too. The cutting board fits and is stable. There is less room between the bottom of my wall cabinet and the top of this oven than there was with the Breville. The new oven (w/ tax $72.66) sat in the box in a spare room while I was canning because I needed the counter space. I unpackaged it and set it up today. My lunch is cooking in it as I type. So far, so good! If I have any problems, I'll update this post. I've had two XL Breville's and still like the Hamilton Beach better because I've had no problems at all with them.
My next kitchen issue to resolve...deciding how to refinish my cabinets. Amanda, Bethany, and I have discussed it, but we still do have a definitive plan.
Update: I was asked by Denise what model number. Here ya go, girl! Picts and link below. Click on the picture and it will be larger. You can see my date of purchase on both. There are many people complaining about the display in the reviews and in other places online. Having purchased a nicer model and a less expensive model at the same time, I can not say I will ever try a Breville again. The Hamilton Beach performed flawlessly. The Breville gave us trouble after only two weeks and continued to do so the entire time until it failed completely after five aggravating years.
from the back of my oven which was recycled today
I purchased the cutting board and love it. It has held up very well, and the silicone feet were tough enough to handle the heat on the top of the oven. I would buy this again if I could not find a less expensive option. I prefer bamboo tools over other wood in my kitchen because it holds up to water so well.
12/9: I purchased my Breville oven for $250 five years ago thinking I was getting something really nice for my kitchen. Within a few weeks, the lit digital display started messing up. We searched the internet and learned it was a very common problem. The fix was to unplug and then plug the unit back in. We've had nothing but issues with the display since we received it. Then it started not heating. We'd unplug and plug it back in, and it would work again. A couple of weeks ago, the Breville oven completely failed. What a disappointment from start to finish!
However, the $70 Hamilton Beach extra large toaster oven we purchased at the same time is still going strong without a moment of trouble. Guess which one I will be purchasing to replace the one that failed?
Based on our experience, I highly recommend skipping the fancy Breville and going with the humble Hamilton Beach.
Clint reminded me that we had a previous Breville oven which performed better than the model mentioned above, but it still did not outperform the Hamilton Beach.
Clint reminded me that we had a previous Breville oven which performed better than the model mentioned above, but it still did not outperform the Hamilton Beach.
