Customer Reviews

BELLA CUCINA CONVECTION OVEN-TROASTER

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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Purchased this oven yesterday. Lugged it home. Unpacked it and found the "baking tray" was defective (horizontal struts not welded firmly, broke free, causing one to stick up/protrude, possibliy constituting a safety problem). Called Bella Cucina's "service number" and was told I would have to return the unit to seller! Any other manufacturer would have had a replacement part in the mail that afternoon, rather than requiring that I lug the unit back to the seller (in my case, 25 miles away, as I told them).

Their defective part must weigh all of one ounce, and cost them about fifty cents, but insted of simply sending me a new one, I have to travel back to the vendor!

Rarely do I submit a review, but Bella Cucina's response was so unsatisfactory I told them I would tell the world, so I am in the process of doing so. Perhaps if enough of us complain, their management will change thier currently non=competitive "Guarantee". Until they do, buy another brand!

I bought this at Macy's because the price was good for a large convection toaster oven, and the parts felt solid and not plastic-y cheap. This will be my fourth TO in twenty-five years after a dinky but serviceable GE (lost in a move after college), and two DeLonghis (heating elements warped or quit) in which I could just fit and nicely roast a small chicken, or a pan of au gratin potatoes, or toast the daily bread. I could not find a comparable DeLonghi at Target or Linens N Things or Macy's this week, and thought I'd try something new (excited about the convection feature). Here's the deal: the upper and lower elements ONLY work at the same time in TOAST mode; in BAKE/ROAST only the LOWER elements work! Of coarse broil only uses the upper elements; but I want to roast a chicken! The convection fan is VERY loud, especially with the tick of the timer, and every time the thermostat drops the temp, the oven bangs like it was hit with a hammer. Even with the fan on, only the bottom of the oven heats up, so after an HOUR (!!!) at 400 degrees the pan juices were boiling, but the chicken itself I could lift out of the pan with my bare hands (!!!!!) to place into a proper roasting pan to cook in my gas oven. There is no excuse for this kind of trash, which is going straight back to Macy's. Shame on modern manufacturing that allows such products to come to market.

I have this same model that I purchased from JC Penneys, its called their "Cooks" line. Its so light weight that while your trying to remove food from the oven it slides all over which is dangerous as it is hot. Also, the oven section doesnt regulate the true temperature, so if your tying to cook a pizza for instance , you might think the heating element will shut off once the desired temperature is reached, but it doesnt. So you have to watch your food other wise it will get burned from underneath. My last oven was a Munsey, and I used that for -everything-, I never used my regular oven. Im going to have to junk this toaster oven (which is 4 months old) and search for another Munsey.

As we took it out of the box, my 8yr old daughter laughed and said it looked really cheap! (cheaper than her light-bulb oven). The noise isn't as loud as expected from other reviews. Toast is even, but dry. It does well with pizza, broiled sandwiches and reheating things. With the fan and an empty oven, temps match the dial setting, compared with an oven thermometer set inside. With food blocking the fan, it isn't as exact. Without the fan, temps are at least 75 degrees hotter- impossible to get a low temp. You can't remove something from the back without pulling the rack out. It isn't supported well and the rack ALWAYS falls onto the door, sending hot food on your hand or floor. Even when I try holding it still, it becomes unbalanced as food is moved, with one side of the rack falling sideways. I had to figure out why. The ledge that holds the rack is rounded and the rack isn't wide enough to sit firmly. Also, there is no ledge in front of the fan, so the right side is missing support when it is half-way out. The door and back become very hot, but the handle is cool. Controls are easy to set. Even if you get a great sale price, it might not be worth it. If you don't need exact temps and don't mind a flimsy rack, it does a good job with simple reheating. I had bought 2, to give one as a gift, but I'd feel bad giving it to someone. Back to the store.

MY FATHER-IN-LAW GAVE ME THIS AS A GIFT...WHAT A GIFT IT IS...IT COOKED WELL FOR ABOUT A MONTH THEN I REALIZED THE TEMP DOES NOT REGULATE ITSELF...SO AFTER IT GETS TO THE DESIRED TEMP IT STILL KEEPS GETTING HOTTER AND HOTTER AND HOTTER UNTIL SMOKE COMES FROM THE TOP....DO NOT BUY BELLA CUCINA!!!

This toaster oven has been such a pain. I have a young baby and often have her in my hands. The toaster oven door won't stay open unless it is all the way down resting on the counter. When you want to toast you just turn the knob on and keep checking it every few seconds. Sometimes it toasts very fast, other times it takes forever. Also, every time we use it there is a loud BANG after the thing cools down. I'm going out to buy a new one today. Ugh.

A previous reviewer pointed out that the top/bottom heating elements do not work at the same time unless you're "toast"ing. I tried to "bake" things several times and all were inevitably burned on the bottom. Now I understand why. Also, the door will not stay open. It slams shut immediately, unless you hold it down with something while you take the food out. My husband bought this as a Christmas gift because it was "on sale". Now I know why! It's worthless!