Customer Reviews

Black & Decker CTO6300 Digital-Advantage Countertop Toaster Oven

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Our Black & Decker Toast-R-Oven finally died after 12 years and I started shopping around for a replacement. I was looking for a bit more capacity but not too gigantic. I thought a timer with automatic shutoff seemed like a good idea, but was skeptical of the durability of the analog dial timers found on so many models these days, so digital sounded good. We would use the oven mostly for toasted cheese sandwiches, bagels, small pizzas, garlic bread, occasional tater tots or fries, things like that. And, if it's good enough at it, toasting bread, though we have a regular toaster for that. The CTO6300 seemed close to what I was looking for; maybe a bit more toaster oven than we needed, but reviews were favorable so I gave it a try. After a few days it seemed to be a good machine overall, but it wasn't really a good fit for us and I decided to return it. Others would probably be perfectly happy with it, though, so I'll just mention a few things to be aware of.

The stainless steel exterior becomes extremely hot during use. I've used enough toaster ovens to expect them to get very hot, but this model became hot enough to burn skin on contact. The manual warns: "Do not let your skin touch any surface." Unlike some previous similar B & D models and other models in their Digital Advantage line, this model does not have the ThermaGuard insulation coating to protect against excessive heat (for some reason I thought it would - my mistake). We have an active small child in the house, so this is a concern.

Toasting is slow, which is typical of toaster ovens this size. I decided to time a toast cycle with two slices of toast at the default medium (4) setting, and it took 7 minutes. According to the manual, successive batches toast more quickly, but we don't make toast in that kind of volume. Toaster ovens don't tend to be great at making toast (go figure) so I didn't have high expectations in this area anyway. Also, the manual's suggestion for toasting rack position didn't work correctly for us. It suggests positions 2 and 3 for toasting, but regular bread at position 2 ended up way too dark on the top. I went with position 1 which seemed more logical and the balance was just right.

A somewhat nit-picky thing: the electronic timer alarm beep seemed particuarly loud to us, much louder than any of our other kitchen appliances. Probably not an issue for most people, but it would make me hesitate to use the oven during naptime.

And in support of the reviewer with the pizza pan injury, I actually can see how this is possible. The edge of the pan is rolled under to make the rim, but the very edge of the metal itself on the rim's underside was very sharp on the pan that came with my oven. If you were to run a finger around the underside edge at just the right angle, ssssslice. So please be careful, just in case.

I do have good things to say about this oven. I liked the generous capacity which seemed plenty big for our household of 3 (but then I'm used to smaller older models). The flexibility of 4 rack positions (2 slots with a reversible rack) was nice, and the convection fan was quieter than expected. Toasted bread, though slow, did turn out pretty well I thought, perhaps a bit dry. The 12" frozen rising-crust pizza I tried turned out very well, except that I forgot to follow the manual's instructions to turn it 1/4 turn halfway through, so it was undercooked on one side. I was spoiled by my previous toaster oven's quick heating so I wasn't used to the extra preheating time, but otherwise it seemed to handle baking very well. I found the electronic controls easy to work with, and I liked that it remembered previous settings.

Even though it wasn't right for us it did seem to be a solid toaster oven. In the vast ocean of negative toaster oven reviews, this seems to be one of the rare good products.

... I would hate to see what the others are like.

Well, I have experienced everything the other reviewers have described except the sharp edge issue. However, here are three new issues:

1. Safety??? The B&D lawyers created the first problem mostlikely. If you open the oven door while in use (toast or bagel setting), the oven shuts off. And, then you must go through the process again to restart it. Well, this is a horrible feature since there isn't a light in the oven and the black non-stick coating inside makes it very dark. I will be defeating this switch once I decided to keep the oven.

2. The rack... If the B&D lawyers really wanted something to worry about, it should be the rack that does not have ANY sort of stops that prevent it from falling out. BE VARY CAREFUL while pullng the rack out when it is hot. If your oven is tilted forward even slightly or you pull just a bit too much, you will have a steaming hot mess to clean up. Hopefully, you will not reach for the falling hot food and rack, causing a serious burn. In the end, you should treat the rack as a tray that completely removes. I will be devising my own stops that prevent ANY problems. I guess that will prevent me from having the chance of suing B&D for unsafe design practices.

3. The door... Boy the door sure looks good! But, it is hard to push completely open without burning yourself because of the way the handle is designed. B&D lawyers... take note again! You don't have to worry about this one much if you wear an oven gloove EVERY time you use the toaster oven.

4. Ok, I said three above, but I want to stress something the other reviewers commented on. This is an oven toaster, not a toaster oven. If you frequently run out of the house in the morning off to work with toast in hand, you will not want this toaster oven since it takes WAY TOO LONG. You will need to buy a dedicated toaster.

Hope this helps future buyers. Good luck finding a good toaster oven. If this one is the best, there is a ton of room for improvement. I now wish I keep my old, simple, no frills toaster oven, which oh by the way was a Black & Decker.

Bought this to replace the Euro-Pro #278 that we reviewed here. Definitely a much better made product. Seems pretty well thought out although one detail seems weirdly left out. If you try to push the buttons the oven skates around the counter whereas the Euro-Pro (as poorly as it was made) had nice rubber pads under it. So I just hot glued some pads under this one.
Performance-wise I'm fairly pleased. Toast comes out perfectly even (albeit a little slow and a little dry) but looking like a picture. It's slightly smaller than the Euro Pro and has an unusual bulge at the rear so it can accomodate a 12" pizza pan (which is included btw). The pan not the pizza ;-) Kids cooked some frozen strudels in it also and it performed nicely. Can't comment on too much else but I'm looking forward to using it to roast peppers in it and perhaps bake a small loaf of bread when needed etc.
It's much quieter and just seems overall like a much higher quality piece than the Euro-Pro which just didn't seem like pieces fit correcly, had peeling coatings, and sharp edges.
A note to safety here: opening the door shuts off the oven.
Instructions leave alot to be desired but operation is fairly intuitive so really are not needed.
Rack slides out nice and easy too. The Euro Pro's rack(s) did not and was difficult to the point od being a little dangerous when they were hot.
Digital controls are nice. Easy to clean, nothing to break off etc. Interior has non-stick coating and crumb tray is easy to remove so overall it looks like an easy appliance to keep clean.
Overall especially at the Target sale price it seemed to be a decent purchase.
Not sure what the other writer did to cut themselves on the pizza pan as all the edges are smooth and rolled. Perhaps he/she got a faulty pan.
At this price point I'd have to say it is recommended.
edit 10/23/04
We have used this for a little over a week and done quite a few things in it (including the aforementioned peppers which were perfect). Overall it works very nicely as an oven and toasting is nice (albeit slow).
It will however, be going back for an exchange though as it's door has developed a weird quirk. As the oven gets hotter the spring tension that holds the door relaxes and gradually allows the door to come open (about 3mm). When baking this causes the heat to become uneven and of course the results become uneven.
We are currently investigating looking into a different brand but these things are VERY dificult to find. Otherwise we'll just do as B&D recommended and exchange it at the store for a new one.
Overall still happy and would recommend and if the door didn't come ajar would find it about perfect for what we use it for and anticiapte using it for.

This is a great oven! I made a taco casserole in it last night!! My pyrex dishes actually fit in it. And the convection part works great, it cooked in half the time it takes in the oven. The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is the controls. They are not half as bad as some other reviewers say they are, but they can be a little frustrating. For example, I don't think you can set the timer (or change the timer) after the oven is started. At least I can't figure out how to do it! You have to stop the oven, set the timer, then start it again. I don't get why it's like that, but I think I'll just get around it by using the timer on my microwave instead. The oven is nice looking and works well. I haven't tried toast yet, but toaster ovens usually do take longer than toasters. (Some folks were complaining it took too long). I don't get why someone said the racks don't work, mine work fine, and the person who cut themselves on the pizza pan must have gotten a defective one, cause there is no way you could do that on mine! I really checked it out because of reading that, but I found no sharp edges. I highly recommend this oven as an alternative to firing up the big oven all the time. I can't wait to make bread in it!

My husband and daughter bought this for me last Christmas. I love it. I can make pizza or 8 mini bagels or 6 slices of toast at one time. It bakes great. Is easy to clean. It preheats and buzzes when the itme is finished toasting or baking. This was one great Christmas gift.

I have been a Black and Decker user for years. When my old oven died finally, I purchased one of these digital-advantage ovens. It was hard to learn to use because the manual is virtually worthless, but once you master the buttons it is great. As long as it works. Unfortunately for me, mine did not work long. The convection fan died shortly after the warranty expired. You can't order parts and the customer service site did not respond to my email. Without the convection fan you are limited to 400 degrees, which is not enough for some applications.

I bought this oven about a week back after doing research on toaster ovens available in market and reading reviews of different brand and models. I am very happy so far with the Oven and would say it a good buy for the price.
1) It bakes quite fast in convection mode. Baked a cake in half then (15-20 mins) the regular Oven. Baked pastry puffs in less time.
2) Convection fan is less noise .
3) Haven't noticed any sharp edges with the pizza pan, seems fine to me. May be B&D made the improvement on that.
4) Oven gets little hot on outside . I expected that based on the reviews this oven
and many other good bands . Its a Oven so I excepted that.
May B&D R&D can work on proving better thermal insulation so the outside will become less hot.
5) The rack does fall out if you pull it out too far. I guess it is something people do and B&D should have put stops on the rack for this.
6) Haven't noticed any issues with the pizza pan, seems fine to me.
7) Easy to following the instruction.
8) I haven't notice the Timer reset issue. I opened the Oven door several time during bake cycle.
I only had to make sure to press start again to continue the bake cycle.
9) Control button are little hard to press . Can be made a little softer.
10 ) Easy to understand instructions

Some of the faults: The pizza pan is sharp on the underside, so be careful. The rack comes out really easy. I was trying to slide some toasted subs out and the rack came out with it. The controls are a pain at first, but now I can set them with my eyes closed. It is hot, however I haven't burnt myself since I paid attention to another review of this toaster oven.<br /> Some good points: It's relatively easy to clean. I use it mostly to toast things or to bake chicken. It works great for those things. I put a thick piece of frozen bread in there on 5 and it comes out perfect. The chicken ALWAYS comes out pleasantly moist when completely cooked. There is no way I want to replace this toaster oven.

We like this toaster oven so far. The pizza pan makes it awesome for cooking crispy pizza. It is deep and long enough to fit in cassaroles, cookies, and even a roast! There are only two of us, so if you are cooking for more, it may be too small. The only complaint that I have is the digital displays. The instruction manual is TERRIBLE! There is about 1 paragraph explaining the controls. But through use, you learn how to use it and it's not too bad. It is an awesome toaster oven though:)

About a month after buying this product, its glass door EXPLODED, showing our counter with beads of glass.

Like the Toastmaster oven (which has the same documented problem), this product is dangerous. Don't buy it.