Customer Reviews

Cuisinart TOB-175 Convection Toaster Oven/Broiler, Chrome

5 star:		(230)
4 star:		(61)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I have had this oven for several months now. I missed an opportunity to by it as a factory refurbished unit, and ended up buying it new here. Initially, I wanted to hold out for a convection oven with a larger capacity, but the reality of unit size and lack of availability of a larger oven with similar features convinced me to by this model.

I think I made the right choice. It is large enough to bake and broil a wide variety of things without having to resort to the "big oven", it has accurate, even temp control, and enough features and custom settings that I am still discovering new and better ways to use it.

It is a pretty large oven, does everything advertsed in best of class fashion, it's very easy to clean, and looks "right" no matter how your kitchen is outfitted. Even simple tasks like making toast are handled better than any regular toaster or cheap toaster oven that I have tried. When toasting bread or bagles, the first part of the cycle brings the bread up to teperature without bringing the heat elements up to "toasting" tepmerature. Towards the end of the cycle, the elements glow bright red, and toast both surfaces very evenly, and to taste. The result is perfectly toasted bread, bagles, pizza slices, etc, without cold centers. The cycle can easily be tailored for your favorite bread. Perfect.

Before I forget, someone posted a "review" here that really was a question about what temp the oven is capable of. The oven can also broil, so that would indicate that it can reach high temps, and in fact, it can. The "bake" setting allows you to select a temerature on the display up to 500 degrees. Most any cooking technique that can be done with a quality conventional oven can be done with this gem. And more. When I first started using the oven, I checked it's indicated temp with my electronic thermometer that I use for calibrating industrial sensors. In every case, the indicated air temp was within a few degrees of reality. My full sized oven wasn't anywhere near that close when it was new.

Broiling, baking, defrosting, and reheating leftovers are also given the benefit of digital control over the cooking cycle. Even the crumb tray was designed for effective operation, and ease of cleaning. I have used a number of dedicated convection ovens, and more than a few toaster ovens over the years, but this one is in a class by itself. Even if you grew up with the microwave, this oven won't gather dust on your countertop.

Update... July 12, 2005. This oven is used most every day, and has proved to be a solid performer. As time passed, I have used pretty much all of the functions of the oven, and learned to customize settings to please me along the way. I have not had a single problem with the oven since the day it arrived, and being easy to keep clean, it still looks factory new (when I clean it). It is about as large as I care to have on the countertop, and for bigger jobs, I simply use the main kitchen oven. For most anything else, this is the oven that gets the call. I still rate five stars.

I won't rehash everthing that people have said. This oven definitely is a great toaster and oven. I previously owned a Delonghi Airstream convection oven and the Cuisinart does a more consistent baking job. I think other reviewers have hit all the high points of the oven. Here are a couple "irritating" things that I've found. They don't take away from the quality or ability of the oven, just things that could have been done differently.

The manual is overwritten to the point of being very confusing. Very basic features are talked about at length making it seem like the features are more complex than they really are. For example, it talks about all these "custom" toasting options which are really just the buttons you push to describe what you are toasting. And then goes on and on about the timer function which is just a basic countdown timer. I can only imagine the hours of consultation that went into the writing of the manual.

My biggest gripe about the oven is that it does not have the option to shut off when the timer goes off. I use the oven for reheating dinners and so I usually put a plate of food in for 15 minutes and then I like the oven to shut off in case I'm not in the kitchen. Unfortunately the Cuisinart just keeps beeping but doesn't actually shut off the oven which means if I'm not around the kitchen, my food will keep on cooking.

The convection fan in the Cuisinart is smartly designed to change speeds as it reaches different temperatures. As the oven gets to full temp, the fan is on full speed which is pretty loud. I actually returned my first Cuisinart because it was vibrating the countertop so loudly at full speed, I thought I definitely had a defective unit. The replacement Cuisinart fan was a tad quiter, but still gets to a quiet roar when at full temp. The Delonghi fan is much quiter, but I'd guess doesn't generate nearly the same air flow.

Finally, I miss the light from my Delonghi. Seems like an easy thing that Cuisinart should have put in, but didn't.

As a side note, I was pleased to find the Cuisinart being the only appliance in my entire house that did not lose the time when the lights flicked off and back on during a storm. Not sure how long it would hold the time, but at least for a second or two.

Again, I agree that the Cuisinart is the best built, best performing oven I've seen. I like its 3-year warranty which is rare on any small appliance. That alone should tell you that Cuisinart is confident about the quality of their toaster.

I never expected I'd spend this much on a toaster oven. My old Black and Decker, the $... variety, worked just fine... except for that disturbing buzzing it'd make sometimes when I turned it on. And it was small. When this Cuisinart came up on my Gold Box one day I was utterly tempted. I looked at reviews. I researched it on Consumer Reports (where it received the best scores, but did not get a best buy rating only because of price). And I was impressed enough to buy it.

My first thought when I received this in the mail and unpacked it was 'Wow, what a beautiful appliance!' Because it is. It's shiny chrome with a black front, a heavy-duty glass door, and digital display. All the buttons are soft-touch, and it feels like it's made well.

But then, what else do you expect from Cuisinart?

My second thought was 'Wow, this thing is big!' It's much larger than your average toaster oven. In fact, the tray and broiling pan that came with it is twice the size of my old toaster oven. The manufacturer website says that the pan is large enough to hold a nine-inch pie plate, and I believe it. It definitely is. You can actually seriously cook with this thing, for more than one or maybe two people if you're lucky.

I've used it twice so far, once to broil a burger, the other to broil/bake some chicken. And I've already noticed a difference. It's wonderfully silent and it cooks very fast. But it also gets very hot. I never knew that my old toaster oven wasn't broiling at the right temperature until I had the fat that drained from the burger popping and spitting at me.

It has a convection feature which I haven't yet used, but that's only because I haven't tried to bake in it yet. It is also capable of toasting 6 slices of toast at once, and has a memory feature so you can remember how your toast was last done. It will also reheat toast or keep it warm for you.

The oven comes with a small manual with some recipes that look excellent in it. It also gives you the opportunity to take advantage of the three rack positions you can use by showing where you'd use them. The manual also has several helpful hints for using the various features, such as recommendations for darkness settings on various types of toast.

Advantages: Beautiful to look it, easy to use, definitely on with the temperatures, convection oven capabilities, programmable toasting
Disadvantages: the top of it gets hot, so don't leave anything on top of it, and it's expensive.

I'd definitely recommend it, especially if, like me, you're looking to build a functional kitchen with quality appliances, the sort that's a joy to cook in rather than a chore.

We received the above model this past week and although I have tried I cannot find anything I donot like about it. I have made succulent chicken with the convection oven. Used the defrost/toast for frozen toast which came out to perfection on it's preset for two slices. My husband cooked french fries on the bake cycle which saved us from having to use our wall oven.
We are looking forward to using it often this summer. I would have appreciated more recipies in the accompanying instruction bookelet for convection cooking.

Thought it would be great, but it's even better than that. It makes perfect toast, a loaf of zuccini bread came out perfectly, and reheating stuffed peppers was amazing--cooked through with out drying them out. If you're one of those people who refuses to buy a microwave and wants a little more than toaster or toaster oven, this machine is fabulous. It's smaller and more energy efficient than an oven. The cooking potential is endless. Worth every penny.

We live in a NYC apartment and the appliances are typically the cheapest that can be purchased by the penny pinching, tight fisted landlord. Try to bake or broil in a bad oven and your results won't be great and you end up with a nice Power/Gas bill.

So, I went online to search for a decent toaster oven. I never intended to find a unit which would allow me to cook roaster chickens. I just wanted it for quick use such as for bagels, garlic bread, nachos, etc. After reading the reviews for this machine here and at epinions.com I decided to blow the (much more than I wanted) dollars on this unit. It has not disappointed me. It has been perfect actually. It pre-heats quickly (a beep lets you know it's ready) and it cooks perfectly especially with the convection feature on.
We have used it for two months now and it is perfect for 5-6 pound chickens (cooks very fast!) and bagels, cookies, toast, garlic bread, etc. To my way of thinking, it makes no sense to spend less $$'s on a lousy unit which rewards you with a few years of poorly cooked food. Spend the $$'s on this one and you won't be disappointed. I bought it on Amazon(with free shipping and no tax!- Sorry NY, no 8.6% for you:)and it was delivered in two days. Amazon has got their $h-t together!! I now buy just about all small appliances from Amazon even if they aren't the cheapest and they deliver fast and efficiently and don't waste my time.

I bought this oven because I wanted an alternative to the big one in my kitchen. The first night I made Meatloaf and I was cooked PERFECTLY. The next night I warmed up fish sticks for my kids, they cooked PERFECTLY. And last night I made brownies with the convection feature...they were baked PERFECTLY. So far I love my little oven. WORTH THE MONEY and it wasn't cheap!! Even Consumer Reports loved this oven & it's features. They only commented on the price. My opion on this one is, you get what you pay for.

I purchased this toaster oven approx. 2 months ago thanks to other reviews I read on Amazon and epinions. But a reviewer who gave it kudos on Amazon and said they had purchased the same unit (although a different model #) at BJ's Wholesale Club for $99 is what/who made me decide on this one. So I investigated and sure enough he was right about it being the same unit at a lower cost. And to boot I had coupons in which I saved $15 more dollars off and paid only $84. Yes it is true!

My story goes deeper in that I had a 10 year old Black and Decker that we had got when we were married. I used it alot for cooking small items and toasting. It worked great but was showing its age. My husband said it was time to get a new one. After months of saying "but it still works" I gave in threw it away and bought a new Black and Decker. I was very disappointed within the first week of owning it. It toasted only one side of the bread, you would have to turn the bread over to get the other side toasted. And EVERYTHING that I would bake in it would burn after only 8-10 minutes. After three weeks it went back and we went without a toaster or toaster/oven for at least 4-5 months. I researched and researched so that I would not experience what I did with the B&D. I have been so pleased with this toaster oven. Wish I would have found it sooner. It looks great on the counter and toasts, bakes and convections like no other toster oven. One thing that I have found to be very helpful it that it preheats quickly and when its ready it beeps so you know when its ready. I have absolutely no complaints. IF YOU ARE LIKE ME and have researched about toaster oven PLEASE just save yourself the trouble and buy this unit. It's simple the best. And if you or someone you know belongs to BJ's buy it from them, you will save some $$. Enjoy!

I replaced an inexpensive Black & Decker toaster oven with the Cuisinart TOB-175BC oven. My old oven worked fine, but I did not like the long wait time for it to heat up and the inaccurate temperature. It is not fair to compare them since I paid less than a third as much for my old oven as I did for the Cuisinart. I simply wanted a better toaster oven. This Cuisinart convection toaster oven does everything it advertises and performs quite well.

As one would expect from Cuisinart, this appliance is good quality and looks very stylish. It is built solidly. A broiler rack and matching pan are included. The interior size is pretty standard for toaster ovens (0.5 cubic foot), but the oven looks larger from the outside. The touch pad control is pretty simple to use although not entirely intuitive. It pays to read the well-written owner's manual that comes with the oven. For toasting, the oven will remember your last darkness setting so it does not have to be reset each time you use it. The oven heats up very quickly and will sound a chime to let you know when it reaches the desired temperature. It only takes about 3 minutes to achieve 400 degrees, which is a vast improvement over my old toaster oven. The convection bake function does seem to speed up cooking, and the fan is surprisingly quiet for an oven this size. There is a built-in timer that chimes loudly to let you know when time is up. If you forget to turn the oven off, it will turn itself off after 4 hours.

I have some minor disappointments with this oven, but they are far out-weighed by its positive attributes. As others have mentioned, the top gets extremely hot during cooking. The manual warns about this, but it would have been safer to insulate it better in manufacture. For an oven this expensive, a larger interior would have been nice. The crumb tray has to be removed from behind for cleaning, which is an inconvenience. It would have been nicer to have access to it from the front of the oven (like my old Black & Decker). Toasting is a little uneven -- it seems to be slightly darker on top, and lighter at the outside edges of the rack. As mentioned by other reviewers, this is a relatively expensive oven.

Having used this oven pretty much daily for past couple of weeks, I can say that I am very pleased with it. To me, it was worth the money spent.

Addendum: I want to add some information about Cuisinart's terrible customer service. After owning this toaster oven for 4 years now, which is one year out of the warranty period, one of the plastic side handles broke. These handles are all-plastic and attach with two standard screws. It could be removed and replaced by anyone with a screwdriver. A reasonable person would expect to purchase a replacement handle for certainly no more than a few dollars. But Cuisinart does not stock parts for this oven except for the grill pan and rack, basically, and they do not provide any service for this oven outside of warranty. If a part of your oven breaks or the oven fails to work after the warranty period expires you are out of luck. Cuisinart expects you to purchase a new oven. I spoke with several levels of customer service representative, including one at their corporate office, and not one could find a way for me to replace this cheap part short of buying a new oven or mailing my oven in for servicing (which makes no sense to me since they tell me they do not repair these ovens). This is the second time I have had poor customer service from Cuisinart, and I will think long and hard about purchasing another Cuisinart product as a result.

I purchased this item as I live with just my 10 year old son and did not see the sense in firing up the oven to make a small amount of food for us. This item cooks quickly and well. I love the feature that lets you know when it has reached the specified temperature. The convection baking makes delicious and moist meat.

I am glad I purchased this item. I can use it this summer and not heat up the kitchen. I recommend it to anyone looking for a quality energy and time saving kitchen appliance.