Customer Reviews

KITCHENAID COUNTERTOP OVN 1400 WATTS BAKE BROIL TOASTER

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Got three of these exact toaster ovens as gifts for the holiday, and that was funny but actually came in handy since one of the three was dead on arrival so we used the second and returned the third. Now a month later and 5 to 6 uses and this one is dead too! (no lights, no heat, nothing) The unit just doesn't come on, and is dead. I wouldn't normally report the faulty unit, but 2 out of 3 failed on me so that is pretty bad. When it worked it was great.

I really like the design of this oven. It looks and feels very sturdy. I also like that I can adjust the rack to sit at 4 different levels just by flipping it over. This gives you so much versatility and allows you to get the exact results that you want. I've used it to do so much more than I thought I would and it doesn't take forever to heat up like my big oven does! I especially like using it for a quick batch of weekend morning muffins, or heating pizza, or making garlic cheese bread, or even broiling gardenburgers!

Terrible toaster oven!! No catch on the rack so half the time it falls out of the oven and the food goes flying. Takes a while to heat up and, due to rack layout, everything I bake in it burns on the top. Thought I would like it because of the brand and the sturdy feel but - Hate it!! Used it for two months and then bought a Black and Decker.

Toaster ovens are the bane of my existence. The only product I have more trouble with are telephone answering machines, so please listen up, I've been through quite a few manufacturers.

First... Black and Decker. We've owned two or three of these over the last 12 years. They last a couple of years, but that's not the problem it would seem since they have the advantage of being cheap. Unfortunately, they have the disadvantage of occasionally catching fire (in a big way), so we don't buy them any more.

Second... Delonghi. Bought one of them. We were very happy with it until it also caught on fire. Lasted about three years. It was certainly better than the Black and Deckers which after awhile only toast one side of your bread.

Third... Sears. It was slightly cheaper than the current Kitchen Aid in question; and it worked well for about 3 or 4 years never once threatening to set the kitchen cabinets ablaze. We would have bought another one, but logistics proved too high a barrier.

Now... this Kitchen Aid.

Appearance and Touch n' Feel :::
We drove to a number of places and looked at more toaster ovens than any sane person would want to, and this Kitchen Aid had the best feel. The handle didn't feel loose, and the door didn't rattle and squeak when you opened and shut it, and the knobs felt solid.

In appearance, it's quite attractive. Basically what you see in the kitchen is stainless, although the sides and top are black. The stainless, btw, is the sort that doesn't show finger prints.

Usage :::
It's an odd duck. I have never had a toaster that took so long to brown bread. Honestly, the instructions in the book (I looked this morning) said that you should warm it up for 5 minutes before beginning to make toast. Huh?

In any case, using the toaster like most moms and dads do, you can expect toast to appear in 7 to 8 minutes. At least on the first round. Try that on the second round and you'll have glowing carbon! (The interior having attained a pre-warm status)

Fish sticks -- the only non-toast oven activity we use it for is the kids' fish sticks. It does a fine job although I must note that you are going to have to get an oven thermometer and calibrate your oven. The readings are way-high.

Finally, it's very odd that this oven's timer only goes up to 30 minutes. No one noticed this at the time we made the purchase, but I suppose it suggests that the oven should not be used for a longer period. (Thankfully for us, fish sticks only take 25 minutes.)

Conclusion :::
This is an attractive, solid feeling, if idiosyncratic toaster oven with a 'classy name'. The heating elements don't seem the sort that will burn our house down. They glow at a low level. The crumb catcher is top rate. None have escaped thus far. The oven comes with the usual mini broiler pan and two metal racks. The manufacturer says 6 pieces of bread fit on the rack. I don't know where they get their bread but I couldn't possibly cram more than 5 pieces on the screen.

Pam T!
mom, wife, and reviewer-at-large

A KitchenAid tradition as always been to use quality materials and parts and this toaster oven is no exception, however it appears as though they selected the wrong parts to go with the materials in this instance. The entire unit becomes very hot to the touch just making light toast and then requires a long period of time to cool down. The extremely long period of time required for the heating elements to heat up causes the bread to completely dry out and you wind up with a Melba toast effect. I did not test the unit any further than toast as the unit became so hot just making light toast I could not imagine how hot it could have gotten trying to bake or broil something. I am sure that this unit will be working 40 years from now like so many of the KitchenAid products do, but who needs it.

Nice oven, probably the best one I've owned. I've had it for about 5 months now. Accurate and reliable so far ... But like every toaster oven I've owned, it has a lot to be desired in making toast. Never toasts the bottom and the top evenly. Great for making a toasted open face sandwich or warming up pizza.
Would I buy it again? I'm not really sure, I'm done buying cheap appliances for my kitchen, but I expected a bit more for this price.

I am on the internet searching for a way to repair this oven, and the first link that came up was amazon, so I thought I would put my 2 cents in. We got it for a disabled friend of ours and it worked fine for awhile, but one day it just stopped. No lights, no heat, nothing. Seems to be fairly common with this oven.

We selected this oven because the build quality felt solid and the design and styling was good. I would be wary of this model. The funny thing is there is really nothing to break in a toaster. I mean the moving parts (dials, trays, etc) all work fine still. The rest is solid state and should last 20 years. So much for that idea.

Ever feel like you've been totally ripped off? I did after I bought this piece of junk. Long story truncated, I waited too long to return it. So I've tried to make it work,
What went wrong? 1. The oven rack warped. 2. It smells when heated over 350 degrees. 3. The temp settings are wildly inaccurate. 4. (My fault on this) 30 minute timer is too short. Get a "stay on" feature if you plan on doing serious baking or roasting. 5. Broil will simply not work,
In short, given the general quality of Kitchen Aid products this oven is either a lemon, which I doubt given other reviews, or simply an attempt to cash in on a brand name by using cheap components.

Until now. My husband insisted on a toaster oven. We make our own sandwiches now and they are great because of this little work horse. This thing has baked cakes, broiled salmon and toasted garlic bread. I never thought it would be so useful.

It does produce a lot of heat, especially in an apartment, but it's still considerably less than a regular oven would produce. Not to mention it's just so versatile. It has a space on the counter that I gladly devote to it. Of course the husband LOVES this thing and raves at every thing it makes. I don't really have any complaints about it since we have it in our home now, feels like it doesn't produce much heat now that space isn't so cramped.

HIGHLY recommended.

KitchenAid Countertop Oven - Black I'm not too experienced with toaster ovens, but this one is very attractive and seems to work fine. I haven't yet gotten the knack of making toast in it (which I assumed would be the simplest thing), but it seems to work best when pre-heated for all uses - even toast. It heats up pretty quickly and does a good job with small items like side dishes. If you don't preheat, though, whatever you're trying to cook will just dry out during the heating process.