Customer Reviews

Oster 6071 6-Slice Toaster Oven, Black/Silver

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

 

 

Pros: large glass door and glass top to view cooking in progress, side handles make transporting easy, preheat takes 9 minutes or less, two inch thick vented sides cool oven quickly after cooking, has three setting knobs: timer, temperature gauge, and broil/toast/warm/bake (a real treat for anyone who has been mistreated by malfunctioning, expensive electronic sensor pads and boards on other appliances). It comes with 2-piece broiler tray, cookie sheet and reversible rack that adds additional rack setting choices. Rounded back fits 12" pizzas. This rescued me on Thanksgiving when my big oven broke. I made a perfect green bean casserole inside while warming rolls in glass cookware I placed on a rack on top. I've owned it less than a month, and, because of Thanksgiving, I can't wait to find out what else it can do well!
Cons: because it's a toaster oven, heating elements are closer to food than in a large conventional oven and you have to monitor carefully to prevent overcooking, (but that's true of all toaster ovens and well-placed glass on this model makes monitoring easy). I love this oven!

I'm giving this two stars because it didn't explode or fail completely. I also liked the looks and certain promised features well enough to buy it in the first place, so it has a couple things going for it. But I would advise against buying it.

We got ours from Target, on clearance (I wonder why?) in late October. By November, the timer knob was falling off all the time and broken, and by December it wouldn't go on at all. The plastic part at the back of the knob that attached it to the metal prong inside just broke into several pieces. At first they were stuck around the metal prong, but eventually they fell out. I tried using heatsafe glue to reconnect the broken pieces to the knob and then just push the knob back onto the prong, but the plastic was actually stressed to the point it had deformed too much to glue into any workable position. (Much like when you stretch plastic by bending it back and forth repeatedly.) We are currently using a screwdriver to turn the metal stump that originally held the knob. I believe the problem lies in that the knobs are made of and connected by inferior material, and the directions require you to turn the knob past the 20 minute mark, then back, if you want a time of less than 20 minutes, which for things like toast or bagels or bread, you usually do. When you do that, you can feel that it doesn't feel right. But that's what they tell you to do. There are two other knobs that we aren't using any more than we have to now because they feel stiff and poorly-moving like the broken one did.

Apart from the knobs, the toaster set promised a baking sheet, broiler pan, and removable crumb tray. After some confusion, we realized that the "baking pan" is the bottom of the broiler pan. Not exactly as promised. If they're making a big deal of pans because they fit in the featured drawer, they should include the pans as described, not fudge it.

As for the function, it's hit or miss. There are a lot of hot spots and variations you have to get used to with this, and somehow even though it seems to cook the food and bread products, they don't really get very hot. You can make a rock-hard piece of toast that butter won't melt on even though you just removed it from a hot oven. Don't ask me how it happens. However, toast is usually burned in this oven, as is pretty much anything cooked on the Toast setting. I usually "toast" my bread on the Bake setting, since every time I've used Toast my bread comes out charred. Other members of my family eat their toast with minimal charring as long as they literally sit in front of the toaster watching it so it doesn't burn.

Just to be clear, I've used toaster ovens all my life. I've never regularly used a plain old standup toaster. So my criticism is in no part a criticism of toaster ovens in general. I love toaster ovens. I've heard they take longer to toast bread than plain toasters. This one seems to take way less time on the Toast setting to totally incinerate my bread. On the Bake setting it seems normal to speedy.

The heating elements are totally exposed and very easy to burn yourself on. I'm not saying I'm agile with all appliances, but I've never burned myself with any toaster oven as much as I have this one, and I've had at least seven. I think the elements are also the culprit with the cooking issues. They run EXTREMELY hot, so if you position food directly over or under them, it burns without exception. Trying to center the food plus repositioning the racks to get food the proper distance from the elements leads to a lot of inadvertent burns on the back of the hand trying to get the food just so it will heat but not burn. Yes, heating elements have to be hot to cook food, but they shouldn't burn food that is cooking at a mild temperature (say 325º) for just 5 minutes on a rack in a position specified by the manufacturer. You simply cannot put food directly above an element, ever. The bottom elements are also wedged right above the crumb tray, which warps with heat whenever you use the toaster, so it's impossible to get out unless it's completely cool.

I don't really like how this oven reheats meats and fish, either. Whether on 325º or 350º or 375º, this oven overcooks the food without getting it to a really hot temperature. I don't understand how it happens. I reheat rare steaks a lot and they are never heated enough until they're very well done (I've been getting roast cuts so they reheat okay and stay tasty). In my old DeLonghis I could get the steak to sizzle on the outside while being warm on the inside but still pink. In this toaster it can be sizzling like crazy but refrigerated on the inside. I'd try Broil, but it it similar to the crematory Toast setting, and I haven't wanted to waste any steaks yet.

The Bake setting does do a great job reheating casserole-type dishes and pastas like manicotti. The outsides and sauces don't overheat and separate very often. You just have to cut things into small enough pieces so the inside gets hot.

Several aspects of the design of this toaster are winners. It looks great. I'm looking at it right now, and even with its stumpy hole, I love its cute modern-but-retro look and sleek round-edged top. The drawer to store pans, the glass top, large capacity, and the wide front view are all very nice. The sides stay relatively cool for an oven, and in general you don't feel waves of heat coming at you when it's on. I like the 4 positions for the oven rack, but they really should have included two racks so you can cook more things at once. But none of the design perks make up for the lack of performance in this appliance.

I really wanted this oven to work out, especially since I was the one who selected it. I was excited about it. But unfortunately it's the worst toaster oven I've ever owned or used. I'm going to be trying the Black & Decker CTO6301 6-Slice Convection Toast-R-Oven, Stainless Steel next, and will update how it is in comparison. It's about $10-$15 more, depending on the day's price, but if it works the way a toaster oven should, I'm thrilled to pay that.

Even after baking at 450 the side of the oven remained cool to the touch. And the glass top allows you to watch when cheese or browning is taking place. Handles on the sides allows easy lifting and moving.
And it makes a nice appearance on the counter top.

This oven is great! It does everything. It toast, broils, cooks, heats...everything! It looks nice too. I really love the timer also. When the timer goes off, the oven goes off. It matches our kitchen items also. We bought it at Target on sale for $59.99...that's $10 off the normal price.

I loved this little toaster oven. The price was right, and I was getting used to its little oddities. For example, the toast setting is a guess each time. BUT... within 4 months, the temperature knob broke, and it cannot be fixed. I am now using a screw driver to turn the knob. I am sure having to turn the knob forward past 20 minutes before turning it backward to the desired temperature probably puts too much drag on the knob. Considering the number of reviewers who have commented on this problem, it clear it is an design flaw which negates any positives. Resist the temptation... don't buy this product.

I have owned this toaster for about 3 years. I haven't had toast at home in about 2.5 years. I have -finally- convinced my husband to get rid of it in favor of a plain toaster.

Pros: Very lightweight for its size, stays relatively cool to the touch, great glass window in front and on top for easy viewing, side handles offer great grip, love the general style, gets hot inside

Cons:
The instruction manually specifically says for toasting, in bold print, "To set the timer, turn the timer past the 20-minute mark to engage timer switch and set back to desired TOAST setting." When doing this, you can feel the knob straining. It doesn't want to turn backward. (When I've tried not doing it the unit doesn't heat up.) Sure enough, after a few months the knob broke clean off. There's a small metal shaft sticking out of the machine, which is supposed to go in a hollow, cylindrical shaft on the knob. The part on the knob shattered into 4 pieces. I repaired it with super glue such that you can force it to turn the metal shaft, but the knob never snapped back into the unit and is in constant danger of falling off. Of course, the timer doesn't function effectively at this point so setting a different timer in the kitchen is the only option.

I have tried the manual's suggestions for toast and every other combination of rack positions. I -always- get toast that is too light on top and charred on at least half of the bottom. I mean BLACK toast, people. Not dark brown or extra crispy. BLACK. The only way to get acceptable toast is to camp in front of the machine and watch it, rotating the bread after a short time to spread out the scorching.
The manual states that on toast mode the heating elements will cycle on and off. I have never noticed this happening. Maybe that has something to do with the horrible toast?

The few times I have baked in it have been unsatisfactory. Everything comes out burned on the outside and raw in the middle.

I haven't stopped using this product. It can clearly replace my regular oven anyday....I love to watch the food cook.....best price ever

Working the night shift, wanted to be able to have a hot evening meal without nuking. This oven has performed beautifully for about a year until yesterday when the knob which controls the timer broke. Knob is affixed to spindle by four plastic tabs, two of which broke. This is the most used part and requires turning two directions to operate. Calls to Sunbeam/Oster as well as numerous online and local parts dealers have been unsuccessful. Oster says once an item is discontinued (as this now is), they no longer keep the parts. I find this hard to believe. Too bad, did like it.

This toaster is a complete piece of trash. It cooks so unevenly that everything is burned to a literal cinder on the bottom before the top is finished cooking. Even the toast function does not work and I have to use multiple cycles, turning the piece of bread 180 degrees in between the cycles to compensate for the uneven cooking. I have ruined my last meal trying to use this product because as soon as it cools down enough to pick up I am throwing it in the garbage where it belongs and I am going to buy another one to replace it. Don't be suckered into buying this toaster oven because you will be sorry!!

This is my first toaster oven; bought mine at a local B&M store. It seems to be alright so far, but there are a few things I want to point out.

Knobs: Cheap feeling, and the timer knob is broken. I suspect this is a known problem based on other people complaining of the same issue. I emailed Oster to get a replacement knob and they were very quick to offer a replacement upgrade oven (said they did not have any knobs).

Hot: I think this is a very common problem due to the very nature of toaster ovens: The top, rear, and the silver section on the front where the knobs reside get VERY hot. The rear is thin 1-ply sheet of metal and is not insulated at all. The top is multi-walled/thick, but it gets very hot still, especially with the glass panel on the top. I'm not sure what's up with the metal section behind the knobs getting hot, this seems like a very strange place to generate heat, not to mention dangerous since your hands go there and I'm sure there are some electrical components back there somewhere.

Glass Panel on the Top: People seem to like this , but I view it as a HUGE loss point for heat, which equals more electricity usage and less effective distribution of heat. The whole door is glass, so I just look through there to see how my food is coming along.

Other than these few things, this oven works fine for me; seems to cook food evenly, and there are enough of the typical settings to find the correct setting to cook most anything that will fit inside.