Customer Reviews

Proctor Silex 31117 4-Slice Toaster Oven/Broiler, Black

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

You really can go wrong with this item - it's very affordable and designed decently for it's price range. The only issues I have with it are:

1. Once the rotary timer is set, you can't stop it - however, you could simply set heat = 0 and wait for the timer to end.

2. The food tray is apparently "wrapped" around another thin metal layer, which is a potential bacteria trap, since it's nearly impossible to clean without damaging the tray...so don't go naked...just use aluminum foil around the tray.

Would recommend for studio apartments / college students and would buy again.

Owned for 3 weeks at the time of this writing.

Not fancy. But it does the basic jobs well. Minor concern - better at baking than toasting. Toasting takes a little too long and is not totally uniform. But for the price this machine can't be beat.

I bought this item on one of the promotions before the holidays. The toaster ovens featured ranged from this price ($35) to the $80 - $200(!) range. I thought, "I'll never pay that much for a simple toaster oven" but in retrospect maybe I should have.

While nice and spacious, this unit is rather clumsy, and not really well designed compared to others we've owned.

- most others I've seen are designed such that opening the door pulls the tray out a bit so you can access the food easier - not here. That's a burn hazard or you have to pull the tray out manually with something.

- the controls aren't extremely intuitive, as, for instance, the timer clicks even when there's no heat turned on. I liked that the unit boasted a timer but it's a mechanical one and therefore you constantly hear this loud 'click' during the entire time. Making toast shouldn't make me anxious...

- the flat crumb tray seems like a good idea at first (as opposed to the "trap door" approach of other models), but the tray doesn't catch all the crumbs since it isn't snug to the sides (or even close), so there's still a need to clean out the bottom of the unit somehow (and since there's no trap door, it's not as easy as other units).

- and possibly the worst part - it takes way too long and doesn't ever really seem to toast well.

I feel like it's wasted money as we'll eventually buy something else. I guess I underestimated how expensive it must be to produce a decent toaster oven.

We have been using our toast ovens everyday for the last 20 yrs or so. We had expensive ovens, we had not so expensive ovens. They all died after several years of services no matter what. So why bother to spend 100 dollars for a machine that just makes a little bit difference? For a $32 machine, this is really a good buy. No complaints so far.

When my old toaster oven stopped working, I started looking for a new one. I was debating between getting a very expensive toaster oven or a "cheap" one. The expensive one was over $150 and got good reviews. My original toaster oven (before my last one broke) lasted me close to ten years, and was a "cheapie." I almost got the expensive one, but I decided to give this one a try first, and if it didn't work out, go for the expensive one next time.

So far, based on one month's use, I would say this oven has been giving me very good service. The heating element starts up fast, unlike my old one (not the one that lasted several years). It does what it's supposed to. I have had very good results re-heating pizza (makes the cheese nice and stringy) and fried chicken. It also works very well for pot pies and croissants (used almost every day). Overall, so far, it "just works."

Some people may say the oven gets hot. I have had three ovens (including this one), and they all got hot. I don't see how it wouldn't (really haven't tried the fancy expensive ones, so can't compare to those). I expect heat from these devices, so for me, it's not an issue. Just don't touch it when it's hot.

Again, an very practical, usable, and workable oven! It may not be fancy, but it's very utilitarian and costs are very reasonable. That's two of three things I need in an oven. The third is that it last for a while. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hope it lasts.

Based on my experience so far, I would recommend this oven quite highly and would say it's a good choice. I like this oven.

UPDATE: As of April 2010, this oven is still working. Hopefully, it will be like my other cheapie oven that worked for ten years.

For the price this toaster oven can't be beat. Hasn't disappointed me yet. Some reviewers complained that toast isn't even, but I don't seem to have that problem with mine. When you set the switch to the middle toast mark, the toast comes out perfect, not too light not too dark. The only issue that I have had is that the inside height is a little short because of the heating element. When I have cooked chicken breasts on the bone, I have to put them on the tray breast side down because the other way, if they are large they tend to hit the heating element. They still come out perfectly baked though done upside down. I definitely recommend this product.

Nice little toaster with good price. Just be careful it can get really hot when toasting.

I am so glad to have found this black toaster oven and got it so quickly through Amazon.com. I had been waiting for almost a month after ordering it from another online store. Finally, I ordered this from Amazon and am so happy to have it. Got here in 2 days. Looks beautiful. Easy to use. Ticking sound alerts you to having something in the oven and the timer bell tells you when it is done.Thank you Amazon and Procter -Silex for this hard to find in black toaster oven. It matches my other kitchen appliances nicely. Glad I got this after reading the postive reviews of the item on Amazon.

Overall, like most toaster ovens I have purchased over the years, this one cooks a little uneven -- this one cooks too much on the top and too little on the bottom -- except when it goes the other way around.

Good for warming up cold pizza, etc. Dries toast out a little. A good choice if want an alternative to a standard Black and Decker, and do not think that a basic toaster oven should cost over $50.
(+ very eco-friendly when comparing it with using a full oven to warm something up.)

Don't buy this toaster- it's a fire hazard, I had to return it. Everything gets really hot, and you can't open the door or get your toast without scalding some part of your hand. Plus, it burns everything.