Customer Reviews

T-Fal Avante Elite 6 Slice Convection & Toaster Oven with Separate Warming Compartment

5 star:		(172)
4 star:		(88)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

I like the looks of this oven. I had a Cuisinart Convection Toaster Oven that I tossed after two years. Unlike the Cuisinart the T-Fal is easy to clean, it doesn't have an area by the glass-hinged door that is impossible to clean. The crumb tray is accessed from the front of the oven, not the back. Also the T-Fal shuts off when the time on the timer is done. The warming tray is great for warming hot dog buns while broiling hot dogs in the oven. The controls are straight forward and easy to use without having to read the manual. I'm looking forward to many years of good cooking with this oven. If I experience any problems I'll update this review.

T-Fal makes several different models that are extremely similar, with a nonsensical system of model numbers that seems intended to confuse shoppers. We bought the one listed here, and by good luck it was actually the one we wanted! This has a glass lid for the warmer (as opposed to opaque metal); and it has the convection feature, which some other very similar-looking models do not have.

(And a warning to readers: be aware that sometimes Amazon mixes up reviews for similar products, without making that clear. As I write this, they seem to be keeping the two models separate. But that may not last forever. You can call T-Fal for confirmation of whatever model number you want to buy.)

On this one, there is indeed a clock, but I'm not sure why -- the backlighting on the numbers only goes on for a few moments after you have made an adjustment of some kind to the oven. After that, the backlighting goes off, and you really can't read the clock from across the room.

The same display is used for the countdown timer, for the temperature setting, and other indicators. It works fine, although you'll probably want another timer with a louder and/or longer alarm to tell you when your cooking time is done. (Most kitchens probably already have such a thing.) The oven turns off the power based on the timer, but of course the heat remains, so it is not like a microwave -- things keep on cooking if you do not remove them.

So far we've roasted some chicken, baked some banana bread, made toast, and baked frozen pizzas, all more or less successfully. It is great for people who want to toast a real bagel when cut in half, rather than trying to slice it up to go in a conventional toaster. We haven't tried it for toasting regular bread, but I suspect it would pale in comparison to our regular toaster. The right tool for the right job!

One of our big uses is to cook a single frozen pizza at a time, rather than wasting gas heating up the big oven. The pizza requires the full depth and width of the oven, and although I didn't measure with a ruler, I believe it is very nearly the 11" that T-fal claims as the capacity. It's just about the ideal capacity for an appliance like this, without getting overly large.

The one time I tried using the warmer compartment, the item did indeed get a bit too hot on the bottom, and a bit crusty (dried out). Perhaps it was in there a bit too long, but in any case one should experiment with that feature before trusting it. Some people have complained about getting things stuck in the warmer section, but I suspect that would not happen if one used the free non-stick pan that T-fal provides for that section. They also include two racks for toasting or baking, a broiling rack, and another nonstick pan for use in the oven.

One must be careful when removing hot items, to always have two oven mitts on. The baking trays slide VERY easily on their runners, so when you think you're just removing a pan, you may end up with a hot baking rack sliding toward you also -- and there is nothing to stop it from coming all the way out. The sliding rack can be a handy feature, but not when you aren't expecting it!

I saw a review that complained about the fan being very loud. When I first plugged ours in, it was also very loud, and I was annoyed and disappointed. But later that day, demonstrating the new toy for the rest of the family, I could not hear that growling noise anymore. One hears the convection fan, but it is no louder than one would expect -- probably a lot quieter than our old microwave. I have no idea why it was so loud when first plugged in, but it's perfectly fine now. Perhaps it just had to get used to running.

The list price is supposedly about $140 but it would not be worth that to us. Amazon has had it at various discounted prices -- sometimes less than the non-convection model, which is REALLY confusing to shoppers. It's listed at around $80 on the day I'm writing this review, and I think that's about as good a price as one can find anywhere, and probably a good value.

I find the controls to be easy to use and fairly intuitive. I did scan the manual, but I did not need to use it for any cooking activities. When you toast, it says "TOAST" and so on, and shows you the temperature as you set it, and the time when you set it. Very clever. What's amazing is that the same bit of electronics, that provides all those wonderful controls and displays, is also responsible for the goofy design of the clock.

I'm not sure one really needs a clock on a toaster oven -- surely one has other clocks in one's kitchen! -- but if they're going to put a clock on it, they should make the darn thing VISIBLE at all times, not just when you're standing right next to it under bright light.

The warmer feature does not seem to be fully thought out or implemented. Perhaps some day I'll need it, but right now it seems like a waste of space that has to be used very carefully.

Also, the oven is indeed cool to the touch on the sides, but NOT the back! The manual warns about this, but I accidentally touched the back of the unit while cooking, and luckily it was only for a fraction of a second, but it came close to giving me quite a burn. I am quite sure that *every* toaster oven has similar issues. But the very good insulation of the sides of this unit make one a little less wary of the parts that aren't insulated so well, I guess.

In this day and age, it's very useful to have a small oven that can accomplish jobs that would waste energy in a full-size oven. For compact kitchens, having that same appliance make toast and do other tasks is a plus. This is the first time we've owned one, so I can't say where it stands comparitively. So I gave it 4 out of 5 stars, for doing most of what it claims to be able to do, with good controls and features, and with just a few minor weak spots as described here.

I purchased this product approximatley 4 months ago. I loved it. Notice the past tense. Everything I baked, chicken, fish etc. came out great. I used it every day. Last night I was baking a piece of fish. The timer went off. It was cooked to perfection. I had unplugged the oven and went to reach for my plate when the warming oven tempered glass door exploded! Shards of hot glass blew all over my kitchen and all over the counter top. It blew the handle across the kitchen. It was awful. Glass was everywhere. I have filed a formal complaint with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. I am not the only one that has had a toaster oven tempered glass door explode. It is extremely dangerous. I, and others that have had this happen to them, are lucky not to have been blinded, burned etc. A child standing at the counter would be exactly in the line of the explosion. I am sorry to have to make this review, because, as I said I really liked this product.

This is by far the best-looking toaster oven out there. It also does a great job heating (wouldn't call it warming, really), baking, and swallowing up lots of food to warm up. The design is such that it doesn't take up much more space than a little toaster oven but can hold big dishes. I've used it to toast (bread and bagels), bake (mostly vegetables and casseroles), make quick foods such as fish sticks, and warm up leftovers and bread.
1. Toasting: The rack needs to be high for this, as detailed in the manual. It's a little tricky to find that high rack shelf - but it's there. The toaster is slow; ridiculously slow. Various relatives have stood in front of the toaster and wondered whether it's working at all. There is no reassuring red glow, somehow it toasts without that. It shows you how many minutes it will take for any one setting (you can adjust the toast setting by numbers, 1-10), and it seems long to wait for >5 minutes for a slice of toast. My husband and I call it "French Toast" because T-Fal is a French company and this definitely isn't *fast* food. But the toast it produces is of impeccable quality.
2. Baking: At first I thought the oven was loud, but it's either gotten quieter or I don't notice it much any more. It's fast and hot, needs some getting used to. I wonder how it compares energy-wise ... whether it would make more environmental and economical sense to bake a casserole in the gas oven or in this convection oven.
3. Warming: Don't forget to use the tray provided for the warmer, because that'll make cleaning easier. The warming compartment is a nice feature, making good use of a little extra space on top. It gets pretty hot in there, but when I use it to warm up leftovers I sometimes leave them in aluminum foil and that prevents them from getting too hot. It won't fit taller dishes or bowls or a whole loaf of bread. I used the "warming" setting for bread today, putting the bread in the main compartment, and was surprised that it burned on top after 10 minutes. This thing is hot, watch out.
4. Optics: Pure pleasure.
5. Chucklehead warning: For some reason, I touched the glass front of the unit after having made some "French Toast". It was really really hot. (Duh, you may say. OK, just trying to help).
6. Finally, a couple of flaws: It's dark in there. Since there's no orange glow from heating elements, you can't see what's happening inside. They really should install a light in the oven. Also, the racks tipple forward when you pull them out, along with any dish that may be on them.

But overall, beautiful, effective and versatile unit that doesn't take up much space.

The only reason I didn't give it five stars is I think it could be a little larger and it gave off some smoke while broiling meat. I like convection ovens in the summer since its easier to cook without heating the kitchen up. And my wife thinks it toasts bread and muffins better than any toaster.

Very good buy for $85 +free ship. Bought this one to replace a smaller Black & Decker toaster oven that served us very well over 5-6 years until controls gave out (the B&D still works, just have to keep the button pressed in).

I looked at reviews of several toaster ovens before purchasing the T-Fal. The less expensive ones ($25-$40) were getting dinged because of occasional mentions of overheating or fire risk. Not worth the chance. I also wanted something as small as possible because we have little counter space in our 10' x 10' kitchen, so a more expensive one was not an option.

The T-fal gave dimensions on Amazon & it was 3 inch wider, deeper, taller than our B&D. No big deal - wrong. It was bigger than I thought when I put it on the counter, looked like a monster compared to the B&D. Also, I could not open the top warmer lid to the point it stays open. This because of height restrictions -- bottom of my kitchen cabinet is at about 54 - 60 inches. I can open the top, but I need to hold it open. My fault, not the product or mfr. But be aware that size matters in a small kitchen.

The function buttons are very simple, nothing complicated - one button for toast, one for bake, another for broil. You can set how long it stays on, and it beeps (electronically) three times when it shuts off. There is a clock, but it could be easier to set.

I mainly use it to toast bread, bagels, sandwiches and to bake small pizzas (sauce with cheese on a pita - easy). The toast function takes longer than the old B&D (about 4.5 vs 2 minutes), but thats OK by me. The bake function works very well, I prefer it muchly over starting the oven to bake something small.

Clean-up is a snap with a removeable crumb tray, glass doors and non-stick surfaces.

Negatives: you can pull the rack out about 30-40 percent before it tips forward and burns you. It's controllable, not a big deal, unless you don't know about it. I did know thanks to previous reviews and I was prepared for it.
The fan was louder than I expected (I expected no noise since the B&D has no fan). But it is a soft sound, lower than my computer fan and only on during cooking.

Overall, it's a well built, well-designed machine.

I have had this oven for almost a year and I have loved it. I reseached and bought this oven because of the good reviews on amazon.com.

All of the food I have prepared in the oven has been great -- BUT -- I just cooked some pork chops and I had opened the oven door and cut a piece of meat, closed the oven door and put the piece of meat on a plate in front of the oven to see if it was cooked.

Suddenly the top glass shattered, the handle from the top landed on my plate and there was glass on the counter top and the floor. I am lucky I was not hurt.

I immediately called t-fal and they are closed for the weekend -- I will be calling them Monday morning and I do expect my money returned -- I would not want a replacement oven.

I came here to see if this has happened to anyone else, and apparently it has.

I WOULD NOT BUY THIS OVEN.

And I am disappointed because I liked it so much.

When I decided to buy this oven, I was not even looking to buy a convection toaster oven. I stumbled across this item looking for cookware. I read all the reviews, thought about it a few days and then decided to just buy it. Boy, am I glad that I did!!! And so is my family. The day we received it, I cooked muffins for my daughter and her friend for a snack. Extremely easy. All I needed was six muffins and the oven did just that for me. Since then, we have cooked more muffins, a meatloaf, bacon, toast, english muffins, chicken strips, waffles and bratwurst. My kitchen doesn't heat up like when I use my regular oven and the food has turned out better than when cooked in the regular oven. It was so easy for my husband to use this also while I was shopping and I just gave him a 15 second class before I left. I didn't notice any smoking when cooking meat or any of the other foods. This is my first Convection Toaster oven, which has replaced the microwave and toaster, and I can assure you we expect to use this oven alot. I love the design, the warming tray does just that, even when you have something else cooking you can throw buns or anything else up top to keep warm. It's great! The oven is big enough to cook meatloaf or chicken breasts and yet is not so monstrous that you lose your entire counter for one appliance. I would recommend this to anyone. What a great idea for the kitchen!

I have owned many toaster ovens in my life, but this is the ultimate! Really heavy construction, unlke ALL of the other toaster ovens I compared it to before buying. It's larger than most, but well worth having the convection oven as a bonus! All the boxed food that says "do not cook in toaster oven"? WEll, I did the refrigerated biscuits, the Betty Crocker scalloped potatoes, brownies, all I could find in my cupboards and it came out beautifully. Heating Texas Toast (frozen) on the toast cycle is a breeze. It is almost not even necessary to clean it...I wiped the shelf off and the crumb tray which easily slides out the FRONT, CD style. This unit gets very hot, which is typical of convection cooking, but the sides stay cool to the touch. The warmer on top is hot and even the instruction book says you can cook in it as well.....they refer to it as the "upper oven". I warm vegtables in it while I'm baking in the lower oven. (If you are cooking anything frozen or very moist, humidity does build up and will fog the glass doors, but I just open it for a minute or in the warmer, prop it open with the tongs they provide.) The elements don't turn red which is really unique. There is a fan running for the convection part of the unit, which circulates the air for even cooking, otherwise you wouldn't know it was even doing anything! (Note: when using the toast function, the fan does not operate.) If you do purchase this unit, make sure you read the instructions and the reviews, they all came in handy for me. You will need to know the rack positions they show until you get used to your own preferences. I can't say enough about this unit....I have owned T-Fal products for over 25 years now and they still present a superior product, unlike some of the other major brands in recent years. You can also contact customer service at [...] for any question about your unit. They were very accomodating!

T-Fal OT8085002 Avante Elite Convection Toaster Oven

I bought this item from Amazon in May 2007: I love the item, but there are problems if you need to get warranty service within one year of purchase.

The 'TOAST' button on the front of the unit began to 'stick in the depressed position' and not return to its' original position when pushed and released. Since the item is under 1yr warranty, I call T-FAL CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 800-395-8325. They were 'very pleasant' on the phone and offered to fix or replace item EXCEPT: I have to mail it in to them at my own cost which will run about $35.00 (There is no place in NJ where I live that I can drive and drop it off!)

I explained to the T-FAL customer service person that I paid $100.00 for the item at Amazon, it is only 5 months old, and I am paying $35.00 to return it for warranty repair. IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. If I had another problem with another button after it was fixed, then I could potentially have to spend another $35.00 to return the product: That would be $70.00 I paid in addition to the original price from Amazon for $100.00!!!

I called Amazon customer service and reported my problem, but all they said was that I could post review on the Amazon website: they could not help me with the return. VERY DISSAPOINTING RESULT FOR AN AMAZON CUSTOMER!!!!