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What built-in appliance best replaces a toaster oven?

6 years ago

In designing our new kitchen the one thing that we don’t have an obvious place for us our beloved Breville toaster oven. I’m exploring alternatives if we (son) give it up. We mostly use it for quick baking since it preheats so fast. We occasionally toast in it, but also have a conventional toaster we can use instead.

We’d planned on Bosch double wall ovens and a microwave drawer. We could instead consider a wall oven paired with a steam or sped oven, if that would be a good toaster oven substitute. We’re naturally averse to sped ovens because my mom had an early micro/oven combo that worked terribly, but we could be persuaded (maybe ;-) if it’s the right choice. We’re also open to other brands if that’s the solution.

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Comments (4)

Anthony C
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
we loved our bosch speed oven. We moved and are remodeling again and got the wolf instead. Not really any good reason except we were going with the wolf package, and then we changed the range to bluestar and didnt bother to change the convection microwave.

The only thing that was annoying was you had to hit the buttons in just the right way. At first they werent responsive at all, but after awhile we figured out how to make the buttons work the first time. I recall pushing the 0 over and over again with no response.

The other thing is you have to swap pieces out of the microwave when you are in toaster oven mode (I think the turntable is supposed to only be used in microwave mode).

We also had a breville toaster oven that we replaced with the speed oven. It was great getting the toaster oven off the counter
Kristin S thanked Anthony C
DrB477
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Nothing is going to toast like a toaster.

As for having a small oven that heats up quickly, most of the small higher end 240V models should meet this need. I have a 24" Miele speed oven, it is preheated to 400F in around 5 mins. The Miele steam oven should perform similarly in this regard.

As for what specifically to get, it depends on your budget & layout. Ideally I'd like to have a full size oven, combi steam, and a MW (which could be a speed oven if budget allows). 2 full size ovens is probably unnecessary for the vast majority of people.

Bosch makes a steam oven which I assume is very similar to the Thermador I have (the interior looks the same and the listed specs are more or less the same). I'd prefer the Miele version since its larger, can be plumbed, and has a few extra adjustments/modes if you can live with the mismatched appliances, but the Thermador (and I assume Bosch) is still good if you can't.
Kristin S thanked DrB477
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A convection M/W is not the same as a toaster oven. A Toaster oven ( or any toaster) uses radiant heat to brown the product. A convection M/W uses hot air to bake the product. Unless your M/W convection oven has a broil element it will not work as a "toaster"
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After researching here, I bought my daughter a Breville last Christmas to replace her junker. She called about a week later and said, "I wasn't sure why you got me a new toaster oven, but now I am! I didn't realize how bad my old one was." Having used hers many times now, I finally broke down and bought one for myself. I put 3 Marie Callendar chicken pot pies in there (crowded!) the other night and they were great. Toast is perfect. If you're thinking about a Breville, now is the time to save $. I bought the one last year on sale at Macy's + one of those % off things they do on top of the sale price. My friend just bought one at Macy's and got the price down to $129 after applying all the coupons and whatever. Well worth the money.
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SpeedOvens have been around for a long time. My parents bought one 30 years ago. But they always were a niche product, because of their price. They generally allow you to independently control both the microwave and the traditional heating elements. Many models also have convection and broiler, and these features can be controlled independently. It's a really neat and versatile product; definitely a huge step up from both a toaster oven and from a microwave. As often, the sum is greater than the parts. But considering the price, you have to decide for yourself whether it is sufficiently versatile to justify the cost. If I had to choose, I'd buy a combination steam oven before buying a speed oven. But if space and budget allows for both, then that's a great option. They both fill different needs. The other concern is wiring requirements. A regular 120V circuit is a bit anemic, if you want to be able to run both broiler and microwave at the same time. So, most of the nicer models require a 240V circuit. Not a big deal if you are remodeling anyway. Running a 240V circuit costs just about the same as running a 120V circuit. But if you have to make do with existing wiring, then a SpeedOven or CSO could be out of the picture.
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Kristin S
Original Author
6 years ago
Well now I want a speed oven and a steam oven :-). Which brings me to another question - can a speed oven be mounted under the counter? How functional is this compared with a microwave drawer?
DrB477
6 years ago
I have both (steam oven in my thermador range, miele speed as a wall oven). It's nice.

IMO undercounter is not an ideal position for a speed oven but its workable if you had to. It's mainly the MW part that isn't so great undercounter. The miele is probably better suited for this placement compared to most of the other brands with how its designed. It doesn't use a turntable and has trays which you can slide/pull out.

If you had both and wall space for only one I'd personally put the steam oven as the undercounter.
Kristin S thanked DrB477

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