Wow, the Dash is taking over!

Ridiculous product, dangerous. I don't think it can be UL certified.

This is what I think they should and can do to drastically make this a useful appliance:

1. I assume they are using a standard 500watt halogen lightbulb ($0.50 each?) for heating to lower cost, They can use a standard light dimmer/switch(very cheap) for temperature and as well as on/off control.

2. The walls can be only 1/4" thick, not 1" thick!, double wall vacuum sealed construction (just like a thermos bottle) so the outside would not be red hot and the inside can be heated up almost instantly. This will drastically increase useful interior volume.

3. Based on the law of radiation/distance physics, it is impossible to bake evenly based on the geometry of this Dash "oven" . instead, improvement is possible with a larger interior volume, and the interior surfaces can be mirror polished and the glass door coated with infrared reflecting coating.

The above would not change the aesthetics of the design, and may double the cost to $40. But this will make this a very useful and safe tool as well as a very cute tool.

Sorry about my strong opinion.

dcarch

You're welcome to strong opinion, but it would be better with facts. The hearing elements look like standard toaster coils inside the quartz tubes. If they're halogen bulbs they're unlike any I've seen. There is no lack of on/off control. There is no separate power control because there are no electronics. There is a switch for the heat in the contol knob. It turns on when you turn it and dings and turns off when it goes back to zero. Baking is unnecessary. It is a toaster, and operates like a toaster and makes excellent toast. Are you claiming that the UL is counterfeit?

The walls are an inch thick, but hollow with holes like where the hinges are, not vacuum. The outside doesn't get red hot. It gets warm, like a toaster. I've never gotten it too hot to touch, though I've never had it on for multiple max usage.

I suppose if you put a piece of bread in on max time and walked away, you could maybe burn it enough to set it on fire, like in any toaster, but the way it's designed, I'm not so sure the taster itself would catch fire.

Eta: It's 550W and the only toasting temperature is 400F

It is UL listed, but it is unfortunate that it is only a toaster, as I wanted it only for heating things.

I put a small croissant in it this morning, and it came out a bit burned on top, partly because it is too thick, I think, but it would not fit in my regular toaster.

I am going to start putting a foil cover over everything, and I am also going to try turning it on for only one minute at a time, let it rest without opening for two minutes, and then turn it on for one minute more. That way I may be able to keep it from getting too hot. It does get very hot very fast, but the outside does not get hot, that I have noticed.

My disappointment is that it has such limited use, but I like that it takes up very little space, and I have a spot on my counter where I would not put anything else.

Success! Too early/late for a proper meal. Leftover chips from last night’s Central American dinner. They include house made chips and salsa fresca the way Japanese restaurants often give fortune cookies. People like them, and aren't picky about authenticity. I cut a little parchment square (beige but silicone rather than latex) to fit Mini's little pan. Chips, salsa, mole flavored sliced salami and (because the package was open) a slice of ementhaller. Two layers. Into Mini for soomewhat over three minutes on the dial. Pulled out the rack with my fork, but couldn't figure out the very hot food. I had an unused Corelle bread and butter plate right there, but... So I put the dish (very light) on the dropped down door, and used my pie server, from the flatware drawer right there, to get under the parchment, with an assist from the fork, and no major mishaps, to transfer the whole thing.

I mean, this isn't fancy stuff. It's what I could scrounge for toppings without effort. The story goes there were some Texan ladies who had been shopping in Juarez, and arrived at a nice restaurant when they were done, mid-afternoon. Drinks were no problem, but the kitchen was closed. They were hungry, and wanted some food. The waiter, Ignacio, said he'd see what he could do. He put chips and whatever he could find to top them on a platter. I don't know if he heated them, maybe in the still warm, off, oven or a wood fired, banked oven, or a salamander? But the ladies loved the snack, and called it by the waiter's nickname, Nacho. Soon their friends started requesting Nachos, and so it goes down to the calumy of cheez whiz on packaged chips at the movies.

Nevertheless, while if I'd had better toppings I could have made it fancier, I achieved credible, single serving nachos, and the biggest downside is having to clean the pie server (it's stainless and goes in the DW). As improvised snacks go, it was fast, easy and tasty. Warm and toasty. A couple extra dark (not burnt) sticky outy bits, but really just the right temperature and blend of soft from the toppings and crunchy from the toasting.

Yay!!!

plllog, Thank you for your comments.

I did make a mistake. 500W lightbulb cannot really work, they should use a 1000w and run it at half volt ( using a single diode) so it becomes a 500W heating element (infrared) a 500w lbulb will waste a lot of energy in producing visible light. A 1000w bulb burning at 1/2 voltage will literally last forever in a halogen environment. A nickel/chrome heating wire can burn out and impossible to replace.

My comment about a switch is about the dimmer control, which comes with an on/off switch and provide temperature control from close to 0 to maximum heat. At low wattage heat setting, the toaster will act a little like a baking oven.

About UL, I don't think it should be certified based on reading the user reviews.

About vacuum for the walls. I used a solar oven when I was in LA a month ago, I baked a couple of hotdogs with a couple of kits. The sun was not hot on a cloudy day, but the wieners were cooked fast, because the cooker was like a thermos bottle, cold outside, steaming hot inside. For only 500W of power, efficient heat retention can add more flexibility in cooking. A regular toaster is about 1,800w.

I think the idea of a micro toaster/oven is a great idea. So often I only want to toast/bake quickly a few ribs, or wings, or drum sticks. But the Dash interior is too small.

dcarch

Yeah. It's a one slice toaster, but it did a great job on the nachos. It's not meant to cook meat. It doesn't need to be turbo charged. What you describe is a wholly different device for a different purpose.

So…you think the UL mark on the box is fake? It's actually being sold by a lot of major stores. Based on past behavior, I would surprised if some of them would sell it if so…

I have that one. In pink. I have had it for years, since it first came out. I really like it. There is a local place that makes small pizzas, and that oven is perfect for reheating a slice at a time and makes it ooey gooey and crisps the crust. I use it for toast too. And reheating other things like quesadillas. I bought it for the color honestly but I use it all the time.

Just looked at my Amazon history. I have had it since May 2019. I bought it along with the Dash pink air fryer (no longer offered in that color, the losers) and I still use them both quite a bit.

The UL label may not be fake. The UL checkers may not have actually cooked in it. They just checked to see if wiring gauge sizes and electric grounding are correct.

dcarch

Okay. But Amylou's hasn't exploded in over 5 years. Do you have reports of it failing? Or is all the negativity because it's not what you want?

Dcarch a small air fryer would be perfect for your ribs and chicken legs!

Great point, Islay! Dash has those too, lots, including compact 2 quart ones, ”family” size six quart ones, in between sized ones, digital and analog ones, cute ones and sleek ones, red ones (for Lars), a stainless one, a ceramic one (rather than ordinary non-stick), one with a window in the basket so you can watch, and a rotisserie oven style one.

This morning I wrapped my croissant sandwich in aluminum foil, and it came out perfectly in the Dash oven. Without foil, it would have burned, however.

Islay, What I need is two cookers sized the same as that Micro Dash, but with bigger interior and better temperature control. I often work with three computers and three keyboards on a long work counter. I often snack. Most of time just warming up foods and some times toast the food to make them crispy. I eat, work and listen to music at the same time. An air fryer is too big, not good at temperature control, too noisy and draws too much power (almost 1800 watts).

plllog , My criticism about the Dash is just wondering why they have not taken advantage of reasonable today's technologies to make this cute appliance into an extremely useful cooking tool. As I said, vacuum insulation is cheap and can make the interior much bigger. Digital temperature control is with most kitchen tools today.

Imagine, this little thing can test bake your new cookie recipes with 500w of power instead of a wall oven which 3000w power and much longer time to get up to pre-bake temperature. not only that this little wonder can also evenly toast or warm up a good size bagel, or croissant without burning and drying out ----

dcarch

But....the really good toast is the opposite. There are a bunch of vents on both sides and you can see the steam escaping--no gummy toast! Just turn the dial! No fuss. No digital. No pop-up, but no cheese toast in a slot toaster. Well...important to remember to plug it in...

I get it that it's not what you want. That's fine. But it's what **I** want. I love that it could do that little dish of nachos so quickly and easily, but even better is the perfect toast. That's a rare, rare thing in the fancy dancy kind of thing you're advocating. The only fuss was cutting the paper, and I could cut a bunch, to be ready to hand.

Do look at this instead. 11.6" x 8.1" x 10.2" bydash.com

Check out the Ninja Crispi. Its a very small air fryer. Though ALAS, no pink option.

https://www.ninjakitchen.com/products/ninja-crispi-4-in-1-portable-glass-air-fryer-cooking-system-zidFN101GY?srsltid=AfmBOor1F0rq_h-A7MCIPvM0ExnLwQ9xIW2N08tnMES0hP5yMnvWq2OQ

My first air fryer was from Lidl : 1.6ltr. It was tiny and very good. I now have a much bigger one but the little one lives with a friend and she uses it all the time. What are you cooking that needs such accurate temps? Really?

I did another couple of trials today. I'm learning that density is a bigger factor than size or weight. I tried making cheese toast out of a potato stuffed thing sort of like an Asian pupusa. It warmed up but didn't get toasty. It was too dense, and probably too moist, but the density seems to have been the controling part. Then as just a tester for the idea of using the double ramekins--I used them to make bijoux meals for my mother when she was recovering from surgery. I just did one egg with a pat of salted butter (about a teaspoon) and a generous sprinkle of an allium blend that's really finely cut, like table salt. the first couple of minutes just got the ramekin hot. Then the water in the egg kind of boiled. It was acceptable, but I think, again, it was too dense, and it might work better in a dolly stainless pan.

My dolly cookware came just now. It's stainless. Amazon says ”food grade”. The skillet handle is just a bit too long—I had thought it would be worse—but I can alter it if I think I need it. The lids of the two large pots ate too tall, but the tray works fine as a substitute, and they otherwise fit fine. The interior diameters of the three covered are 4”, 3.5”-ish and 3”, with the middle one significanly taller. I don't know how they'll work, but I'm tickled that such things actually exist, and it will be fun to play. These are sincerely not-dense.

It’s like you’re a little girl playing house!

Now you need to devise a dollhouse dinner using all “minature foods”.

Like, fingering potatoes treated like normal size ones; baked and split with chives and butter. Cut a pork chop into two mini-chops, each with its own bit of bone. Sunny-side up quail eggs. Maybe angel hair pasta in a dish that normally uses linguini. Get cross-eyed making minature shao mai!

The ratties would be jealous!

LOL! There are two kinds of doll houses. The grown up inch to foot perfect scale, and the ones (my favorite) that are more like The Borrowers, with a spool for a side table and a bottle cap for a candy dish. One normal shao mai becomes a dinner pie for the whole dolly family. But I was thinking more 1-2 servings of human sized real food, if I can adapt to the high temperature.

Or one serving for you, and one for dolly! The Dash oven and mini cookware are not to scale for the ratties (alas) or even Barbie, but could be (sort of, vaguely) scaled for “American Girl“ dolls. I see you and Josefina (or Addy, Kit, or the others) sitting at a little table, set with adorable mini ware, laughing and talking animately as you share a delicious mini- meal. ”Dolly, that is so funny! Can I serve you another quiche?” At the window, the neighbors watch in horror while dialing 911.

One of the minions saw the pots today and laughed and laughed and laughed. Even moreso when she saw the utensils. :) I have some silicone mini tools as well, including a ladle, which I think were meant to be xmas tree ornaments, but are perfectly useable.

I didn't think of American Girl dolls. I've given them to not-my-kids, but never lived with one. The kids seem to play more role playing kinds of things with them, rather than the make it all up from scratch we did with similar sized dolls who don't have themed clothes and books. The American Girl dolls are fabulous, however, and I'd be happy to have one over for tea (the meal, including a dolly quiche and cake).. I'm keeping in mind Lars's sucess with the foil on the (not too dense) croissant.

In between time waste looking at Thermomix, I looked for rat sized cook pots. I did find a 2" diameter one, but it was meant for display and I don't think it would be good to cook in.

The tough part is finding a rattie sized induction hob. They can’t be trusted with open flame, after all.

True. I didn't think of that.

@John Liu I finally found a more ratty sized pot that's stainless. This is the link. The smaller ones, meant for miniature houses, are all pot metal metal pots, and not necessary cook-in-able or safe.

2.38"D x 3.13"W x 5.38"H

And here's an appropriately sized stove for Simo:

6.75"L x 5.4"W x 1.2"H

131°F, 145°F, 167°F, and 185°F

Perfect suggestions from Simo’s auntie plllog. That pot is like a stockpot for ratties, but they are piggies in rodent’s clothing so that’s fine. The cup heater is a great idea, and SWMBO will probably want one too for her morning lattes.

Now that DD is back, she is receiving a morning latte too, and Simo and Jelly climb up on the side table to lick up the dregs, then get the zoomies and blast around the room, trampling Jam who is quite a bit younger and smaller and sometimes loses out on on the treats.

No real harm done - none of them are exactly starving - but I am thinking of ways to get Jam a teeny cappucino all to herself.

I was looking for porcelain with a red rose, but all the cappuccino specific cups have plugs with pictures of cappuccino art in them.

Plastic, but maybe safer for Jam? LINK

I made a particularly delicious sourdough, but forgot to toast test it on the first day. My thick cut slice, though the loaf had been wrapped, was a little dry on the cut side, so not a fairvtest yet, but Mini did a splendid job toasting it! It took double the time, being double the thickness, but it also stayed hot. So good!

Plllog, with all the teeny ware you've found, I could put on a ladies' brunch for the ratties. A mini-quiche and a mini-soup, a bit of salad, and some mini-lattes. Hmm, very tempting. The only problem is they are not very lady-like. The brunch would quickly devolve to scarfing, trampling, and fur-pulling. All the better, I guess!

LOL! Sounds like a few ladies’ lunches I've attended…

That picture of Simo so sweetly munching on … bamboo shoot? Noodle? On spinach day? She looks straight out of Beatrix Potter sans haberdashery, and ever so genteel. Perhaps due to being the grande dame?

To be honest, I skipped right over the tea sets because I thought they might suffer in that way, as well as being the wrong proportions for cappuccino, but if the ratties would be willing to sit still in Potteresque ducal finery while lapping up their zoom-juice, a Royal Dalton inspired tea set might be just the thing!

I'm beginning to get some timer knowledge. I have a flat but well risen loaf, kind of like muffuletta in concept, but sourdough, and cut a corner off for a sandwich. Turned and optimized the halves fit into Mini, just. Remembering about size and density, I chose dead on #3. At the ding, the crust was browning, and the crumb was the right texture but just getting a little darker. I chose texture over color because the bread is so thick it would be hard to eat if crunchier. It tasted perfect. Instant joy. i even charged the tablet just to get you a picture.

Finally, an attempt with a dolly pot. I decided to push the boundaries on something unwreckable, and decided on bread casserole. The last of the flat sourdough wasn't stale tasting, but very hard. I cut it up and draped it with Rao's sauce (which I use like a condiment), a slice of cheese and some slices of salami; very dense as a test. **Not** pizza-like. Think sandwich flavor. Four minutes got it bubbly hot on top but cold inside. Another five minutes got it warm through but only hot in places. Conclusion: As expected, density is an issue. Unlike the light and airy nachos, the size and density of the casserole probably needed several turns to get a better chance at the coils. (I.e., no convection = heat shadow.) Picture with a big bite out. (Sitting on Corelle bread and butter plate as ”charger”.)

I guess toasting uses brief radiant heat on thin food, while baking needs the oven cavity to be hot for an extended time. I wonder if you might cover the casserole loosely with alum foil so the top doesn't get burned during the time required for the interior to get hot?

Oh! I forgot to say, I did cover it loosely with a reused piece of crinkled foil. The top didn't burn except for the bit of salami that was hanging over the edge of the pot. The food was too tall to use the platter for a cover, so I took the foil idea from Lars. The hanging edge might not have burnt if I'd wrapped it rather than just draping the foil over as a lid. The crinkled worked well for not sticking to the food.

Your formula is right. I'm still going to try something custardy, though, just to see. And it's easy enough to preheat, though a lot of the hot air will escape.

I have found the perfect micro-refrigerator to go with Dash in the ratties’ kitchen.

https://www.amazon.com/Skincare-Dimmable-Cosmetics-SkinCare-Refrigerator/dp/B0CZCVQ2N2/

These are skincare refrigerators. Some skincare products are best refrigerated, or work better if applied cold. Hoofing it to and from the kitchen with an armful of chilled serums and lotions is suboptimal, not least because one is walking through the house without one’s face on, so they make these little refrigerators to sit on a makeup vanity or in the bathroom.

Adorable! Love the male perspective on the rationale. ;) It really is just convenience. Traipsing back and forth with product is annoying; point of use is much better, and takes away the eww factor of cosmetics in with the food. similarly, convenience is why people put slightly larger mini-fridges in their breakfast rooms for the milk and butter. Besides the dual purpose light up mirror, your cooler comes with a set point, food safe cool temperature. The ones meant for a six pack, last I looked, did a certain amount of cooling below ambient, because of their technology. So, do you think you can teach Jam to adjust the light?

Maybe, but adjusting it back after the others have changed it to their complexions will be irritating. Jam's little brow will furrow with annoyance and that is not a good way to greet a beautiful morning. I think they will each need their own micro-fridges. Perhaps their own vanities.

I have never in 73 years, unpluged anything that was turned off. Not toasters, lamps, microwaves, or anything else.

Sherry, you've had good luck then. A lot of small appliances draw electricity even when off, and things like toasters, even if they aren't digital have been known to catch fire when not in use. It may be rare, but between the wasted juice and potential hazzard, that's why the recommendation is to unplug.

My grandmother, mother, and I, and all the cousins, aunts, friends, and etc, have never had a problem. This is just a myth that is fake.

Well, except that I had a toaster that did that.... Not a myth. Maybe worth the risk to you, but it does happen.

^Ditto what plllog posted. It may be rare but can happen. All of our small kitchen appliances live in cabinets in the island...unplugged.

A little cousin! https://fromourplace.com/products/wonder-oven

Thanks, IC, for posting something I'd never seen. Half again as big in every direction, and more than eight times the price, this (what Islay linked) is not a toaster (though perhaps it can make toast), but it's still cute. There’s a little dish on the top, outside, where the cap looks like a knob on the roof, which you can add a tablespoon or two of water to for steam, whereas JL’s Gisele has a separate tank on the side. I had a similar appliance, without the water to steam, actually a lot more expensive but I got it for 25% less than the $175 this is, that was supposed to do a whole lot of things too, but it didn't cook evenly. I'm sure John's Gisele does, my Breville Pro does, though it doesn't toast well, and my Dash toaster makes perfect toast with no settings other than time. I don't know if this is even or not.

The reviews are iffy. It sounds like they're mostly from soon after opening, and most are a couple of sentences, mostly for the air fry function. A couple about it breaking soon after the 1-year warranty period, but kudos to the company for posting those. Complaints are most likely to be posted, so a couple aren't the toll of doom. The most intriguing thing, to me, is the lack of digital display. With all those settings, it's likely still run off a digital brain (motherboard), but if it's the display that generally croaks after 7 years, rather than the function (speculation—I have no such knowledge) the dials could be a boon. Or they could just be style. Mr. Picky's new washer has dials and no display but is otherwise fully electronic. Is the dial just to fool people looking for analog?

The copy:

A conveniently-sized, countertop-worthy appliance that can air fry, bake, roast, toast, reheat, and broil – all with our steam infusion technology for crispy exteriors and soft, moist interiors.

• It does everything, from ultra-crispy air frying, to serious roasting, to rejuvenating steam infusion
• It preheats 75% faster* and cooks up to 30% faster** than traditional ovens. Whip up dinner in no time!
• It’s spacious: Roast a 4.5-pound chicken or go multilevel to cook double the capacity of a stand-alone air fryer.
• Exterior: 11.6 in. height, 10.6 in. depth, 11.5 in. width
• Interior: 7.6 in. height, 10.3 in. depth, 10 in. width
• 11.6 lbs
• 13 qt capacity
• Heat range: 200° – 450°F

My 86 y/o dad is complaining that the oven in his little apartment is “too big” (?) and has asked me about countertop ovens. He has very little counter space and fills what he has with clutter, and I don’t understand why he can’t use the range oven. Still, it’s tiring and pointless to argue so I’m thinking about getting him a all-singing all-dancing countertop oven. Was thinking Breville but something with minimal displays, just knobs, would be good.

@John Liu, The controls for the Breville Pro are downright weird, though maybe the toast is a lot weirder than the other settings. It's still weird. I think just for the knob selectors, the Wonder Oven would be a much better idea.

I finally remembered to make toast on the first day of homemade bread. It came out nicely, even though I cut the bread wonky so one side was a lot thicker than the other. Because of that, I stopped short of crunchy so the high side wouldn't burn. It was still nicely golden brown and toasty, and while the center was moist, being fresh, high hydration bread, it wasn't at all gummy, just soft. In all, a success. :)