If you’re shopping for a toaster oven to fit into your limited counter space, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better one than the Breville BOV450XL Smart Mini Oven. It is perfect for small kitchens.
Despite its small size (small enough to store in a cabinet or shelf), the BOV450XL packs a punch. With 1800 watts of power, the Mini Smart Oven has more than enough power to get the job done. For example, to get crispy toast, without burning or drying out inside, the Mini Oven uses those 1800 watts of power to distribute the heat evenly among its four elements. The result is a perfect toast every time. For baking, which requires that the exterior not harden, the oven reduces the power to 1500 watts so that it bakes evenly and does not create an overly tough outer shell.
If it’s user-friendly features you’re after, the Breville Mini BOV450XL is packed with them. In fact, it’s hard to find a toaster oven brand that has more user-friendly options than Breville (this goes for all of their models). Some of these features include:
- user friendly interface
- backlit LCD display
- front access removable crumb tray
- eight preset cooking functions (takes the guesswork out of cooking)
- auto power off
- quick reference rack recommendations
- A Little More Button (for times when you just want a little more)
The only thing this particular model doesn’t have, which would have been awesome and is on the larger model, is the automatic pull-out shelf. It’s so nice and convenient not to have to manually pull the oven rack out when it’s hot. Hopefully later versions will have this feature. For now, though, it’s just a customer’s small wish.
On the subject of customer wishes and complaints, this unit is one of the few ovens with few complaints. Some people take issue with the sound of the alert system. Some feel that it is too loud and loud. Others don’t care, but clearly some do. So if these types of sounds bother you, you may want to opt for a different oven. However, if it’s quality you’re after, you won’t find an oven this size that roasts or bakes better. There just isn’t one out there right now.