Countertop Pizza

Countertop Pizza

An In-Depth Review of the KitchenAid Convection Countertop Toaster Oven

KitchenAid is a well-known company with a reputation for quality, innovation and outstanding customer service that goes back 100 years. KitchenAid is certainly most recognized for their stand mixers, but in recent decades they have expanded their line to include many other great products designed to help home cooks in the kitchen. One of those products is the KitchenAid Convection Countertop Toaster Oven. I recently tested out this toaster oven for four weeks to see how it stands up to KitchenAid's long-standing reputation. Here is my review.

Upon first inspection of the KitchenAid Convection Countertop Toaster Oven, I must say this is a gorgeous appliance. It is clad in stainless steel and black with a beautiful modern, boxy shape. It has four very sturdy dials and a glass front fitted with a sleek, stay-cool stainless steel handle. This one will definitely look good on your countertop, regardless of your kitchen decor. I was a bit surprised a modern stainless steel appliance in this price range went with dials instead of digital controls. I was also surprised by the included baking pan. It is not the cheap type of pan normally included with most toaster ovens; instead it is quite well-constructed and sturdy, and should prove to be very useful. All in all, the first inspection of the KitchenAid Convection Countertop Toaster Oven impressed me.

On to my first baking task to review: whole grain cranberry orange scones. Even baking is a must with whole grain baked goods; otherwise they can become dry before being thoroughly cooked. So I choose the convection baking option on the KitchenAid Convection Countertop Toaster Oven. The convection feature is a bit noisy in comparison to high-end toaster ovens, but it is not nearly as loud as the cheaper models that simply stick a noisy fan in the unit. I kept a close eye on the scones, knowing that different ovens require different baking times. The scones were a beautiful golden brown about four minutes earlier than with my standard oven. Once they were cooled I found them to be perfectly baked through and through. I am still impressed with this toaster oven.

Over the next four weeks I used the KitchenAid Convection Countertop Toaster Oven daily so I could properly review it. This toaster oven has an incredibly spacious interior, large enough to bake 2 twelve inch pizzas at once! I was easily able to roast a whole chicken, which turned out perfectly golden brown and delicious. It was able to produce very crispy skin without the meat being dry at all. This is a sign of good, strong heating elements. The toaster oven always cooks very quickly and very evenly. It does not heat up the kitchen as much as my full-sized oven, yet it is large enough for most everything I cook. I often check the temperature with stand-alone thermometers and, at many different settings, this oven stayed true to the set temperature within a degree or two. And those old-fashioned dials I thought should be digital? I actually love them! It is so much simpler and quicker to just turn a dial versus using digital controls. At the end of four weeks, I remained very impressed with this toaster oven.

For more information, visit Toaster Oven Reviews. You'll find reviews for all the top models as well as a handy buying guide to help you along the way.

About the Author

Heather Krasovec, creator of Toaster Oven Reviews, uses her extensive experience in food based industries to help consumers make better choices when stocking their kitchens.

You're a celebrity and MTV has arrived to film Cribs at your house...?

describe to everyone what your house looks like and how many cars you have, and what's in your refrigerator

My house will have six bedrooms, 3 for my kids, 1 for me and my husband, and the two guest rooms. A big basement meant for entertaining-it will have two rooms one for adult ET with a dance floor, bar, big screen TV for sports and movies. Livingroom essentials-sky roof, fire place, spiral stairs. Backyard will have a swimming pool with water slides, tennis court, bb-court, and a miniature golf course. Must have would be all walk-in closets, wide-open kitchen with lots of countertop space. My bedroom would have a fireplace and jacuzzi.

My cars would be- classic corvette one red, Lamborghini-white, then I would have a truck, and Mercedes. Maybe one motorcycle-purple and black.

In my frig, I would have plenty of Dasani water, juice, left over pizza from Papa John's. Freezer would be stacked with chicken and seafood. Cabinets lots of whole grain cereal, and breakfast bars.

There are three running cars and two disabled. there are three bedrooms, two baths, two living rooms, two rooms filled with junk, a kitchen, and a bathroom. two attics, and one basement. you'll have to dig through the clutter to find it, but the carpet is brown.