How To Choose The Best Convection Oven in 2019
Convection ovens are loved by chefs and bakers for the way they circulate the air and keep things cooking quickly and evenly.
The best convection for your house can even fit right on your countertop thanks to the small, compact designs that many modern convection ovens feature.
Let’s take a look at what you need for a great convection oven, and 5 of the convection ovens I’d love to recommend as the best convection ovens.
Product | Quality | Our Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
KitchenAid KCO273SS 12" Convection Bake Digital Countertop Oven | A+ | ||
A | |||
A- | |||
Breville BOV800CRNXL Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ | B+ | ||
B |
**Below, you'll find more detailed reriews, but you can click links above to see current prices and read customer's reviews on Amazon
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Think Before You Buy!
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Before buying a convection oven or any other appliance for your kitchen, you should stop and consider what is important to you. After all, you are making an investment that should perform well and last you for years to come.
When purchasing a convection oven, there are a few things you should make sure to consider while selecting an oven. None of these items are deal breakers. Rather, you should know what you want regarding each topic to get the convection oven that will suit you best.
Now, let’s get into the values that are important to consider before purchasing a new convection oven!
The Size Matters
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One of the most important things to consider about your future convection oven is how big you want it to be. And this goes for more than just how much space it will take up!
Of course, it’s important to make sure it isn’t going to be too big for your countertop. If it’s unsightly, you won’t want to see or use it.
Not only that, but you also want to consider how much you can fit inside of it. Does it fit a full pizza? How about a chicken? Or is it too small for that? How tall and deep is it?
These questions might seem like overkill, but if you want to cook more than just one sandwich or one slice of pizza, the size of your oven will matter to you, so you should research this before buying.
Otherwise, you might up getting two pizzas ready to bake only to discover that they won’t fit inside the oven, and you’ll have to find a new way to bake them! Yikes!
Rack Setup
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In addition to size, you’ll also want to consider how the racks inside of the convection oven are spaced out.
If the racks are not able to be moved or they limit the way you can put foods into the oven, you might face difficulty using it. If that happens, it’ll be a waste of money!
Always make sure to see how the racks work, if they can move, and how much space they leave you inside of the oven. The rack setup can really affect your oven usage, so it’s a must to check before buying.
Durability Is Important
We’ve all bought a cheap, countertop appliance that goes bad within a few months, so we have to replace it over and over again. While inexpensive, the cost slowly goes up the more that you have to replace the items!
The best way to prevent this cycle from happening is to buy a durable appliance. While you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on every item in your kitchen, it is good to think about how long you can expect the item to last before it needs to be replaced.
With a convection oven, you should expect it to last at least three years. If it lasts less than this, your investment will be somewhat wasted. Look for ovens made of durable materials with as little plastic as possible for the best long-term results.
Is The Oven Easy To Clean?
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Convection ovens, just like any oven, can be a pain to clean. If the racks are not removable or there are parts that are not dishwasher safe, you’ll end up spending a lot of time cleaning the oven rather than cooking with it.
When choosing a convection oven, consider the following:
- How easy is it clean?
- How often does it need to be cleaned?
- Do I need any special cleaning products?
- Are the parts dishwasher safe?
- Are any removable parts easy to remove?
Once you know the answers to these questions, you should know whether or not the convection oven is a good choice for you and your home.
High-Quality Heating Elements
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A convection oven works by creating heat and then circulating it around the food while it heats. This prevents the food from having any cold spots and helps it heat more evenly.
If a convection oven has a weak fan or weak heating element, you won’t be able to rely on the heat being steady or thoroughly circulated. Without steady heat circulation, your convection oven will not be functioning as a convection oven any longer.
When researching options, make sure to check how reliable the heating element in the convection oven is. If it’s likely to fail or does not heat properly, it will only cause you grief in your cooking future.
Functions & Button Arrangement
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While last on this list, it’s the most important thing to consider when purchasing a convection oven. What functions does the convection oven have, and are the buttons set up to make it easy to use these functions?
When using your convection oven, you’ll want to check if it has:
- Easy to use dials
- Bright, easy-to-read screen
- Preset functions for common items (pizza, toast, etc).
- Accurate temperature settings
- Baking and broiling options
- Easy to use timer
Not having one of these features is not a deal breaker. However, if a convection oven has all of these items, it will be easier and more enjoyable to use!
Now, let’s take a look at the top 5 best convection ovens available in 2017. They all have their unique points, so you can find the convection oven that will fit your needs and your lifestyle best.
5 Best Of The Best Convection Oven
Product | Quality | Our Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
KitchenAid KCO273SS 12" Convection Bake Digital Countertop Oven | A+ | ||
A | |||
A- | |||
Breville BOV800CRNXL Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ | B+ | ||
B |
1. KitchenAid KCO273SS 12" Convection Bake Digital Countertop Oven
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At the top of the list of the best convection oven choices of 2017 today is the KitchenAid KCO273SS. This oven is very easy to use and is big enough to hold a lot of food inside to cook without being too big to fit on your counter. It’s always hard to find a good blend of these two things, so this is good to see. Additionally, this oven has different presets for commonly cooked items like pizza, toast, and more which make it even more intuitive to use.
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2. Breville BOV450XL Mini Smart Oven with Element IQ
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Next up is the Breville BOV450XL Mini Smart Oven with Element IQ. This small convection oven is a favorite for its incredibly compact size and sleek design. No matter how small your kitchen is, you can probably fit this little guy in! I love the digital timer screen, but it does make it a bit more difficult to learn how to set the oven to the time and temperature that you want to use it at. Still, this is one of my favorite convection ovens that is very versatile and easy to use once you learn the basics!
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3. Cuisinart TOB-195 Exact Heat Toaster Oven Broiler
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The next among the top convection ovens is the Cuisinart TOB-195 Exact Heat Toaster Oven Broiler. I really like this convection ovens unique set up in comparison to other convection ovens. The buttons and settings are lower and do not stick out on the side which gives it a sleek, modern design. I also love the digital screen and how easy it is to use. You can see what you’re doing, and also make adjustments without wondering if you did it properly.
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4. Breville BOV800CRNXL Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ
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Next up is another convection oven from Breville, the BOV800CRNXL Smart Oven. This oven is probably the best looking convection oven of them all! I love the stainless steel look, and it truly appears to be a top grade item. This 1800W convection oven has a digital LCD screen which controls the presets as well as the start and stop, but the time and temperature are still set with dials which is more user-friendly. This is a great convection oven.
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5. Cuisinart TOB-260N1 Chef's Convection Toaster Oven
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The final convection oven that warrants a review in this top 5 list is the Cuisinart TOB-260N1 Chef's Convection Toaster Oven. This is another great oven from Cuisinart. What I love most about this oven is that it is big enough to fit a 9” x 13” baking pan inside. There aren’t many countertop convection ovens with that option! If you’re a baker, then this is a must for you.
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Choosing The Best Convection Oven
Have you figured out what you need in a convection oven for it to be great?
Of the ovens recommended today, I definitely have to say that the KitchenAid KCO273SS 12" Convection Bake Digital Countertop Oven is the best option when it comes to value, look, functionality, and all of the other important values discussed above.
The Breville BOV450XL Mini Smart Oven is a close runner up at a lower price point, but it just doesn’t stand up to the KitchenAid in terms of durability and cooking functions, so I have to recommend the KitchenAid as the best choice.
