Deciding to Buy a Breville Smart Oven

Under our corner shelves is our Breville Smart Convection Toaster Oven, our sole oven.  We purchased it from Amazon.com for $250.00, a steep price for a toaster oven.  At first, my husband was concerned that we would be living as if we were camping in our own home.  I wondered too if not having a full-sized oven would make our kitchen any less a kitchen than it is.  Of course, we knew this wasn't true.

In every home I've lived in, the oven is rarely used.  In fact, my mom stores all of her pots and pans in her oven.   My husband and I reasoned that we didn't want to spend too much money on something that we may not use frequently.  However, because our Smart Oven is on the counter, I find that I do use it regularly, and it is one of the kitchen decisions I am nearly 100% sold on as being perfect for us.

If you are lugging out an old stove with range and oven and are considering other options for baking, roasting, or toasting, I do recommend the Breville Smart Oven.

Here are a few reasons why we decided to buy this Breville and why it continues to serve us:

We wanted to maximize our kitchen space.  
We had to choose between a dishwasher or a stove with an oven and range to maximize base cabinet space.  Since we don't bake large quantities of food for our small family of 3, my husband and I chose a dishwasher over a stove.

We wanted to conserve energy.
Since our Smart Oven is considerably smaller than a conventional oven, it does not take very long to preheat or cook food.  The convection setting does an excellent job of reducing cook time and therefore energy expenditure.  It also heats our apartment less when we do use it, which is a bonus!

It takes the place of three appliances.
Although microwaves are the ultimate energy saving oven, my husband and I decided that we would go without a microwave oven so that we could have a toaster oven.  In addition to heating food, and baking, we also use our Smart Oven in the stead of a toaster.  For us, it's an oven, microwave, and toaster in one, and a great oven and toaster at that!

We decided that it was the best bang for our buck.
The Breville Smart Oven had received so many positive reviews about its features and functionality, as well as it's portability and efficiency as a toaster, that my husband and I thought it would be wise to buy it.  We then found a countertop induction cooktop that was under $75.  Since a new conventional stove with range and oven cost a minimum of $350, the combination of the space and energy saving Smart Oven and induction cooktop was a win-win for us.  Not only were we benefited by saving money, we were also able to cook with convection and induction technologies, two things we could not afford if we chose full sized appliances.

We've owned our Smart Oven for a year, and I do not regret our choices at all.  The only thing it is not so great at is reheating food, but we've found that we have very few things that we would like a microwave for anyway.  We cook fresh dinners every night and rarely have leftovers to reheat.  Though it is small, it is still large enough for us to roast a small chicken, and even bake a 13" pizza, which we have yet to try.

It saves us space, conserves energy, and simplifies the way we cook.  I'm completely satisfied with the way our kitchen works for us, as seemingly unconventional as some of it is, and the Breville Smart Oven is just one of the reasons why.  =D

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