First, let me tell you all of the PROS:
- Multiple settings makes this an all-in-one appliance--allowing you to own less appliances. For example, you don't have to own a separate dehydrator, toaster oven, or air fryer because the Breville Smart Oven Air contains all of these features in one. All together, it's probably less expensive than buying high-quality versions of each of these appliances.
- The air-fryer basket is large! I was never able to air-fry as many items in a traditional air-fryer at once as I am able in the Breville Smart Oven Air. I love to air-fry tofu, tempeh, potatoes, and more in this oven. Learn which temperatures to use for certain items, and you will love this more than a standard air dryer.
- It produces less heat in the kitchen and warms up way faster than a traditional oven. I ONLY use my oven if I am cooking a super large batch of something or need to use a pan that won't fit in the Breville Smart Oven Air. A 13x9 pan fits in this appliance!
- Preheating is fast! I can't stand how long it takes my traditional Whirlpool oven to get to temperature. The Breville Smart Oven Air preheats super quickly!
- It has a really nice crumb tray. The tray slides out easily for duping the crumbs. It should be cleaned often, though. I would imagine if you cooked with oil that oil drips might stick to this aluminum tray.
- You can cook with or without convection. The Breville Smart Oven Air has the ability to cook traditionally--without any convection (air flow pushing the heat around), with convection, and with SUPER CONVECTION (air-fry mode).
- It has a ROOMY interior! I have baked brownies in a 13x9 pan in the Breville Smart Oven Air, as well as toasted 6 big slices of Dave's Killer Bread at once.
- Dehydrating herbs is fast and easy! I will mention my criticisms of the dehydrator feature in the CONS below, but I have to say that dehydrating herbs (cilantro, parsley, dill, etc.) is SUPER FAST in the Breville Smart Oven Air. I just lay out the herbs on the air-fryer tray, set the appliance to the dehydrator setting at 115 degrees, and they come out dried but still green and beautiful. NOTE: Always make sure herbs are FULLY DRY before storing them or they will develop mold.
- Lots of removable racks! There are three metal racks AND and air-fryer tray--all of which can be moved around or removed.
- Reheating is fast and easy! When you have leftovers and want to reheat them in an oven versus the microwave to retain texture, the Breville Smart Oven Air is fast and doesn't dry out the food. I like to reheat pizza and leftover casserole slices in it because I can get the edges crispy again--which is the way I like them.
and now, the CONS:
- The dehydrator is not as good as using an Excalibur dehydrator, but I wasn't expecting it to be. If you want to dehydrate occasionally, this feature is fine. It isn't going to dehydrate trays and trays of fruit in the time an Excalibur would, but for small, single-try jobs, it's fine. It still takes a long time like any dehydrator, but eventually, you get the same result. I like it best for dehydrating herbs (see above bullet point under PROS) because it works fast.
- The outer surface spots up easily. Even when you wipe down the outer surface of the Breville Smart Oven Air often, it does leave some spotting and marking. Be careful to read the directions for WHAT to clean it with and how often, so yours doesn't end up looking like mine. Also, it is virtually impossible to get the glass perfectly clean if you have any baked-on mess occur.
- Even though it's big, it's still not a full-size oven. So, you have to keep your eye on foods you are baking so they don't burn or get too dry quickly. Also, you may need to experiment with which rack to place items on for best cooking results.
- Quite a bit of counter space is taken up with this large appliance. If you hardly have any counter space, this might not be the appliance for you. The product dimensions are: 21.4 x 17.2 x 12.8 inches, so take that into consideration. If your kitchen is not a tiny one, it should be fine. This could also be the perfect replacement for an oven in an RV or Tiny House.
Disclosure: Mrs. Plant makes use of Amazon.com affiliate links when they are available. These are products I have personally purchased and recommend based on my experience with them. Your use of these links for product purchases provides me with a commission which pays for the food and supplies I use to keep this website alive. However, your use of these links as a reader is not required.
Thank you! 99% of the time we use this over our oven! For dehydrating though it just doesn't work as well as our Cook's Essential 5 qt air fryer. It takes much longer to get similar, but never the same, results I am specifically talking about our french fries. Maybe I just haven't mastered the precise temperatures, length of time, or technique? Have you experienced this? Sadly that was the main reason I purchased it, so we could let go of our huge air fryer and have a multi-purpose gadget instead. I agree with you on dehydration, in a pinch it works but the Excalibur does a better job especially for large amounts of food. I don't like to waste the electricity for 1-2 trays vs 9 in the Excalibur. On the bright side I LOVE that it has the lower temperatures so you can use it to also dry off items, like metal trays or pans, so they don't get spotted or risk rusting underneath at their seams, or also keep foods warm. We found a smaller cookie sheet that fits it perfectly, and silpats that also fit the sheets. Silpat said to never place a silpat right on the racks, always put them on a pan. Having this was terrific when we were making meals for a large family gathering, the extra oven was appreciated! Thanks for the great, thorough review!
ReplyDeleteDid you mean for air frying it doesn't work as well or for dehydrating? I think it works great for airfrying! You just have to make sure your temperature is high enough. I have been thinking about getting that small non-stick tray. I think I will buy it now! Thanks for the recommendation!
Delete