Breville (BOV650XL) Compact Smart Oven Reviews

This is was one of the first Breville appliances I purchased (in 2017) and I've enjoyed it over the last two years. So much so that I decide to come back and write a review. My wife and I primarily use this for toasting breads, roasting veggies, and baking salmon. Occasionally I'll roast and/or broil meats. It warms up quickly and is a great alternative to using the full size oven. Makes dinner a breeze, it's easy to clean, and it's durable (we've moved twice and no issues).

This oven works well. Easy to use, and toasts and heats well. The display is clear and easy to follow. The oven surface does get hot when on. Be sure to maintain generous separation around it during use, and don't touch it or set things on it that melt or will get picked up bare handed. The handle is fine, and there are no problems if care is taken. Very much like a big oven.

I have had the Breville BOV650XL for a couple of weeks. During that time I have used it to broil a steak and a small salmon filet, as well as baking a coated chicken breast and marinated salmon filet (catching a meat theme here?). Using my big electric oven to cook for one is something I had never liked to do, but my old toaster oven just didn't cut it for me, since I could never tell if it had reached baking temperature or not. What I liked about the Breville 650XL was that it really considers itself a "Counter top oven", which is what I wanted. You can preheat, just like a regular oven. So far, the times suggested in the manual have worked out ok, as has my previous experiences. In fact, for the baked chicken breast, the suggested time for the coating mix was a bit too long, so I'll reduce a minute or two next time. It heats up well, so I have to resist the temptation to add extra time. The enameled baking dish and broiler pan have cleaned up well so far. I haven't used the other settings yet but I like that the designers have considered what most people would use an oven this size for. If I'm going to do something big, or, say several loaves of bread, I'll use the regular oven, but for just a single piece of meat or a few cookies, this will work just fine and not heat up the whole kitchen.

I only gave 4 stars because I've only had it a couple of weeks and can't reasonably comment upon its durability at this point. But at this stage of the game, it appears to be well made, easy to use and does what it's supposed to do.

Upon learning the negative health effects of microwave ovens, we decided to get rid of ours and hoped that this Breville would take up all the functions of our microwave. We've been using it for a year now daily, and have been delighted with its quality and function! It seems these days that many small appliances are built to break down and need replacing, and that was true of our last counter top oven. But I researched deeply and am so glad I tried out this brand as it lives up to its claims to be a great small oven! We mostly use it to: toast bread daily, heat up leftovers, melt cheese, cook smaller meals (roasting and baking work great!). The oven itself is (refreshingly) high quality stainless steel, as is the pan and broiler pan that fit in the oven. I use the main pan every day, and it still cleans easily with mild soaking. I find the functions of the oven easy to navigate. My husband and I are of retirement age, this oven is the perfect size for our needs. I often will roast a large amount of vegetables and meats in the oven once a week, and/or stir fry or boil on the stove, then use this oven daily to reheat for each meal. When I want to cook for one or two meals, this oven is perfect to use instead of the big oven. The crumb tray is stainless, doesn't stain, and is easy to clean. This oven cost more than other ovens but is well worth the price. I hope the company keeps up the quality of this product for years to come. Highly recommend.

This model was top rated by Consumer Reports and so I took a chance and purchased it and glad I did! It fits nicely on my very limited counter space. It is allot larger than I thought it would be and the smaller size is sufficient for my needs. It is made well and isn’t flimsy. My chicken and salmon came out perfect and juicy. I toast heavy whole grain frozen breads. After pushing the frozen button and then start, it takes approximately five minutes to defrost and toast. The toast came out perfectly crispy and evenly browned. I haven’t had this quality in toasting bread since I lived at home with my parents and used their 1940’s model toaster that never died. Believe me, I have had many modern day toaster fails. No need for a toaster now and by tossing out mine, it freed up more counter space. I don’t eat bagels and so I have no experience toasting them in this oven, but I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t come out perfect as well. The 12 inch pizza pan is sold separately and fits perfectly. Can’t wait to try it. This oven is easy to use and easy to clean. The outside of the oven does get hot which isn’t a problem for me, but if you have young children that help in the kitchen, be aware and be careful. I love not having to heat up my full sized oven to make smaller meals. This oven has the capability to do all things my large oven can do? There are rubber bumpers on the back to keep the oven a safe distance from walls and back splashes. It’s too early to know how long this will last. Fingers crossed it lasts me a very long time.

Bought this on Black Friday, unboxed after Christmas. It worked on the initial Pizza setting (as directed to burn off residue, automatic 15 minutes) and we used it a few times afterward for toast. Then all of a sudden we couldn't use it. Every time we tried it would pop the circuit breaker, so we plugged the old one back in at the same spot and the old one works just fine. I verified nothing else was drawing on the same circuit -- and since it worked for a few days, I do not believe it is my house wiring. Back it goes. Glad for the extended holiday returns!

UPDATE : Nearly two years old and used every single day and we are just as pleased as the day it first arrived. There are some reviews which claim it wouldn't last 6 months or a year, well the Breville unit we received is rapidly approaching its second birthday.

Actually, with this unit, we use our regular oven less and less. I like the way this unit cooks but I really like the way it reheats food. Where a Microwave will warm food much faster, it also tends to make some meats "rubbery". Not the Breville toaster oven, it warms the food through uniformly and doesn't "change it" the microwaves can. This oven is also very good for crisping things like french fries, breads, etc. Whether its as simple as heating up my wife's daily raspberry Pop tarts or baking cookies or making bread, this oven has done it all. Very good for pizza's as well........

We have cooked a wide range of items in this oven and it's used at least once everyday. Does my two years of use change my rating of this unit? No, I still rate it very highly and we are very happy with this toaster oven. We have even bought others this same toaster oven as a gift and they have indicated they are pleased with it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ordered this as a surprise for my wife. Her last toaster oven recently went to the appliance yard in the sky and she had mentioned that she wanted another toaster oven, but not a cheapie that are sold at the local stores.

After research, I found this Breville Compact Smart Oven and ordered it as a surprise for my wife. Imagine her surprise when it arrived, only to be immediately followed by disappointment that there was damage to the shipping box and it transferred to damage to the oven right in the center of the rear and top of the oven. I contacted Amazon immediately and they shipped a replacement which we had in just a few days. I returned the damaged oven the same day i received it. The return process couldn't have been easier.

My wife is very pleased with this oven's consistency and it's ease of use. It's also a very good looking appliance. We were in Best Buy recently and they had the same oven at a price $90 higher than what I paid Amazon.

Check out the plug on the cord, another indication that Breville is paying attention to how their product is actually used. Impressive.

The oven is well made, is an attractive appliance and has the look, feel and function of a quality appliance. We have now used it for about a month and my wife uses it now instead of the big oven for many meals. This is one of those purchases which I looked forward to receiving and am now glad I spent the money. This is heads and shoulders above a Black and Decker or other similar low price point toaster oven. The size is also perfect to be left out on the counter in the corner where my wife wanted it kept.

If I could, I would give this 6 stars. Well, in a way, I guess I can

I used to expect that a toaster oven had two practical modes: on or off. This one has opened my eyes. The "smartness" of it is real. The different mode settings really do different things to accurize the results. For instance, the bagel setting toasts the top a lot more thoughtfully than the bottom, so you get the satisfying crunchiness just where you want it. The very first thing I tried to test it out, was a half turkey breast-- it couldn't have come out better.

Ironically, I've discovered over the years, that the hardest job for a toaster oven is to make toast properly. This one can actually do it. It will take in to account it's own starting temperature, so that the second round of toast won't be over done because the oven was pre-heated. That's something that my fancy stainless steel Cuisinart traditional toaster can never get right. So now I don't need two machines anymore--the traditional toaster goes bye bye.

I've had this toaster oven for 7 years and it performed wonderfully for all that time. It's solidly built unlike most tinny ovens made by other companies and it always baked, toasted and broiled evenly and quickly. But yesterday it finally quit on me. Doing a little research through Google, I found that it's fixable, unlike most small appliances which are throwaways. All that's needed is to replace the thermal fuse, a two dollar part, but that requires some technical skills. Fortunately this in in my wheelhouse and I think it's worth giving it a shot. If the repair fails, I'll probably upgrade to the convection model. The newer version has an interior light as well which is another nice feature.

We have always had a smaller oven to complement our main over. The Breville looks great in our kitchen and works really well for our needs (toast, pizza, bagels, frozen appetizers).

Pros

+ Fairly even cooking

+ Fast preheating (shows time left to reach temperature!)

+ Large enough to fit most freezer meals, pizzas, etc

+ Digital inputs allow you a decent amount of control

Cons

- Once it is done cooking, the display stays on for a few minutes and then shuts off. I would rather have an On/Off type of switch or button

- Setting cooking time can be a bit tedious with the dial

- There are no latches to keep the rack from sliding straight out at you!

This last con is my biggest gripe about this well rounded oven. With previous toaster ovens, I have always seen there be a metal tab which keeps the rack from sliding all the way out without you having to actually try to take it out completely. The first time I used this, the rack came out completely. Fortunately, it didn't burn anyone, but I feel like it's a pretty significant oversight. I think there is a strong reason to have a stopping mechanism and no reason not to.

Now that I know this, we are very careful when we slide it out.