Cuisinart TOB-135N Deluxe Convection Toaster Oven Broiler, Brushed Stainless, Silver

I first bought the Cuisinart oven with the white front in April 2017. It is a little workhorse that has performed flawlessly for the past 4.5 years and continues delivering.So why did I order another one today? (1) inflation seems to be out of control due to government policies, so I am buying ahead for the time when this oven that has performed so well inevitably reaches the end of its useful life. (2) Although I was disappointed at first that only the front is white, I got used to the look and actually came to like it very much. (3) The convection fan is EFFECTIVE + VERY QUIET!. (4) Consumer Reports, the NYTimes and others have said that toaster ovens with convection perform as well or better than dedicated air fryers. Just use a dark pan + a wire rack to allow the air to circulate beneath the food and you are good to go. Using a 12” round pizza pan and an 11” round stainless steel rack, I made a large batch of French fries that my adult son said were as good as any he had ever eaten in restaurants. (5) Having spent 2 days reading reviews for toaster ovens, I found that, sadly, Breville has in recent years become unreliable. Kitchen aid has a couple of models that I considered but the fan in their best rated model is said to be extremely noisy and the other doesn’t have convection. (6) I read the reviews posted for this Cuisinart convection toaster oven and found none that raised significant safety, reliability, or performance concerns.In response to the negative reviews that have been posted it is FALSE that this oven doesn’t accommodate a 12” round pizza pan. One of our dark 12” pizza pans is in fact sitting a bit askew on top of the oven in the photo I have posted. It is also FALSE that the white is not white. My Corian counters and bright white Daltile subway tile were chosen to work with the white of our refrigerator and range. Yes, the white of the Cuisinart oven is a bit brighter and warmer just as the white of the microwave is cooler, but to my eye all the whites in our kitchen work well enough together. Another reviewer complained about her oven turning brown. Mine too gets brown from cooking, particularly on the top of the door. I clean it, and it is white again. One reviewer said the lettering was gone in a matter of months. After 4.5 years of daily use my oven is still LIKE NEW in every respect, including the lettering.

I ordered this as a replacement for my 10-year-old Cuisinart convection toaster oven. I loved the old one, and this one is improved. It has more options for toasting, baking, reheating, keeping warm, etc. I also like that it has a drip pan which my old one didn't have. I particularly like that for catching toast crumbs and drippings. It seems easy to clean and has a modern look. Very pleased.

The oven arrived yesterday and I’ve used it 4 times so far, twice for toast, once of pizza, and once for phyllo dough and brie pastries.As others have stated, the build quality is far from rugged. The exterior is made of thin metal and the pan that comes with it warps slightly when it gets hot. The exterior metal makes a small pop as it expands when it heats up and again when it cools down. That may go away over time, though. There’s a small bump-out on the back of the oven. I’m sure it’s there to increase interior space but it gets VERY hot (I have the burn to prove it). Be sure the back of the oven has a few inches clearance from a backsplash or wall. And be sure the plug doesn’t come in contact with it. The top of the oven gets warm but if you have adequate space between the top of the oven and any cabinets that are above it, you should be fine.The oven is more compact than I thought. We have limited counter space so I went with the smaller model although I think the larger model would have fit and would have provided some advantages (more on that later). The controls are relatively straightforward although you’ll likely need to initially consult the instructions for settings that require you to select multiple options. For example, to start the bake cycle you need to select bake, press the temperature button to set the temperature, press the timer button to set the time, press convection if you want to use that option and press start. It’s something I’m sure will come naturally after using the oven a few times. It beeps once when it reaches the preheat temperature and opening the door to put the food in the oven initiates the timer countdown. When the amount of time you’ve specified has elapsed, the oven beeps 5 times and shuts itself off. All in all, a very convenient way to bake. The display lights up for a minute or two when you adjust any settings and when you open the door, and then goes dark again. There’s a clock on the display although it can be a little hard to read when they display is dark.The first time I baked something, I thought I had done something incorrectly as the oven heated to the preheat temperature more quickly than I thought was possible. It turns out this thing heats up and is ready to go in a fraction of the time it takes my full-size oven to come to temperature.The oven has a stainless steel finish. One side has a lot of vents, the other is fee of vents. In my opinion, the vents aren’t very attractive but the way our kitchen is laid out, they’re not really visible so it’s not a big deal. I’m sure many people won’t care so that may not be an issue for you. The interior is described as nonstick. The two heating elements on the bottom will probably pose a challenge when it comes time to clean the oven so time will tell how easy it is to clean.It toasts nicely with both sides of the bread being evenly toasted. I like my toast dark and it took 2 minutes and 20 seconds to finish toasting. That’s about 20 seconds longer than our conventional toaster although that abomination burns one side of the bread and leaves the other unscathed. I’ll be glad to see it go.Overall, I really like this oven. I was able to cook at 10” pizza in it although it was pretty tight. It toasts bread well and heats up very quickly. Due to its size, my regular oven takes forever to preheat and gives off a lot of heat. Which is really annoying when we’re running the central AC to try and keep the house cool. I suspect my regular oven won’t see much use in the future.The larger, similar Cuisinart (TOB-260N1) has more space, comes with additional accessories (e.g., a pizza stone) and has a light. I probably should have gotten that one but was concerned about counter space. I think the two things the larger one has that I’ll miss are the interior light and the rack that pulls out automatically when you open the door. Neither is a deal breaker and this oven was quite a bit less expensive.Initial impressions suggest this oven is a keeper. I’ll update this review if I note anything significant or we encounter reliability issues as we continue to use it over the coming months.

I always buy Cuisinart Toaster Ovens. They last a very long time. Does exactly what it says it will do. Looks nice. And is not bulky in size. I had my last one for over 10 years and used it constantly. I bought it again - The buttons are a tiny bit different but in a good way and I am again very happy with this purchase.