Extra time is not something that most of us moms have. And so it really irked me when every morning I would have to practically babysit my toaster in order to get the bread to come out just right. Too light or too dark, it seemed that getting perfect toast was never simple. Then I got smart. Actually I got a Smart Oven. Created by Breville, the Smart Oven is a countertop device that can toast and roast, bake and broil, reheat and keep warm to perfection every time.
How is it so smart? First, the Smart Oven’s Element IQ ideally adjusts the oven’s 1800 watts of power based on which of the 9 preset menu functions you choose. BROIL sends all the power to the top elements to perfectly melt cheese or brown meats. TOAST equally browns both the top and bottom of the bread while BAGEL crisps the top side of the bagel, only lightly toasting the bottom side. Making COOKIES? The Smart Oven has a preset for that. Need a fast dinner and want to throw in a PIZZA? Smart Oven has a preset and an included non-stick pizza pan. If the cookies or pizza are frozen, just press the FROZEN FOODS button and the oven will automatically adjust the time to allow for defrosting and cooking.
But what really puts the Smart Oven at the top of its class is its ability to remember your desired settings. Take for example the TOAST function. The TOAST function is preset for 4 slices at level 4 toasting (on a 1-7 scale), but if every morning finds you making one piece of toast at level 3 or 6 pieces at lightly toasted level 2, the Smart Oven will remember that setting and the next time you turn the oven and switch to the TOAST function, it will already be set with your new default setting. Ah, one less thing to remember in the morning.
I know what you’re thinking….an oven this smart must be complicated with all sorts of knobs and buttons. Au contraire. The Breville Smart Oven has 3 knobs – function, temperature/browning level and time/number of slices. And since the Smart Oven remembers your desired settings, most of the time, you only have to turn the function knob and press the start button. Two additional buttons – Convection and Frozen Foods – offer further customization. And who says that you can’t have beauty and brains? The designers at Breville aimed to create a product that not only possessed useful, innovative features, but that the average consumer would want to keep out on their countertop. The result? A sleek, stainless steel toaster oven that blends seamlessly in the kitchen and makes toasting, roasting, baking and broiling effortless.
I was already won over, but little did I know that the Smart Oven would get even better. Usually I try to have family dinners with my husbands and two kids under three, but as life would have it, once or twice a week, I end up needing to feed my kids earlier in the evening. The environmentalist in me always cringed when I had to turn on the oven – heating up the whole 4+ cubic feet of space – in order to make a handful of fish sticks or roast some veggies for them. Now I have a smarter solution. From heating up kid dinners and keeping rolls warm to roasting asparagus for a late dinner with my husband, I no longer have to waste the time and energy heating my entire oven for small jobs. Saves times. Saves money. Saves my sanity. I love smart ideas.
Learn more about the Breville Smart Oven at www.brevilleusa.com or pick up your own at your local Williams-Sonoma store.
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