My oven has been on the fritz for the past few weeks. Perhaps it's a case of stage fright before Thanksgiving but whatever it is, I can't count on it for my holiday meal. So when I was asked to review the new Rotisserie Convection Toaster Oven from Cuisinart, I immediately jumped at the chance. How's that for perfect timing?
This is not your ordinary toaster oven. First of all, the unit looks sleek and attractive in all stainless steel. Instead of a bunch of buttons, the settings are controlled via a large backlit digital display, a push dial selector and just three additional buttons for convection, rotisserie and start/stop. The spacious 0.8 cubic foot capacity fits up to 6 slices of bread at a time or a whole 12" pizza in the non-stick interior with a front pull-out crumb tray that's easy to access. Unlike a traditional oven, the 1875 watt unit heats up very quickly; precise temperature is then maintained by exact heat sensors and a convection function allows for faster and more even cooking.
The best part of all... this toaster oven offers 12 different cooking functions! Toast your bread or use the special bagel function. Bake cookies or pie. Brown a casserole. Roast vegetables. Prepare a pizza. Warm up leftovers. Keep food warm. And my favorite feature: the rotisserie, with four specialized cooking programs for various types of meat! I experimented over the weekend with a pork loin to test out the rotisserie and it was amazing; I wished I was having a dinner party or that at least my husband was home to reap the rewards. After a little prep and just 30 minutes of roasting, I prepared a meal that made me seem like a gourmet cook (which I am not!). All this week I've used the unit at least once daily for toast, grilled cheese, warming up leftovers and even baking sweet potatoes.
The Cuisinart Rotisserie Convection Toaster Oven would make a great addition to any kitchen (hint, hint: holiday gift idea!). On busy days in any household, the quick heat up time and convection feature would be a real time saver (trust me, it's already gotten me out of a few binds). For large family gatherings such as the upcoming holiday feasts, it would be a helpful extra workhorse while the bird ties up the regular oven. In my small family of 3, the Cuisinart may just become our main oven and toaster for everyday use, saving me the time and expense of a service call to the appliance company!
For more information on this product or any products in Cuisinart's fine line of innovative culinary tools, visit http://www.cuisinart.com/ where you will also find recipes and a list of retailers.
Disclaimer: I received the Cuisinart product at no charge for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
