Really loving our new oven. Much easier than using our large oven. We love the flexibility and the time it takes to cook great meals. Buying one for the parents.
We bought this unit 2y ago and use it almost everyday - absolutely love the versatility as it has SO MANY features! It gets a high rating in consumer reviews for a reason!
However we found with daily use over time, some major design flaws… mainly around the door closure seal (or almost complete lack of). When you use the unit for heating food with any amount of moisture, or if food oils star smoking (quite frequent when air frying), the lack of door seal becomes immediately apparent with steam/smoke escaping all around the top and right side. The right side air gap is particularly problematic as this is right where the electrical control panel w/LCD screen sits. We modified this seal to expand it to close the gap at least in the right side to protect the electronics inside. However, even with closing this gap, we just seem to have delayed the inevitable with this bad design - repeated exposure to steam has rendered the function selector control knob almost completely useless.
Understood that the steam/smoke does need to vent, however this current design vents it only thru the door right against the electronics causing them to fail.
There are high end countertop units on the market with much better designed door seals, one of them has a woven fiberglass seal like a standard range - that would be massively useful in this unit.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Response from breville.comBy Customer Service, December 4, 2023
Thank you for your review and feedback. Depending on the moisture content of the food you're air frying, there will be steam emitted from the door. The vents in the door are for just that purpose. The steam will get on the display panel. You'll see this noted in the user's manual, including under the Trouble Shooting section.
Steam is coming out from the oven door • This is normal. The door is vented to release steam created from high moisture content foods such as frozen breads.
Water is dripping onto counter from under door • This is normal. The condensation created from high moisture content foods such as frozen breads will run down the inside of the door and can drip onto the counter.
Since condensation builds up, if you are air frying fatty foods, grease can definitely be emitted along with the condensation. That's why we do suggest in the manual that when cooking fatty foods (e.g. chicken wings) use roasting pan instead of air fry/dehydrate basket to prevent the oil dripping. Discard excess oil in between the batches.
But we do value customers' input. We'll definitely pass along your feedback to the appropriate people, as we are continuously trying to improve our customer's experience.
I couldn’t fit a second oven in my kitchen, but sometimes I want one – like at holidays. So I bought this one and frankly, I haven’t used my regular oven since I got it. It does everything! So far, I have air fried successfully, baked two pies, and roasted chicken, and I’ve only had it for 10 days! I am single now, as I am recently widowed, and this works great for me, and will also be great on holidays when I need a second oven. PS, it’s easy to clean!
I've had my oven about a month, so far loving the convience. Saves turning the big oven on for almost everything. I will say I don't like it for toast. It takes too long and tends to dry it out and doesn't brown well.