Oster Extra Large Digital Countertop Convection Oven Review

We purchased the Oster Extra Large Digital Countertop Convection Oven so our expert reviewer could put it to the test. Keep reading for our full product review.

With so many kitchen appliances on the market, it’s hard to know what’s really essential. The selling point of a convection oven is that it cooks food more evenly and in less time than a standard oven. We put the Oster Extra Large Convection Oven to the test to see if it delivers on those factors. Read on for, among other things, our assessment of the oven’s design, cooking features, and ease of cleaning.

 

Performance: Excellent on the whole 

The first item we made with the Oster Countertop Convection Oven was a meatloaf. We put it in for 45 minutes at 325 degrees, using the convection bake feature. We were very impressed with the results. The meatloaf was nice and brown on the outside and extremely moist on the inside; in fact, it was juicier than meatloaves we’ve made in our standard oven. Another bonus was that it took less time to cook. As a general rule of thumb, convection cooking takes about one-fourth less time than normal cooking. (You should also lower the temperature by 25 degrees.) It would have taken an hour for a meatloaf to cook in our standard oven; it only took 45 minutes in the Oster. We also put two baked potatoes in with the meatloaf, which had to cook for a little longer. Once we removed the meatloaf, we left the potatoes in for an additional 15 minutes and increased the temperature to 375 degrees. The potatoes cooked perfectly and tasted great as well.

The following day, we made a 4-pound whole chicken. Following guidelines that we found online, we put it in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, using the convection bake mode. After 45 minutes, we found that the chicken was undercooked and the skin hadn’t browned much at all. We put it in for another 15 minutes at the same temperature, this time using a meat thermometer to determine if the chicken was fully cooked. It still wasn’t, so we bumped the temperature up to 375 degrees and left it in for another 15 minutes. Cooking a chicken wasn’t as efficient as we expected, but we realize a new appliance takes some trial and error. The oven doesn’t come with any recipes and the instructions don’t provide cooking times for specific food products, so some guesswork is involved—at least initially.

Next up, we used the toast feature to prepare English muffins for breakfast. You can select the shade you prefer by using the up and down arrows. Our bread toasted quickly and came out just the way we like it—slightly crispy and golden brown.

Design: Sleek and spacious—with a few caveats 

The Oster convection oven is very attractive and looks nice displayed in our kitchen. Composed of brushed stainless steel and glass, it blended in nicely with our other appliances. Measuring 24 x 21.5 x 16.7 inches, this is a fairly large unit as far as countertop convection ovens go. We have a spacious kitchen, so it fit fine on our counter, but it might be a bit bulky for smaller spaces.

The digital controls are very easy to use. Simply select your preferred method of cooking—toast, bake, convection bake, broil, warm, pizza, or defrost—then press the up and down arrows to adjust the temperature and set the timer. The cooking temperature ranges from 200 to 450 degrees and the 90-minute timer has an automatic shut-off.

The glass door offers a large view window, allowing you to see what’s cooking without having to open the oven. We found the door to be a little too delicate for such a heavy-duty oven. It opens well past 90 degrees with very little resistance. If you open it too fast or accidentally let the door drop, the glass could easily shatter. The design of the door is not a dealbreaker by any means, but users should be cautious when opening or closing the oven. Users should also be aware that the door and the metal framing around it gets extremely hot. Always use oven mitts or potholders when the oven is in use, and allow it to fully cool off before touching it with your bare hands.

Provided you have the room for it, you can’t beat the cooking capacity on this oven. It can accommodate two 16-inch pizzas, a family-sized roast, or 14 slices of toast.

 

Cleaning: Impressively easy 

One thing we really love about this oven is how easy it is to clean. The control panel is entirely digital, so there are no dials, knobs, or crevices to collect dirt and grease. You can simply wipe it down with a cloth or rag. Here’s a tip to make cleaning even easier: We prepared a few things on the top oven rack, but we placed the baking pan on the rack below to collect any grease or food debris that spilled off. By doing that, we only dirtied the pan, rather than the interior of the oven.

 

Price: Worth the money, in our opinion 

Considering its capacity and great selection of features, the Oster Extra Large Digital Countertop Oven certainly packs a punch. Retailing for roughly $120, this is one of the more moderately priced convection ovens on the market. If you can make do with a smaller oven, there are some other options available.

Competition: Depends on your budget and capacity needs

Hamilton Beach Easy Reach Convection Oven: Hamilton’s Easy Reach model is a much smaller oven that may be better suited to lower budgets. Retailing for roughly $55, the 16.75 x 10.76 x 19.76-inch oven costs less than half the price of the Oster. Though it lacks some of the extra features of the Oster, it’s still large enough to accommodate a 12-inch pizza or a standard 9 x 11 baking pan.

KitchenAid 12-Inch Compact Convection Countertop Oven: KitchenAid’s countertop offering retails for about $140, and is another great option for those looking to save space. Despite its compact, 11.3 x 17.7 x 16.7-inch footprint, this oven has two adjustable racks to make the most of its cooking capacity—and it can still fire up a 12-inch pizza.