Review of the Breville Smart Oven™ Air

* Disclosure: This is a sponsored post where I had received the Breville Smart Oven™ Air to keep and use. However, I was not asked to provide a review. The opinions in the post are entirely my own.

Review of the Breville Smart Oven™ Air

I will provide you with a quick review of the Breville Smart Oven™ Air based on my usage over the last few months. If you are considering getting an oven, toaster oven, an air fryer, or similar kitchen appliance, it is worth a read to see what I loved about the Smart Oven Air and learn some useful tips that you need to know.

Breville is a reputable brand founded in Sydney in 1932 and has become an iconic global brand worldwide with quality kitchen appliances.

How did I hear about the Breville’s ovens?

My brother and sis-in-law have the Breville Smart Oven Pro for several years which is an incredible mini oven with 10 cooking functions such as bake, roast, broil, pizza, warm, and reheat. They love theirs, use it often, and it is still in top-notch shape from when they got it. They had first introduced me to the oven, and I have been eyeing one since. Breville introduced me to their newest Smart Oven on the market, the Smart Oven Air. Some of the notable differences between the 2 ovens, is that the Smart Oven Air has 13 functions, and also includes air fry, dehydrate, and proof. The Proof function holds low temperatures for proofing various doughs (i.e pizza or bread dough). 

I had a small toaster oven previously that had fewer functions which has given me a reference point as I used my new oven.

Features of the Breville Smart Oven™ Air (Model: BOV900BSS1BCA1)

It is “The world’s first countertop oven that lets you roast a 14lb turkey, air fry and dehydrate. The Smart Oven Air with Element iQ® is for the cook who desires a countertop oven that can roast for large gatherings, air fry crispy French fries & family favorites and dehydrate a wide range of healthy foods. The super convection setting reduces cooking time by up to 30% with great crispness.” (Source: Breville)

It has the Precision Cooking & Element IQ ® – Breville has added the Breville sensing and PID temperature control technology. With Element iQ – 6 Independent quartz heating elements move the power where it’s needed most, above and below the food.

The Smart Oven Air’s 2-speed convection fan (Super & regular) offers greater cooking control for air frying, dehydration and roasting.

The 13 functions include Toast 9 slices, Bagel, Broil, Bake, Roast, Warm, Pizza, Proof, Airfry, Reheat, Cookies, Slow Cook, Dehydrate.

Info derived from the Breville website https://www.breville.com/

What you need to know!

Let’s get to the point- I love my new oven! I use it several times a week and have tried several functions including toast, bagel, broil, bake, roast and air fry. I will get around to using the other functions soon.

The awesome features:

• It is Intuitive and easy to use and figure out. I did read the user manual to start (which I also suggest you do) but after the first read, I did not need to refer to it to use the oven.
  • Some nice features include an LCD display that lights up.
  • When I press the start button, the LCD screen turns red so I know that the cooking function has begun (i.e preheating).
  • The oven door displays where to put the racks and the air fry basket depending on what function I am using (i.e toasting, broil, pizza).

• It is beautiful with the brushed Stainless Steel and a large glass door. The oven looks nice on my countertop and a topic of conversation when I have guests come over.
• The oven is versatile. It has many functions and it does them well. 
• The oven has the air-fry, dehydrate and proof function. This makes the oven stand out from a standard oven and many other mini ovens on the market. It feels great to air fry my food and making dishes using less oil! 
• The oven saves energy and time. It can be used in replace of my regular oven, which I have been doing for daily cooking. I can also use the Smart Oven Air at the same time as the regular oven to speed up the number of dishes I create. Hosting dinner parties is much easier.

What else?

• The Toast function can toast up to 9 slices of bread and 10 bagel slices with the desired darkness.
• The air fry and the dehydrating baskets are the same which I appreciate. If you purchase additional baskets, you do not need to buy 2 separate basket types. I also like that they are big so that it maximizes the space for the food.
• It doesn’t just have a convection option, there is ‘regular’ and ‘super convection’. According to Breville, the super convection setting reduces cooking time by up to 30% with great crispness.
• All the food I have made to-date has turned out well with the functions I have used.

Check out my recipe for Easy Air Fry Chicken using this oven!

Check out my YouTube Video where I test out some of the functions for the very first time (Link to the video of ‘First Impression of the Breville Smart Oven Air’). A must watch! Please subscribe to my channel with monthly videos.

Tips and observations that are important:

• The size! I can’t comment if the oven is too big or too small, because everyone’s kitchen counter space differs. This appliance sits on the countertop and is not an appliance that you would want to tuck away after each use. With all its capabilities including the ability to roast a 14-pound turkey, it needs to be a suitable size. I have limited kitchen counter space and I had no issues finding a spot near an outlet. The dimensions are 21.4″(W) x 17.2″(D) x 12.8″(H).
• Also in the Breville instruction book, they recommend operating the oven on a dedicated circuit separated from other appliances. This is good to keep in mind when you pick a spot on your counter. 
• This is as expected, but the oven is loud with the convection fan on. Play music while you cook and that should minimize the noise  : )

Cooking observations

• When using the mesh baskets to air fry fatty foods such as chicken wings, it is recommended in the Breville instruction book to use the roasting pan instead, and discard the oil in between batches. I learned this the hard way the first time and had oil dripping on the inside of my door when removing the food. 
• I have used the mesh basket for chicken wings using the Roast function. A great tip is to place a roasting pan in a rack below the mesh basket to catch the drippings, as I find the roasting pan easier to clean than the crumb tray. Even better, add ingredients such as vegetables or potatoes in the roasting pan, and have the oil from the roasted wings drip on it. Plus, you can cook two racks of food at the same time. Save energy, time and get a full meal. 
• I haven’t done enough testing yet to be fully confident with this statement, but I generally feel that many of the same dishes such as roasted chicken drumsticks and lasagne, cooks and browns faster in the Smart Oven Air (using the same temperature for both). Perhaps being a more compact oven will do that.
• When using the “Super Convection” mode during the air fry function for items such as fries, do keep in mind that the cooking time is reduced from not using the convection mode.

Cleaning

• When you use the mesh air fry/ dehydrating baskets, crumbs may fall through during cooking. If I am only using one basket, I prefer to use the roasting pan underneath to catch crumbs as I find it easier to clean than the crumb tray.  
• Remember to clean your crumb tray after each use.
• To extend the life of the accessories like the roasting pan and wire rack, it is best to hand wash and not to use the dishwasher.
• For the mesh baskets, it is recommended to use a soft sponge or soft plastic scouring pad. I found that a plastic brush with bristles was a great option to clean food particles caught between the holes.

Must have Breville accessories:

• The Breville Bamboo Cutting board that is designed to fit on top of the Breville Smart Oven™. It is great for small kitchens where space needs to be maximized. You can use it as a cutting board as intended. It won’t melt or burn when left on the Smart Oven when it is cooking.
• A set of 3 Mesh Baskets™ for the Smart Oven Air.  The oven comes with 1 mesh basket for air frying and dehydrating. It is more efficient to cook in batches at once as the oven can hold up to 4 baskets.
• The Breville 12″ × 12″ Enamel Baking Pan. The oven comes with 1 enamel roasting pan, but it is good to have another. This one is also great for baking cookies.  

To Purchase the Breville Smart Oven™ Air (Model: BOV900BSS1BCA1), click here.

More Breville info, head to:

Website: https://www.breville.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrevilleCanada
Instagram: @brevillecanada 
Twitter: @BrevilleCanada 

I will continue to test out recipes to share with you. Stay tuned!

*Some of the links in the post are affiliate links to Amazon as I am an Amazon Associate. There is no additional cost to you and I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.  The recommendations are my own and not influenced by a third party.

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