advice: countertop convection ovens

I’ve been thinking about purchasing a countertop convection oven. I don’t have a regular oven and miss being able to bake certain things.

Anyone have any experience with these? Especially baking?

From my first bit of looking, the size that can hold six slices of toast seem a lot better than the smaller models for baking. I am also concerned about ambient heat because I live in a small space. Prices seem to run $70 on up for the six-slice models. Black & Decker, Oyster seem to be amongst the most popular models. Most look like they are made in China.

I have a Black & Decker counter-top oven, and it will hold six pieces of regular toast. I have been using it for years, and I like it. It will bake a small pizza or toast a bagel. It doesn’t have very much vertical depth, so some baking items would not be feasible, but baked items in flat pans or dishes will work fine. The oven is great for warming up frozen french fries, etc.

Most recently I have been using the oven to roast raw almonds. Also, I use it to warm up pieces of pvc pipe (wedges and lip plates) so that I can easily shape them into a different curvature. There is no end in what you can do with a small oven.

Thanks for the reply Doug. I guess not many own these devices. I am now looking at the new style ones which is globe shaped with a pyrex container and the heating element and fan at the top. Seems like the new design would be a bit more energy efficient than than the older box style, just based on the shape.

I decide on a traditional-style Oster toaster/convection oven from Target. Price was $70. Target didn’t have the newer kind with the Pyrex cooking container.

So far I made toast and a cake loaf. I added too much water to the cake mix, and forgot to put in the extra baking pan. The resulting cake came out watery, still edible though.

The model I bought has dials instead of digital, and that was my preference. The oven generate a lot of heat. Next up may be banana nut loaf and Chicken Kiev.

So far so good.

We had one of those in the 80s; they can’t be that new. Although they did vanish off the market, as far as I’ve seen. It was a pyrex clamshell in the shape of a rectangle with rounded edges, with a central heating element/fan. You could cook a small or medium roast, just fine. Or two shelves of flat baking,