In the quest for efficient and versatile kitchen appliances, the Breville Smart Oven Pro (BOV845BSS) stands out as a formidable contender. After two weeks of comprehensive testing, this review delves into the innovative features, practical benefits, and minor considerations of this premium countertop convection oven. Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a busy home cook, understanding its capabilities will help you decide if it’s the right addition to your culinary arsenal. The Breville Smart Oven Pro is available for purchase at reputable retailers like Williams Sonoma (as pictured above) or conveniently online at Amazon.

Breville Smart Oven Pro Review: Elevating Countertop Cooking

The Breville Smart Oven Pro is far more than a conventional toaster oven; it’s an intelligent, 1800-watt convection powerhouse designed to serve as a versatile secondary oven for any home. Its extensive range of features could easily fill a lengthy infomercial, showcasing why it commands a premium price point of approximately $269. This appliance is built to optimize cooking tasks, from perfectly toasted bagels to slow-cooked roasts, making it an indispensable tool for modern kitchens. Let’s explore what makes this countertop oven a game-changer.

Design Excellence and Intuitive Interface

PRO: Space-Saving Footprint with Surprising Capacity. One of the most remarkable aspects of the Breville Smart Oven Pro is its deceptive size. While appearing to be a standard toaster oven, its generous 0.8 cubic feet interior capacity comfortably accommodates a 13-inch pizza. This internal volume also means it can fit 12″x12″ roasting pans and even a substantial Dutch oven, making it incredibly versatile for preparing meals of various sizes without monopolizing valuable counter space. Its robust stainless steel exterior gives it a sleek, “industrial” aesthetic, characterized by thick, tactile knobs and a bold, easy-grip handle.

Beyond its looks, the build quality of this Breville oven is exceptional. The included accessories, such as the broiling rack and roasting tray, are crafted from heavy-duty materials, often surpassing the quality of those accompanying much more expensive full-sized ovens. This attention to detail speaks volumes about Breville’s commitment to durability and user satisfaction.

PRO: Crystal-Clear Digital Display and User-Friendly Presets. A significant advantage of the Breville Smart Oven Pro is its large, easy-to-read digital display. There’s no need to squint or strain your eyes to view settings. The 11 primary preset functions are clearly displayed as text, permanently visible on the screen. Rotating the main dial illuminates the selected function, providing instant clarity. This design choice is a breath of fresh air compared to many other countertop ovens that rely on cryptic icons or hidden menus, which often lead to frustration and wasted time. Imagine trying to decipher whether a wavy line signifies broil or convection, or if a chicken icon means bake or roast – the Breville removes this ambiguity, streamlining your cooking process from the start.

Thoughtful Design Elements That Make a Big Difference

Breville’s commitment to user-centric design extends to even the smallest details. For instance, the plug features a unique hole, an innovation so clever that Breville holds a patent for it. While seemingly minor, such thoughtful engineering underscores the brand’s dedication to convenience and functionality.

Perhaps the most appreciated design feature is the self-ejecting rack. Strong magnets embedded in the oven door gently pull the rack out a few inches upon opening, eliminating the common nuisance of burnt knuckles when retrieving hot food. Closing the door effortlessly slides the rack back into place, making loading and unloading seamless and safe. Additionally, two rubber bumper guards at the back of the oven ensure adequate ventilation space, preventing it from being pushed too close to a wall, which is crucial for safety and appliance longevity.

Unleashing Culinary Potential with Element IQ™ Technology

The Breville Smart Oven Pro boasts 10 preset cooking functions, each meticulously optimized for specific tasks. These settings leverage Breville’s proprietary “Element IQ™” technology, which intelligently adjusts the power and distribution of the oven’s five independent quartz heating elements.

“5 Independent quartz heating elements move the power where it’s needed most, above and below the food. Each element adjusts automatically for the setting you choose, to deliver the right cooking temperature at the right time ensuring the precise cooking process for the meal you are creating.” – Breville

This advanced Element IQ™ system ensures incredibly precise and consistent results. Whether you’re toasting bread evenly from edge to edge, slow-cooking a pot roast to tender perfection without burning, or achieving a beautifully risen soufflé, the oven adapts to your needs. Its precision is so fine-tuned that it even allows you to specify the number of bread slices you wish to toast, ensuring optimal browning for each piece.

CON: A Plethora of Options Can Be Overwhelming. While the 10 preset functions offer unparalleled versatility, some users might find the sheer number and level of detail intimidating initially. Questions like, “Do I really need to tell the machine I want 3 slices of toast?” or “Should I use ‘Bake’ or ‘Cookies’ for cupcakes?” can arise. For those primarily seeking a basic countertop appliance for toast and occasional small vegetable roasts, less expensive options might suffice. However, for anyone looking to truly expand their culinary capabilities with a single appliance, the learning curve is well worth the investment.

Navigating Breville’s diverse range of countertop ovens can also be a challenge, with various models offering different features. An incomplete comparison chart exists, but it doesn’t cover all models like the Breville Smart Oven Air, highlighting the need for careful research to select the perfect fit for your kitchen.

PRO: The Game-Changing Slow Cook Function. Among its many functions, the “Slow Cook” feature truly sets the Breville Smart Oven Pro apart. This is a capability rarely found in other countertop ovens and has the potential to render your separate slow cooker obsolete. We tested this function by preparing a pot roast, slow-cooked on a low setting for eight hours in a covered Dutch oven. The result was absolutely perfect: tender, succulent, and bursting with flavor, demonstrating the oven’s ability to handle extended cooking with exceptional control.

Mastering the Art of Pizza with Breville

To truly appreciate the Element IQ™ technology, let’s explore its “Pizza” function. This preset is designed to perfectly bake the crust without overcooking or burning the toppings – a common challenge in home pizza making. We used fresh dough to create individual-sized pizzas for this demonstration.

After a light brush of olive oil and a spoonful of rich pizza sauce, we proceeded with our toppings.

For our first pizza, we opted for classic mozzarella cheese and thinly sliced Capocollo. The key, as any pizza enthusiast knows, is to avoid overloading the pizza with too many or too much of any single topping, ensuring even cooking and a balanced flavor profile.

With our pizza prepared, we selected the “PIZZA” preset function on the Breville Smart Oven Pro. Crucially, we deselected the “frozen” icon to inform the oven that we were cooking a fresh pizza, allowing Element IQ™ to adjust the heating accordingly for optimal results.

Although I momentarily forgot to use the included 13-inch pizza pan for the first bake, it’s a robust accessory that ensures perfect results. Here it is for reference, a testament to Breville’s comprehensive offerings.

The first pizza emerged beautifully bubbly and golden, a delightful treat straight from a countertop appliance!

Pizza perfection, a testament to the oven’s capabilities. This glorious pizza exemplifies the convenience and quality the Breville Smart Oven Pro brings to everyday cooking.

For my second pizza, I experimented with anchovies, prosciutto, and fresh ricotta cheese. This time, remembering the versatile features, I explicitly turned ON the “CONVECTION” option within the “PIZZA” preset. The result was even better – the crust achieved a much superior browning and crispness compared to the first. This experience underscores both the power of the oven’s multi-functionality and the initial learning curve that comes with such advanced control.

Chef-Inspired Precision and Innovation

Breville’s design philosophy is rooted in a deep understanding of culinary needs, often incorporating insights that only a true chef or connoisseur would consider. Take, for instance, the subtle yet crucial distinction between toasting regular bread and toasting a bagel. While bread often benefits from high heat on both the top and bottom elements, achieving the *perfect* bagel requires a more nuanced approach. The Breville Smart Oven Pro understands this: it applies high heat to both surfaces initially, then intelligently dims the bottom heat mid-cycle. This ensures a lightly toasted, golden top while maintaining a warm, soft, and chewy center and bottom – a level of precision that elevates a simple breakfast item to an art form.

This commitment to excellence is a hallmark of Breville’s product development. The company also collaborates with a team of skilled chefs who continuously create innovative recipes tailored for their appliances. You can explore some of these culinary creations and witness the appliances in action by watching their insightful videos on YouTube.

Conclusion: A Smart Investment for the Modern Kitchen

The Breville Smart Oven Pro (BOV845BSS) is more than just a countertop appliance; it’s a smart, versatile, and highly efficient culinary tool that can significantly enhance your cooking experience. Its robust design, intuitive controls, and advanced Element IQ™ technology deliver consistent, high-quality results across a wide range of cooking tasks. While its initial price point and numerous functions might seem daunting, its ability to perfectly toast, bake, roast, broil, and even slow cook makes it a worthy investment for anyone seeking to maximize kitchen efficiency and culinary creativity. For those with limited space or who wish to reduce reliance on their large oven for smaller meals, this appliance proves invaluable. It’s a testament to thoughtful engineering meeting practical kitchen demands, truly living up to its “Smart Oven Pro” designation.

QVC Video Demonstration

For a dynamic visual overview of the Breville Smart Oven Pro’s features and capabilities, including live demonstrations of its functions, you can watch the embedded QVC video below. It provides a comprehensive look at how this appliance operates in real-world cooking scenarios.

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Breville Smart Oven Pro Giveaway

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