I have heard nightmare stories about purchases of convection ovens. The nightmares included heat issues, size, and look of the unit. So I did a lot of research before deciding on this unit. After quality and price, some of the most important concerns I had were the height and the appearance of the oven. I was looking for something a little more retro and streamlined. I’ve owned my DeLonghi oven for three months now, and I am absolutely pleased with it. It has an awesome look with black and chrome accents AND it fits with room to spare between my counter space and the cupboard above.
I use my DeLonghi primarily to cook rotisserie chicken, and it does a superb job! My entire family loves the way the inside of the bird stays juicy and moist while the outside gets evenly browned. I just tie the bird up and put it on the spit, set the timer and come back when it is done. Clean up is pretty easy too since I just line the crumb tray with aluminum foil and toss it when the cooking is done! I can always throw some vegetables into aluminum foil and cook them with the chicken, so my total time spent preparing the meal is usually less than ten minutes….that means a lot to me!
Another of my concerns was how hot the outside of the oven gets during cooking. All of the reviews I read for the different countertop ovens said that heat was a big issue. Since I don’t keep it near anything that would get damaged by the heat, that has not been a big issue for me. But even though the unit does get hot to the touch, it definitely doesn’t heat up the kitchen when I use it. That makes it much nicer to use than my large oven which makes the kitchen pretty uncomfortable–especially during the summer. Also, with my kids around, I feel safer.
I’ve also used it to bake mini loaves of bread, steam veggies, cook personal size pizzas, and have even made home-made jalapeno poppers in it! It works so much better than my larger oven for making snacks and small meals. The only negative thing I can say about this oven is that they say it will cook up to a 12 pound bird the biggest one I’ve been able to fit that will spin correctly on the spit was 8 pounds. A bigger bird could fit, but it would have to be roasted not rotisseried. I am very satisfied with this oven and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great looking unit that has rotisserie, convection, and fairly small space on the countertop.
