Oster 6071 6-Slice Toaster Oven, Black/Silver
by Oster
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List Price: Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Oster 6071 6-Slice Toaster Oven, Black/Silver
Customer Review: Hate this toaster oven
Summary: 3 Stars
We had the el cheapo Black & Decker toaster oven for about 4 or 5 years and it served us well until the temp. knob went a little wonky and wouldn't work. We thought we'd go a little fancier for our next toaster oven without going Cuisinart fancy. We got this Oster at Target because it seemed like what we wanted - big mistake!
Our old toaster over just had a lever for toasting. On this one, you have to turn the knob and pick a number of minutes to toast. Somehow I always get it wrong and my toast is charred or undercooked. I miss the lever!
If the rack is in the top position it's REALLY close to the top elements and it's really easy to burn your hand if you reach in to grab your toast or whatever. I have burned my hand a few times. Never had this problem with the old one.
And even with the rack on the top slot, I find this burns the bottoms of my son's chicken nuggets.
I hate this thing. I can't give it 0 stars because it does work, but I think I liked the old cheapie B&D a lot more. My biggest gripe is the toasting - my husband says lets just get a normal toaster, too, then but I don't want another appliance on my counters. I just wish this thing would die so we could replace it.
Customer Review: Great Until Parts Needed
Summary: 3 Stars
Working the night shift, wanted to be able to have a hot evening meal without nuking. This oven has performed beautifully for about a year until yesterday when the knob which controls the timer broke. Knob is affixed to spindle by four plastic tabs, two of which broke. This is the most used part and requires turning two directions to operate. Calls to Sunbeam/Oster as well as numerous online and local parts dealers have been unsuccessful. Oster says once an item is discontinued (as this now is), they no longer keep the parts. I find this hard to believe. Too bad, did like it.Customer Review: Shoddy Knobs, Uneven Cooking, Incinerated Toast. Don't Buy It.
Summary: 2 Stars
I'm giving this two stars because it didn't explode or fail completely. I also liked the looks and certain promised features well enough to buy it in the first place, so it has a couple things going for it. But I would advise against buying it.
We got ours from Target, on clearance (I wonder why?) in late October. By November, the timer knob was falling off all the time and broken, and by December it wouldn't go on at all. The plastic part at the back of the knob that attached it to the metal prong inside just broke into several pieces. At first they were stuck around the metal prong, but eventually they fell out. I tried using heatsafe glue to reconnect the broken pieces to the knob and then just push the knob back onto the prong, but the plastic was actually stressed to the point it had deformed too much to glue into any workable position. (Much like when you stretch plastic by bending it back and forth repeatedly.) We are currently using a screwdriver to turn the metal stump that originally held the knob. I believe the problem lies in that the knobs are made of and connected by inferior material, and the directions require you to turn the knob past the 20 minute mark, then back, if you want a time of less than 20 minutes, which for things like toast or bagels or bread, you usually do. When you do that, you can feel that it doesn't feel right. But that's what they tell you to do. There are two other knobs that we aren't using any more than we have to now because they feel stiff and poorly-moving like the broken one did.
Apart from the knobs, the toaster set promised a baking sheet, broiler pan, and removable crumb tray. After some confusion, we realized that the "baking pan" is the bottom of the broiler pan. Not exactly as promised. If they're making a big deal of pans because they fit in the featured drawer, they should include the pans as described, not fudge it.
As for the function, it's hit or miss. There are a lot of hot spots and variations you have to get used to with this, and somehow even though it seems to cook the food and bread products, they don't really get very hot. You can make a rock-hard piece of toast that butter won't melt on even though you just removed it from a hot oven. Don't ask me how it happens. However, toast is usually burned in this oven, as is pretty much anything cooked on the Toast setting. I usually "toast" my bread on the Bake setting, since every time I've used Toast my bread comes out charred. Other members of my family eat their toast with minimal charring as long as they literally sit in front of the toaster watching it so it doesn't burn.
Just to be clear, I've used toaster ovens all my life. I've never regularly used a plain old standup toaster. So my criticism is in no part a criticism of toaster ovens in general. I love toaster ovens. I've heard they take longer to toast bread than plain toasters. This one seems to take way less time on the Toast setting to totally incinerate my bread. On the Bake setting it seems normal to speedy.
The heating elements are totally exposed and very easy to burn yourself on. I'm not saying I'm agile with all appliances, but I've never burned myself with any toaster oven as much as I have this one, and I've had at least seven. I think the elements are also the culprit with the cooking issues. They run EXTREMELY hot, so if you position food directly over or under them, it burns without exception. Trying to center the food plus repositioning the racks to get food the proper distance from the elements leads to a lot of inadvertent burns on the back of the hand trying to get the food just so it will heat but not burn. Yes, heating elements have to be hot to cook food, but they shouldn't burn food that is cooking at a mild temperature (say 325º) for just 5 minutes on a rack in a position specified by the manufacturer. You simply cannot put food directly above an element, ever. The bottom elements are also wedged right above the crumb tray, which warps with heat whenever you use the toaster, so it's impossible to get out unless it's completely cool.
I don't really like how this oven reheats meats and fish, either. Whether on 325º or 350º or 375º, this oven overcooks the food without getting it to a really hot temperature. I don't understand how it happens. I reheat rare steaks a lot and they are never heated enough until they're very well done (I've been getting roast cuts so they reheat okay and stay tasty). In my old DeLonghis I could get the steak to sizzle on the outside while being warm on the inside but still pink. In this toaster it can be sizzling like crazy but refrigerated on the inside. I'd try Broil, but it it similar to the crematory Toast setting, and I haven't wanted to waste any steaks yet.
The Bake setting does do a great job reheating casserole-type dishes and pastas like manicotti. The outsides and sauces don't overheat and separate very often. You just have to cut things into small enough pieces so the inside gets hot.
Several aspects of the design of this toaster are winners. It looks great. I'm looking at it right now, and even with its stumpy hole, I love its cute modern-but-retro look and sleek round-edged top. The drawer to store pans, the glass top, large capacity, and the wide front view are all very nice. The sides stay relatively cool for an oven, and in general you don't feel waves of heat coming at you when it's on. I like the 4 positions for the oven rack, but they really should have included two racks so you can cook more things at once. But none of the design perks make up for the lack of performance in this appliance.
I really wanted this oven to work out, especially since I was the one who selected it. I was excited about it. But unfortunately it's the worst toaster oven I've ever owned or used. I'm going to be trying the Black & Decker CTO6301 6-Slice Convection Toast-R-Oven, Stainless Steel next, and will update how it is in comparison. It's about $10-$15 more, depending on the day's price, but if it works the way a toaster oven should, I'm thrilled to pay that.
Customer Review: Save Your Money
Summary: 2 Stars
We owned a tried and true basic Black and Decker toaster oven for years. It finally gave up and I decided to "upgrade" to the Oster 6701. Big mistake. It takes forever to preheat, it's big and clumsy, and it does an extremely poor job of toasting bread.Customer Review: Broken knob within 4 months
Summary: 1 Stars
I loved this little toaster oven. The price was right, and I was getting used to its little oddities. For example, the toast setting is a guess each time. BUT... within 4 months, the temperature knob broke, and it cannot be fixed. I am now using a screw driver to turn the knob. I am sure having to turn the knob forward past 20 minutes before turning it backward to the desired temperature probably puts too much drag on the knob. Considering the number of reviewers who have commented on this problem, it clear it is an design flaw which negates any positives. Resist the temptation... don't buy this product.