Cyberider

Since I'm usually only baking for myself, it's going to be a long time until I have many comparisons from one oven to the other. In the mean time, well known baker Rose Levy Beranbaum had an interesting comparison of a bundt cake baked in the Breville oven and a Panasonic oven. I'm not surprised that the top is darker on the BSO cake since there is little headroom and the top elements can't be disabled or turned down. It's interesting, though, that the crust of the cake in the pan is just the opposite. Here is the link: http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/2016/08/know_thy_oven.html

Came across the Bellini by Cedarlane BMKM510CL Kitchen Master this morning. Does anyone have any experience with this? Looks to be similar to the Thermomix. Manufacturer's website: https://www.cedarlaneculinary.ca/Products/Detail?code=BMKM510CL Amazon website: https://www.amazon.com/Bellini-Cedarlane-BMKM510CL-Kitchen-Master/dp/B00EKK9OXA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 Not inexpensive but much less than a Thermomix. Not sure that I would have any use for it but looked interesting.

Here goes! 95% of my baking is bread (including pizza), cake, and cookies. This weekend, I baked the fourth pizza in the BSO since I got it about six weeks ago. Here are the before, during, and after photos. I used the standard programmed setting for a 13" fresh pizza which was 14 minutes at 450F. I put the pizza in after the pre-heat beep which, as those who've read the instructions, means it was 80% up to temperature before the door was opened. I baked it without rotating just to see how evenly baked it would be. It turned out pretty well, baked about to my taste and fairly even. I haven't tried the ODO for pizza yet but probably will when I get or find a larger pizza pan to take advantage of it's larger size. Since I'm the only one who's going to be eating it, 13" is big enough and I'll eat on it for a week. Taking the distance of the heating elements from the pizza, I suspect the CSO will be the winner, especially if speed is taken into account. Time will tell, though. One annoying thing about the CSO that I haven't seen mentioned is the fact that it pulses the heating elements about 8 to 10 times per second instead of just turning them on and off every minute or two like a conventional oven. What this does, in my case, is put an annoying flicker on the fluorescent lights in the kitchen. I thought there was something wrong with the lights the first time I used the BSO until I figured out that it was causing it.

Thanks for the warning, I'll keep an eye on it. And I liked the pan because the pizzas slide right off! Yes, there are a bunch of settings for various things but none of them will turn down the upper heating elements enough to minimize scorching of tall items. Guess I should know better by now about anything with "smart" as part of it's name. Incidentally, the ODO does not come with a pizza pan but I guess that can be sacrificed for $100 or $150 less. Other observations are that the BSO consumes a maximum of 1875 watts while the ODO consumes 1500 watts. With the smaller size of the BSO and the additional power, I would expect it would be able to reach a higher temperature and do it sooner than the ODO. I notice that the cabinet of the BSO runs noticeably hotter than the ODO or the old Toastmaster. The Toastmaster actually has some insulation between the heating cavity and the outer cabinet while I suspect the BSO does not. The Toastmaster temperature control was calibrated up to 450F but it would never reach more than 400F no matter how long it was on. Will have to check the BSO and ODO to see what they'll do. The BSO and ODO are both made in China, of course. Expected on an inexpensive item but always disappointing on a "premium" item. In the meantime, I'll be doing whatever baking I need to do and observing as I go. Going to make the most of having both ovens and looking forward to cooler weather down here in the AZ desert so I can do more baking soon.

boilsover: That is the 800XL in the photo. No plans to use it for toast as I have a 1950's Sunbeam for that. (The one where the bread lowers and raises gently) gfweb: Wasn't intending to be critical. I should have paid more attention to interior dimensions than getting blown away by hype. The BSO is a nice little oven. rotuts: The only problem I've had with the Toastmaster over the years is the fan. I've had it apart several times to clean and oil it and it's good for awhile. However, it's noisy all the time now and a little bit annoying. Note the GE Toasteroven on top of the BSO. It's about 50 years old and continues to work as intended. lindag The CSO looks interesting and I've been following that thread faithfully. An oven the size of the Oster with steam would be very useful for my kind of baking. All: I think the BSO will work fine for me for everything but tall loaves. I've made several pizzas already and the heating elements in closer proximity might be an advantage for that. It came with a 13" diameter pan which just fits and that's a good-sized pizza for me. Had to make rectangular pizzas in the Toastmaster because it wasn't as deep. The ODO will take up to a 16" diameter pan according to the description. Both ovens have a bulge in back that allows for the deeper round pans. The control knobs on the ODO are large and very solid feeling. The timer is a mechanical clock that you can hear ticking. It rings and turns the oven off when the time is up. It can also be set for continuous on. There is function knob with various settings like bake, broil, etc. It varies the amount of heat from the top and bottom elements while the temperature knob sets the overall temperature. Had I known about the ODO, that's probably what I would have gotten to cover all the bases. However, I'm sure I'll enjoy both ovens for what they're best at. The only problem is that between the two, the old GE, and the Sunbeam toaster, my counter is full.

Not a week after receiving the Breville "Smart" oven that I had been waiting for two years for a sale had arrived, another forum member posted photos and information about her new Oster oven. I was fascinated by it's appearance and size. I checked it out and, sure enough, it had even more room inside than my old Toastmaster convection oven that I had been using the last 25 years. I noticed that it was available both in a "digital" version and a manual version and that the manual version was only $99.95. That was $100 less than the BSO that I got on sale and it is so much roomier. Look at the difference in size! I like baking tall loaves of bread and that was clearly going to be a problem in the BSO. Not the case in the ODO! It's even bigger than the Toastmaster, has a timer, two shelves and those wonderful doors which are as practical as they are attractive. No worries burning my hands on the door when moving or removing things from the oven. Too bad I didn't know about this oven first because it will serve my purposes perfectly. (Thanks, Andie!)

Very impressive collection, mrdecoy1970! I don't feel as guilty for having so many now. Well done!

Hi Andie! The new oven looks good and looking forward to reading your further comments on how it performs. It would definitely have been of interest to me with the fact that it is so roomy inside. However, after waiting about two years with a Breville "smart" oven in my Amazon basket waiting for a price drop, it finally did for one day a couple of weeks ago so I bought one. It's nice to see you still on the board here as I've been away for a few years. BTW, you gave me some good advice on mixers about five years ago and I am still happily using the Assistent mixer I bought at that time. Easily does double the load my 5-quart KA "Commercial" does. Hope you are well and enjoy your posts as always. Dave

Thanks, Anna, good idea! As for the CSO, I'll start watching that thread. I'm curious about the attractive loaves of bread you asked about too. For good measure, now that the BSO is out of my Amazon cart, maybe I'll put the CSO in and watch it in case it goes on sale and I can "justify" it.

After setting in my Amazon cart for two years waiting for a price drop, I finally ordered a BSO last Tuesday and it arrived Friday. A very nice unit compared to my tired 25-year-old Toastmaster convection oven but I was surprised by how much smaller it was and how that might limit it's usefulness. I baked my usual cookie recipe Saturday and made pizza Sunday and it performed well. My most frequent use of the convection oven is for bread, though, so hoping that the tops don't get scorched for getting too close to the heating elements. Maybe I'll have to bake smaller loaves and/or continue to use the noisy old Toastmaster for tall loaves. In any event, I think I'll be happy with it as I am also with the Assistent mixer I bought five years ago on the advice of eGullet forum members. Now, guess I need a CSO? That looks really small, though.

A very interesting thread! I've been away from this forum for a couple of years since it was blocked at work where I do any online activities I need to. All of a sudden, it's open again so will look forward to reading more and maybe posting some of my bread baking. Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas to all.

I'll buy their yeast by the brick but I won't be buying this!

Bernard Clayton Jr.'s "The Complete Book of Breads." Great selection of recipes. Each one with directions by hand, mixer, or processor. Nothing fancy or special required. Been using it for decades with great success. Even with twenty or thirty other bread books, this remains my number one go-to book for bread.

I got mine a couple of months ago and it's a fascinating read for anyone interested in Latin American cooking. Even if I never cook anything from this book, I don't regret getting it because it is so interesting and so big! By the time I get done reading it, I'll be ready to start over again. If you are a member of The Good Cook book club you can get it for $10 on one of their "buy 4 or more books for $10 each" sales. A real bargain IMHO.

Very interesting trip and experiences. Thanks for sharing!

Me too. Waste not, want not!

Apparently I'm not done as I just ordered a half a dozen more this morning. I don't expect to do any extensive cooking or baking from any of them but look for new ideas and just enjoy relaxing with them when I have the time. I buy most at a substantial discount and dispose of those that don't do anything for me when they start stacking up at places other than the bookshelves.

Went for the ketchup last weekend and noticed it didn't look right. Noticed my late wife had purchased it since she always wrote the date on the container. April 2000. Time to get a new bottle!

When mine is totally separated, I turn the jar upaide down for a day. This usually homogenates it enough to easily finish the job with a utensil.

I hated it when they got rid of Gourmet magazine because I actually liked it better than BA. Now, Barbara Fairchild isn't editor of BA anymore and it's going downhill.

Hundreds, and I haven't counted them lately. Heavy on baking as that's my main interest. About a dozen new ones since the beginning of the year. I found eGullet when my search engine brought up this thread!

Looks good but I've never made it. This book is certainly one of the more attractive baking books in my library and there's a number of things I'd like to try when I have time. Let us know how it turns out and have a happy birthday!

His Complete Book of Breads was my first and continues to be my most frequently referenced book on bread baking. Also have his book on the breads of France, an excellent book. Sorry to hear of him leaving us but his place in bread baking will always be remembered.