Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro or ...?

[Sid Post]

Specifically, model #BOV900BSSUSC at ~$400.  I am on my second Breville Smart Oven, I think it is a model 800 something.  I need to be able to cook 13" frozen pizzas which is a hard requirement.  I love being able to use a 13"x9" pan too.  I do not make toast, at least toast I am picky about, though I need something that will do a decent job on Bagels and English Muffins.

 

I have briefly considered the Ninja shallow toaster oven pizza cooker that folds up vertically but, it won't work for a roast so cutting up a whole chicken for it does not allow it to fit my lifestyle as a sheet pan chicken dinner option that would work with a nice beef roast.

 

The BSO model #900 seems to be a good option for me but, $400 is a lot of money to me as well.  So, I want to make sure I am not overlooking something that would work for me at a lower price or get something a lot better for a modest cost increase.

 

My main cooking with my current BSO is:

• Better quality Frozen pizzas, none of the cheap ~$5 Tombstones and similar pizzas
• Nice beef roasts
• Lots of chicken, whole, parts, and lots of frozen chicken options
• Baked potatoes, plain or loaded
• Casseroles of all sorts
• Tater tots, french fries
• Bagels and English Muffins

 

I do other stuff infrequently like cornbread muffins, cakes, brownies, and similar desert-oriented things.  I lack a full-size domestic oven right now as well so, whatever I have or get is used heavily since I can't cook everything in a skillet or pan, or use my wood fired Smoker for everything.

 

So, is the 900 series BSO the best option for me?  What other options should I look at?

 

TIA,

Sid

[palo]

APO - more money, but more better

 

p

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, palo said:

APO - more money, but more better

 

p

APO??

[Smithy]

35 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

APO??

 

Shorthand for Anova Precision Oven:

 

 

[ElsieD]

I'm embarrassed to have questioned what an APO is, seeing as how i have one.

[Sid Post]

America's Test Kitchen review of the APO

[Sid Post]

This Anova Precision Oven (APO) seems to be a pretty direct competitor to the Breville Joule Smart Oven though, I don't think it has the steam feature while both share the App functionality.

 

At ~$160 more than the non-App Smart Oven I was looking at, the Serious Eats APO review I read and its comments about Steam cooking baked potatoes with it sure sounds "up my alley" and a great feature above the Breville options!  The Sous Vide chicken sure sounded like another winner for the APO too.

[ElsieD]

I use the Anova all the time and rarely use my big oven.  The Cuisinart Steam Oven, referred to as the CSO is also a great little oven, but I don't think it's sold anymore in the US though it's still available in Canada.

[Sid Post]

3 hours ago, ElsieD said:

I use the Anova all the time and rarely use my big oven.  The Cuisinart Steam Oven, referred to as the CSO is also a great little oven, but I don't think it's sold anymore in the US though it's still available in Canada.

 

I was turned on to the BSO when I grew tired of my big oven taking so long to heat up and then making the whole house hot when I was done cooking in Summer.

[Sid Post]

3 hours ago, ElsieD said:

I use the Anova all the time and rarely use my big oven.  The Cuisinart Steam Oven, referred to as the CSO is also a great little oven, but I don't think it's sold anymore in the US though it's still available in Canada.

 

The CSO is still available on Amazon but, the comments there are pretty harsh today.  

And apparently, when they break there is no factory support to fix them.

Edited Monday at 08:29 PM by Sid Post (log)

[Sid Post]

FWIW, over on the Anova community forum, a lot of people are upset that Anova is apparently disabling the WiFi and Bluetooth functionality of the APO in September of 2025 via a firmware and app updates.  Not sure what is up with that but, it sure doesn't sound good.

 

Customer Support with 3 year old units that don't work has gotten some harsh comments as well.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, Sid Post said:

FWIW, over on the Anova community forum, a lot of people are upset that Anova is apparently disabling the WiFi and Bluetooth functionality of the APO in September of 2025 via a firmware and app updates.  Not sure what is up with that but, it sure doesn't sound good.

 

Customer Support with 3 year old units that don't work has gotten some harsh comments as well.

 

Could you share a link?  I googled but didn't find anything that looked relevant.  Someone on reddit mentioned functionality being discontinued for one of the older Anova circulators.  What makes me suspicious of the rumor is that the APO does not even have Bluetooth.  (Should I be wrong on that I'll eat my APO, or something cooked in it.)

 

 

[ElsieD]

My reading of it is they were talking about the original circulator, the one that's coming up on it's 10th birthday.

[gfweb]

3 hours ago, Sid Post said:

FWIW, over on the Anova community forum, a lot of people are upset that Anova is apparently disabling the WiFi and Bluetooth functionality of the APO in September of 2025 via a firmware and app updates.  Not sure what is up with that but, it sure doesn't sound good.

 

Customer Support with 3 year old units that don't work has gotten some harsh comments as well.

 

 

I don't have the APO, but if I did I think I'd welcome removing wifi.  I can't see what it offers but trouble in an oven esp one made by a non-wifi type of company.  Now it it was a Sony oven...

[Sid Post]

The Anova community forum is a real mess so, that may be part of it.  It won't let me create an account with some random error.  Yes, the Circulators had a lot of negative comments but, I ran across several APO comments that said the same thing as the circulator people were saying.  Google is your friend if you want to dive into it.  And, without being able to log in and look at user histories, I don't know if the APO comments were really valid or if they were from serial complainers or people with an Ax to grind.

 

There were several reports of Anova not providing replacement parts or warranty support that make me really cautious about dropping $560 plus shipping and tax to get one.  That and it is also $160 more than the big, non-Joule, BSO.

 

I also like that my current BSO turns itself off when the cook cycle is done versus the APO which keeps running "to keep food safe" leading to overdone/overcooked food if you don't modify the program to go to 75F to slow down the burning.

 

Steam cooking and good app functionality to program things sounds nice but, I question the concept.  While I am not worried about a Hacker watching me cook a piece of fish or frozen pizza or having my APO Cryptolocked and held for ransom, I'm not sold on whole home integration with Big Data watching me through my Fridge, Toaster, etc. either.

[Sid Post]

THANKS EVERYONE!

 

Lots of good information in this thread that has helped me wade through a lot of sponsored reviews and general noise online!

 

In terms of Steam "Toaster" Ovens, I love the concept but, I am not sold on app integration and questionable support when they break.  If it was cheaper, I would be a buyer but this isn't at a disposable appliance price so I have a lot of caution.  I get they are more complex but, I want a good toaster oven and not an APP development effort thrown into the price (software guy here)!  There are a lot of great places online to get recipe recommendations so adding $100 to the purchase price for an APP integration effort is a loser to me in an appliance like this.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

16 hours ago, ElsieD said:

My reading of it is they were talking about the original circulator, the one that's coming up on it's 10th birthday.

 

I have the even older Anova circulator.  No  WiFi, no Bluetooth, no problems.  True, since getting the APO about the only thing I use the circulator for is pasteurizing meat and eggs.  For most everything else the APO is more convenient.