Description
What the Breville Smart Oven Pro BOV845BSS is
The Breville Smart Oven Pro is a large countertop convection oven in brushed stainless steel. It has been on sale since October 2013 and it remains one of the better documented appliances in its class, ranking fourth in Amazon’s Convection Ovens category at the time this listing was captured. The Pro designation covers two additions over the base Smart Oven: an interior light and a slow cook function.
The electrical specification is 1800 watts at 110 to 120 volts. External dimensions are 15.91 inches deep by 18.94 inches wide by 10.94 inches high, with a stated unit weight of 22.8 pounds. Note that the listing also gives an interior figure of 18.5 by 15.7 by 11.1 inches, which is larger in every dimension than the external measurement. That is not possible. One of the two sets of numbers is wrong, and given the shape of the appliance, the 18.5 by 15.7 by 11.1 inch figure is almost certainly the carton or a different measuring convention rather than usable cavity space. Anyone planning a tight counter run should measure the appliance on arrival rather than trusting either figure.
Controls are knob based with an LCD readout. The oven has a dropdown door, one wire rack and a crumb tray, and Breville includes a 12 by 12 inch enamel baking pan, a 12 by 12 inch enamel broiling rack and a 13 inch nonstick pizza pan.
Element iQ and what the five elements do
Breville builds its marketing around what it calls the Element iQ System. The mechanism is straightforward: instead of a fixed pair of heating elements, the oven has five independent quartz elements, and the control board decides which ones to drive and how hard depending on the function selected. Toasting drives heat from above and below at the top of the cavity. Baking pushes more heat to the base. Broiling runs the top elements alone.
Quartz elements come up to temperature faster than the metal sheathed elements used in cheaper toaster ovens, which is where the 1800 watt preheat claim comes from. Breville does not publish a preheat time in seconds, so there is no number to quote, only the statement that preheat is fast for the class.
The convection setting adds a fan that circulates hot air and strips away the cooler layer sitting against the food. Breville states this reduces cooking time by up to 30 percent. Read the words up to carefully. Thirty percent is a ceiling for a particular food at a particular load, not a figure that applies across the board, and convection generally helps most with roasting and browning and least with delicate bakes.
Ten functions, including slow cook
The ten functions are toast, bagel, bake, roast, broil, pizza, cookies, reheat, warm and slow cook. Bagel differs from toast by heating one side more than the other, which is the correct behavior for a cut bagel. Cookies gets its own setting because biscuit doughs are unusually sensitive to base heat.
Slow cook is the addition that broadens the appliance most. Breville allows up to 10 hours at low temperature before the oven drops to keep warm on its own. That covers a braise or a pot of beans in a Dutch oven, and the listing specifically mentions the cavity accommodating a 4.4 quart Dutch oven. It does not replace a dedicated slow cooker for capacity, and anyone whose main need is long low cooking should compare a purpose built unit such as the Cuisinart Cook Central 6 quart multicooker.
The interior light is a small feature with a real benefit: it comes on automatically at the end of the cycle so you can see the food without opening the door and dumping the heat. Breville notes the bulb is a replaceable component, which is more than most countertop ovens offer.
Highlights
- 1800 watts at 110 to 120 volts with five independent quartz heating elements.
- Ten functions including slow cook up to 10 hours with automatic keep warm.
- Convection fan, which Breville states cuts cooking time by up to 30 percent.
- LCD display showing the selected function, preheat status and a cooking countdown.
- Interior light that turns on at the end of the cycle, with a replaceable bulb.
- Accessories included: enamel baking pan, enamel broiling rack, 13 inch pizza pan, wire rack and crumb tray.
- Brushed stainless steel exterior with a stainless steel dropdown door.
- Rated by the listing for six slices of bread, a 13 inch pizza or a whole chicken.
Things To Consider
- The published interior dimensions are larger than the published exterior dimensions, which cannot be correct. Measure before committing counter space.
- Nearly 19 inches wide and 22.8 pounds. This is a permanent counter appliance, not something to lift in and out of a cupboard.
- At 1800 watts it wants a circuit of its own. Running it alongside a kettle or a toaster on the same kitchen circuit invites a tripped breaker.
- Knob controls with an LCD, not a touchscreen. Some buyers prefer that, but it is worth knowing.
- The up to 30 percent convection claim is a manufacturer figure with no stated test conditions.
- One wire rack is supplied. Two rack cooking needs an extra rack bought separately.
- Breville lists a one year limited warranty, which is short for an appliance in this price bracket.
- The country of origin is given as China while the brand is Australian, which occasionally surprises buyers.
Who it suits
This oven suits a household that cooks enough to justify giving up a large stretch of counter, and particularly one that wants to avoid heating a full size oven for a tray of vegetables or a small roast. The combination of fast quartz preheat, a real convection fan and a slow cook mode makes it a credible second oven rather than a large toaster.
It is too much appliance for a small kitchen or for someone who mainly wants toast and reheating. In that case a compact model such as the Breville BOV650XL or a simpler unit from the toaster ovens category will do the same daily jobs in far less space. Cooks who want air frying built in should compare the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, which adds that function to a similar cavity, and anyone weighing a commercial grade alternative can look at the Moffat Turbofan E22M3.
