CuisinartStainless Steel Steam & Convection Oven, 20x15

I love this little oven, but it primarily does a very specific set of tasks for me. As with any small oven, cooking times are different than you would see with a big oven, due to proximity of heating elements. So it takes some getting used to to convert “big oven” recipes, to this kind of device, but it provides consistent reliable results, compared to a lot of “big ovens” once you get the hang of it.I myself primarily use this little guy for reheating leftovers, and it excels at this like no other heating method (although admittedly since I have not used IR ovens, so I can not speaks for those). For reheating leftovers I use the steam convection function, and with the right settings it allows me to heat food throughly, without drying or overcooking. Because the steam is injected at the beginning of the cycle, and slowly provides more as needed, it can cook the food, even doughy flaky food, without making it soggy. Microwaves are great at heating food, but they make meats tough, and doughy things chewy. For me this has none of those faults, and provides leftovers that taste and have the texture of food that is really near what it was originally. I have some pans which I specifically use in this oven with meats (smoked, and grilled), and the meat ends up tender and flavorful and not overcooked, in a way I can not easily achieve any other way. I love it and have depended on it for 4 years to provide easy leftover reheats that are a joy to eat, in addition to making things from scratch.As I have said I have had this oven for 4 years, and because of the complexity of it, when I first got it I expected it to have some issue or another in the first year or two of constant use, but to my delight, it has continued to serve my needs well. Perhaps I have been lucky, but my experience with it has been first rate (however I have never had to deal with support, so I can’t speak to that).The only negatives I can say about this oven, is that you can’t extend a cooking time if something is not done, you have to restart the oven, like it is a new item. Another is, it adjusts temperatures in 25 degree steps, so I can’t OCD fine tune the temp. Finally, the external stainless steel surface has a tendency to get smudges, that are difficult to get off.But truly, I would not think twice about getting this oven again, to be honest, I am worried that they will stop being available when this one dies. So fingers crossed…

I purchased this Cuisinart convection steam oven because I love the identical one that I've used almost every day since I purchased it in July of 2015. Cuisinart has discontinued this item, and I wanted to replace mine while I still could get one.This functions like a regular toaster oven. It's a nice size for most of the things I need for a small family, such as baking casseroles, breads, making toast, heating pizza. But it also has a steam function, so it will steam, add steam to heat (eg cook rice using steam), steam while baking, steam while broiling, or proof bread. My favorite function is to steam food while broiling. When done this way, the food browns on top but also gets tender and stays moist as a result of the steam. Baked chicken was never better, either. It will also do things like "boil" eggs (17 mins on steam setting for hard-boiled). Equivalent steam convection ovens are high end, built ins by companies like Wolf. I'm not aware of anything equivalent to this quality at anywhere near this price point.Some people couldn't care less about cooking with steam, and those who aren't really into cooking from scratch probably wouldn't care. If that's the case, save $$ and get a model that doesn't have steam. If you do love to broil, steam, use convection, broil meats and veggies, steam rice, steam buns, bake your own bread, etc., as well as heat a pizza or make a slice of toast, in a size for one to four people, it's hard to imagine a more versatile and useful kitchen appliance. I literally use mine for every meal and only occasionally use microwave or regular (big, slow to preheat, non-steam) oven.If you're intrigued at the possibilities, curious, and love to cook delicious food, be prepared to be delighted but also be prepared to experiment. I looked and haven't found cookbooks devoted to steam ovens. Recipes can be found on Pinterest, or follow recipes in the owners manual and then start experimenting. All in all, I've been delighted with mine and hope to get as many more years of use from it as I have gotten from my original one (which is still running fine and is being passed along to another cooking friend).

Summary: (Specifics follow below)This is a great little oven with a small amount left to be desired in my experience. I’m a single guy who doesn’t like the idea of using a microwave (yeah yeah, tinfoil hat and such) and this machine helps me steer clear. I would especially recommend this to anybody who has similar ambitions.Pros:-Steam option is great with the right application (great for leftovers!!)-Sharp looking and well-built-Easy to use-Heats evenly and quickly-Toast function is nice - but pay attention cause it’s easy to burn your toast if you leave the bread in after the buzzer-Self-cleaning with steam works quite well and how awesome is that?!-Loads of combos with steam worked into oven functions-The pan that comes with it is nice and of good qualityCons:-No standard dry oven function, only convection!!-Beep is obnoxiously loud and cannot be turned down or off because it is used for the timer alarm too-Every function is set to a timer that powers the heating element - can’t just leave things a little longer without restarting the heating sequence.Notes:-Mold could be a factor if you’re not diligent in cleaning/drying your oven after using the steam function.- Hard water could probably wreak havoc on this oven...I’d recommend using distilled or RO water