Convection Steam Oven, New, Stainless Steel

Highly recommended. This is not your standard toaster oven. I have owned several toaster ovens in the past and the Cuisinart Convection Steam Oven is by far the best quality and most versatile. I am typically cooking for 1-2 people. For me, it has nearly replaced my microwave and stove for day-to-day use. With the addition of the steaming option, breads, vegetables and grains can be heated & cooked perfectly without additional appliances, such as a steamer/rice cooker. You can reduce the use of oils when cooking with steam if you wish. I have not tried all functions of this product yet, but here is a review of what I have so far and all the options. Construction & Use: 1) This model is all stainless steel. None of the "no-stick" coating inside which gives off vapors harmful to pets (especially birds) and people. It has a Steam Clean function to remove any build up which you can then just wipe away. 2) The quality of the oven and accessories are high, durable steel. 3) The oven has almost no sound to it when running. 4) Steam is created by filling a low profile water reservoir that attaches to the side of the oven (does not result in much additional width to the oven). 5) The manual states all materials that contact food are BPA free. 6) The dial and LCD display are easy to use and read. 7) There is an interior light button so you can more easily check on your cooking foods. 8) Easy set up and detailed instruction booklet on how every setting works and how to use. 9) 9 Unique cooking functions to select from Functions: 1) Toast - works well and toasts evenly with multiple darkness settings 2) Convection bake - circulates the hot air for even baking of cakes, cookies, etc. I make "single serving" baked desserts that are gluten free and often vegan. They have turned out well using convection bake. I am also going to try making these using steam bake to add moisture. 3) Steam bake - adds steam to the baking process. It is supposed to be great for roasting meats and making custard style desserts, though I have not tried these yet. I used this function to make homemade baked french fries and they came out crisp but much less dried out-- and you can eliminate using oils when steam baking (roasting) vegetables because it adds that moisture through the steam. Re-heats leftovers without drying out. 4) Steam - for steaming vegetables and meats. Can also be used for proofing breads, & once it's proofed, you can switch to the bread function to bake it. 5) Broil or broil steam. I have used this function several times with very good, even broiling results. 6) Super Steam - Ideal for rice, though I have not used this function yet. Can also be used for vegetables. 7) Warm - keeps already cooked foods warm. I used to keep wrapped tortillas warm and soft before serving. 8) Bread - I have not used, but there is a setting for making breads which utilizes steam and then convection bake, much like professional bake ovens.

This is a great concept, and the only combi oven that I've found for less than ~$2500. (A combi oven is an appliance typically used in processional bakeries. It's like a normal oven but let's you control humidity -- by adding steam -- in addition to temperature.) The steam+convection function does a great job of creating crisp crust - yay! However, there are 3 frustrating things about this oven: 1. The inside is just too small! Width-wise, it's just a touch too small to fit a quarter-sheet pan. Seriously frustrating! And height-wise, it won't give much room for a tall loaf of bread to rise/oven-spring. 2. Perhaps more concerning: when the rack is in its lowest position, a pan sitting on the rack will be EXTREMELY close to the heating element. This makes this oven UNSAFE TO USE WITH SILICONE BAKEWARE unless you raise the rack (reducing the already-limited space even further). I tried baking bread at 450 degrees in a silicone baking pan (which is rated to 500 degrees and has comfortably been used at that temperature in my Thermador oven), and the bottom bottom of the silicone pan nearest to the heating element turned black, thinned, and became translucent, while letting off a chemical smell. This, of course, ruined the pan, and I was afraid to eat the results. I think this was just an issue of having such tiny clearance between the heating element and the rack when in lowest position, but it's another way in which problems arise from the manufacturers stingy decision to make the interior so small. In the meantime, try using cast iron or something much more heat-tolerant! 3. The controls are irritating. Instead of letting me actually, say, set heat and humidity, you have to use some idiot-oriented "smart program" like "bread" or "chicken" and just guess what the oven is going to do. Kind of like buying a nice SLR camera that won't let you shoot in Aperture-priority, etc... I'd recommend it -- but with reservations --, largely because it's the only one on the market.

The best purchase I have ever made on amazon...seriously. This thing is freaking awesome. My main oven now gets used twice a year at most (holidays for a big turkey etc). This little device cooks everything so much better than a normal oven. It does take a little time and practice to master as the instructions aren''t the best. Look up steam convection recipes online for a good place to start. The price has gone up which is a shame as I am seriously considering buying a second. This is the ONLY decent counter top steam oven on the market, and if it gets discontinued (cuisinart has a bad history of this), it will suck as I use it many times a day and is my main cooker. Things I cook in this that turn out way better than on a normal over, stove: Fish (not even close), chicken (not even close...MAYBE rotisserie...but this is just as good), roasts of any kind (not even close), vegetables (just as good as steaming any other way, but so much easier), bread (impossible to get artisan bread like this any other way in the house...), rice (much better than even my now-never used rice cooker) and lets not forget...left overs...there is simply no other way to achieve without a steam convection over. As for quality, I have been using for over 6 months with no issues. I use it daily, at least 2-3 times a day...sometimes all day long. Its not perfect...I would like both lower and high temps (lowest in 100...would like lower for better bread proofing, better defrosting...etc), and higher for better hi temp dished (it goes up to 500 only on broil, 450 for every other mode). It could be bigger, but it works well for a family of 4 so far. Can't do the holidays meats in it of course. I hope the thing lasts, but Its already more than paid for itself. If they ever stop making this, I will have to shell out a couple grand for a normal kitchen steam over...but until then...this is (almost) just as good for 1/10th the cost.

Update to review: Originally I gave this toaster oven five stars, but only three years later I find that the upper middle heating element has died, so I'm revising my review down to one star. There is nothing more important in a toaster oven than the heating elements, so the loss of even one (but the main one!) is almost fatal. All the cooking times will be "off." Foods will cook unevenly, especially toasted bread. SO disappointing! And unfortunately I didn't buy an extended warranty through Square Trade, so I may see what deals present on Black Friday. PS I've changed my mind about the steam feature. I noticed the other day that green algae completely covered the bottom and was growing up the sides. Eeeuw! It's difficult to remove--no brush will reach every corner--so going forward I plan to skip steam. ********************** This "toaster oven" has been an absolute treasure! I almost bought the competitor that begins with a "B", but was intrigued by the unique steam feature of this Cuisinart model. I worried that it would turn out to be a gimmick that I'd never use. But happily I was wrong. i LOVE the steam option. It's immediately available since there is always water ready in the built-in water container. I can steam a variety of veggies on an open pan. And while it takes some experimenting to determine the best length of time for steaming, once you've got it pegged to your preferences, it's a cinch. The CSO-300N is quite large and takes up valuable space on my counter. But it is a workhorse. It's size also means that it is an alternate oven and I actually use it MORE than my regular oven. I love the beep that tells you when it's preheated. I love the light (SO useful! This should be in every toaster oven.) Probably because of the steam option, the door seals airtight and I'm guessing that this helps keep the interior temperature steady and my kitchen cooler. I've baked cookies, cornbread, mac and cheese, spanakopita triangles, chicken wings, you name it, and it does a wonderful job As a toaster for bread it's not as even as a regular toaster, but it's very acceptable and will accommodate one or several pieces of bread. Honestly, this was the best purchase that I made for my new condo and it has made me feel at home and have even more fun cooking and baking.

This is the best kitchen gadget ever. I replaced my good-old toaster oven with it. The internal of the oven is big. It fits the Corningware 12.5in oval platter. [...] I first tested the standard steaming function with ginger-chicken, cut into bite-size pieces and marinated. I estimated it would take about 18 mins steaming on stove top, so I set the same amount of time. I can see it was not producing the heavy steam I expected and at the end of the 18 mins, the meat was cooked well outside but not in the deepest part of the dish. I then switched to "super-steam" at 300F for an extra 10 mins. The result was perfect. After that I mainly used super-steam for Chinese dishes (tofu with scallops, prawns, meat pies, whole fish, while chicken). I tried other super-steam settings with 225F/250F/275F/300F all with great results.The super-steam function produces a lot more steam then the standard steam function, and the added heat more closely simulate the stove-top steaming environment. I found 250F a good starting point to experiment.