Dials are complicated - but the convection feature is great
We traded our old B&D Toaste-R-Oven (which we had for several years) for this upgraded model primarily because of the convection oven option.
I must agree with previous reviewers in that the writing on the 4 dials is way too small. The pictures are tiny and there are other languages as well, which are almost impossible to read. Instead of manufacturing ovens for specific countries/markets, they decided to save money and cram everything in a small area in practically indistinquishable print. There's no instruction booklet, just 2 double-sided sheets of paper (in 3 languages no less) to try to explain it all. Not convenient, not user-friendly.
Bakery rolls, frozen foods, etc. turn out well and the clean-up is simple. I love that I don't have to heat up my whole kitchen by turning on the oven when I just want to cook a few things from Trader Joe's for breakfast. And the convection oven is fabulous in that the heat is distributed evenly so that your food is...
Multi-functional, but impractical
As a toaster oven, the B&D TO4314SSD works well. We have used it for toasting breads and trays of nuts, and the elements seem to heat evenly on top and bottom.
The unit has a pleasant overall appearance, but a major design flaw has to do with the overly complex controls: Surrounding the four silver plastic knobs are many tiny icons whose meaning is not always obvious, together with illegible text in multiple languages. A previous toaster oven we had (Cuisinart) had a shortcut for making toast which involved the pressing of one button. The B&D has the older mechanical timers associated with all functions (think round clockwork kitchen timer with a bell), so you first have to turn the knob to a point past midway, then turn it back in the opposite direction for a lighter toast, if desired. But before that you must ensure that the temperature and function knobs are set to their toast function positions. The curved glass door is a bit awkward as it doesn't quite open flat,...
Dorm room oven/toaster with complicated dials
Black and Decker used to make very good toaster ovens. But then they farmed out their manufacture (and probably design) to a company named Applica. The result has been a loss in quality and some strange designs. This toaster oven is an example of what I mean. It's a big box, sort of designed as a combo toaster and dorm room oven. I'm using it in my office for heating up my lunches. It does bake a pizza reasonably well. It does an OK job with bagels and toast (it doesn't quite have the local intense toasting you get from a real toaster or a small toaster oven). In oven mode the outside of the box gets very hot. There's not much insulation between the inside and the outside of the oven.
There is a rotisserie option, but there is so little clearance between the skewer and the bottom of the oven that I have no idea what you'd use it for. I wouldn't try to bake a chicken in this thing - I have a real oven at home, why would I do that? - but I imagine you could...
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