Café Oven With 14 Cooking Modes, WiFi

I’m old and weak, but somehow I managed to scoot the shipper from my porch to the inside of my house. I opened both ends of the shipper, then got on the floor and pushed the contents out of it. Opened the product box and struggled to get the Styrofoam that held the oven in place out of the way. It was packed so tight, it was hard to do. Got the oven out of the box but then there was another hunk of Styrofoam to remove from the box so I could get to the accessories. None of this was accomplished fast and afterward I had to scoot across the floor to get to my couch so I could grab it while pulling myself up and back on my feet. I then surprised myself when I was able to lift the oven and carry it to my kitchen counter. Some Tylenol took care of the aches that followed the unboxing ordeal. I mention all this because if, like me, you’re old and weak, you’re going to find a real challenge when this item arrives. Good luck.

Now for the oven: I bought it because it’s white (matching all the appliances in my kitchen) and the handle and knobs look like copper (I have a lot of copper in my kitchen). I don’t need it for the fancy stuff it does, but may change my mind about that as I try the various settings. What I expect to use it for is toasting reheating, and broiling.

Today I tried it out with a pizza, but ran into some problems. The pizza setting assumes you’re baking a totally frozen pizza. In my case, the crust was frozen, but then when that was baked I added the fresh toppings (sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, and cheese). Stuck the assembled pizza under the broiler for a few minutes. So far, so good — but when I tried to remove the pizza from the pizza pan (the one that comes with the oven), it wouldn’t budge. Totally stuck to the pan. I trusted the manufacturer’s word that it was non-stick. Ha. I scraped off the toppings and ate those, then went about the business of getting the crust off the pan. Soaked it for a while, then used a silicone spatula to peel off the crust. The little bit it removed was very slow going and not at all thorough. Soaked it some more, then used some detergent and a nylon scrubber. That worked, with considerable effort. Washed it and was surprised by how “like new” the pan looked. I had done no damage. ADDED LATER: I think the problem was the crust, not the pan. Nothing has been a problem after that. See update at bottom of review.

About the pizza pan: In the materials that accompany the oven there is an illustration of the pizza pan showing it is covered with perforations but the pan I received had just a few holes around the rim. The pan was otherwise solid. I bought another pizza pan with perforations all across it and will see if I can tell a difference when baking pizzas on both pans. In the past, in my regular oven that’s in my stove, I’ve used a fully perforated pan and it works nicely to make the crust crisp.

I did the airfry instructions that came with the oven — running it without anything in the oven, per the instructions to get the oven ready to use (after first wiping down the oven walls also per the instructions). The oven was preset to do that so there was no problem with the controls. When I moved on to try making the pizza, the settings couldn’t be the built-in pizza settings, so I changed them for baking the frozen crust. Let me share some wisdom with you: read the instructions to learn how to do the settings, rather than plunging right in, trying to figure it out yourself (like I did). I wasted a lot of time and ended up swearing at the settings for not doing what I wanted them to do. Then I read the instructions and it was super easy.

My oven has what I think is probably a flaw. See the photo of the screw that sticks out from one of the inner walls. That can’t be right, can it? I’m going to contact the manufacturer to find out if I should try to screw it in (or if I should leave it alone because it’s that way on purpose).

Before ordering the oven, I read all the reviews and as far as I recall no one had ordered the white oven except for one person who kept receiving black ones instead, then dealing with returns. I was worried I’d get the wrong color, but Amazon did a perfect job with fulfillment.

I saw several reviews mentioning the oven’s price. When the number was mentioned, it was a price a hundred dollars more than I paid (about $350). I would not have ordered the oven if it’d been $450. I had to have an argument with my budget, talking myself into making the purchase at the price I paid — especially because I already had a perfectly-operating Breville toaster oven whose only sin was that it was stainless steel, not white, and doesn’t have copper-colored accents.

At this early moment of ownership of the new oven, I’m happy I ordered it. If that changes over time I will update this review. Right now my task is figuring out how to arrange my kitchen with such a huge newcomer needing to take up a lot of space on my counter top.

UPDATE: That thing in the photo of the oven’s interior is supposed to be just like it is. Support told me it’s the thermostat.

UPDATE #2: I have been using the oven for several days now and everything turns out great. I’m also impressed with the accessories. When they say non-stick they mean it. I had only one bad experience cleaning the pizza pan and I think the problem was what I was baking, not the pan. They say don’t use spray to avoid sticking, but I did and will never do that again. I don’t add anything now to them to prevent sticking and whatever does semi-stick comes right off when I use a Scotch-Brite scrubber. Takes very little time and effort. Only thing I haven’t tried is air-frying. I don’t know how to do that and not sure I would like it.

Update #3: i really, really, really love this oven. Remember when I said I wouldn’t use the air fryer? Ha. I use it regularly. I also thought I wouldn’t use bake very often, but that too is something I use regularly. After using the air fryer, the back wall and the inside of the door need to be cleaned. I’ve been using Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and that works out great. I’m loving the oven so much, I’m thinking of buying one for my daughter, but the pricing keeps bouncing around and I’m hoping to catch it when it’s $350 again.

Update #4: I’ve been using the oven for half a year now and am amazed by how little I go to restaurants. I used to have restaurant meals several nights a week, but this oven has changed that. But there is one thing I don’t love. Cleaning the oven is a pain in the you know what. Early on cleaning was easy, but I didn’t keep cleaning it after each use and the result is that there’s a build up of grease on the sides and back inside the oven. That’s my fault. I’d advise you to clean it regularly to avoid the build up I now have. I don’t think I can ever get it back to truly clean. It doesn’t show, of course, but I know it’s there and it bugs me. Still, despite that, I continue to love the oven and would immediately order another one if this one stops working. I just wish GE would have figured out a way to make it easier to clean. That, or I wish I had continued cleaning it after every use.

Oh, and one other thing: The timer on the oven and the timer on my Echo Show differ. I don’t know which one is wrong. They differ by about 15 seconds when I start both of them at the same moment.

First of all, this product captivates you with its beautiful design at first glance. If you’re using a small basket-type air fryer now, this product will make cooking easier and more versatile, eliminating any fear of cooking. Temperature setting is so accurate. However, if your kitchen counter space is limited, it might be best to find an appropriate spot before ordering. It is so easy to clean and also so valuable for money.