The Australia-based small appliance manufacturer Breville — the company which first created the sandwich toaster — announced on February 21 its foray into the smart appliance space with the unveiling of its Smart Oven Air. A countertop oven geared toward providing owners with the ability to cook for larger gatherings, the Smart Oven Air comes standard with Breville’s patented Element IQ technology which accurately heats whatever the oven is cooking. Should it see that a different part of a bake needs more power, it shifts it automatically. Hence, the “smart” moniker.
This Element IQ function is what sets the Smart Oven Air apart from its competition. Not only does it know when and where to add or subtract heat and power, it is able to cut cooking times by as much as 30 percent. While cooking, the oven’s elements continuously adjust for whichever setting an owner chooses, providing stable and precise cooking temperatures for the entire period. Additionally, the oven also boasts what it calls Super Convection, in that it features a two-speed fan granting larger control over cooking — i.e. even roasting, air frying, and dehydrating.
In terms of size, Breville’s Smart Oven Air checks in at one cubic foot of available real estate. In other words, it’s capable of roasting up to a 14-pound turkey, a 12-cup muffin tray, or up to nine slices of bread — toasted to perfection, of course. Furthermore, its settings menu even allows owners to set a specific “Toast Nine Slices” setting, in addition to reheat, cookies, slow cook, dehydrate, pizza, warm, roast, broil, bake, and other settings.
As of this writing, the oven only sells via Williams and Sonoma’s online store, retailing for roughly $400 — which is about $200 off the intended retail price. Breville does allow interested buyers the ability to provide their email in order to receive updates on its availability via the manufacturer.
