Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am not fond of kitchen tools that have to be plugged in, but I couldn't face another five-month summer with a big antique cast iron stove that heats up my tiny kitchen. This was a good purchase for me, and although maybe the reviewer is right who says the Breville portable convection oven is a better buy, the Breville is too big for the space I have and it costs more. (The smallest Breville is not convection). Quibbling about whether it's really a fryer seems useless to me. Technically the food is not fried, and that's good. It tastes pretty close to fried and as a Southerner I'm an expert. I have cooked several things in it now, but have not tried baking yet. Although it takes a little getting used to, it is not as tricky as a microwave and it's very forgiving. Basically you coat the food with a teaspoon or two of oil, put it in the basket and cook it. Air blows across it constantly. I had wondered about foods with a batter, and it is possible to "fry" those also. The batter or whatever will drip to the bottom at first, so a light coating is best. I have put oil on the food but I don't see why you couldn't cook without any. All but the motor can go in the dishwasher but it's easy enough to swipe it out by hand as it's bulky. I bought mine on a shopping channel so that I could try it out without committing the whole purchase price, and so far I'm glad I did. It would not be good for a large family as the food would have to cook in batches, although it could be done. It could be improved with a temperature monitor of some sort so I would know when it's preheated adequately and when it had heated adequately after the drawer was opened.