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Instant Omni Plus 18L Air Fryer Toaster Oven vs Breville Smart Oven Pro Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)8.1/10
- Design (25%)9.7/10
- Usability (25%)8.4/10
- Performance (50%)6.9/10
- Design (25%)9.3/10
- Usability (25%)8.0/10
The Instant Omni Plus 18L Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a slightly cheaper medium size while Breville Smart Oven Pro (BOV845BSS) is a large, both with premium design and usability. The deciding factors distinguishing our pick for the best air fryer toaster oven and just a decently good unit, however, are all in their performance.
Although both have a convection system and the same power draw, the Omni Plus was able to better maintain temperatures and more evenly distribute heat. This was possibly due to it having an extra swirl nichrome heating element as opposed to the Breville having only quartz heating elements.
In addition, the Instant further has a rotisserie kit and an air fryer basket to cover more cooking methods, unlike the Breville. As a result, the Omni Plus had higher scores than the Breville in every cooking test, including toasting bread, roasting whole chicken, and baking pizza. Moreover, its air frying fries results were actually the highest in our of our tested units.
Of course, the Breville isn’t without its strengths. Its digital display is just as informative and its button controls are just as intuitive as the Instant’s touchscreen. Furthermore, the Breville is actually easier to clean thanks to the non-stick coating of its interior as well as its accessories.
Instant Omni Plus 18L Performance
- Toast (40%)7.3/10
- Pizza (25%)8.6/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)8.4/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)9.3/10
- Toast (40%)6.8/10
- Pizza (25%)6.8/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)7.5/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)6.1/10
Toast
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: 2/5
- Cooking Time: 5m 25s
- Second Batch: 4m 1s
- Convection: No
Using the steps of our Toast test, we determined that level 2—5 minutes 25 seconds on the timer—was the best option scoring a 7.3/10. In comparison, the level 1 and 3 had a more uneven while being lighter and darker surface color respectively.
The Toast Level 2 of the Instant Omni Plus 18L produced four pieces with an 85% even golden brown color. Since the fan couldn’t be deployed, the toast had some darker spots and lighter areas resulting in a 6/10.
The first batch of toast was nicely crispy while still soft and moist inside and we gave it an 8/10 for taste. Our head chef Tuyet Pham determined it would be excellent with omelet and eggs benedict but not so good for sandwiches or soup.
This is one of the few ovens with a smart program that automatically deducts time to reach certain temperatures when the oven’s already hot. Thus, the surface color of the toasts was quite consistent throughout multiple batches. In addition, due to its extra crispiness, the second batch was determined to be good enough for soup.
If you want the second batch to be similar to the first, remember to lower it by one level. Overall, the score for consecutive usability was 7/10.
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: 5/7
- Cooking Time: 5m 13s
- Second Batch: 3m 42s
- Convection: No
We began our Toast test by choosing toast level 4—the middle one out of the 7 options—for 4 pieces which we placed on tray level 2. The four pieces of bread came out only slightly toasted on top. We then chose level 5 and the surface color was more appetizing but less even.
So, we tried again one last time at level 6 but it produced four completely brown pieces of toast which were also a bit dry. In the end, we settled for level 5—5 minutes 13 seconds on the timer—as the best possible option with a score of 6.8/10.
At this level, the toast had a perfect golden brown color around the center of the oven. However, it was lighter the further it got to the rear, so we could only give it a 7/10 for even surface color.
The unevenness also translated to the texture where the toast achieved great crispiness in the golden brown areas but got softer in the lighter areas. This resulted in a 6.5/10 for taste from our chef.
Our head chef, Tuyet Pham, determined they would be good to have with omelets and sandwiches. They could be served with soups or eggs benedict but wouldn't make a perfect pairing.
We placed the second batch of four in immediately after the first one. We chose level 5 again whereupon the oven automatically deducted the timer to 3 minutes 42 seconds.
Because the oven was already hot, the second batch showed an increase in evenness for both surface color and crispiness deserving a 7/10. This batch would be more suitable for soups.
Pizza
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 3m 50s
- Convection: High
The Instant Omni Plus, having a very strong convection system, did not seem ideal for baking a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza resulting in an 8.6/10.
A cooking time of only 3m 50s was extremely fast compared to the recommended 10 minutes on the label. After comparing it to other toaster ovens in our Pizza test, it was more than enough for a 10/10.
The crust, although golden brown, was a little soft with some lighter and darker areas due to the short cooking time plus strong fan. It got an 8/10.
The entire surface was a little too dry due to all the convection. In addition, while the cheese was nicely melted, caramelization wasn’t even due to the short cooking time. Thus, the final score for the toppings was 8.2/10.
Our chef gave the pizza an 8.5/10 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 4m
- Convection: Yes
For our Pizza test, we didn’t use the pizza presets because they didn’t include the correct size for our choice of pizza. This was also a good chance to test out the Breville pizza pan, but we were surprised to find the overall score ended up at 6.8/10.
Thanks to the oven’s strong power output and convection setting, it only took 4 minutes to bake a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza placed on tray level 2. This was extremely fast and deserved a 10/10 according to our data on average toaster oven performance.
However, the pizza still had a problem with cooking evenness. A quarter of the entire crust was golden brown but the rest of it lacked color. As you can imagine, the golden brown part was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside while the lighter part was simply soft throughout. Thus, we could only give the crust a 6/10.
The same issue applied to the toppings which had a nice caramelization where the crust was golden but not much in the substandard area. The cheese was also not quite melty so the toppings also got a 6/10.
Altogether, our chef gave the pizza another 6/10 after tasting it. We chose not to increase the cooking time of the pizza as it could result in burning the part of the crust and toppings that were already properly baked.
Whole Roasted Chicken
- Function: Roast
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 50 minutes
- Convection: Yes
Following our Whole Roasted Chicken test, we chose a 3 lb chicken and it fit without a problem scoring an 8.4/10.
However, cleaning up was a big hassle as there wasn’t enough space below to use the drip pan. Worse still, during cooking fat splashed everywhere inside the oven causing the heating elements to smoke.
The roasting time was 50 minutes which was shorter than average and worthy of a 9/10.
The rotisserie kit and high convection together produced perfectly golden brown crispy skin deserving a 9.8/10. One thing to note is that due to the meat being considerably moist, the skin lost its crispiness in a relatively short time span.
The smooth rotation and high convection also allowed the whole chicken to be thoroughly cooked without any pink spots in just 50 minutes. The internal temperature was only a little higher than the USDA recommended 165°F-180°F at 178-190°F, so it got a 9/10.
The meat was almost fall-off-the-bone. Unfortunately, with it being so moist—to the point of softening the skin, our chef could only give it a 7 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 1h
- Convection: Yes
For our Whole Roasted Chicken test, we placed a 3 lb chicken in a belly-up position onto the broiling rack and baking pan combo on tray level 1. The outcome was pretty satisfactory, scoring a 7.5/10.
The Breville took 1 hour to roast the chicken to a desirable color which was our standard for an 8/10. The skin overall had a golden color, especially at the wings and the tips. However, it still had some very light areas.
In addition, when we flipped the chicken after the first 40 minutes, some of the skin on the back of the chicken got stuck to the broiling rack. This was an indication that the skin was soft and didn’t crisp up much despite having the convection fan deployed. Thus, we gave the skin a 7/10.
The oven was able to maintain a good internal temperature so the chicken was cooked all the way through leaving behind no pink spots. However, the cooking time was a little long, so the chicken’s internal temperature ended up at 198°F which was higher than the recommended 180°F by the USDA. We gave the doneness of this chicken an 8.6/10.
Nonetheless, the meat wasn’t dry and combined with the skin it was enough to get a 7/10 for taste from our chef.
Baked French Fries
- Function: Air Fry
- Temperature: 400°F.
- Cooking Time: 15m
- Convection: High
The Instant Omni Plus was excellent at baking 12 oz of french fries with a score of 9.3/10.
After performing our Baked French Fries test on different toaster ovens, we came to the conclusion that the ideal cooking time for baked french fries was 15 minutes. However, it wasn’t the fastest one on our list so it scored a 9/10.
The strong convection combined with the air fryer basket produced evenly golden fries worthy of a 9.8/10 for color.
What helped the color also baked perfectly crispy fries while retaining a nice amount of moisture. This earned the oven another 9.8/10 for the texture of baked french fries.
Our chef gave the fries a 9/10 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 400°F
- Cooking Time: 24m
- Convection: Yes
Despite the power draw of 1800 W, the Breville didn’t perform as well in baking french fries as many toaster ovens with the same output earning a 6.1/10. Looking at the results from the Ninja DT201, our assumption was that the broiling rack wasn’t as efficient for this purpose as an air fryer basket.
For our Baked French Fries test, we didn’t turn on the Frozen Foods toggle because we needed to keep track of the exact cooking time. The oven took 24 minutes to bake 12 oz of frozen fries on tray level 2 which wasn’t very fast. Compared to many other toaster ovens we’ve tested, it could only get a 6/10 for cooking time.
Even though we gave the fries a toss after the first 10 minutes, they still came out with uneven coloring scoring a 6.5/10. Most of the thinner fries had a pretty good golden color while most of the thicker ones had a much lighter color.
To the same degree, the fries had different textures throughout earning it a 6/10 for this testing component. The pieces with a golden color were crispy outside and soft inside while the lighter ones were mostly just soft all the way through.
With all of that in mind, our chef couldn’t give a score higher than 6/10 after tasting the fries.
Instant Pot Omni Plus Toaster Oven Design Review
- Exterior (25%)9.5/10
- Interior (30%)9.5/10
- Build Quality (50%)9.0/10
- Exterior (20%)9.5/10
- Interior (30%)9.5/10
- Build Quality (50%)9.0/10
In the Instant Pot Omni Plus 18L Box
- Model: 140-4002-01
- Warranty: 1 year (US and Canada only)
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
- Rotisserie Kit and Lifter
- Air Fryer Basket
Besides keeping all the accessories in place, the packaging also has interesting illustrations for the key information on the Instant Omni Plus 18L. You can quickly access the download page for the Instant Pot App thanks to the QR code on the package and the user manual.
Their website provides the full manual, how-to videos, FAQs, and more. You’ll also need to go there to register your product and activate your warranty.
- Model: BOV845BSSUSC
- Warranty: 1 year (US only)
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
- Broiling Rack
- Pizza Pan
The Breville toaster oven came in an eye-catching box but it was only secured with two foam pads. On the bright side, its accessories including a baking rack, baking pan, broiling rack, and pizza pan were neatly placed in a fitted carton box.
The oven’s user manual explains in detail how each oven function works and includes a number of recipes. To elevate your pizza party, you can opt for the optional pizza crisper, pizza stone, and bamboo cutting board.
Exterior
- Weight:25.4 oz (721 g)
- Length:16.5" (42.0 cm)
- Width:15.8" (40.0 cm)
- Height:13.9" (35.3 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:Yes
- Crumb Tray:Yes
An example of the Instant Omni Plus 18L’s clever design is the slide-out crumb tray not to mention its two strong base stands as well as air ventilation on two sides and the back. For safety, it has two buffers on the back to prevent the oven from sitting too close to the wall and a cool-touch door handle.
To accommodate its many cooking functions, there are tray-level indicators on the glass door. Our measurements of the oven’s footprint of 16.54" x 15.75" x 13.90" were quite different from the manufacturer’s 12" x 12" x 13.89" in terms of length and width.
We could explain that the difference in width was because we also took the dial and the back buffers into account but not the difference in length. Nonetheless, we didn’t find this to be a problem.
- Weight:18.1 lbs (8.2 kg)
- Length:18.4" (46.7 cm)
- Width:15.9" (40.5 cm)
- Height:10.8" (27.4 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:Cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:Yes
- Crumb Tray:Slide-out
An exterior feature that stood out to us on the Breville is its side-positioned carrying handles which double up as air ventilation holes for the convection system. We were also impressed by the indicators on the glass door that direct you to its three tray levels and many cooking functions.
The Breville has an interesting automatic eject feature for when the oven rack is in the middle guide rail. This is achieved thanks to a magnet in the corresponding position on the oven door.
Further attention to the design shows in the convenient slide-out crumb tray and strong base stands. The oven’s door handle is cool-touch and provides a good grip. Unfortunately, the back buffers are not long enough to create ample space between the back of the oven and the wall.
Our measurements of 18.39" x 15.94" x 10.78" for the oven pretty much coincided with the dimensions provided by the manufacturer—18.5" x 14.5" x 11". The 1.5-inch difference in width is probably because we took the door handle into account.
Control Panel
- Type:black LCD digital touchscreen + one master-control knob
- Temperature:150°F - 450°F
- Timer:1 - 60 minutes
- Indicator Light:Yes
- Status Bar:No
- Light Toggle:Yes
- Convection Toggle:Yes
- Rotation Toggle:Yes
- Automatic Preheat:Yes
- Audio Cues:Yes
This oven has a black LCD digital touchscreen and one master-control knob. The display includes the cooking status bar, functions, and toggles for Light, Convection, and Rotation. Besides the automatic oven preheat feature, it features an audio cue to turn food halfway through the input cooking time.
Audio cues include the beeps when you plug in the oven, select a function as well as adjust time and temperature, and when the oven finishes cooking. According to some reviews we’ve seen, they can be a bit loud, especially for households with children and/or pets. However, they can be turned off by pressing and holding the control knobs for 5 seconds until the screen displays S OFF.
- Type:LCD + 3 control knobs + 5 buttons
- Temperature:120°F - 450°F
- Timer:1 minute - 10 hours
- Indicator Light:Yes
- Status Bar:Yes
- Light Toggle:Yes
- Convection Toggle:Yes
- Rotation Toggle:No
- Automatic Preheat:Yes
- Audio Cues:No
The Breville has 3 control knobs for function, temperature, and timer. Its five buttons include four toggles for temperature conversion, interior light, convection fan, and Defrost feature. The Start/Cancel button and the digital display both shine red when the oven’s cooking.
The LCD screen will display ‘E01’, ‘E02’, or ‘E05’ when there is a non-resettable issue with the appliance. When this happens, immediately unplug the cord from the wall outlet and call the Breville Customer Service Center.
The ‘E03’ shows up when the oven temperature exceeds its design limit. Should this occur, unplug your oven, allow it to cool for 15 minutes, then plug it back in.
The ‘E04’ appears when the room temperature is below the set minimum. If this happens, unplug the oven and move it to a warmer area.
Cooking Functions
- Air fry (180°F - 450°F)
- Broil (350°F - 450°F)
- Bake (180°F - 450°F)
- Roast (180°F - 450°F)
- Dehydrate (85°F - 175°F)
- Reheat (120°F - 360°F)
- Warm (170°F - 300°F)
- Toast (level 1-5)
Even though there’s no Rotisserie function, the oven comes with a tailored rotisserie kit and a Rotation Toggle. Besides making dried fruits, herbs, and meat jerky, the Dehydrate function is also ideal for proofing bread dough at 85°F and Low Convect.
- Toast (level 1-7)
- Bagel (level 1-7)
- Bake (1 minute - 10 hours)
- Roast (1 minute - 2 hours)
- Broil (300°F, 400°F, 500°F; 1 minute - 20 minutes)
- Pizza (6″-13″; Fresh/Frozen)
- Cookies (1 minute - 1 hour)
- Reheat (1 minute - 2 hours)
- Warm (1 minute - 2 hours)
- Slow Cook (2 hours - 10 hours)
The Breville has 10 cooking functions which make full use of its wide timer and temperature ranges. Functions that allow for the full adjustment of temperature (120°F - 450°F) include Bake, Roast, Cookies, Reheat, and Warm.
The Toast and Bagel functions have 1-7 levels which include predetermined timers for 1-6 slices. This toaster oven went the extra mile as most others don’t take the number of slices into account.
Meanwhile, the pizza function includes presets for sizes ranging from 6" to 13" along with fresh or frozen pizzas. The Broil function has three preset temperatures including 500°F, 400°F, and 300°F for up to 20 minutes.
The Slow Cook function has two settings: ‘LO’ with a timer of 4-10 hours and ‘HI’ with 2-8 hours; and you can further adjust the timer up and down while cooking. After the Slow Cook cycle finishes, this function automatically turns to Keep Warm at 175°F for up to another 2 hours.
Interior
- Heating Elements:4 quartz and 1 nichrome
- Convection Fan:Yes
- Lighting:Yes
- Tray Levels:4
- Rotisserie:Yes
- Safety Hook:No
The Instant Omni Plus has four golden quartz heating elements. These pipes use infrared light to cook, which produces more heat and also cools down faster.
They are also easier to clean and more energy-efficient but don’t last as long in terms of durability. However, if grease splashes onto the heating elements while cooking, it’ll leave permanent stains.
Featuring safety guards, the heating elements are kept out of direct contact with baking pans and trays. The oven even includes a coil nichrome heating element at the top, specifically for broiling.
To top it off, this oven has a powerful and not noisy convection system as an interior light. In addition to 4 tray levels, you can make use of the baking rack with its rack-up and down positions.
- Heating Elements:5 quartz
- Convection Fan:Yes
- Lighting:Yes
- Tray Levels:3
- Rotisserie:No
- Safety Hook:All three levels
The BOV845BSS has a non-stick interior coating which explains the black color. The black interior isn’t a problem though thanks to the oven’s interior light. When necessary, you can remove the glass cover to change the interior light bulb which is a G9 type, 25 W, 120 V.
Each of the three tray levels has a safety hook to prevent the oven rack from accidently sliding all the way out. However, only the bottom one is positioned further in, specifically for this purpose. The convection system, while quite powerful, is pleasantly quiet.
The Breville has five quartz heating elements that use infrared light to cook. Compared to the more common nichrome heating elements, these heat up and cool down faster while also being easier to clean and more energy-efficient but don’t last as long in terms of durability.
For this unit, each heating element has a safety guard to prevent direct contact with baking pans and trays. However, if grease splashes onto the heating elements while cooking, it’ll leave permanent stains.
Capacity of the Instant Pot Omni Plus 18L
- Length:13.8" (35.0 cm)
- Width:12.6" (32.0 cm)
- Height:8.7" (22.0 cm)
The Instant Omni Plus can comfortably fit a 12-inch pizza or a 4-pound chicken which is true to its description. However, it can’t quite fit 6 slices of toast. Moreover, when roasting only a 3-pound whole chicken with the rotisserie kit, there wasn’t enough space to fit a baking pan below. This wasn’t the case with a larger unit like the Cosori CO130-AO.
We measured the cooking chamber’s volume to be roughly 24.6 liters—a lot different from the manufacturer’s provided capacity of 18 liters. However, this could be because we measured from the cooking chamber’s walls to walls whereas the manufacturer stopped before reaching the heating elements.
- Length:14.2" (36.0 cm)
- Width:13.0" (33.0 cm)
- Height:8.3" (21.0 cm)
The Breville’s cooking chamber has a capacity of 25 liters which is quite common among large toaster ovens. This was one of the rare occasions where the cooking chamber’s volume that we measured matched the manufacturer’s stated capacity.
Many large units can also fit 6 slices of toast but not all can fit a 13-inch pizza like the Breville. This oven can also fit a 9-cup muffin tray or a 4.16-liter Dutch oven.
Power Cord
- Length:2.8 ft (0.9 m)
- Type:3-prong plug
- Power:1800 W
- Rated Output:120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord is roughly 33.46"—more than long enough for household use. However, the cord can’t fully wrap around the two back stands as they are too high up.
- Length:3.3 ft (1.0 m)
- Type:3-prong plug
- Power:1800 W
- Rated Output:110 V - 120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord is roughly 39.37"—plenty of length for household use. It does protrude from the bottom of the oven though, which may create inconvenient bends.
Accessories
- Length:12.4" (31.5 cm)
- Width:11.4" (29.0 cm)
- Height:0.9" (2.4 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The rack fits perfectly with the guide which helps prevent accidents when placing your food in the oven.
- Length:14.1" (35.8 cm)
- Width:11.6" (29.5 cm)
- Height:0.3" (0.7 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The baking rack fits perfectly with the guide to prevent accidents when placing food in the oven and has a pattern to keep the baking pan on top of it in place.
Accessories
- Length:13.8" (35.0 cm)
- Width:12.4" (31.5 cm)
- Height:1.8" (4.6 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
Thanks to its perfect size, the baking pan does a great job of catching the meat juice and drippings from the air fryer basket. Thus, it helps prevent making a mess and avoid the danger of fire from dirty heating elements. Keep in mind that the dishwasher can damage the enamel coating.
- Length:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Width:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Height:1.2" (3.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
The baking pan has a non-stick enamel coating. However, it’s not big enough to fit into the guide rails which means it can’t fully utilize the capacity of the cooking chamber.
Accessories
- Length:13.4" (34.0 cm)
- Width:11.4" (29.0 cm)
- Height:0.9" (2.4 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The rotisserie kit does a perfect job of securing a chicken thanks to the 4-pronged forks with adjustable angles.
The structure of the forks isn’t very strong so parts can get bended although not by much.
- Length:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Width:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Height:0.9" (2.4 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
The broiling rack fits perfectly on top of the baking pan and shares the same enamel coating. It has grooves and ridges to allow for air circulation around the food as well as holes to allow the grease from the food to drip onto the pan below.
Accessories
- Length:14.6" (37.0 cm)
- Width:11.0" (27.9 cm)
- Height:2.0" (5.1 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The air fryer basket has a good elevation to help with heat circulation around the bottom of the food.
- Length:13.0" (33.0 cm)
- Width:13.0" (33.0 cm)
- Height:0.3" (0.7 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
Similar to the two above, the pizza pan has an enamel coating and can accommodate a pizza of up to 13 inches. It won’t be as effective as a proper pizza stone (which you can purchase) but is still a nice included accessory.
Build Quality
The Instant Omni Plus 18L is a well-built and intricate piece of equipment, to say the least. It provides a helpful cooking status bar, smart programs, and automatic features. The oven does consume a lot of electricity so make sure your outlet can provide and handle 1800 W.
The meticulous design shows in the bottom tray, safeguards for heating elements, and cooling fan for its mainboard. However, the bottom tray can easily slide out if you tilt the oven. Also, during our roasting of a whole chicken, the hot drippings created some oxidation on the crumb tray.
The Breville has a sturdy build and is made from durable stainless steel. The oven has good heat insulation and a good convection system so the casing rarely gets hot to the touch—only after a long cooking time at a high temperature (>400°F).
Its LCD has a good color contrast, the control dials turn smoothly, and the buttons have good responsiveness. On another note, this unit doesn’t provide enough oven racks to make full use of the three tray levels and additional accessories.
Note: This product adheres to the California Proposition 65.
Instant Omni Plus 18L Usability
- User Control (30%)9.9/10
- Ease of Use (50%)8.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)7.0/10
- User Control (30%)9.5/10
- Ease of Use (50%)7.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)8.0/10
User Control
The Instant Omni Plus 18L has 8 settings to choose from but can serve more than 10 functions. Although the LCD display could be improved with better contrast, it’s not a big problem.
The master-control knob can be confusing for first-timers but it should take little effort to get familiarized with it. The temperature can be adjusted in 1°F increments by turning the knob slowly and in 10°F increments by turning the knob fast. Also, the timer is specified by the minute.
If you want to readjust the setting during cooking, simply tap the feature and adjust it with the knob. Don’t tap Cancel as it will reset your inputs and repeat the automatic preheating.
The convection setting is applicable to almost all except for toast. One thing to note from the manual is that most recipes recommend reducing the temperature by 25°F when convection is on.
The convection fan speeds can toggle between high and low which is not very common for ovens, especially at the same price range. The two exceptions are Air Fry which always uses High Convect and Warm using Low Convect.
The timer of the Breville is specified by the minute. The temperature can be adjusted in 5°F/5°C increments by turning the knob slowly and in 10°F/10°C increments by turning the knob fast.
You can freely adjust the time and temperature while the oven is running but will need to press Cancel to change the cooking function. Keep in mind that this may repeat the automatic preheat phase if the temperature is lower than the manufacturer’s set point.
Regarding the extra unique features, the Temperature Conversion button is a nice touch for international users. The convection setting can be applied to almost all cooking functions except for Toast, Bagel, and Broil.
The Frozen Foods button adds a predetermined amount of time but only to the Toast, Bagel, Pizza, and Cookies functions. However, we didn’t find it very helpful since cooking time depends heavily on the food quantity and personal preference.
As for the extra cooking functions, the Pizza presets, with predetermined timers, aren’t very useful as they allow for temperature adjustment but don’t take the current temperature into account. The same goes for the Slow Cook function which has a predetermined temperature that isn’t stated in the manual.
According to our observation, the oven reaches and maintains at 325°F on both Low and High so we didn’t get the point of having two settings. In addition, these temperatures are quite high compared to more common slow cookers’ which are around 200°F on low and 300°F on high.
If you want to adjust the temperature for slow cooking in this oven, you can choose the Bake function for which the timer also reaches ten hours.
Ease of Use
When you adjust temperature and time for a function, the Instant Omni Plus saves your setting for next time use. After the oven finishes cooking, it will beep and automatically switch to Keep Warm mode until the display shows End.
After a period of no interaction, the digital display will show the word OFF similar to when you’ve just plugged it in. You’ll then need to push the knob once to turn it on. It’s advised to unplug the oven after you finish using it.
The light automatically turns off after 30 seconds of no interaction and turns on 30 seconds before finishing cooking. Opening the oven door pauses the cooking but the light stays on for another 30 seconds. Closing the oven door resumes the cooking but it will go into stand-by mode resetting all inputs after 5m30s.
Taking the rotisserie kit out of the oven can be a bit tricky even with the lifter. However, with a bit of practice, it’ll be no problem at all. The oven has good heat insulation, so the casing doesn’t get too hot to the touch at 350°F and 400°F but be careful at 450°F.
The Breville has an automatic preheat phase for functions that allow for temperature adjustment as mentioned above. According to the manufacturer, this feature will preheat the oven to 75% of the input temperature before sounding an alert. However, our observation showed that it would always preheat to around 300°F taking about 4m 55s regardless of the input temperature.
Due to the eject feature mentioned above, keep in mind to open the door slowly to prevent the rack from sliding too far outward. The door can be kept partially open at an 80° angle to let food cool inside the oven. Doing this doesn’t stop the oven, unlike some others. Be careful as the door can slam shut if you slip while closing.
When the automatic preheat phase or the cooking cycle ends, the interior light will turn on and then turn off after 30 seconds, similar to when you press the light switch. Unfortunately, there’s no way to keep the light on indefinitely.
If not used for 10 minutes, the oven goes into standby mode until you press Start again. Nonetheless, it’s still advised to unplug the oven after use. Your customized setting will remain in the memory of the oven until changed or the oven is unplugged from the power outlet.
Cleanability
We cleaned the Instant Omni Plus 18L following our toaster oven cleaning guide. Despite having an internal and external coating, it still wasn’t easy to clean due to some very tricky nooks and crannies. The small gaps between the heating elements and internal walls didn’t help either.
Most of the mess came from the considerable fat splatter from roasting a whole chicken. It left difficult stains on the heating elements and their safeguards which were already tricky to clean.
With the removable oven-bottom tray, cleaning up the crumbs was extremely easy but we still had to tilt the oven to get all of the crumbs out. On the bright side, having thought it would be difficult to clean caramelized bits of food from the air fryer basket due to the fishnet design, we were happy to find this wasn’t the case.
Cleaning the Breville was extremely easy thanks to its stainless steel exterior and non-stick interior. There were some tricky nooks and crannies in the cooking chamber but luckily, there was minimal grease splashing after all of our tests.
The enamel baking pan and broiling rack sported some stubborn stains from the roasted chicken even after we washed them with dish soap. Nonetheless, we took care of them quite easily by brushing them with a paste of baking soda and water.
The slide-out crumb tray was also helpful for cleaning up the crumbs but we still had to tilt the oven to get all of the crumbs out.