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Breville’s Smart Ovens have been quite a popular choice, and we’ve compared many of their models before in case you missed them:
Now, there’s a new addition that we need to add to the list: Breville BOV900BSS The Smart Oven Air.
What Is New In Breville BOV900BSS The Smart Oven Air?
Just by looking at the photo, you’d think Breville keeps releasing the same oven over and over again. That is of course NOT the case, the Breville Smart Oven Air packs new amazing features that you’ll want to check out.
- It has a large 1 cu. ft capacity. It is large enough to fit a 12-peice muffin pan, 13″ Pizza pan or 9 slices of toast.
- It has 6 independent Quartz heating elements that move power where it is needed the most, above or below the food.
- It has a fan with two speeds: regular or Super. Super moves air rapidly for quicker and more even roasting.
- It has Air Frying and Dehydrate functions.
- 13 preset functions include: toast, bagel, broil, bake, roast, warm, pizza, proof, air fry, reheat, cookies, slow cook and dehydrate.
- LCD screen with dial knobs for easy control and programability.
- Dials: Function, Time, Temperature Conversion.
- Buttons: Frozen Food Defrost.
Included Accessories:
- 13” nonstick pizza pan
- 13”x9” enamel baking pan
- Stainless steel roasting rack
- (2) Heavy duty oven racks
- AirFry/Dehydrate mesh basket
Dimensions:
- 16 x 13.5 x 7 in
Breville Smart Oven Air vs. Pro (BOV845BSS vs BOV900BSS), What’s The Difference Between Them?
The biggest difference between the two models is:
Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro (BOV900BSS) has air frying and dehydrate functions. Which adds a lot to its functionality.
Other differences:
- Smart Oven Air has 6 heating elements, while the Smart Oven Pro has 5.
- Smart Oven Air is larger in capacity, it can take up to 9 slices of toast. The Smart Over Pro on the other hand takes up to 6 slices of toast. However, both can accommodate a 13″ Pizza pan.
- On the Smart Oven Air, the convection fan has 2-speeds which gives you more control over your cooking. You can choose from regular speed or Super speed. The Smart Oven Pro has a fan, but it works at one speed only.
- Both ovens have Slow Cooking feature.
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer vs. Smart Oven Air Fryer (BOV900 vs. BOV860)
With the BOV900 and BOV860, competition is a little closer as both models have the air fryer functions. There are some differences though:
BOV860 Smart Oven Air Fryer has 11 functions:
Toast, Bagel, Bake, Roast, Broil, Pizza, Cookies, Air Fry, Reheat, Warm and Slow Cook.
The BOV900 has two additional functions: Proof and Dehydrate.
When it comes to capacity, BOV860 is a 0.8cu ft with 6-slice toast capacity. It can hold a 13″ pizza pan, roast a whole chicken or fit a 9 cup muffin tray. On the other hand, BOV900 has 9-slice toast capacity, 13″ pizza pan, 12-cup muffin tray and 14 lbs turkey.
Accessories included with the BOV860 Smart Oven:
Air Fry basket, enamel roasting pan, 13” non-stick pizza pan, wire rack, broiling rack.
Overall, the BOV900 has a larger capacity and two additional functions: Proof (great for bakers) and Dehydrate, which is a useful function for anyone who likes making healthy snacks such as dehydrated veggies and fruit.
If you don’t need the additional functions, or you’re okay with the smaller capacity, the BOV860 works just as good.
Breville Compared to Other Brands
Breville Smart Oven Air vs. Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven
Wolf’s countertop oven is a convection oven that has 6 programs preset:
Bake, Broil, Warm, Proof, Toast and Roast.
Using the LCD display, it is quite easy to either select from the presets or create your own custom settings. One of the great features that Wolf has is the Probe function, which allows you to monitor the interior temperature of your meats using a probe, and it will automatically stop once it reached the desired temperature. The probe, which connects to the oven, is included with your purchase.
The oven using 5 heating elements to create an even heating environment for whatever your cooking. It also has a convection function.
So how is the Wolf oven different than Breville’s Smart Air oven?
- To start, Wolf Gourmet’s oven does not have an air fryer or dehydration function like the Breville.
- It has 5 heating elements, where the Breville Air has 6.
- When it comes to preset programs, the Wolf oven has only 6 while Breville’s oven has 13 presets.
Wolf Gourmet’s countertop oven is more comparable to Breville Smart Pro than the Smart Air oven:
- The Breville Smart Pro is a convection oven (without air fry or dehydration function) just like the Wolf oven.
- Both have 5 heating elements.
However, the Breville Smart Pro has 10 preset programs, including a slow cooking setting. And it’s nearly half the price of Wolf Gourmet’s oven.
Click here to learn more about Wolf Gourmet’s convection oven, read the customer reviews and buy it.
What Is Air Frying and Dehydrate Features?
You’ve probably heard of an Air Fryer, an appliance that allows you to recreate fried food but in a much healthier way. With Breville’s Smart Oven Air, you have an air fryer built into your oven, no need for an additional appliance! Air Frying uses high heat and super convection to maximize air flow and cook delicious and crispy food that is similar to fried food but without all the fat.
Another appliance used for making healthy snacks in a food dehydrator, which is another thing you won’t need to buy because it’s built in to your Smart Oven Air. With the Dehydrate option, you can create delicious snacks like dried fruit (banana chips, for example), beef jerky, dried tomatoes and more!
What Is Elements IQ Technology?
Elements IQ is one of the feature that make Breville’s Smart Ovens, SMART! The ovens have independent elements on the top and bottom of the oven. How many elements depends on the model you choose. These elements power up where they are needed the most to give you the best results possible. For example: if you choose the Broil function, Elements IQ will concentrate the heat on the top elements so it melts and browns the food for the best Broiling results. Toast function will activate the top and bottom elements for evenly crisp toast and so on. But that’s not all, depending on what you’re cooking, the elements can operate at different power, too. You have the control over the temperature, too. So if you’re not happy with the pre-sets, you can change them as you please.
Watch The Breville Smart Oven Air in Action:
Why Buy a Breville Smart Oven Instead of a Regular Convection Oven?
Since you’ve reached this far into our article, you’ve seen what a Breville Smart Oven can do. But what exactly distinguishes a smart oven from a convection oven?
Automatic Adjustment: Using a convection oven, you have to manually adjust the timer, temperature and other elements to get your food to cook just right. With a smart oven, there’s no guess work (most of the time). Using the pre-sets, all elements are adjusted for you automatically to cook your food just right.
Save Your Settings: A smart oven will also save your settings so you can use them on the spot every time.
Elements IQ Technology: This one is specific to Breville smart ovens, but you might an equivalent technology in other brands. Elements IQ ensures your food is evenly cooked and allocate power where it is needed most to get the best results.
Multi functional: a smart oven is a multi functional appliance. If you want to replace multiple appliances in your kitchen, choose a model with features like Slow Cook, Dehydrate, Proof (dough proofing), and Air Fry. This will make your smart oven your go-to appliance for every meal.
Can I Replace My Microwave with a Smart Oven?
No, a smart oven is NOT a microwave. It is meant to replace a convection oven. It can be used for baking, toasting, broiling as well as other features that will depend on which model you choose. So it can replace your toaster and convection oven, for example, and it can do some of the tasks a microwave does like reheating food, for example, but you can’t use it to reheat a cup of milk or coffee.
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer vs Air Fryer – Which Kind of Appliance Should You Go For?
So you’re torn between getting a Breville Smart Over Air vs. an Air fryer… And I’m not talking about any air fryer in particular here, but any air fryer. Do you buy a combo of oven and air fryer (like Breville’s) or any air fryer?
It totally depends on what you need in your kitchen..
Most Air fryers are limited in their capacity and what they can do. Although many of them now have presets and different cooking settings, these settings will only readjust the temperature and cooking time to make it more suitable to what you’re cooking, but at the end, it relies on rapid air (heat) that circulates inside to cook the food. Air fryers are great for a lot of things, especially making food that is traditionally fried and turning it into something healthy while still maintaining a great taste.
On the other hand, an appliance like Breville’s Smart Oven does not rely on hot air only to cook. It has actual heating elements as well as the fan or air frying elements. It is larger in capacity and does a better job when it comes to baking. A smart oven is an all-in-one solution for all your baking and cooking tasks.
So, if you already have an convection oven that you do not need to replace, perhaps an air fryer would be a good solution for you. They’re less costly than a smart oven and are available in a wide range of capacities. But if you need something that does it all, then hands down, get the Breville Smart Oven Air… which makes a space saving solution by combining both convection oven and an airfryer in one.
Can I Switch Off The Fan (Convection) in a Breville Smart Oven?
Yes, this can be done. Your Breville Smart Oven can be used as a regular oven or convection oven. The fan feature can be shut off manually, or using some of the pre-sets will shut it off automatically if it’s not needed.
Can You Use Parchment Paper in Breville Smart Oven?
Yes, absolutely. In fact, you’ll find it recommended in the manual that you use parchment paper for your cooking tasks. Any type of parchment paper that works for a convection oven would work with the Breville oven, too.
Is the Breville Smart Oven Air Self Cleaning?
No, it’s not self cleaning. But cleaning the Breville Smart Oven isn’t any different than cleaning any other oven.
The stainless steel exterior can be easily wiped with a cleaning cloth or damp sponge. You can use a mild cleanser to get rid of any build-ups.
The interior of the oven has nonstick material, so it’s easy to clean, too. Using a mild cleanser or spraying solution and a damp sponge, you can wipe clean any splatter of oils or food. Breville recommends that you apply the cleaning solution to your cloth or sponge instead of applying it directly to the oven.
As for any crumbs that may end up on the bottom, you can easily slide out the crumb tray to discard the crumbs, then you can wipe it clean. To get rid of grease, you can let the tray soak in warm water mixed with a mild detergent.