GE - Convection Toaster Oven with Air Fry - Stainless Steel

This is our 3rd air frying-type kitchen appliance in about 2 years...not because any have broken or we were disappointed with the performance...far from it. We've simply been moving up from one of the smaller, pull-out basket models to a larger model with more features, and finally to this MUCH larger, multi-function air fry/toaster oven. In most respects, the upgrade to the GE has been worth it, though there are a few caveats of note. First and most importantly, as to the cooking performance, this one is definitely a winner. Air frying and convection cooking is lightning quick (compared to a traditional oven) with results that rival (in taste) pretty much anything you can do in the microwave. For example, taking a handful of 18 min fried shrimp took just 7 minutes in the air fryer basket and came out perfectly crispy on the outside without being overdone or dried out on one side as is often the case in our oven. We obtained similar results with sweet potato tots and onion rings--less than half the recommended cooking time of a regular oven without needing any unhealthy, deep frying grease or turning the food into leather or dried sponges in a touchy microwave. Traditional oven cooking settings also behaved just as they should. For instance, the baked ziti in the picture (70 mins at 370 degrees) came out exactly as it has in the past from our larger, room-heating oven unit. Only the toasting setting produced some slightly unexpected results. There are seven browning ("shade") levels, but the slices of toast in the picture I've attached were still white (though they WERE toasted/crunchy) even at setting 4--it wasn't until I amped the toasting level up to 6 that some serious browning started to occur (also pictured), so it may take some time to master the toasting settings if you vary your routine between toast, bagels, muffins, etc. The oven unit includes a baking pan, a wire rack, an air frying basket, and a handy pull-out crumb tray that covers the entire bottom of the unit. The rack and pan fit perfectly in the guide slots along the sides of the oven to let you adjust their position higher or lower in the oven, and the handy cooking guide included with the unit even indicates which rack/accessory and at what level (top, middle, bottom) should be used for maximum effectiveness. However, the air frying basket is too small to reach the guide slots so it won't hang freely inside the unit on its own--you have to put the basket on top of the wire rack...it's a little awkward as they don't interlock neatly, but it's just a minor inconvenience relative to the outstanding air frying results we obtained. I was surprised by how much we ended up liking the clean, modern styling; in fact, the first thing my wife said when I unboxed it was that it looked really nice (though obviously style and decor matching is a very personal matter, so YMMV). The digital display is big and easy to read and the large menu knobs easily rotate and depress for navigating and selecting items through the cooking mode, time, and temperature settings. Other than the fact that the unit will only turn off on its own after a few minutes sitting idly on the counter, there wasn't really anything challenging or puzzling about the interface or working of the controls--GE definitely gets high marks in the usability department. A few things to be aware of before you go diving in with a blind-buy: 1) This unit is BIG, much bigger than we expected when we placed the order online, plus you need to find a spot that has 4" of additional clearance on the back and sides for the heat exhaust...all of which may eat up a bit more countertop real estate than you bargained for. 2) The top gets pretty hot (not just warm) to the touch during and after use--which is not something we've seen in the smaller units we've used in the past. It's not hot enough to burn your hand, but it's hot enough to be uncomfortable, and enough that you probably wouldn't want to keep anything sitting on top of the oven long-term. 3) The built-in timer notification is a bit "tame," to say the least--if you're not in the same room when the timer goes off, you may well not hear it at all. 4) Temperature settings only adjust in increments of 10...if your directions call for heating a dish at 375 degrees, you'll have to wing it a little to hit the right combination of cooking time and temperatures that run a bit higher or lower than recommended. 5) The slide-out crumb try does work well to keep the interior relatively clean, but the deep windowed door panel also manages to catch a LOT of crumbs when you open the door to remove your food. Those crumbs end up sticking to the glass and into the deep corners/edges of the window frame making them a pain to clean--I had to go back more than once to snag another errant particle that I didn't see until the door was closed again and it dropped down from the top. 6) Finally, while I wouldn't call the build-quality "cheap," it does feel...thin, at least around the outer shell and sidewalls. Granted, the door is reassuringly solid and the controls feel substantial enough that I don't think you'll be tearing off the knobs any time soon, but the whole unit is a bit lighter and feels a bit more "hollow" than an appliance of its size might suggest it should be Still, most of our observations about the drawbacks of this unit are relatively minor in the final analysis--the size and versatility of this toaster/convection/air fryer oven make it hard to beat for small to medium-sized family meals. Air frying and convection cooking in particular take a bit of practice and getting used to before you can fly solo without a manual or cook book, but once you've enjoyed the convenience, taste, and healthier results this oven can produce for your meals, you might be hard-pressed to go back to a full-sized oven!

This GE Convection Toaster Oven with Air Fry, model G9OAAASSPSS, currently $220 at Best Buy, is an evolutionary multi-function countertop product. At its price point, it hits all the right notes with upgrades not found on others in its class. ** WHAT’S IN THE BOX? ** • 1500 Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Air Fry • Air fryer basket • Baking pan • Rack • User manual with warranty statement, product registration card ** SETUP ** Easier than any multifunction countertop I have experienced – this is my 5th, starting with an inexpensive combo toaster over/convection oven. This setup went as follows - Empty the box, wash the air fryer basket, baking pan and rack. Plug it in, select the mode, temperature and time, and go. It could not be easier to use. There are just two knobs and one button. How elegantly simple! ** MODES & SETTINGS ** Discrete mode selections include: • Air Fry • Bake • Toast • Broil • Roast • Warm • Proof • Convection Within each mode are sub-settings of temperature and time options. Warm – 105º - 140º Proof – 85º - 140º Convection – 180 – 450º Air Fry – 180º - 450º Bake – 180º - 400º Broil – 300º - 400º Roast – 180º - 450º Before first use, I followed the instructions to run it empty for about 30 minutes to get the newly burn-in smell out of the way, not unlike first of the season forced air heater use, except that this is a one-time only use. The rest is as simple as pressing the power button, rotating the left knob to the desired function, press the right knob to select the temperature, press right knob again, select desired time, then press the power/start button to begin. That’s it. A praiseworthy, intuitive user interface. ** FROM THE HUMBLE TOASTER TO THIS ** How things have changed! First, someone cleverly devised an oversized, horizontally oriented toaster capable of toasting four slices at once. Then, someone thought about what else can be done in that large cavity. Simply put, combining temperature and time, then adding fans for the convection process has created a worldwide phenomenon in countertop appliances. Since their humble beginnings, combination countertop ovens have become commoditized, with all the popular brands getting into the act with their me-too products, adding more functionality. Call it what you wish, but broiling is nothing more than cooking from above. Baking applies heat from top and bottom, though better technology will modulate more baking heat from the bottom than from the top. And so on for each mode. I encourage each reader to look up the differences between all modes and their relative benefits as regards what it is you want to do with this or any other countertop oven. Another benefit from such research will come from managing realistic expectations to avoid disappointment BEFORE purchase. ** WHAT MAKES THIS SPECIAL, BETTER THAN MANY OTHERS? ** With all-digital controls, just three simplified adjustments are required to accomplish all settings. In particular, digital timing allows precise to-the-minute settings. On knob-based timers, significant effort is required to turn the timing knob to its approximate setting. Is it 20 minutes, 18 minutes, or 22 minutes? That physical effort is notable by its absence, and immediately remarked upon by one of my testers who has loss of strength and grip due to a mild arthritic condition. Second, the lack of precision in a timer setting with an analog knob is also notable and appreciated by its absence here. Precise, digital settings make a huge difference for the better. The feet pads are giving and grippy, creating a feeling of stability when placed on the counter. The oven door pulls down and stops short of slamming into the countertop below. What’s more, the door’s motion is damped along its travel, a sign of thoughtful design. Most countertops in my orbit have a bottom crumb pan accessible from the inside of the oven. Here, the tray and its large, full-width handle with GE emblem slides on a slim, dedicated track, and the tray has an indent to capture the crumbs without easily allowing the debris to escape before being discarded. At its retail price point of $220, I can find nothing comparable. ** PUTTING IT TO THE TEST ** Every operation has been according to plan, without significant surprises. Accustomed to air frying, cook times are in line with other air fry-capable countertops tested. The plus with this one is the precise digital time setting. No others I have tested have been digitally controlled. I like it. When instructions call for 20 minutes, dialing in precisely 20 minutes is easy. The best feature, by far, is the digital temperature and time controllability. This alone almost makes it worth the price. The top and sides remain comfortable to the touch during use. Reheating, baking, broiling have proven effortless with expected and anticipated results. Set times need to be adjusted for preheating. For example, I wanted to broil a piece of fish, figuring it would take 10 minutes, so that was the timer setting. Once I touched for Start, the display showed “Preheating.” A look at the manual confirmed this preheating cycle, which, I will assume, provides higher heat to get it to its set point quickly, but the timer still counted down. Lesson learned. Let it preheat, re-set the timer and put the food in for the cycle. Convection roasting a whole four-pound chicken at 350º resulted in crispy skin, juicy meat in about 40 minutes. Baking a whole frozen apple pie by following package directions gave us a perfectly baked dessert in the allotted time. Preparing packaged savory little potatoes made with chicken drippings according to directions worked perfectly. Reheating traditional savory Thanksgiving stuffing at 260º with a little bit of added chicken stock mixed in gave us what we wanted, still-moist, slightly crispy leftovers. A 12-inch frozen pizza with self-rising crust came out perfectly on the convection bake setting. In large part the credit for success comes from the precision offered by the digital controls. ** NEGATIVES? ** I wonder how much better this could be with 1800 Watts of power as other top performers in the category have. I wonder why the maker does not prominently feature its wattage as do others in the category. I cannot answer. Nor can I quantify and measure for heating evenness. Nor can I determine if this is smart enough to apply more or less heat, top and bottom with integration of convection fans. With 1800 Watts of power, could the highest temperatures be 500º instead of 450º on this oven? Would there be five instead of four heating elements at the top? I know that Warm can also be used to dehydrate fruits and veggies, as can Proof. I wish the manufacturer offered more information in specifications and suggestions for use, including options for each setting. Explore the settings and use your own creativity! Sure would be nice if it had a non-stick interior and an interior switchable light. ** CONCLUSIONS ** I like it more than any other countertop multifunction oven I’ve tried. My other testers agree. Rotating this product in place of the others, all of us agree that this is the one we want to leave in place for regular use on the kitchen counter. But we still prefer to use a plain old toaster with bagel setting to toast bagels. ** WARRANTY ** This GE Digital Air Fry 8-in-1 Toaster Oven is covered by the manufacturer’s one year parts and labor warranty.

Over the past 30 years I bet my wife and I have owned at least 10 toaster ovens and air fryers of various brands including GE. So when I say this is the best of them all I’m not kidding. However it does have one potentially serious issue to be aware of. The oven can get the wall behind it very hot when using Air Fryer and Convection modes if you do not pull it away from the wall when operating it. See photos. See owners manual for proper use. In the included manual GE recommends a clearance of at least 4 inches from all sides and not under wall cabinets when the oven is in operation. However, GE’s own product photos on Best Buy’s site show the unit up against a wall and under wall cabinets. The oven has standoffs mounted to the bottom of the back of it to keep you from pushing it directly up against the wall. I decided to test it the way most people will probably use it and what’s in GE’s product photos. Push it against the wall and under cabinets even when in operation. Here are my temperature readings. Note that my countertop has a lip at the back about 1 ½ inches thick and 3 inches high. This put the back of the oven at 3 ½ inches from the wall. I got a maximum reading of 145F on the wall behind it after 15 minutes of use in the Air Fryer mode set to 450F. The bottom of the cabinets are 5 inches above the oven and were at 118F. It would likely be hotter if it was closer to the wall and or cabinets. Now that’s not hot enough to start a fire, but if you operate it up against the wall in defiance of the manual, it is hot enough to discolor a section of the wall behind the oven, depending on the type of wall and it’s covering, given enough time. If it’s glass or ceramic tile then it’s probably not a problem but it could possibly cause the adhesive behind the area to detach over time. So I recommend following what the manual says. Or at least pull it out away from the wall when operating. As for wall mounted cabinets I think it would be pretty rare to find a counter without cabinets mounted over it. I’m building a counter to set my air fryer / oven along with my microwave on and with the suggested clearances and no cabinets above them. Until then I’ll pull it out from the wall when I use it. I’m not worried about the bottom of the cabinets overheating. Now that I have that out of the way I’ll cover cooking modes and operation. The oven has 2 knobs and a start / stop button. The left knob selects the mode and the right knob is used to set the time and temperature. Pressing the right knob toggles between time and temp. Twist either knob to turn on. Oven shuts off automatically when finished or no input is detected after a certain time. If temperature is selected it will flash and you turn the knob to set. Same with setting time. It flashes even when you turn the knob which I found annoying. There are 7 cooking modes: Air Fry, Bake, Toast, Broil, Roast, Proof, Keep Warm and Convection Roast. Air Fryer (up to 450) worked excellent for cooking “tater crowns”, fries, cooking and later reheating pizza, fried chicken and breaded fish. The crowns were cooked even from edge to edge and tops and bottoms. See photo.Bake (up to 400) worked great too. See photo. My wife made biscuits and I made muffins. Heating was even top and bottom. Toast has 7 steps (up to 6 slices) and will also toast bagels, English muffins and frozen waffles. Both sides. Broil (up to 400) operates the top elements only just like a regular oven and works the same way. Roast (up to 400) for cooking solid items. Proof (85-140) is for proofing bread Keep Warm (105-140) See manual for more info and cooking guide. Comes with an air fry basket, pan and rack. Will hold up to a 12 inch round pie / cake pan. Wife and I are very impressed with it but we did notice a few things worth noting. Oven is the quietest we ever had in convection mode compared to all others we have used. Goes into cool down and runs fan when finished. Door doesn’t seal up as well as it should. Air leak around the door caused some condensation above the door. Saggy door hinge on the left side. Crumb tray slightly crooked. I’m not sure if this is a quality control issue or rough handling in shipping as my box was a bit beat up in places. Product is so new there are none anywhere to go and compare it to. So I’m not going to count this against it but I think I need to make readers aware of it. Conclusion is still the best toaster oven and convection air fryer we have ever used and that’s why I gave it 5 stars.

A great option for small kitchens with this 8-1 oven. With a medium size, similar to a microwave, you are eliminating some of the other bulkier options but adding a medium-size option that could be more energy efficient. With digital Controls it’s very easy to set first the function: Air Fry, Bake, Broil, Toast, Roast, Warm, Proof, Convection after that selecting the temperature (or accepting the proposed one) and finally the time. After a week of intensive use, I personally found that the Air Fry is the most performing function and delivers a frying quality that exceeds the crispness of my professional air fryer. Perhaps the only hiccup is that the metallic controls heat too much after an hour of use. Toast and Warming are also great options for your pizza the day after and are my son’s favorite option. Confirming also that a 10 y-o can safely and easily use it. The elements that I love the most: .- Simple to use. I like that the 8 functions include pre-set parameters that are perfect to use without bothering too much with temperatures or cooking times. .- Despite my comment about the Airfyer function, the oven exterior is not too hot after a couple of hours of use. It can stay in the kitchen with kids around without the risk of burns. .- The fully removable crumb tray, is a great help for cleaning. .- The cooling options automatically cools the oven temperature after by reducing the hit with air circulation. The elements that I don’t like: .- I tried to clean the metallic rack in the dishwasher top rack and didn’t work very well. The heat turned the rack color into a blackish-grey. .- The oven is not including an interior light to see the progress of your baking. It forces you to open the oven door. .- The door design is great to keep heat inside but not easy to clean. A lot of crumbs from frying stay there. I like it, but not the best for a quick cleaning after greasy cooking with some areas hard to reach.

This is a toaster oven and an air fryer combo with a large capacity that can easily cook for 2-3 people in one cooking and can easily fit a 12 inch pizza. Came with an Air Fryer basket, baking pan, and a rack. I like the LCD display with dials to set mode and time/temperature. It heats up pretty fast and takes less time to reach the set temperature compared to usual kitchen oven. I used the air fryer mode and it did a pretty good job on chicken fingers - loaded up the basket with 1 pound of frozen chicken fingers and it only took 28 mins to turn them into crispy golden brown chicken fingers. I also used the air fryer mode for frying hash brown, fry's, biscuits, tarts, mozzarella sticks, breaded chicken wings so far and can tell its lot faster than my XL air fryer or the Kitchen Oven. This is definitely an health option to deep frying food and saves on utility bill for smaller cooking portions compared to kitchen oven. I like the toast mode, made the bread crispy with evenly browning the bread and I stopped using my toaster for good. Took about 25 mins to bake a 12 inch pizza. So far am happy with this toaster oven for cooking small portions and not have to worry about using my kitchen oven or air fryer anymore. Worth the investment if you are conscious about healthy cooking choices and saves on utility bill

I am so very very happy with this toaster oven from GE. I have been using it nonstop since I got it. It has a commercial look to it that fits well into my kitchen. The digital display is bright and easy to read. I really like the simplicity of the controls. Just 2 knobs and a button. The features are phenomenal. I have used the air fry, bake, toast, roast and broil modes and they have all cooked perfectly. It has pretty much replaced my oven. I like how big the window is. This makes it easy to tell how the food is cooking without having to open the door. The different accessories it comes with are cool. I use the wire rack and fry basket more than the baking pan. I also really like the slide out drip/crumb tray. It makes cleaning it very easy. The entire oven is very easy to clean as well as the accessories it came with. This is a must have for all the bakers and cooks who live in an apartment or are just cooking for themselves. Great product by GE.

If you are a fan of frying food, the “GE - Convection Toaster Oven with Air Fry - Stainless Steel” may be precisely what you’re looking for. It’s a well-designed powerhouse that enables you to fry chicken wings (or legs), burgers, French fries, and steak without a drop of oil and in a short amount of time! But that’s not all: In addition to Air Fry, this counter-top oven also offers bake, toast, broil, roast, proof, and convection modes. (I had to look up what “Proof" is for, and the manual states it’s ideal for preparing yeast bread and other baked goods where the dough is allowed to rest and rise before baking.) The supplied user’s guide includes a Cooking and Air Fry Cooking Guide/Guidelines page that provides details on oven rack positions by Cooking Mode and temperature settings for Air Fry use (see provided picture). It doesn’t mention air fry recommendations for frozen pizza but air-frying it for 10-12 minutes at 350F should work. (Did not try that myself yet, but will do so soon.) Using the supplied mesh basket, we air-fried pre-cooked lamb shanks at 450F for 30 minutes, and they were unbelievably crispy and awesome in taste. And all without a drop of oil, wow! (My wife pre-cooked the lamb shanks as she wanted to have lamb soup, too.) The digital control panel is easy to read and use (self-explanatory really), the noise levels of the fan when in convection and/or air frying mode is very acceptable, and cleaning the trays, mesh basket, and the inside after use is pretty easy and straight-forward as well. Note that there is not an On/Off button per se. The oven turns itself off after about 5 minutes of inactivity. To turn it on, press the Start/Stop button. To select your desired oven mode, go from left to right after you turned it on. Using the left dial, select one of the eight modes. When done, use the right dial to first adjust temperature followed by pushing the dial, and then adjust to the desired time. When all correct, push the Start/Stop button. In terms of capacity, I’d say it’s a perfect size for up to four people. The basket is big enough to handle 4 chicken legs (depending on size), lots of chicken wings, and plenty of fries (best air-fry the dishes one after another, i.e., not together). I am giving this oven a well-deserved 5 stars. I would definitely recommend it to friends and family.

Originally I was skeptical about having a 2 in 1 unit. Other air fryers I had would do "baking" but not too well. And then I was worried that it would be only a toaster oven and poor air fryer. Now that I've used this for a few weeks, I must say I'm impressed. The toaster oven works just like a toaster oven, with coils at the bottom to heat, and the air fryer works from the top, so you really do get the best of both. One thing to note if you're buying this, it big. It will be bigger than your normal toaster oven, so make sure you have space. This is positive on the air fryer size, as it has more space than past ones I've had. The other thing I feel could be better, is to provide more trays for using inside. It comes with a cooking sheet and a little metal thing like in a toaster oven, plus a basket but you need to put this on top of the other two. There is space for more, and wish it would come with more than it does. The last thing that is a little annoying is the presets, there is no way to change them so each time you need to go through and set what you want. It's not too bad, but wish it would remember what you did last time. The baking is a little odd as it tries to calculate how long to heat up to the set temperature, and I've found that to be not too accurate so it's best to set a longer time than add the food and count manually. Overall though toast comes out good, and fries are awesome in the air fryer. If you're looking to get a new toaster oven, I would highly recommend this as you also get the great air fryer feature. A couple of things that could be better, but doesn't take away from a great item.