A:AnswerI am not experiencing this. Mine cooks very evenly, so it might be a problem with your oven. I do turn mine about halfway through cooking, but that is a matter of personal preference since we like everything extra crispy.
A:AnswerThe convection fan unit on the Breville Smart Oven Pro is on the right side of the toaster oven and appears to be well made/vented/protected so I'm thinking it should be problem free. I just took a look at my GE Profile dual fuel convection oven and that fan housing unit seems similarly well made/vented and I've had this oven 14 years! The Breville Smart Oven Pro is awesome! You will love it and not regret the purchase one bit! :)