My favorite kitchen appliance

I loved baked goodies but for the longest time was too lazy, busy and cheap to make anything in my own oven. Too much of an effort! But then I found a terrific little countertop solution that changed my life.

The Breville Compact Smart Oven is a toaster oven that makes it super-easy to bake casseroles, small sheet cakes or even a chicken. Of course, it also does a good job at toasting and broiling. No more waiting to heat up the regular oven or feeling guilty about using all that energy to make just a single dish. This little baby is ideal for small, quick baking moments. Very, very efficient.

After shopping around, the 1,800-watt Breville BoV650XL distinguished itself as the most sturdy, well-made, attractive choice. It’s also very easy to clean and comes with two baking/broiling trays. As for dimensions: about 9 inches tall, 11 inches deep and 17 inches wide.

With the chilly autumn weather settling in and the gift-giving holiday season coming up, I thought you might like a blog post about this cozy kitchen item. Here’s another plus …in the old days with my big oven, baking in the summer was awful because the kitchen would make the whole house hot. But now, I’m happily baking year round while saving money on my utility bills.

A few years ago, I paid nearly $200 for my Breville. While the price hasn’t gone down much since, it’s available for $173.90 on Amazon.com, where you can look at close-up photos here.

By the way, if you click on the Amazon link that I’ve just provided and end up buying the oven — or anything else — I get a commission as an Amazon “affiliate.” Fellow bloggers, take note: you can become affiliates too and signing up is simple. (No, I don’t get a dime if you decide to do it.)

At the moment, I make about 10 bucks every few months, which is fun. But at any time, if you click through to Amazon via my site and shop more — well, maybe you can spend enough to help me put my kid through college, haha.

I’ll close now with a nice photo of the Breville in my kitchen.  :)