Breville BOV450XL Toaster Oven Review

The Breville BOV450XL toaster oven is a compact version of Breville’s larger “Smart Oven” models, the BOV650XL and BOV800XL. It might be compact, but it is every bit as good at cooking and toasting as its bigger siblings. This toaster oven makes a mean piece of toast! But it doesn’t stop at just toast, and does an excellent job of cooking, baking, and broiling.

People who want most of the high-end features of the larger model without the size and weight will love cooking with the BOV450XL. This mini oven that will fit in most kitchens, yet is versatile enough to cook a nice variety of foods. It even includes technology that automatically adjusts the heat, making this a truly smart oven.

This might be the low end of Breville’s “Smart Oven” line, but it is by no means a low end machine. It is filled with features that simplify the cooking process, and is intuitive and easy to use.

Exterior Housing Material

Powder coated steel housing.

Exterior Color

Silver with a brushed chrome look.

Cord Length

Cord is 36” in length, not including the plug

The cord is a three prong grounded plug. If your kitchen only has two prong outlets then you will need to upgrade them instead of using a plug converter. This is a powerful appliance in regards to electricity and using a converter would be unsafe. Additionally, never cut off the third grounding prong to make this usable in a two prong outlet.

If you need to add an extension cord in order to plug this in, be sure to use a cord that is rated for major appliances and is also grounded.

The plug is made with a finger ring that lets you pull the plug out of the wall without damaging it. This “Assist Plug” is just one of the many features found on the Breville BOV450XL toaster oven *, and multiple people said how much they love this thoughtful feature.

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Convection

There is no convection option with the Breville BOV450XL toaster oven.

Heating Elements

4 elements

There are four quartz elements: two on the top and two on the bottom.

Breville’s three high end “Smart Oven” toaster ovens, of which this is one, use what they call “Element IQ” technology * to control the elements. Depending on the cooking function you choose, the “Element IQ” will determine the number of elements used, and the amount of heat they emit.

I have no idea how it does what it does, but “Element IQ” does a beautiful job of heating up quickly and making sure food is cooked perfectly. It is the “Element IQ” that makes this a smart oven.

Rack Positions

There are three rack positions. Using the proper rack position is critical for properly cooked food. The three positions and their purposes are as follows:

Having three positions might seem confusing but it really isn’t. Breville realized the possibility of confusion and added a rack position guide on the front of the glass door. You can refer to this guide any time you want to know what the ideal rack position is for whatever you want to cook. I have the BOV800XL, which also has this guide, and I can tell you from experience that this is a very helpful feature that every one in my family refers to often.

Rotisserie

There is no rotisserie option on the Breville BOV450XL toaster oven.

Temperature Range

120° F to 450° F for BAGEL, BAKE, COOKIE, PIZZA, REHEAT, ROAST, and TOAST
300° F and 500° F for BROIL​

You can increase or decrease the temperature in 10° F increments, which is unusual for most toaster ovens. The increments for other brands and models are usually either 25° F or 50° F. You have far more control with your cooking with this machine, thanks to the 10° increments.

Warming Tray

There are ribbed panels on the top of this toaster oven. They have been added so that you can safely use the top as a warming tray.

Watts

1800 watts

The amount of watts used by the Breville BOV450XL mini oven * will vary depending on the cooking setting being used. 1800 watts is a fairly big draw on electricity and you will need to have a circuit breaker with at least 15 amps, preferably 20 amps, to handle its use.

Breville recommends that you a have a dedicated outlet for this oven, meaning this is the only item plugged into the outlet. Sharing an outlet with another appliance or item may use too many amps for the outlet, which will trip your breaker.

If the outlet you choose is on the same circuit as another major appliance, such as your refrigerator, microwave, or oven, then your breaker will most likely get tripped. If this happens then you will need to find a different plug that is not on the same circuit to use for your Breville.

Cooking with the Breville BOV450XL toaster oven may cost you more than a lower end toaster oven with fewer watts. But, consider the fact that a good many people wrote in their reviews that have replaced their conventional large ovens with this mini oven for about 75% of their cooking. If you do the same, you are sure to save money because using this will be much more cost efficient than cooking with your large oven.

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LCD DIsplay

There is an LCD display that is used to select a variety of options. The display is used in combination with the buttons as follows:

During the cooking process the LCD display will show the countdown timer.

Type OF Controls

This machine * is controlled by a combination of a knob, buttons, and the LCD display. The knob is used to choose one of the eight cooking functions (BAGEL, BAKE, BROIL, COOKIE, PIZZA, REHEAT, ROAST, and TOAST). After the cooking function has been selected, you next use the buttons to make additional choices, such as how many pieces of toast or bagels are being cooked.

Directly underneath the LCD display is a series of four buttons:

• • TEMP/DARKNESS (left button) – Use this button to set either the cooking temperature or the darkness level of your toast and bagels
  • UP ARROW (top middle button) – Use this button to increase temperature or darkness
  • DOWN ARROW (bottom middle button) – Use this button to decrease temperature or darkness
  • TIME SLICES (right button) – Use this button to enter how many toast or bagel slices are being cooked

• TEMPERATURE CONVERSION (top left button with °F and °C on it) – Use this button to toggle between displaying the temperature in either Fahrenheit or Celsius
  • FROZEN FOODS (lower left button with a snowflake on it) – Use this button to indicate that the food to be cooked is frozen
  • START/CANCEL (large middle button) – Use this button to start or stop the cooking process
  • A BIT MORE (right button) – Use this button to add more time to the cooking process, either during cooking or immediately after cooking has ended

The dial, LCD, and buttons all work to offer you quite a bit of control over your cooking, baking, toasting, and broiling.

Temperature Control Options

As explained above, there are four buttons under the LCD display that are used for the temperature. You can change the temperature for any of the eight cooking functions with the temperature control buttons.

Toast Darkness Adjustment

There are seven toast darkness settings. The darkness settings range from 1 (lightest) to 7 (darkest). You can choose how dark you want your toast by pressing the TEMP/DARKNESS button, then pressing the UP or DOWN arrows.

Preset Cooking Functions

The Breville BOV450XL toaster oven * comes with eight preset cooking functions:

• • BAGEL
  • BAKE
  • BROIL
  • COOKIES
  • PIZZA
  • REHEAT
  • ROAST
  • TOAST

The only setting that is missing from this toaster oven that is on the BOV800XL model is WARM. The default setting for WARM on the BOV800XL is 160° F. Given that the lowest temperature on this model is 120° F, you can create your own WARM setting by lowering the temperature to 160° F.

Each of the preset functions has a suggested cooking temperature. You can change the temperature by increasing it or decreasing it. Any time you change one of the default settings the BOV450XL will remember your changes to use the next time you select that cooking function. The machine will store your changes in its memory until you either change them or unplug the machine. The ability to store changes in its memory is wonderful feature for those of you who don’t want to use the default preset settings.

Timer

You can control the cooking time for each of the eight cooking cooking function, except for BAGEL and TOAST. The cooking time will begin to countdown as soon as the oven preheating is done and cooking begins. The timer is silent, so you do not have to listen to ticking for the duration of the cooking cycle.

The timer can be set for up to two hours, which is a good amount of cooking time. Many other toaster ovens have timers that go up to either 30 minutes or one hour. Two hours is very generous, but since this is a miniature oven, that time is often needed for the many foods you will be able to cook inside the BOV450XL mini smart oven *.

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Alarm

This toaster oven has an alarm that beeps both when preheating is done (two beeps) and when cooking is done (three beeps).

The alarm on this toaster oven is the same as the beeps on the Breville smart oven that I have, and my opinion is that the sound alert is on the quiet side. If I’m not paying attention I don’t hear it when I am in the room next to my kitchen, which is less than 10 feet away.

Interestingly, I read a review from someone who said that the alert is loud and startling to her. But, another reviewer stated that the alert sound is rather pleasant (a statement that I agree with). I am left wondering if early BOV450XL ovens had louder alert sounds that people complained about, possibly causing Breville to tone down the volume.

Always On

There is no “always on” option. Most foods can be completely cooked within the two hour timer duration, but if you need to cook something longer than two hours you can easily add additional time to the timer before it reaches zero.

Automatic Shutoff

Every cooking function, except for BROIL, can be set for up to two hours cooking time, and the machine will automatically turn off when the cooking time reaches zero. BROIL will automatically turn off after a maximum of 20 minutes cooking time.

Additionally, this machine will go into sleep mode after 10 minutes without interaction. When this happens, the lighting for the LCD display goes dark.

Auto-Eject Rack

There is no auto-eject rack on this model. Leaving off this feature is one of the ways Breville kept the price down when compared to the BOV800XL.

BPA FREE?

All parts of the Breville BOV450XL * toaster oven that come in contact with food are BPA free.

*

Crumb Tray

You can pull out the crumb tray from the front of the machine. The tray pulls out easily, and is full sized so you do not have to worry about anything spilling over the edges onto the bottom of the insides.

The crumb tray is not flat. Instead, it is recessed, so that all the drippings collect in the recess and are not knocked off when you pull it out. My previous toaster oven’s crumb tray was flat, and I often had food spill off it into the machine when I pulled it out. This is just one of many features that Breville has put a lot of thought into.

Door

The front door is made of tempered glass so that it can withstand high heats without breaking or cracking. There is a large stay-cool handle on the door that you can use without fear of getting burned. The handle also acts as a door rest when it is open.

The right side of the door has a rack position guide to help you remember which position to place the rack for each of the eight cooking functions. This is, in my opinion, one of the most thoughtful features that Breville added to this cooker.

Exterior Temperature During Cooking

The Breville BOV450XL toaster oven * gets very hot on the outside when it is in use. Several people state that they keep their anywhere from 1 1/2″ to 6″ away from the back wall due to the heat, and Breville recommends allowing 4″ around every side. This is done this to protect both the back wall and the cord. I have the BOV800XL, which is a higher end version of this oven, and keep my toaster oven pulled one inch away from the wall.

Handles

There are no handles on the side of this machine. Even though there are no handles, moving this unit is easy to do as long as you don’t move it while it is hot. There are feet that raise the machine up off the floor by about an inch, so you can lift it up by grasping the bottom.

In Use Light

There are two ways you can tell if this machine is in use. The first way is with the START/CANCEL button which has a ring around it that illuminates red when it is on. The second way is with the LCD display. The backlit color of the LCD display will be blue when it is off (blue = cool) and orange when it is on (orange = hot).

Both the illuminated ring and LCD backlit color make it easy to see, even from a distance, if the BOV450XL * is on.

Interior Light

There is no interior light.

Nonstick Interior

The interior is coated with a nonstick material. It is very easy to wipe down the inside, thanks to the nonstick coating, as many owners state in their reviews. Just be sure to wait until the inside has cooled down before attempting to clean it.

Under Counter Mount

This model cannot be mounted under a cabinet.

Included Accessories

• Enamel Baking Pan - 10" x 10"

Optional Accessories

• Non-Stick Pizza Pan * - 11"
• Enamel Broil Rack - 10" x 10"

Several people expressed their disappointment that the broil rack is not included. They are even more disappointed that the rack can only be bought at Breville’s website. However, I don’t think that these people realize that the rack was not included in order to keep the price down. Model BOV650XL does include a broiler rack, but is also larger and costs more than this model.

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This video shows you how easy it is to choose cooking options and use the BOV450XL mini smart toaster oven *.

Dimensions: Length 15.5” x Height 14” x Depth 14”
Weight: 10.6 pounds

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Duration

One year limited warranty

Customer Support Experience

Of the 230+ reviews for this model, I found just six from owners stating that their toaster ovens had problems or stopped working. Unfortunately, none of them said if they contacted Breville about the problems, which makes me suspect that they didn’t.

The reviewers of other Breville models who did contact Breville, despite the fact that their models were out of warranty, pretty much all agreed that the manufacturer made things right by sending refurbished models to replace the defunct ones at no cost to the owners. It is always worth taking the time to contact the manufacturer if your toaster oven stops working when it is no longer covered under warranty.

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• • Intuitive – This cooker is easy to use without needing to refer to the manual
  • Heats Up Quickly – The heating elements do an excellent job of heating up the interior
  • Preset Cooking Functions – You can easily set the oven to cook whatever you want with the preset cooking options, and you can also modify their default settings
  • Total Cooking Control – Not only can you use the preset cooking options, you can also change them to suit your specific cooking needs
  • Quality – Breville put a lot thought into the design, features, and function of this toaster oven, and it was built to stand up to daily use
  • Size – It is small on the outside, yet roomy on the inside
  • Easy To Clean – The nonstick interior makes it very easy to keep the interior clean

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• • No Broiler Rack – Amazon does not sell a broiler rack that will fit inside. You can buy one from the Breville website but the cost of shipping is about the same as the cost of the rack.
  • No Convection Feature – Adding this feature would have increased the price so I’m sure this is why Breville left it off this model
  • Price – Although this is a lowest end model of Breville’s smart oven line, it is still a high end machine that may be out of reach for some budgets

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Price is a subjective thing. What is expensive for one person is a drop in the bucket for another. Breville has three ovens that use their “Element IQ” technology, making them smart ovens, and this is the least expensive of those three. It is a great choice for people who want a high end oven but don’t want to pay for the additional features or size of the other two models. 

There are several owners who admitted that they were hesitant to buy this toaster oven because of the price. Most of them went on to say that they were glad they decided to buy it.

If all you want to do is make toast, then this would certainly be a pricey oven and not the right choice for you. But if you frequently bake bread or cookies, or cook frozen pizzas and other convenience foods, then this oven will let you do all of that, and more. The price is reasonable and in line with the amount of features, as well as ease of use, that Breville put into this model.

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As of this writing there are over 230 reviews for this model. Of those 230 reviews, a whopping 214 are four and five star ratings! Review after review sang the praises of this particular toaster oven, with consumers saying how easy it is to cook with the Breville BOV450XL toaster oven.

The overall reception of this toaster oven has been positive. Perhaps what owners love most about this machine is that it is a workhorse that holds up to daily, if not more frequent, use.

Here are the most helpful online sources I used to research the Breville BOV450XL toaster oven *. You may find additional helpful information by visiting any or all of these sources:

• • Product information on Amazon *
  • Breville Website
  • Breville BOV450XL Instruction Manual

When Breville created the BOV450XL toaster oven, they did so with the purpose of offering a high end model that will satisfy the needs of those who want just about total control over cooking, but who don’t want a larger toaster oven or convection. Just as much thought and care has gone into this oven as the two other smart ovens by Breville, and that quality and care shows in the many positive customer reviews.

There are a good many features and functions available on this model. Despite that fact, you can start using it immediately after you prep it for use, and you may never need to refer to the manual to do that. Cooking with the Breville BOV450XL toaster oven is, thankfully, intuitive and simple.

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