Frigidaire FPCO06D7MS Toaster Oven Review

Are you looking for a toaster oven that is large enough to cook a chicken in, yet also able to handle pizza, toast, and convenience foods? Then this might be the toaster oven for you. Then again, it might not.

This is a small oven that also toasts. Unfortunately, it has an incredibly high failure rate, and after completing my research on it I found that I cannot recommend it.

If you are still interested in this model then please continue reading. If you’d rather skip the details and look for a more reliable model, then take a look at a few other models.

The toaster oven closest in size as this one, as well as features, is the Breville BOV800XL model (that’s the model that I own).

Exterior Housing Material

The exterior is made of stainless steel.

Cord Length

Cord length is 36 inches

As far as toaster oven cords go, this one is long. The average cord length is 24”. The additional foot in length means you should have an easy time of finding an outlet to plug this into.

The plug is a two-prong bipolar plug (one prong is wider than the other). Your kitchen will need a polarized outlet in order to use this toaster oven.

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Convection

This model includes a convection fan. The fan turns on by default for most of the cooking options, but can be turned off by pressing the START / CANCEL button.

The convection fan is pretty quiet, but over time it gets louder in some units. This machine has quality control issues, as you will see as you continue reading this review, and the increased fan noise is one example of that.

Heating Elements

4 elements

There are four heating elements, two on top and two on the bottom. The bottom two are quartz elements and the top two are halogen elements.

The two halogen elements are used for infrared cooking. They preheat and cook faster than quartz elements alone.

The halogen (top) heating elements light up brightly, while the quart (bottom) elements do not. Some people thought this was a defect in the machine but it is simply the difference between the two types of elements and is normal.

It is also normal for the top heating elements to flicker on and off as it cooks. This is how the elements control the amount of heat needed for cooking.

There are protective shields for the heating elements so they won’t break or get damaged.

The instruction manual states that foods should be rotated by 90 degrees half way through the cooking process to ensure even browning. Let’s be honest. How many of you are likely to remember to turn your pizzas and other foods at the half way point? I wouldn’t, and am disappointed to learn that this is needed in a machine that costs as much as this one.

Rack Positions

There are three rack slots. The wire rack can be used in an up or down position, so there are a total of six rack positions that you can use for the FPCO06D7MS toaster oven *.

Having six rack positions offers you a lot of versatility when cooking. This can become a problem, though, when you have to figure out which of the six rack positions is best for the cooking task at hand. Personally, I think this is three positions too many.

Rotisserie

There is no rotisserie option.

Temperature Range

150° F to 450° F​

150° F is a little warm for the WARM setting. All three Breville toaster ovens have a low temperature of 120° F, a temperature that will do a much better job of keeping food warm without the possibility of overcooking it.

Warming Tray

There are no vents on the top exterior of this toaster oven, so you could use the top as a warming tray. Just make sure that whatever you put on top is able to handle high heat.

Watts

1500 watts

The average watts for a toaster oven is between 1200 and 1500. The highest watts that I’ve seen is 1800, so this Frigidaire model * is on the higher end of watts. This means there is enough power to preheat and cook meals quickly.

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LCD DIsplay

There is a 2” x 2 1/2” LCD display. 

The backlit color of the display is a pleasant shade of blue that is easy on the eyes. 

The display will go into standby mode after 60 seconds of inactivity, and the backlit lighting will turn off. You can turn it back on by pressing any button.

In addition to what you see in the picture, the LCD display also shows the cooking time and temperature, as well as when the convection fan is in use.

Type OF Controls

The controls are a combination of buttons and knobs, which work together with the LCD display screen. The controls are, from top to bottom:

• • MODE Knob – Turn to choose the cooking function
  • CONVECTION Button – Press to turn the convection fan on or off
  • START / CANCEL Button – Press to start or stop cooking
  • TEMP DARKNESS Button – Press to choose your desired toast darkness setting
  • TIME / SLICES / SIZE Button – Press, then turn the Temp / Time knob to select cooking time, the number of bread slices being toasted, or the size of pizza being cooked
  • TEMP / TIME Knob – Turn to choose the temperature or cooking time
  • SET Button – Press to confirm the above settings
    

I want to stop for a moment. Take a look at the image here of the controls. Do you think you could remove this toaster oven from its box, place it on your toaster oven, and start cooking with it without needing to refer to the manual? For most of you reading this, I doubt it.

Many reviews of this Frigidaire toaster oven discuss how confusing the controls are. They are not at all intuitive, and I agree. Although you are likely to remember what to do after you’ve done it multiple times, I don’t understand why the design team at Frigidaire felt the need to make the control panel so cumbersome and difficult.

This is the first toaster oven that I have reviewed where I couldn’t figure out how this works just by looking at it. Take that into consideration if you are thinking about buying this model.

The controls themselves feel cheap. This is disappointing, since the rest of the exterior looks very nice.

Temperature Control Options

The temperature can be changed in 25° F increments. That is fairly standard for toaster ovens.

You can control the temperature by pressing the TEMP / DARKNESS button to tell the machine you want to change the temperature, then turn the TEMP / TIME knob to actually choose the temperature, then finish the process by pressing the SET button. That is three actions needed when one or two would do.

As for the cooking temperature I found several reviews from people who said the temperature was inconsistent. There were inconsistencies in either the actual temperature vs. the selected temperature, or temperature variations on one side vs. the other side.

You cannot change the selected temperature after cooking has begun. If you want to make a change to the temperature then you will need to stop cooking and start all over.

Toast Darkness Adjustment

There are five toast darkness settings. Unlike some toaster ovens that use numbers to designate darkness settings, this model uses images. The images make it easy to know how dark your toast will be based on the setting you choose.

Most people agree that, when it works, this toaster oven does a great job when making toast. It also toasts bagels just as well as bread.

Preset Cooking Functions

There are 8 preset cooking functions:

• BAGEL
  • BAKE
  • BROIL
  • COOKIES
  • PIZZA
  • PREHEAT
  • TOAST
  • WARM

Surprisingly, Frigidaire’s Product Specifications Sheet and product video states that this model also roasts and defrosts. However, this is incorrect. There are no roast or defrost settings, nor are they mentioned in the instruction manual. This is another example of Frigidaire’s poor quality control for this machine. They created an official video and specs sheet that both have incorrect information about this model.

You can choose any of the above preset cooking functions and either use the default settings or modify them. The purpose of these settings it to make it easier to cook commonly used foods. They are helpful, and many owners appreciate having them.

Timer

I have not been able to determine how long the timer is for. I will update this information after I find out.

The timer alert sound is too quiet for some owners. The problem with a quiet alarm bell is that you may not hear when food is done cooking. Food can overcook by being left in the oven for too long.

The biggest drawback to the timer is that the countdown clock begins the moment you press the START / CANCEL button. That might not sound like a big deal, but it is when the oven is preheating. In other words, the timer begins counting down while it is still preheating. If you want your food to be done on time then you need to figure out how much time to add for preheating, and that is often an unknown value. I personally have no idea how long it takes to preheating my toaster oven and I wouldn’t want to be forced to figure it out.

Also, you cannot add or subtract time to the timer after cooking has begun. The only way to change the time is to press the START / CANCEL button to stop cooking, then start over.

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Alarm

There is an audible alarm that goes off when either preheating or cooking is done. An alarm when cooking is done is pretty standard. What isn’t standard is a preheat alert. This is a great feature because you don’t have to guess when preheating is done and cooking has begun.

Always On

There is no “always on” option. I think this is a good thing because it prevents the toaster oven from being left on indefinitely by accident.

Automatic Shutoff

Every cooking function automatically shuts off when cooking is done. This is an important safety feature and I am glad to see it on this model.

Auto-Eject Rack

There is no auto-eject on this Frigidaire toaster oven. That’s a bit disappointing given the price point of this model, but since it is a convenience feature and not a safety feature I won’t complain too much.

BPA FREE?

I do not know at this time if all parts that come in contact with food are BPA free. I have contacted Frigidaire about this and will let you know what they tell me.

*

Crumb Tray

You have to open the front door to access the crumb tray. I prefer crumb trays that go in and out directly under the door so that there is no chance of accidentally burning myself from the open door.

The door does not open all the way, which means it is difficult to pull out the crumb tray. Even worse, crumbs often spill when the tray is removed because the door doesn’t sit flat when opened.

Unlike the crumb tray on the three Breville toaster ovens, the crumb tray is flat. Being flat can cause crumbs to fall because there is nothing to prevent them from falling when the tray tips. I’m sure that is a big part of why crumbs spill off the tray when it is removed from inside this machine.

Door

The door has a large handle that stays cool. Thanks to the handle, you can safely open the door without getting burned.

The only complaint that I found about the door is that it doesn’t open all the way. Instead of sitting flat on the counter, the door stays in an upright position. This has the potential to cause a burn when you remove food from within the oven. It also cause problems with removing the crumb tray.

Exterior Temperature During Cooking

As with just about every toaster oven, the exterior of the Frigidaire FPCO06D7MS * gets hot. Not hot enough to burn, but hot enough that you want to use care when touching it during cooking or if you have young kids in your home.

Handle

There are no handles to aid with moving this toaster oven. There is a little space underneath, but unlike most other toaster ovens that have an open area underneath which allows you to easily get a grip, this one does not. I could be wrong, but it appears that this may be difficult to pick up.

This is actually unusual. As I said, most other toaster ovens (every one that I have seen) allow air flow underneath them. This one does not. When you get to the Warranty section below you will see that this model is prone to early failure – often as early as a month or two. I wonder if the lack of airflow under the bottom causes it to overheat, leading to the early failure?

In Use Light

There is no dedicated “in use” light, which will tell you at a glance if the machine is on. However, you can use the LCD display for this purpose, since it lights up when in use, then gets dark after a period of inactivity.

Interior Light

There is no interior light.

Nonstick Interior

The interior is coated in a nonstick material. This makes the inside easy to keep clean, and many reviewers were happy about, and with, this benefit.

Under Counter Mount

This model cannot be mounted under a cabinet.

Wire Rack Stopper

There are three rack positions on the Frigidaire FPCO06D7MS toaster oven *. Of these, the middle position has a rack stopper to prevent the rack from being pulled out completely from the oven.

In my opinion, wire rack stoppers are an important safety feature, and I am pleased to see that one is included with this model. That being said, I wish the top rack position also had a stopper, because it is the center and top racks that are most in danger of being pulled out too far.

Included Accessories

• • Bake pan – 10” x 12”
  • Pizza pan – fits up to a 12” pizza

The accessories are poorly made and will bend with minimal effort and become deformed. I have found that a lot of toaster oven accessories are poorly made, including the top of the line Breville models, almost as though they were an after thought. That is too bad, because these are items that are meant to go with any given model. I wish that the manufacturers would put more effort into making quality accessories.

I was surprised to see the depth of the pizza pan. It is fairly deep, which means that using convection cooking with the pan can render the convection process invalid. Why? When you cook with convection the air is circulated by a fan. Accessories with high edges keep the air from circulating all the way around the food. Instead, the air goes over the food, which won’t help it cook faster.

Optional Accessories

There are no additional accessories made specifically for this model.

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This is the official video from Frigidaire for the FPCO06D7MS toaster oven *.

Dimensions: L 17.8” x H 11.5” x D 14”
Weight: 19 pounds

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Duration

The warranty for the Frigidaire FPCO06D7MS * is one year.

If you read the warranty information in the product manual you will see that Frigidaire states that they won’t refund the purchase price of this machine. That is the first time I recall seeing such a statement, and I wonder if they included this because they were getting numerous requests to do exactly that. I say that because there are a lot of complaints about this model.

Most warranty problems that I read about during my research were caused by either the upper or lower heating elements failing after a few months of use. The worst problem I read about occurred when the owners were literally shocked each time they touched the exterior of their toaster oven. That is the first I have heard about this happening, and I would be afraid to get another if that happened to me. In this situation, Frigidaire did replace the unit, but the new unit started making a buzzing sound three months after it arrived.

Customer Support Experience

During my research I found that many people complained about Frigidaire’s poor warranty support. Multiple people said their appliances failed within the warranty period but that Frigidaire wouldn’t repair or replace the as stated in their warranty. Instead, they told the customers to return the toaster ovens to the stores where they were bought for refunds.

Think about that for a moment. Frigidaire told customers to return defective toaster ovens to the stores of purchase. Most stores have a 30 day return policy and won’t take these back if they fail outside of the 30 day window. That is exactly what has happened to people whose FPCO06D7MS * died after a few months. These people were left with unusable toaster ovens and a company that wouldn’t honor their warranty.

Quite honestly, this is terrible customer support for machines that have died during the warranty period.

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• ​Infrared Heating Elements – The two top halogen heating elements are used for infrared cooking, which preheats and cooks faster than traditional or quartz elements.
• Preheating – This toaster oven preheats very quickly.
• Cooks Well – When it works, this machine does a great job of cooking.
• Size – This is large enough to cook a whole chicken, or many other foods.

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• • Rack Positions – There are six different rack positions, which is confusing. How are you supposed to remember which of the six positions is best for your immediate cooking needs?
  • Heating Elements – The heating elements on either the top or bottom stop working after a short period of use in far too many machines.
  • Controls – The controls are confusing to use and not at all intuitive.
  • Quality Control – This model has an incredibly high rate of failure, which leads me to believe there is a problem with quality control where it is made.
  • Warranty Support – Instead of replacing defective units that fail within the warranty period, Frigidaire instead tells people to return their units back to their places of purchases. Often these stores won’t take them back because the attempted return is outside of their return policy timeframe.
  • Rotate Food – Many foods need to be rotated 90 degrees half way through the cooking process to make sure they are evenly browned.
  • Timer – The timer begins counting down while the oven is still preheating.
  • Door – The door doesn’t open all the way which makes it difficult to remove the crumb tray.

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If you look at the price of this model and compare it to similar models, you may think the price is fair – I would. However, given that this model has a lot of problems and suffers from early failure, I think it is very overpriced. I would never pay what this model costs for a toaster oven that lasts just a few months or a year before I had to replace it.

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When it works, the Frigidaire FPCO06D7MS toaster oven * gets great reviews from consumers. Unfortunately, there are far too many reviews, on Amazon and other online retail sites, about machines that stopped working for one reason or another after a short period of time. Some people’s machines worked for as long as 18 months before failing, while others failed after a mere month or two.

At the time of this review there are 51 four and five start ratings, and 31 one and two star ratings. I expect that any toaster oven will have negative reviews because we don’t live in a perfect word. But that is an awful ratio of good to bad reviews!

Here are the most helpful online sources I used to research the Frigidaire FPCO06D7MS toaster oven *. You may find additional helpful information by visiting any or all of these sources:

• Product information on Amazon *
• Frigidaire Website
• Frigidaire FPCO06D7MS Instruction Manual
• Frigidaire FPCO06D7MS Product Specification Sheet

After reading one review after another about the problems this toaster oven has I cannot recommend it. For whatever reason, the heating elements stop working much sooner than they should, often after just a few months of use. Based on my research, I have found that you have about a 37% of buying a model that will die prematurely if you buy it. I think that’s terrible!

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