Breville has created what they call Smart Ovens that use “Element IQ™” heating technology. As of this writing there are three toaster ovens that use the “Element IQ™” technology – BOV450XL, BOV650XL, and BOV800XL.
The phrase “Element IQ™” sounds impressive, but what does it really mean? I happen to own the Breville BOV800XL toaster oven and had no idea what the “Element IQ™” did. If you are curious, as I was, then read on because I’ve researched this and explain it below.
The purpose of “Element IQ™”, simply put, is the way that each of Breville’s Smart Ovens quickly and evenly cook food. The brains of each Smart Oven knows the most efficient way of cooking based on each of the nine preset cooking functions, and uses that knowledge to heat the quartz heating elements for the best results every time you cook in a Breville toaster oven.
Wow. Think about what for a moment. It means that the heating elements know the best way to cook your food!
The heating elements in a Breville Smart Oven sometimes look like they are pulsing or flickering. This is totally normal and is how the “Element IQ™” technology monitors and controls the heat. The internal heat is maintained or changed by short bursts of power, which is what causes the pulsing of the elements.
Each Smart Oven has a set of preset cooking functions. You can use the default functions, or you can change them to your specific cooking needs. If you change a cooking function then the “Element IQ™” will adjust its settings to your changes. Even better, the Smart Oven will remember your changes and the “Element IQ™” will continue to heat the toaster oven based on your changes until you either change them again or unplug the toaster oven.
In order to get the best results from a Breville toaster oven you need to use the right preset cooking function for whatever it is you are cooking. Some people complained that it took too long to cook a chicken in their Breville toaster ovens, but I am almost positive that they used the wrong cooking function. I know this because I’ve done it myself. I have the BOV800XL and once cooked a chicken and it seemed to take forever to finish the cooking. That was when I realized that I had used the BAKE setting but should have used the ROAST setting. The next time I cooked a chicken I used ROAST and it was done in the time I expected.
As I’ve already said, the “Element IQ™” technology heats the elements based on the cooking function that you choose. If you want to know even more about how this works then click here to go to Amazon * and read their product description.
The title of this post asks a question. Is Breville’s “Element IQ™” truly smart? It turns out that the answer is yes, it really is! If you are looking for a feature-rich toaster oven that can cook, bake, roast, and toast just about anything that can fit inside, then take a look at any of the Breville Smart Ovens.
