I have an Elite long slot pop-up toaster and a Gourmia 8 qt basket style air fryer. Those two have worked well and I've been happy with this setup. Still, I've always intrigued by the idea of a small super fast toaster oven. Counter space being limited I put the Elite pop-up toaster (crazy toaster, bread flies out of it) on the kitchen counter and my Gourmia air fryer in a back room. Both are always at the ready. Then I saw this deal and everyone raved so much I figured why not join the cult? I could get rid of the pop-up toaster and possibly the air fryer. Not so fast! Toasting: First impressions of the Panasonic, not overly impressed. The controls are a little wonky, but everyone knows this. It toasts more evenly than my pop-up toaster, but not incredibly so. Interestingly, my popup toaster is just as fast as the FlashExpress and easier to operate. There's no real toasting speed advantage (both take about 2 1/2 minutes) with the Panasonic over a regular pop-up toaster, it just makes better toast. Space: I thought the FlashExpress would fit on my counter, but you need 4 inches clearance at the back, whereas the pop-up toaster is a cool touch and sits neatly up against the wall. Sure the FlashExpress is small for a toaster oven, but the pop-up toaster takes up much less space. I ended up putting the Flash in the back room next to my air fryer and countertop pizza oven. Reheating: The Gourmia 8 qt air fryer is a better toaster oven for reheating certain items. It's just as fast if not faster and cooks more evenly and thoroughly. It's also more flexible as you can put just about anything in it and cleanup is a breeze. For anything saucy/messy I use foil pans/sheets. (Pro tip: Buy some of those grill mats and cut them to the size you need, instant durable non-stick mat for your toaster oven or air fryer). 9 inch foil pans and foil sheets fit in both. Cleaning the Panasonic could be difficult and you have to watch those infrared rods (cheese or other dripping items). For leftover pizza, cold or frozen, I use the air fryer. I put the slice on a foil sheet and hit start. It goes into pre-heat, but that's my cooking/re-heat cycle. When the sound goes off to add food the pizza is done and frequently over-done. I did the same with the Panasonic and selected 5 minutes. It was done in about 4 1/2 minutes. The air fryer was done in about the same, but I preferred the flavor and taste of the air fryer reheated slice. That said re-heating food is very good and easy in the Flash/Express. Cooking Time: It's fast for toast, but what about frozen items? You can do a small 9 inch frozen pizza in the Panasonic in 12 - 14 minutes. I have a Wisco pizza oven that cooks up to a 14 inch pizza in 14 minutes. Again, Panasonic's speed claims are based on comparisons to "toaster ovens". In my early tests the FlashExpress is not much faster than a pop-up toaster or an air fryer, but I still like it. Warnings: There are many standard typical warnings, but here's two that caught my eye The FlashExpress Owners Manual instructs not to "bake bread with butter or jam. There is a chance the bread will catch fire". It's an odd warning that your bread might catch on fire. How about this? "After use: Turn off the unit by pressing the power button, The lamp goes out. Remove the power plug." Are you kidding? Every time you use it??? That's just not happening. I'm not going to do that and I imagine most people don't either. It's probably a liability issue or maybe somebody's oven caught fire just plugged in EEK! What I like: I do like that the toasting rack comes out when you open the door. It operates slickly and your food is easy to grab. Also, it does a really nice job toasting Mestemacher Vollkornbrot too. It's that weird, flat, dense, super healthy German bread that is IMO only good toasted. Pop-up toasters are not very good for this type of bread because it can fall apart or get stuck in the toaster. With the FlashExpress you can carefully top your flat bread with whatever you like and toast for about 4 - 5 minutes. It's outstanding for that. Also, the bright lights allow you to see your food so well it's the perfect "melt" machine, you can get that tuna melt just right. Add cheese a half minute before being done toasting and it will melt to perfection. Reheating items is excellent too because this toaster oven gives you such a good view of what you're cooking that you can stop it before overcooking. What I don't like: It's missing one feature. This toaster would be perfect if it had a broil or "bagel" function. Sometimes you want to toast only one side of bread or just melt with the top element. Sadly, you can't do it as there's no ability to cook with only the top element. You could use the pan to block the lower elements but it would be better if it had the controls to just shut it off. The lights are super bright and it is odd when they cycle and turn on and off over and over. When using the presets for toasting they stay on, but if you to a timed "bake" selecting temperature and time they cycle on and off. It's like there's a scientific experiment being performed. The manufacturer warns not to stare at the light rods, they say it's bad for the eyes. I'll defer to them on this one. In summary, it generally does what they say it does, and it has a very good track record. If you're in the market for a small speedy toaster oven this is it (or the Breville Mini). I caught this deal and paid $84. I wouldn't pay the $119 price. The FlashExpress is not replacement for an air fryer but some people don't need an air fryer. I've been testing all kinds of food in it and I'm definitely keeping it. It's interesting and a lot different than any other toaster oven I've used. It's actually fun to use, something I would have never thought I'd say about a small appliance.
