Best Toaster Oven
An additional kitchen appliance that can make your time in the kitchen a tad bit more easy is always a big yes, especially when it offers to do something that would otherwise be tiresome, time-consuming or even cost you a few extra bucks on your electricity bill. Ovens are something that most households can boast of having but only they are aware of the limitations that come with the product. Lucky for all of us that an appliance that can cater to the basic needs of both baking and toasting is now available at the click of a button or swipe of a card, with the Toaster Ovens that can do both for you with the same appliance. Having ample advantages over the old-school ovens, one can find many reasons to invest in something of this kind which only gives customer satisfaction in return. Now you can toast up your slices everyday for breakfast, bake some fresh cookies in the evening while also heating up some pizza to end your day with. A device that screams versatility comes in various different sizes and styles for you to consider and make up your mind from and this article is here to help you take that decision. A decision that you are only going to thank yourself for making for years to come.
Basics about Toaster Ovens –
Before you can begin narrowing down your options, it’s only fair to every device in the competition if you know all that you are dealing with. Here is a little breakdown of the components and functions of a toaster oven and what overall aspects you need to keep in mind before declaring the winner.
A toaster oven is designed geniusly to cut down the time, energy and power that an oven requires. Simply put, a toaster oven does the same work as an oven only with reduced time and in cases better results. It provides you with the comfort than an oven can ideally not. It also adds convenience to your time in the kitchen by offering more evolved features that have advanced over time. To begin with, a preheat of just a few minutes works wonderfully well in the case of a toaster oven, whereas a conventional oven would need no less than about 40 minutes for the same.
In terms of capacity, these devices have a variety of options to offer, depending on your need and the amount of space you want to dedicate to it in your kitchen. It comes off an as ideal option for those who cook a small portion size and thus do not have to waste so much energy. This small toaster oven works well for those living alone or in a small household.
A category of toaster ovens boast of the convection heating system which simply implies that there is a mini fan present inside the oven to help spread the heat evenly throughout the whole body of the oven. This contributes to the efficiency as well as a better quality of end product as it reduces the chances of your food turning out burnt. In addition to this feature reducing the overall moisture from the surroundings of your food item, it adds a sense of crispness that may otherwise be difficult to achieve in a conventional oven. Some of the toaster ovens listed in this article come with this feature which do give them an edge over the other possible contenders.
With the basics being explained now, it’s time we dive into the details of each product that has been considered over several aspects for you to be able to choose the one of your choice. Hopefully after reading this thoroughly you can credit us for a new addition to your kitchen appliances! Lets have a look at the top toaster oven reviews below –
1. Breville – BOV845BSS Smart Oven Pro
Specifications:
- Size: 0.5 cubic feet
- Dimensions:15.75 x 18.50 x 11 inches
- Item weight: 22.8 pounds
- Watt: 1800
- Convection Toaster Oven : Yes
- LCD Display: Yes
Design:
The elegant body of this toaster oven by Breville comes as no surprise- looking at the reputation of the brand when it comes to giving attention to the product in term of looks and design. The overall stainless steel frame of the oven gives it an overall sturdy build but at the same time looking quite modern and elegant. One special feature has to be the LCD digital panel that sits at the front of the oven, simply yet effectively displaying the various settings to choose from. Now you no longer have to fidget with multiple buttons or waste time reading the instruction manual again and again.
The very modern outlook of this device goes well with today’s definition of the aesthetic of a modern kitchen and will only add to the beauty of your surroundings. The capacity of the toaster oven allows you to cater for a significant portion of food and you wouldn’t have to worry about your time and efforts being wasted. With this option compromising nowhere when it comes to design and style, it does win some, actually a lot of points solely on the basis of its looks. Do not worry about the rest of the features as they only add to the likeability of this product overall, as is discussed in the following sections.
Capacity:
What a customer wants ideally while investing in a toaster oven of any kind is that it should be able to accomodate the quantity of food that they require. What this countertop oven has to offer only leaves the customers happy and satisfied. With the sliding main tray offering ample space, as much for you to fit six slices of bread, a whole chicken or a 13’’ pizza, it offers no chance for you to complain while only cooking your food item with perfection. When you open the oven with its glass door you can glance inside the oven to know how spacious and roomful this appliance is.
Not compromising in terms of capacity, all at the same time looking just the apt size for your kitchen slab comes as of the many positives this product has to offer. Overall, the Breville toaster oven offers you enough space to accommodate your breakfast all at once without having to run the appliance again and again, spending so much time and undoubtedly electricity as well in the process. It becomes quite obvious that this product probably has the best that there is to offer in terms of capacity, especially at this price range.
Features:
One feature that probably acts as the Ultimate Selling Point of this product is the Convection setting that it has to offer. As was discussed in the beginning, the convection mode is pretty ideal for all your baking activities as well as roasting needs. With the fan that comes inbuilt with this oven, the heat that is generation inside is spread evenly throughout the whole capacity of the toaster oven which only makes the cooking or baking process faster.This allows your food to get access to the heat in all directions and getting baked the right way, in contrast to the conventional ovens that do not promise the user of any kind of evenness when it comes to heat spreading.
What results in is you getting satisfactory results and not wasting your food, and even time as a matter of fact re-cooking your food item. Some other features that are definitely worth a mention are the LCD display which is one of a kind that can be seen in kitchen products of this type. It only adds a sense of convenience to the usability of this oven. The various cooking functions that the product has to offer only leaves the customer wanting for more. The bake, toast, grill or simply heat up feature of the oven makes it a must have by all means.
Maintenance:
This acts as an important factor when it comes to a customer deciding a product to purchase as it will tell you how easy it is to care of the device you will be investing in. one does not intend to spend on something that will need a lot of maintenance as it simply translated to time and effort waste. What comes as an advantage of going forward with this option as your purchase is that is very easy to clean and maintain.
The stainless steel body does not rust even if subjected to moisture and this promises the buyer the ever-shiny appearance of the product for a long time.
What one can naturally expect is for the insides to get greasy or simply dirty after multiple rounds of use. A simple wet cloth or a wipe can come to your rescue. The glass door with the handle is only one wipe away from returning its spotless surface. The buyer is given enough service repairs for the oven which come covered in the purchase. In short, the customer can be sure of this being a one-time investment because repairs to any damages won’t be necessary. This adds to one of the many positives this product has to offer, to make your cooking sessions easy.
Pros:
- Uses 1800 Watts for pre-heating, reducing the time appreciably
- Convection mode
- A varied range of temperature to offer
- Spacious capacity
- LCD display in front
In Conclusion:
From the very renowned brand names comes a product that does not fail to impress at all. The Breville toaster oven comes in a very domestic size and design with probably the best features that there are possible to offer. Coming with the much talked about convection feature, it ensures that the food that goes in only comes out looking cooked to perfection. Impressing the user with it’s sleek and smart display gives it an edge over the other products as it looks quite beautiful set in any kitchen. It comes at a price that totally is value for money as the functionality of this toaster oven is unlike any other. Any customer would end up happy after experimenting with its multiple cooking settings that it can offer, allowing you to bake pizza, cookies and cakes all with the help of a single device. It can definitely qualify as one of the best picks that you can finalise upon after reading the description and deciding if it suits your need. With the brand’s firm word of never letting down a customer, the Breville toaster oven definitely is one option you should consider.
2. Cuisinart TOB-135 [ Best Cuisinart Toaster Oven ]
Specifications:
- Size: 0.6 cubic feet
- Dimensions: 18.3 x 15.3 x 9.3 inches
- Item weight: 14 pounds
- Watt: 1800
- Convection feature: Yes
- LCD Display: Yes
Design:
The toaster oven by Cuisinart offers the user a very smart looking oven, something anyone would love to add to their kitchen. The overall body of the appliance is made up of stainless steel, which is quite a common feature in all the ovens that are recently being introduced in the market in this category. The cuboidal body fits perfectly with any modern kitchen setting and has a polished finish to it from the outside. It comes with rubber coated bottom rests which make it easy for you to place it on your kitchen counter without causing any damage to the surface below.
Coming to the insides of the toaster oven, it flaunts a very neat design there as well, having space for multiple trays for you to use while cooking, grilling or baking. The overall build of the oven is quite sturdy which ensures that no damage can be easily done while handling it, even on a daily basis. The LCD panels on the outside do give it a very modern touch, all while helping you to operate this device better. What comes as a major plus point to this toaster oven is that it doesn’t fail to impress at first site.
Capacity:
Something which quite a lot of other products this kind also offer in this day and age is the appreciable capacity of toaster ovens. Earlier with the conventional ovens this might be a slight difficult task to imagine, but now preparing a whole meal for a handful of people is not a chore, thanks to the large capacity these products can offer. This one in particular, gives you enough space to bake a 12’’ pizza or upto six slices of bread at once. You can of course exploit this spacious feature for so many purposes, your creativity can guide the possibilities!
With an easy to pull out and put in crumble tray, you are given a chance to explore the variety of functions it has to offer, which can in one way be credited to the ample space provided by the makers of this oven. The customer is in no way left with any reason to complain as one need not use the oven over and over again because all your needs are catered too in one go. Allowing you to cook one whole chicken at a time, it sure helps you prepare a dinner to feed many. The holiday season never seemed this comfortable before, now that you have an appliance to help you reduce the time you spend in the kitchen.
Features:
It is only fair to begin with the most supreme feature this toaster oven has to offer- the Convection mode. Coming with a tiny fan placed on the backside of the body, the convection mode of this oven helps you to cook your food evenly, by spreading the generated heat uniformly all around the food item. This rules out all possibilities of you burning your food or leaving it uncooked from some sides in the process. The convection feature comes as a very handy feature when you are trying to bake something, especially cakes as we know how needy such food items are when it comes to equal heating from all sides.
Another major plus point that this product has to offer is the 9 setting modes than you can choose to use from. Be it roasting, baking, warming or broiling, all can be done now simply with the selection of a setting easily by the selection knob. This sort of versatility comes quite rarely in markets dealing with such electronics and for you to get it in a price range so good, is something next level altogether. The advanced heating technology greatly reduces the preheat time and this becomes a major selling point when compared to the older ovens which demanded a greater time for the same.
Maintenance:
The last thing that anyone as a customer would want is to invest more and more on a device that they recently spent some earnings on. Well, lucky for all of us that this toaster ovens gives no chances or opportunities for one to complain in this regard. Proving to be one of the most convenient and easy to use ovens that there are, the body that has a non-stick interior to it can be easily cleaned just with the help of a wet cloth or wipe. As discussed earlier, the sturdy frame of the body needs no special care as it proves to be of a very good quality.
The digital panel which is present in the front of the device also has a good life as there are hardly any complains of it malfunctioning on the internet. The overall effort of keeping the appliance in a desirable state is quite minimal and one does not need to dedicate much time and effort in doing so. You can count on the sufficient service repairs provided by the manufacturers that will cater to any need of your when it comes to the functionality of the device.
Pros:
- Looks elegant without being expensive
- Has 9 cooking modes to choose from
- Powered by 1800 watts, reduces preheat time
- Convection mode present
In Conclusion:
With the coming age and the advancements in technology, one can be expectant of using devices that severely cut down on your time and efforts, especially when it revolves around one of the most tiring places in a household- the kitchen. The toaster oven offered by Cuisinart plays very safe in this regard. It offers the buyers plenty features and plus points overall that one cannot help but consider it as a serious contender. The spacious capacity of the oven from the insides offers you a chance at baking or let alone reheating a pizza of 12’’ which one is aware of, is an appreciable space. A highlight is the convection mode present in this product which proves to be a blessing to all and any who wish to spend more time baking. It ensures that the heat is evenly spread and no part remains uncooked. With multiple cooking options present for you to easily choose from with the help of a digital display, you can find yourself having a smooth experience using this appliance. Thanks to the many useful features and the price range that it comes in, this toaster oven can definitely be a serious consideration.
3. BLACK+DECKER TO1303SB
Specifications:
- Size: 10 x 15.5 x 8.4 inches
- Item weight: approximately 8 pounds
- Watt: 1500
- Convection feature: No
- LCD Display: No
Design:
Talking about one of the conventional-looking toaster ovens, the one manufactured by Black + Decker comes off as very simple looking but very effective nonetheless, does what it is supposed to do. The stainless steel body of this decent looking oven keeps the frame of the device quite sturdy and strong but it is not the best that there is to offer when it comes to similar products present in this category. On the outside this oven looks like the old-school ovens, displaying the multiple setting knobs, but once you get to use the oven it has quite some impressive features to offer.
What comes as a unique feature is the curved interior of the oven which gives the user quite an additional space when it comes to baking, cakes especially. This acts as one of the highlights of this appliance which the user can definitely use to its full extent. The design includes a removable crumble tray which can be pulled out easily once your goods are done being cooked. Overall the appliance gives a neat and decent appearance and the size makes it an ideal choice for households looking for something that would not occupy much space.
Capacity
Being of much greater use to the ones who are currently looking for something decent sized that can be comfortably accommodated on the kitchen counter top, this one does all the job that a toaster of a bigger size would. You can easily fit upto 4 bread slices at once and it has enough space for a 9’’ pizza for you to reheat or bake for your dinner time. Although it is comparatively smaller than the other products of this type in the market, this offers to be a great choice if you want good service and at the same time not compromise on the space that it occupies.
You can find yourself baking a comfortable amount of cookies, toasting up a few slices of bread or even using it to heat up some food, within the handy space provided by this appliance. It definitely offers to be advantageous when you are dealing with small food portions, so you do not end up spending time and energy unnecessarily. Proving to be one of the best in this price range, the toaster oven made by Black+Decker is going to please all buyers that want something that would suffice for their minimalistic needs and culinary demands.
Features:
Although this handy toaster oven does not come with a convection mode as one of its many settings, you would not be left dissatisfied with the other features that this product has to offer. The three control knobs that are present on the outside of the transparent glass door let you choose a variety of temperature settings and cooking modes that are otherwise not very popular in the case of such appliances in this size and price range. You can choose to grill, roast, toast, bake or broil whatever food item you wish without having the need to purchase different kitchen appliances for that.
One of the other impressive features that this handy device has to offer is definitely the 30 minute timer that comes inside the oven. Now you do not have to worry about burning any of your food or wasting the electricity for some unnecessary time as the timer will go off, alerting you and bringing your attention back to where it is needed. The curved interior of the oven surely gives you ample space to bake a variety of food items, without disturbing the top of it. The large window present in the front allows you to keep an eye on how your favourite dish is getting prepared.
Maintenance:
One advantage of a device that does not take up much space is the ease with which you can maintain it in a neat and clean way. The stainless steel body of the oven can return back to its shiny form just be cleaning with with a cloth, as is the case commonly with other ovens in this category. You do not have to spend endless hours trying to get it back to the way you had purchased it as will not undergo any major issues. The sturdy and strong build of the appliance as discussed before adds to this aspect and makes sure that your money hasn’t gone to waste.
As there is no digital panel for you to worry about, you can be sure of the selection knobs working perfectly fine for a very long time as there are no such complains that the customers have reported to face. The lower wattage of this appliance also means that it is relatively safer for the household as it will not tend to generate massive amounts of heat or cause any electrical disturbance. The quality of products used by the manufacturer surely helps you believe the you have made the right choice in going for this product over the others.
Pros:
- Uses the least amount of energy at 1500 Watts
- Perfectly sized for an average household
- Comes with multiple pre-set cooking modes
In Conclusion:
The toaster oven manufactured by Black+Decker manages to impress the average user, which is pretty common for all products made by this company. This one in particular, comes in a size which is very handy ideally made for households that do not want to spend a lot of space on their kitchen counters dedicated to one appliance. The interesting design of its interior, being curved to allow an additional space for you to bake. The removable crumb tray comes out very easily for you to utilise and the toaster oven comes with a bake pan and broil rack that fits securely for optimal cooking. This feature is not quite present in other products this type. The 30 minute timer offers to be a very helpful feature as it reminds you to return your attention to the oven just in time. Now all you are left with is looking up lip smacking recipes and trying them out on an oven specially catered to meet your needs.
4. Oster Toaster TSSTTVMNDG-SHP-2
Specifications:
- Size: 15.4 x 19.8 x 11.4 inches
- Item weight: 20.3 pounds
- Watt: 1300
- Convection feature: Yes
- LCD Display: Yes
Design:
On the outside, this toaster looks like any other oven this kind but that is not all that this product has to offer. The very modern and sleek design of its body is contributed by the slightly curved edges that the body presents with which definitely adds to a very eye-pleasing design. At the front you have a digital panel that offers all control settings for you to choose from, offering a dozen different choices. The body is made of stainless steel with a shine of polish given by the manufacturers, which definitely adds a glossy appeal to the whole structure from the outside.
Talking about the insides, the company have done a genius task by adding a low power bulb on the inside. This way you can monitor your cooking and always keep an eye on your food before it starts burning. Present on the sides are the ventilator slits and a mini fan which contributes to the convection feature that the model offers. This comes as an added advantage because at a lesser power, you can now bake goods with equal efficiency as the old-school ovens. The overall design of the product can be classified sleek and classy, adding a touch of style to your kitchen.
Capacity:
When you talk about an aspect like the capacity of a kitchen appliance, one cannot ignore the most prominent deciding factor- the individual need. The capacity offered by this oven will surely please the buyers if they have a family of at least 5. This way you can easily justify the whole space that is provided by the manufacturer and not have to keep on cooking again and again in the same device. The slightly curved body of the oven contributes greatly in adding more space than there is already provided.
Talking about what exactly you can fit into the tray at one go, the large interior of the device can let you bake a 12’’ pizza with utmost ease. If you are in the mood of something healthy then worry not because it also has ample space for you to place no less than 6 bread slices at one go. This means that you can easily fit in one whole meal of yours inside without having to worry about the size constraints.the manufacturers of this appliance have taken it to be their personal duty to make sure that no customer is left unsatisfied after using their product, especially in terms of the capacity.
Features:
This smart toaster oven by Oster has a lot to offer when you talk about features. What is personally liked by all is that the oven proves to be one of the most versatile product in their kitchens. This is so because the makers give you a dozen of baking, cooking and broiling options to choose from, all with the convenience of choosing it from a very easy to use digital panel. The product comes with an in-built fan which contributes mainly to the convection feature that is enabled, resulting in the even spreading of the heat.
In addition to the features mentioned above, one small detail that is added by the manufacturers is the presence of a light bulb that is not the common case in products seen otherwise in this category. This allows you to keep an eye on the process going on inside so you know when to stop. The 90 minute timer provided by the makers ensures that your device automatically shuts down well within the time it will take to overheat and possibly cause damage. This proves to be a very useful feature in any device operating at high power.
Maintenance:
A company that offers you great customer service but also a chance for you to never need it is favoured by all. This is exactly the case with this product as the quality of materials used by the makers is definitely something to appreciate. The glass door or looking window present in the front of the body can be easily return to its shiny, sparkly and neat form just by the wipe of a cloth. This applies to the overall body as well because of the stainless steel frame of the body which does not rust even when exposed to surroundings containing moisture.
On the inside, the oven comes with easily detachable parts and trays which allow you to periodically remove and clean them. This lets you function in a neat and clean surrounding. The crumble and the main baking tray are made up of materials that can be easily rinsed or washed with mild detergents without causing any damage or wear-off to their surface. This gives you a pleasant user experience because you do not have to invest heavily on any special cleaning aids or materials which might surely be the source of inconvenience to many. This adds up to all the plus points
Pros:
- Functions on lower power comparatively (1300 W)
- Great capacity
- Light present inside
- Convection mode present
In Conclusion:
If you are looking for something to ease up your time in the kitchen and make your kitchen duties seems like less of a chore, you are in safe hands with this toaster oven. The Oster Toaster Oven seems to be a great option if you live in a moderately sized household and are up for buying something that can cater to the demands of all the members. Be it baking pizzas, cakes or a tray full of cookies, this model has got it all covered. All you now need is to set it up at the ideal location on top of the kitchen counter. The convection mode present in the oven acts as the smartest feature for any cooking appliance that deals with high heat as with this feature present, the heat spreads evenly throughout the body of the oven without overheating any specific area. The 90 minute timer which comes inbuilt with this appliance proves to be a saviour in case you are forgetful and need a reminder that something inside the oven has been put to baked. Coming at a price range that goes easy on your budget, all while providing the features that this does, this product definitely deserves a serious consideration.
5. Waring Pro TCO650
Specifications:
- Size: 14.5 x 17 x 10.75 inches
- Item weight: 22.8pounds
- Watt: 1500
- Convection feature: Yes
- LCD Display: Yes
Design:
What comes as a breath of fresh air is definitely how this toaster oven looks from the outside. One key feature is the simplistic features of the design that the oven shows. As simple as the designs for the bodies of ovens in this age can get, this oven offers to be all it promises while not having unnecessary features that might add to the cost while taking away from the efficiency of this product. Simply put, even though the product might appear to be less fancy or extravagant from the outside, it gives full value for money once you start using it.
The body of the oven is made up of stainless steel which gives it a sturdy appearance and does not allow any wear and tear from a mild impact. At the front there is a small digital panel present which displays the time you have set for your cooking process and below it are the various setting modes. The oven comes with a regulatory knob that functions smoothly to help you glide through various settings and modes without it turning to be a difficult task. The general design of the product does lie towards the simplistic side but that does not take away from it being super effective.
Capacity:
To any user of a kitchen appliance especially dealing with something that is almost of daily use, one thing that attracts you towards any product is if it can accommodate all your culinary needs or not. The toaster oven comes in a size perfect for you to kick start your day by toasting some bread, that too 6 in all at one go. You will find it to be very easy and useful when you open the glass door to reveal enough space for you to easily keep enough food for a bunch of people inside. The product does not fail to impress you here.
Owing to the large space provided inside by the manufacturers, you can easily bake a 12’’ pizza, a feature that is seem quite commonly in all ovens that come in this price range and size. Gone are the days when your food choices would be commanded by the size of your oven, forcing you to waste electricity by running the appliance too many times. It also hold enough space for you to utilise the toast, bake and broil function all while not compromising on the quality of the food being cooked to perfection inside. This adds to the other positives of this product.
Features:
To cater to all your cooking, baking and toasting needs, this product proves to be quite impressive as it offers quite some key features. Going by the set modes and settings offered by all ovens this type, you can easily switch on the toaster and set it to your accordance. The LCD digital panel at the front gives you a clear guide to what there is to choose from. The simple and clearly marked buttons avoid any sort of confusion that you might face and reduces the time you spend solely on getting started. The efficiency of this product is one of kind, giving great results every time it is used.
Being a convection mode oven, despite of it lacking the outside general appeal it dies offer to be a great and undoubtedly an effective choice when it comes to baking something that needs an evenly heated surrounding. This feature which is also seen in many other appliances coming at this budget and size does prove to be one of its highlight. In addition to all of that, a 60 minute timer comes handy when you have to leave your appliance unsupervised for some time. This ensures that you return your attention to where it is needed right the required tie.
Maintenance:
This is one of the most obvious features of this device as explained earlier, but crediting to the very simple and sophisticated design of the body of this toaster oven, it does not need much of your time to keep it clean and shiny. A simple wipe with a wet cloth does the job effectively and it does not demand any special cleaning kit or tools to keep it up and running. The digital panel has also proven to be of a great quality, having an appreciable life. This makes the user quite comfortable with using the device in the longer run.
What the user does need to keep in mind is the heating of the side walls that can take place if the appliance has been running for an appreciable amount of time. To avoid any damage to you kitchen surroundings, it is advisable to keep away any item flammable or not from the oven at a distance of at least 6 inches. This way you are avoiding any possibility of a calamity by just observing a safety measure. In all, the device once bought does not need much of your attention as it is designed to provide utmost comfort to the user without them having to invest more in it.
Pros:
- Moderately sized
- Runs on low power
- Offers various cooking features
- Includes oven rack, baking pan, and crumb tray.
In conclusion:
Appearing to be very simple, old-fashioned yet sophisticated toaster oven from the outside, this product is carefully designed keeping the customers in mind. Being simple yet totally effective acts as one of the key points in the features of this oven as you can use it to easily bake pizzas, cookies or even roast a moderately sized chicken. Your family can surely imagine themselves using this machine a lot. The convection feature that is present as one of the cooking modes definitely proves to be one of the selling points. If you talk about being user friendly then the company does an excellent job at making your life easy by explaining [pretty much everything in the guide booklet. One can surf through easily and go about any process they wish to. Being very easy to manage and maintain, the consumer can literally forget about the device after purchasing it as you seriously won’t be offered a chance to complain or ask for a servicing. The parts used to build the device are of great quality and the functioning of the appliance proves that very point brilliantly. For anyone having the need of that what is provided by this product can give this one a serious thought.
6. Panasonic PAN-NB-G110PW ( Panasonic Toaster Oven )
Specifications:
- Size: 13 x 12 x 10.25 inches
- Item weight: 7.5 pounds
- Watt: 1300
- Convection feature: No
- LCD Display: Only timer
Design:
Straying away from the regular set pattern of what a toaster oven looks like, the body of this particular oven offers to be new in terms of its outlook. The moderately sized oven comes in a very neatly designed body that caters to all your cooking requirements, while adding an extra touch of fancy to you kitchen setting. In the front is the see-through window or glass door that allows you to monitor what’s going on inside at all times. Present below is the digital panel displaying the time you set for use and it takes only a decent amount of space in the whole body. The body is made up of stainless steel and comes in a very sophisticated white color which is not very common in ovens.
Below the digital time panel are the various buttons present for the temperature and setting control and the buyer can easily maneuver through them as these are pretty self explanatory. On the sides there is the usual ventilation slits present which give ample space for the excess hot air to escape. It is usually advised to place this oven at an appreciable distance from any other kitchen appliance that can undergo damage due to heat, as the sides do tend to heat up after repeated rounds of usage.
Capacity:
As has been a key topic of discussion and description throughout the article, the capacity of a toaster oven plays a very important role in helping the buyer make a decision. The makers of this model cater to the needs of an average sized household that needs just the apt amount of cooking space inside their toaster oven. You can easily bake a 9’’ pizza inside the oven while also baking a full tray of decent sized cookies. This comes as a relief to those who are tired of their kitchen appliances limiting their choices as they simply cannot accommodate it in one go.
The quite spacious insides of the oven are revealed once you pull open the glass door and what you are greeted with is an efficiently designed interior perfected to give you the most out of that space. The square shaped inner tray does give you an extra width to work with when compared to the usual rectangular pull out tray that is provided by the manufacturers of other ovens. This way you can make the most out of your time in the kitchen while not having to spend that extra amount of electricity either.
Features:
There is plenty to discuss and describe when it comes to the features present in the oven manufactured by Panasonic. What some might think to be a disadvantage to the product, the lack of the convection mode, is easily compensated by the presence of its key feature- the Infrared heating system. This makes it one of the only ovens to showcase such high heating capacity within an instant, letting it have an edge over the products of this category. The precise time control lets you choose for exactly how long you wish to let the goods inside cook for while not letting them overcook for even a second.
The see-through glass door offers to be a very helpful feature as it lets you keep an eye manually on the progress of the food items inside. This allows you to stop the heating whenever necessary. The easy to use setting and control panel makes the user experience great as the buyer does not have to spend loads of time just flipping through the instruction booklet. The accurate temperature control setting of the oven ensures that each item is baked to perfection while giving the full control in your hands. The pre-set settings are in most cases unchangeable but that does not hinder the user experience.
Maintenance:
One thing that Panasonic promises and even delivers is the customer satisfaction. In all reviews that are present on the internet one can rarely come across a complaint regarding the quality of the product that the company has provided them with. This applies to the toaster oven as well. The customer is given the assurance of not having to invest in the maintenance of this product for a long time after purchase. This definitely adds a lot to the positives that this oven has to offer. One can find themselves to be carefree when it comes to looking after the appliance.
The overall body being made up of stainless steel promises the user one thing- that there wouldn’t be an easy damage to the surface of the oven thanks to its build. Rusting is not an issue at all as the coat of paint that the oven comes in protect the body from all sorts of chemical or atmospheric damage. The body can wiped clean with ease and this makes it a very easy product to look after. You do not have the need to spend extra bucks on keeping it in a good shape and that leads to an increase in the number of happy buyers that the company promises to provide.
Pros:
- Infrared heating technologie
- Moderately sized
- Easy to use and operate
- Low maintenance required
In conclusion:
To wrap it all up simply, the toaster oven manufactured by Panasonic proves to be a good contender among the sea of other products of this type. One cannot help but appreciate the number of features that it offers and allows you to have a non-compliant full time. The different heating technologie used in this oven- the Infrared system makes up for the lack of the convection setting in the best way possible. The insides heat to a high temperature in an instant thanks to this technologie and the precise time and temperature control lets you have the controlling hand over the whole process. Coming at a price range that most households of an average size can afford, the oven proves to be an excellent choice and does not fail to deliver what it promises. If you are in the need of the things that there is to offer with the purchase of this product then this deserves a serious consideration from you.
7. Hamilton Beach 31334 Easy Reach Toaster Oven
Specifications:
- Size: 14 x 18 x 11 inches
- Item weight: around 9 pounds
- Watt: 1200
- Convection feature: No
- LCD Display: No
Design:
What meets your eye the first thing you lay your sight on this product is the small, compact and almost toy-like appearance it has. This is unarguably one of the smallest sizes that toaster ovens come in but at the same time you can not underestimate the functional capacity of this product. The overall body takes about the same size a large sandwich maker would or where you could accomodate a food processor. It does not come with any digital panels or boards but only two very functional rotatable knobs which help you explore the limited yet useful options this oven offers.
The lid of the oven which acts as the see-through door or window as well slides from the top to the bottom in a very swift action and this comes as a first in the designs showcased by toaster ovens. The appearance from the outside is curved from the sides which gives its fresh look, unlike any heavy power ovens that the companies now offer. The consumer can add a fun yet modern look to their kitchens with the addition of the product while saving a lot in the matter of space.
Capacity:
One factor that comes off to be very obvious is the small capacity of this toaster oven made by Hamilton. It is ideally made for those who live alone or have only a very little amount of food to prepare at one go. This makes it very useful, saves your power and electricity while giving you only the best of features and performance. When you open the slidable lid you are exposed to the interior of the oven where you can explore the actual capacity better. Present inside is the decently sized removable baking tray which can easily accomodate upto 4 bread slices on it.
As mentioned earlier, this size was made by the brand specifically keeping the solo users in mind. If you are looking for something that can accomodate the foody needs of an average sized household then this might not be the ideal choice for you. You can use the modes of the oven to toast bread slices, bake pizzas fit for one person and even utilise it for broiling purposes.
Features:
While it does exceptionally well in terms of functionalbility and compactness, it might not have any exclusive features to offer that other brands do not. The plus point that this oven has is that it covers the basic needs of any person having a functional kitchen and would not leave you un-impressed if you want to use it to go by your day with the limited amount of work you would want help in from an oven this size. The oven does not feature a convection mode but it does exceptionally well in terms of reaching the desired temperature in a short time.
You can find yourself baking the basics of any recipe with this oven and the even heating system of the product ensures that none of your food items have an unevenly cooked surface. The two control knobs guide you effortlessly through the various settings and allow you to choose what’s best for your need. Owing to the very adorable size and design of this product it can add an aesthetic value to your kitchen countertop without it appearing to be just a boring appliance.
Maintenance:
One thing that the manufacturers earn full points in is the ease with which the buyer can use and even maintain the device in a perfect condition. Thanks to the small size and the good quality of materials used by the company you are not given a chance to complain often or run around claiming the services promised with the warranty. The body of the oven can be kept sparkly clean just by wiping it thoroughly with a wet cloth. The insides can be kept neatly by just pulling out the main baking tray as well as the crumb tray that comes with the model. They can be cleaned with ease.
You do not have the need to invest in any special cleaning tools or chemicals to keep the oven in the condition you bought it in. This is highlighted by the fact that the slidable window or door comes as a part of a detachable segment of the oven’s upper body and this allows you to remove it completely and give it a thorough wash. This ensures that the part that is subjected to the most dirt can be kept in the perfect condition with the minimal effort.
Pros:
- Compact size
- Suitable for small family size
- Runs on low power
- Easy to operate and maintain
In Conclusion:
To summarise all that the Hamilton toaster oven has to offer, it would include a look back at all the points discussed above. Starting with the most obvious feature of this appliance, it is one of the smallest ovens which offers all the basic features of a normal oven present in the market coming at a higher price and larger size. You can easily find yourself utilising the basic features of the oven like toasting bread slices and heating a pizza of the smallest portion as you glide through the multiple heat and time settings offered by the makers. It sits perfectly on a kitchen countertop without occupying any major amount of space but attraction attention for all the right reasons. So if you have the need and budget of an oven that can give you the most out of it then this small, compact yet totally efficient oven by Hamilton acts to be a good option.
Now that you have a fair idea about what to look for in a toaster oven, what the usual features and where the different appliances stand in terms of efficiency, you are all set to add a meaningful appliance to your kitchen. May you find your perfect match!
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8. Panasonic FlashXpress – Best Small Toaster Oven
Volume: Up to 4 bread slices or a 9-inch pizza
Display: Digital LCD
Heating Element: Quartz and Ceramic
Temperature: 250°F – 500°F
There are so many reasons why we couldn’t help but be impressed with the Panasonic FlashXpress. It ticks all the boxes that one looks for from a multifunctional appliance like this.
It is compact, lightweight, looks fairly good and has an entry-level pricing.
Despite this, it can cook food up to 40% faster than its nearest competition.
To be fair, it does have its limitations. But those are too feeble to mar its appeal as a budget-priced toaster oven for homes where countertop space is a premium.
Let’s take a closer look.
The perfect under cabinet toaster oven
At 10 inches tall and 12 inches deep, the FlashXpress tucks in neatly under the cabinet. It weighs a feeble 7.5 pounds and moving it around or even carrying it along for impromptu parties should be effortless. You can choose from a painted silver or an all-white metal exterior casing. There’s a retro-looking control panel on the front with slightly ungainly buttons that have a very responsive ‘click’ to them when pressed.
It looks more like an old microwave than a modern day toaster oven. Likewise, with the display. It’s an oldish LCD one that doesn’t look too impressive. But hey, it does the job. Overall, it might not score over the rest in the looks. But it does make up in the performance. Surprisingly enough, the three feet power cord is on the side and not the back. But that’s hardly a deal breaker.
On the control panel, you have dedicated buttons for six presets (toast, frozen waffle, bread reheat, frozen pizza, quick reheat and frozen hash brown), a temperature adjustment setting (more on this in a bit) and up/down buttons for adjusting the shade of your toast (5 shades). There’s an on/off button which also doubles up as a pause/start button. In other words, there’s no way you can pause the toaster oven other than restarting it. Duh!
Usage is fairly easy. You can throw in your toast, select a preset and be done with it. Same goes for reheating pizza slices, bread or making a frozen hash brown. There’s an internal light that you can power on to check on the food and the drop down door with the pop-out baking rack allows easy retrieval of the food.
Express heating
The FlashXpress has dual heating elements, both Ceramic and Quartz. These are positioned on the front and the far end each, which we suppose is for the outside and the interior of the food you are heating or cooking.
And boy, does it heat fast.
Panasonic hits it out of the park by eliminating annoying preheat times. If you like your food heated or bread toasted fast, this is your best bet. Just toss it in, press a button and get on with your life.
On the flipside, if you expect to broil meat to a precise temperature or grill fish or bake large cakes for that matter, you might find that this isn’t the best toaster oven for you.
There’s a food crumb tray that slides out easily and reaching into the limited-space interiors to wipe it down is fairly easy.
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- The entry-level price tag: At the price point, this toaster oven offers unbeatable value for money.
- The fast heating time: If you want a no-frills attached, toaster for reheating food or toasting bread, you won’t find a better option in this list of best toaster ovens.
- The consistency: Everything from bread to pizza to hash browns are cooked to perfection. The five shades of toast browning is an added bonus and takes the guesswork out of it. For the baking aficionados, you can still bake in small batches.
- The presets: We love the one-button access to your favorite foods.
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- The temperature control: You can only adjust the temperature from 250°F – 500°F in eight increments. Being a Japanese made appliance, the Farhenheit controls have been migrated from a Celcius one. So, oddly enough you can’t set the temperature to 450 or 390. Once again, not a huge turn off but a minor niggle that you need to work around.
- The timer: The max time that you can set the timer for is 25 minutes. So, if you want to bake a batch of cookies for 40 minutes, you’d have to reset the timer after 25.
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Verdict : The Panasonic FlashXpress is a very solid contender for the best small toaster oven. Small apartments, empty nesters and dorm rooms will be very tempted at the size, the features and that price tag. If you are looking for more advanced features and slightly bigger cooking volume, read on.
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[section label=”Best Large Toaster Oven & Most Popular”]
9. Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven – Best Large Toaster Oven & Most Popular
Volume: Up to 6 slices of toast or 12-inch Pizza
Display: Backlit LCD
Heating Element: Quartz with Convection cooking
Temperature: 120 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
Bump your budget a little and you reach premium turf in the toaster oven space. This is the Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven that is as close to a full-range oven as you can get.
It has as many as 9 preset settings, pin-point temperature accuracy and the volume to accommodate your 12-inch pizzas. Club that with a swanky stainless steel appearance and an upscale control panel, you have a combination that is very hard to ignore.
True, the extra volume comes at the cost of a larger footprint. But it is still smaller in dimensions than some of the other models at this price point. And it has 0.8 cubic feet of space inside.
This is hands down, the best large toaster oven in this list and also, the most popular one if customer reviews are to go by.
The easiest to use
At 18.5 inches wide and 12.5 inches deep (if you don’t include the handle), the Breville Smart Oven is fairly large in size. But like we said, the larger the size, the bigger the pizza slice that it can accommodate. Toss in your 13-inchers and this will gulp it down with ease. The construction is all-stainless and looks attractive. However, the top side of the oven gets heated when it is in use. We believe that the intended use of this feature is for a plate warmer. But if you are careless, you can melt a plastic bowl or something. So, ensure that there’s nothing kept on top of the oven when it is in use.
The control panel on the front is largely dominated by three dials for function, temperature and timer. We know what you are thinking. Dials? But trust us on this. Once you get your hands on them, you’ll how easy this is to use.
There’s an LCD display with an intuitive user menu that switches on the fly when you select the appropriate knob. The LCD also conveniently changes color from blue to orange whenever the oven is in use. Additionally, there are four small-sized buttons that allow you to select the defrost function, start/pause the oven, turn on convection heating and toggle between Celsius and Fahrenheit.
Three Height settings
Depending on what you are cooking or heating, you can select from three different rack heights. Breville adds a quick height-selection guide on the see-through door making it easy to choose the right one without having to fiddle with the manual every time. The middle rack, which is typically the rack you’d use for pizzas, cookies and the likes, has a magnetic rack-ejector that pushes it out when you open the door. That’s a neat safety feature. But sadly, it is not extended to the other racks.
The preset functions are a breeze to use. Just select one using the large dial and the Smart oven auto adjusts the settings. You can bake, broil, roast, make cookies, reheat food, make pizza, a bagel, toast bread or keep the food warm.
The convection setting can be turned on for some of the functions and it speeds up the heating time.
The cooking is consistent and perfect every time. The breads are toasted to the perfect shade of brown (you can choose from 7 shades) and the broiled meat was crispy outside with juicy interiors. It did struggle with frozen pizza. But so did all the ovens in this list.
The maximum cook time is 2 hours which is enough for broiling meat or slow cooking. However, if you prefer to slow cook or broast meat for close to 8-10 hours, then you can take a look at the Breville Smart Oven Pro which has a slow cooking feature.
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- The appearance: With the stainless-steel construction, the swanky control panel, this one is a looker. But its effectiveness goes far beyond the looks.
- The features: 9 presets, a vast temperature adjustment range, two-hour cook time, three height settings for racks and convection cooking to speed it up further. Enough said.
- Ease of use: The dials and the LCD panel make it a breeze to use. Even when we first tested it, we could easily toggle through the menu without checking the manual.
- Sturdy and deep crumb rack: The Breville Smart Oven has the deepest and the sturdiest crumb rack that we have tested
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- Plate warmer: A plate warmer is definitely a well-thought out addition to the list of features. But you’d have to ensure that you are aware that the top side of the oven gets mildly warm when it is in use. Thankfully, it does not get scalding hot.
- 2-hour maximum cook time: Seems like we are going to have to wait until we see a four-hour timer in a toaster oven. But to be fair, most of the tasks that one uses a toaster oven for can be completed in an hour at best. So, again, not a major complaint.
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Verdict : Despite being a toaster oven, there is no reason why the Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven cannot replace a microwave and a full-rack oven in a small apartment. It has so many features and the performance is consistent across the board. Highly recommended!
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[section label=”Best Budget Toaster Oven”]
10. Black & Decker TO3250XSB 8-Slice Extra Wide Countertop Convection Toaster Oven
Volume: Up to 8 slices of bread or a 12-inch pizza
Display: None
Heating Elements: Quartz and Convection heating
Temperature: Max temperature of 450 degrees
Take a good look at that price bracket. How can one even get a full-sized toaster oven at that price? Surprise, Surprise!
Here’s Black & Decker’s TO3250XSB, an extra wide oven that can accommodate up to 8 slices of bread or a 12-inch pizza. It can bake, broil, toast, and keep food warm.
It has an all stainless steel construction and includes a convection heating feature to amplify the heating speed.
True, it does look like an oven from the 80s with large rotary knobs on the control panel. And there’s no digital display. But that’s a minor quibble that we are willing to look beyond. For otherwise, this is an absolute steal.
If you are shopping for a shoestring-priced, all-inclusive toaster oven, then here you have it.
Extra Wide but slightly bulky
The Black & Decker 8-slice oven has one of the largest interiors that we have tested. It can easily accommodate a 13”x9” baking pan or your frozen 12-inch pizza. That extra luxury comes at a fat price. This one will eat into your counter space. It is 23.5 inches wide and almost 15 inches deep. Standing at 12.5 inches tall, it will only barely fit in under the counter.
However, if you have a spacious counter and are looking for a second-oven that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, then this is one of the best ovens in this list.
Surprisingly enough, the construction is stainless steel although it has a matt black finish. As we said earlier, the control panel is something that you’d like to forget about. There are three large dials for temperature control, the timer with a maximum time of 60 minutes and a dedicated toast timer that lets you select up to 6 shades of brown.
All dials are easy to rotate and there’s an audible, responsive click when it reaches each intended setting or the middle setting.
There is a stay-on setting in the timer that lets you keep the toaster oven powered on, even after the cook time is completed.
There is only one cooking rack included in the package. You can always buy an additional one separately though. The lone cooking rack can be height adjusted to three positions. Sadly, like the Breville, there is no rack-position guide on the see-through door and you’ll have to refer the manual to get it right.
Bakes evenly and perfectly browned toasts
We noticed that you’ll have to get used to setting the optimum temperature for your toasts, baked goodies and your meat. It seems to vary by 15-20 degrees at least. So, if your desired temperature is 350, setting the dial midway between 300 and 350 works best.
One apparent design flaw that has led to some negative customer reviews and feedback, is that one can accidentally place the crumb tray above the lower heating elements. Not only does this block heat, it also leaves you with undercooked toasts on the lower side. But this isn’t a design flaw at all. It is a rookie mistake. Check your manual and ensure that you have the right parts installed in the right places. You will get perfectly browned toasts.
Even at the highest setting, it was not burnt.
With the extra space, you can easily cook in your full-sized casseroles without having to fire up the range. We tested the convection fan feature and it reduced the cooking time by almost 15 minutes. So if you are stretched for time, power this feature on.
The broiling feature is not the best in this list. But once again, if you desire perfection, go for the Breville Smart Oven or the Panasonic FlashXpress. Leave this for the spendthrifts.
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- Extra Wide Interiors: The Black and Decker TO3240XSBD is the only toaster oven at this price point that can accommodate 8 slices of bread or a 12-inch pizza. We even squeezed in a 13-inch pizza without any problem whatsoever.
- Old School Design: We spoke to many customers who quite like the old school design. They mentioned that rotating the dials to set the temperature seemed much easier than pressing a bunch of buttons repeatedly. Well, to each his own.
- Convection heating: Looking for quickly heated food? Power the convection heating on.
- The cheapest toaster oven in this list: Need we say more?
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- No Digital display: A digital display would have made this very good oven a great one. Yeah, we can never stop being greedy!
- Variable temperature: As we said earlier, the temperature might be off by 10-15 degrees. Usually, this doesn’t affect the performance after the first couple of times you use the oven. We have had customers work around this for years.
- Bulky design: If your counter space is limited, then this is not the toaster oven for you.
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Verdict : Homeowners looking to bake their 13×9 pizzas and get their toasts browned to perfection would love the Black and Decker TO3240XSBD. They’d have to live with an old analog styled control panel. But as many customers told us, that’s not a deal breaker.
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11. KitchenAid KCO273SS – Best Convection Toaster Oven
Volume: 2-12″ pizzas
Display: Large Digital LCD Display
Heating Elements: Convection heating with Quartz heating elements
Temperature: 150-450°F in 5°F increments
It was one of the top selling toaster ovens in the business because of its laundry list of features that can give a full-sized rack a run for its own money.
The KCO273SS is a large toaster oven with excellent cooking volume. It has a combination of analog dials and a digital display that makes it a breeze to use. There are 9 preset settings, a very accurate temperature control setting and a bunch of intuitive safety features that round off this well-thought out package.
Unless you have a brand loyalty to Breville, you’d be on the fence about which one of these two to select for your home. We certainly were hard pressed.
Multiple color choices
The KitchenAid KCO2733S is one of the only toaster ovens available in a bunch of color choices. If you were plain bored of the mundane stainless steel models, then here’s an option to rev up your kitchen décor.
It has a modern design with clean lines and a sizeable footprint, which is a given, considering the cooking volume. It stands 14 inches tall, 15 inches deep and 18 inches wide. That’s almost comparable to our previous pick, the Black and Decker TO3240XSBD. But this one looks much better overall.
The control panel looks neat despite the two large analog rotary dials occupying bulk of the space. Flaking these is a large LCD display panel. The larger of the two dials allows you to select one of the nine presets that it offers.
So, you can rotate a dial and let the toaster oven select the optimum temperature and heat settings for toasting bread, baking a cookie or reheating food. One of the stand out presets is the Asado roast. The only other toaster oven that offers a roast function is the Breville BOV800XL.
The second dial allows you to set the temperature or the degree of brownness for your toasts. Deep pressing this changes the function to the cooking timer. While that’s a great way to save space on the control panel and make it look less cluttered, we would have preferred a dedicated dial for the timer.
On the bottom, you have a dedicated on/off button, a button to power on the convection heat and one to add a defrost option to thaw food.
Even Heat Technology and accurate temperature controls with built-in memory
The KitchenAid KCO2733S features a patented heat distribution technology called Even Heat Tech. This automatically powers some of the heating elements on and off at specific times of the cooking cycle. For some of the presets, only selected heating elements are active. While it might sound like a fancy gimmick, it translates into consistent quality no matter what you cook.
Bagels are perfectly toasted devoid of any cold spots. You can arrange them anywhere on the rack and still get an evenly cooked crust. Likewise, toasts were browned to perfection. Thankfully, no burnt bread even at the highest setting.
Another notable feature is the temperature control accuracy. The KitchenAid KCO2733SS was among the most accurate ovens that we tested. The temperature never varied more than five to six degrees.
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- Bells and Whistles: The KitchenAid KCO2733SS has all the bells and whistles at a very affordable price tag. There are nine presets, all of which can be customized further and the toaster oven stores the new settings in the memory until you unplug it.
- Even heat tech: By automatically toggling between the heating elements at specific times of the cooking cycle, the KitchenAid maintains consistency in the output. You get consistently good food every time.
- Asado roast: Put that 4-pound chicken in to roast and you get the perfect crisp crust and juicy interiors. The timer has a max time of two hours which is more than sufficient for poultry.
- Roomy non-stick interiors: With multiple racks, you can cook up to 2-12 inch pizzas at one time. The non-stick coating makes it a breeze to clean.
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- No Interior light: If you are used to an interior light in the toaster oven while cooking, you might feel this lacking in the KitchenAid KCO273SS. But that’s just a minor quibble folks. Use those smartphone torchlights.
- Two important functions in one dial: Having one dial for two of the most important functions, temperature adjustment and the timer seems unnecessary considering that they could have made the upper dial slightly smaller in size and accommodated a third one easily.
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Verdict : With excellent customer reviews, a very competitive price tag and a feature list that rivals the best, the KitchenAid KCO273SS is one of the top rated toaster ovens in this list of the best toaster ovens. In fact, we could say that it edges the Breville slightly. What do you think?
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12. Cuisinart TOB-260N1 Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven
Volume: 13″ pizza or 6 large toast slices
Display: Backlit LCD Display
Heating Element: Quartz with Convection heating
Temperature: N.A.
Let’s say, we saved the best one for the last. The Cuisinart TOB-260N1 also called the Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven is hands down the best toaster oven in this list.
And we don’t usually throw words around like that.
But this one, easily trumps the rest of the models tested here by miles in terms of features, performance and the price tag.
To give you an overview, it has 15 presets, a convection heating mode, a turbo convection heating mode and a dual clock feature that allows you to activate two cooking modes at the same time.
Most importantly, it is priced slightly above the KitchenAid KCO273SS and well below the Breville Smart Oven making it a great pick for anyone looking for a premium oven in the sub-250 price range.
Cook Two racks at the same time
This is one of the roomiest toaster ovens in the market currently. It can accommodate up to 6 slices of bed, a 13-inch pizza (Includes a 13×9 pizza stone) or a large 13×9 baking pan. Goes without saying that the footprint is wide. It stands 11 inches tall and 20 inches wide. It will just about fit in under the counter.
Having said that, the brushed stainless steel casing looks stunning. There’s a large bar handle on the front to open the see-through glass door and the control panel is a mix of an old school dial and a touchpad.
The dial allows you to select from 15 presets while there are buttons for the convection mode which can be added to any preset mode to speed it up, the turbo convection mode and the dual cook mode. There is a dedicated start/stop button, two power on the interior light for two minutes and a ‘+30 seconds’ button which extends the cooking time by 30 seconds for any of the modes.
A large blue LCD panel displays the functions, the temperature, the shade of the toast and the cooking time, making it effortless to adjust the settings even on the fly.
The Cuisinart TOB-260N1 features four cooking racks that are height adjustable and you can cook two of them at the same time to save time.
Fast Preheating time
One of the advantages of having five quartz heating elements is that the Cuisinart TOB-260N1 heats up in less than 15 minutes. In fact, we found that it reached its maximum temperature of 450 F in just about 14 minutes.
If you activate the ‘Turbo Convection Mode’, it skips preheating and goes straight to cooking, which is pretty neat if you are rushed for time.
The dual cooking mode allows you to activate two features like bake and keep warm or bake and broil at the same time. Once the baking is completed, the broil function is activated for a couple of minutes giving your cookie a nice, crisp coating. There are umpteen ways in which you can use this to add that extra crisp crust to your dishes.
Cuisinart has its own patented temperature monitoring and maintaining tech, which it calls ‘Even Heat’. That might sound gimmicky. But we found that the temperature was consistent and there were hardly any cold spots on the pizzas, bagels or toasts. The toasts were perfectly done, no undercooking on either sides. The same with reheated pizza, broiled chicken and meat.
There are a bunch of safety features thrown in for good measure. The racks pop out a few inches when you open the doors, the interior light switches on and the upper racks have a safety-hook that prevents the tray from accidentally sliding out.
There’s a large food crumb tray for easy cleaning and the interiors are lined with a non-stick coating for a quick wipe down.
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- The features: No other toaster oven in the biz gives you 15 presets to choose from. Even though you might never use all of them, it does feel good to know that you can just toggle through them and select it if need be. To add to it, there are two convection settings and a dual cooking setting.
- The fast heating time: With the multiple heating elements, it takes just 15 minutes for the Cuisinart TOB-260N1 to hit max temperature. We also love the fact that you can skip the preheating time altogether with the Turbo convection mode.
- The accessories: The package includes a 13-inch pizza stone, two baking racks and a 9×13 bake and broil pan. With four rack slots, you can easily use two at the same time.
- The price: The features and the performance is so good that we wouldn’t mind spending a little extra to get out hands on this one.
- 3-year warranty: Once again, a first from Cuisinart.
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- Limited Timer: The maximum cooking time on the timer is 120 minutes. Someday, we’d like to see a toaster oven that lets you slow cook your meat for 10 hours or more.
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Verdict : This is by far, the best toaster oven in 2019. It does everything a toaster oven can do and a lot more for a price that is easy on the wallet.
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An additional kitchen appliance that can make your time in the kitchen a tad bit more easy is always a big yes, especially when it offers to do something that would otherwise be tiresome, time-consuming or even cost you a few extra bucks on your electricity bill. Ovens are something that most households can boast…