Toaster ovens are one of the most versatile kitchen appliances because they can perform a variety of cooking tasks. Our finalists feature anywhere from three to 10 preset cooking functions. Six out of the seven finalists offer bake and broil settings, which is what differentiates a toaster oven from a regular toaster.
The Hamilton Beach – 31344D Easy Reach Oven is the adult version of the Easy Bake Oven. The gray color and curved design distinguish it from its competitors and with a sliding door that you push upwards from the bottom, it lives up to its name. The lightweight toaster oven uses 1200 watts and can accommodate four slices of bread and a 9-inch pizza. The Cuisinart – TOB-135 is a fraction of the price of the Breville that we reviewed, and it goes for a similar look and feel. With a capacity of 0.33 cubic feet, it includes a broiling rack and baking pan and can accommodate six slices of bread, a 12-inch pizza, or a four-pound chicken.
The oven rack and crumb tray had to be handwashed (easy) while the baking/drip pan and air fryer basket cleaned up in the dishwasher (easier). Happy customers rate how convenient it is in terms of the multiple cooking settings, with one user explaining how it replaced their existing air fryer, toaster and toaster cuisinart toa60 oven all at once. This Cuisinart TOA-60 Air Fryer Toaster Oven offers seven functions, including air frying, broiling, toasting and oven cooking. Made to rival even the best toaster ovens, this is pretty impressive considering its neat compact size, a feature that makes it ideal if you’ve got a small kitchen.
We also followed the packaging’s instructions to bake the pizza for 16 to 18 minutes. The Panasonic cooked the pizza in 12 minutes and the Cuisinart and KitchenAid in 15 minutes. Despite being powered by a modest 1300 watts, the median wattage amongst our finalists, the Panasonic Flash Xpress was the speed demon to beat them all. The Panasonic was able to produce perfect toast in one minute and 45 seconds, garlic bread in one minute, and frozen pizza in 12 minutes. The speed convection super-heats the oven to the programmed temperature in seconds, so you don’t have to wait to preheat the oven before putting food in.
Helen McCue is a freelance contributor who trained as a home economist. I also used the bake setting to bake up a small batch of my favorite granola recipe. In my normal oven it takes 20 minutes to bake with a stir halfway through, plus there’s the ten minutes or so that the oven takes to preheat. However, I didn’t preheat the Cuisinart and noticed after 6 ½ minutes that the top of the granola was browning and needed a stir.
It comes with a rack, baking/drip pan, air fry basket, seven distinct cooking features plus warm and reheat. The LED interface is a combination of buttons and knobs and it has a limited three-year warranty. The instruction book has recipes and helpful charts for successful air frying and dehydrating. If you’re simply in the market for an air fryer toaster oven, but don’t have a preference on brand, we’ve tested many air fryer toaster ovens on the market to find the best ones. Since the door is light and opens easily, removing the crumb tray is quick and painless. The instruction manual is a pamphlet that unfolds to one large piece of paper.
The air fryer feature is why I purchased this, and have used it to make wings easily and without the oil. More critical reviews say the oven is hard to clean, especially the baking cuisinart choppers tray, with many suggesting that you should line the tray with foil. In addition, many users report inaccuracy of the analogue dials when setting the temperature and timer.
This setting is fixed at 450 degrees F and can broil continually for to two hours (which, frankly, is unnecessary). I placed a salmon filet in the air basket which was fitted in the baking/drip pan — as recommended. The fish was looking good after five minutes and there was no smoke or fishy smell. I broiled for three minutes more and the salmon was browned on top, opaque on the sides and bottom and just flakey in the middle. This high-quality, full-size toaster oven/fryer has some great little features as well.
If you’re on a tight budget or have limited counter space, the BLACK+DECKER – TO1313SBD is a great choice. This lightweight, low wattage four-slice toaster oven performs just as well as its pricier counterparts. Pricier toaster ovens almost always feature a sleeker look and a more luxurious feel, but they aren’t necessarily better than cheaper options. However, some of the more expensive toaster ovens have more wattage for faster, more even cooking.
We toasted just one slice of large white bread in each model, aiming for medium brown toast. We also recommend the Cuisinart – TOB-260N1 Chef’s Convection, which has the same features as the Breville, but it’s one-third less expensive. In fact, although the KitchenAid took a little longer to bake, its performance matched our budget pick, the BLACK+DECKER. It’s on the expensive side, about $50 less than the Cuisinart, but it has only two slots for racks, as opposed to the Cuisinart’s four. The handle for pulling out the grill is cumbersome to attach when using a potholder is much easier.