I usually turned it down to setting 3 for Pop-Tarts, though, as I don’t like them to be too browned—just warmed through. If you regularly eat bagels, frozen waffles, or just plain toast, a quality toaster is a must-have appliance for your kitchen. The Hamilton Beach 2-Slice Toaster is a fairly classic option—it has two slots and standard settings, and it’s available at a reasonable price.
It has two slots to hold your bread, a push-down lever to start the appliance, and a dial to select a brownness level. The whole appliance is fairly compact, measuring roughly 11 x 7.5 x 7.5 inches. It’s compact enough to store in a cupboard if desired, but I simply opted to leave it on the counter for a few weeks hamilton beach juicer during testing, as it doesn’t take up too much space. How well the toasters or toaster ovens produced both very light toast and very dark toast. Hamilton Beach’s Easy Reach Toaster Oven has a roomy interior, making it especially well-suited for warming up multiple snacks or cooking pizzas (up to 12 inches).
Pull it out and wipe it down, and most of your cleaning is done. The Hamilton Beach 2-Slice Toaster retails for around $35, which is standard for a two-slice toaster with basic settings. Given its reliable performance, I think it’s worth the price—you could probably find one for cheaper, but it might not have bagel and defrost settings.
To that end, I wouldn’t buy this toaster based on that claim alone. This is an authentic manufacturer-sourced part which is specially designed for use with Hamilton Beach countertop ovens. It is an identical replacement for a missing or damaged rotisserie rod/fork that was included with a new unit. Please make sure to check the owners manual for the correct application of this component.
Its convection heating makes for evenly browned bagels or muffins. It fits easily on any countertop, with a long cord that increases your options for placement. Second, the brand claims that the slots on this toaster are extra-wide, but they don’t look noticeably different from a standard toaster, in my opinion.
Other models make up for the lack of convection with multiple heating elements placed around the oven. Easily toast artisan breads and bagels with this Hamilton Beach 2-slice toaster. Its wide slots are perfect for everything from this slices to small breads, waffles and English muffins. The other two settings—bagel and defrost—worked as expected. The bagel setting cooks just the inside of the bread, leaving the exterior warm but not overly crisp. The defrost setting helps to crisp up frozen foods, and I found that it was particularly useful when cooking frozen waffles.
Finally, there’s the cancel button, which just cancels the cycle—something usually achieved by lifting the toaster’s lever. We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.
There are four buttons on the front of this toaster, alongside its lever, and they are the Keep Warm, Bagel, Defrost, and Cancel settings. The Keep Warm option is the most unique, and it holds your food inside the toaster for 3 extra minutes after cooking (without over-browning it). I personally didn’t find much use for this setting, as I’m typically in the kitchen hamilton beach toaster oven while my food is toasting, but it might be handy if you tend to get ready as you cook breakfast. As you might imagine, an appliance that heats all these foods is going to get dirty. Luckily, most models are as easy to clean out as a traditional toaster, if not easier. There’s generally a tray at the bottom that catches crumbs, melted cheese or other debris.