Unlike our other picks, Panasonic sells replacement parts for many of the oven’s components (including the heating elements, power button, and door handle). In every round of testing we conducted for this guide, we started by filling each toaster with as many slices of basic white bread as we could, then set each machine to toast at medium shade. The results gave us a heat map of each oven, showing us how evenly each model toasted and whether there were any hot spots. A toaster oven is a multipurpose appliance that lets you toast bread and bake or reheat food. It’s also great for use in a small rental with a tiny kitchen and an oven that doesn’t work well (or is missing altogether).
It comes with two oven racks so you can cook more food at once—an addition we appreciate with the Cuisinart too. It also comes with an air fry/dehydrate basket rack and a broiling rack that fits inside its enamel roasting pan. But we still prefer the Cuisinart’s ceramic pizza stone over the Breville’s nonstick pizza pan (though Breville does sell a pizza stone separately for around $30). As in other toaster oven air fryers, a shallow basket is provided for air frying food in a single layer. We were very happy with the browning and crisping on breaded chicken breasts. Brussels sprouts and frozen crinkle fries came out lightly browned and crisped.
This guide contains all you need to know to make your purchase easier. If you want a simple toaster oven with a couple of nice conveniences, consider this compact model. Sharon Franke is a journalist who specializes in testing and writing about kitchen equipment. A thirty-year veteran of the Good Housekeeping Institute, Sharon also worked as a professional chef in New York City restaurants for seven years. In her free time, she is an avid home cook who is in the process of mastering the art of baking sour dough bread. The length of time the toaster oven is covered by its manufacturer for defects or repairs.
Fits a 9-inch pizza or 4 slices of toast for dinner or breakfast. Features a 30-minute timer with auto shutoff and toast, bake, and broil settings. The roll-top feature allows the user to access items by reaching down to them, making it much easier to adjust or remove food without bumping into the oven or burning your hands. Many toaster ovens have very little space between the racks and the interior sides of the oven, making it challenging to adjust or remove food. We also liked the fact that the Easy Reach’s door is completely clear, which allowed us to monitor all of our food in one glance.
Depending on the household, it can fill a surprisingly wide gap between the microwave and a traditional oven. Need your snacks warmed up quickly, but hate that microwave sogginess? Need your potatoes, pies or side dishes baked while your main course is taking up the oven? The toaster oven is a perfect solution, and it does all that while using less power.
Cooking large dishes or gourmet meals will never happen with the Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice. It’s compact design lends itself to one-and-done, single-serving dishes. You should buy this toaster if you’re looking to save money and don’t need a large, multi-function oven. This toaster is designed to bake simple snacks, re-heat leftovers, warm side dishes, or cook small, pre-made frozen meals. It’s great for after-school goodies and would also be perfect for a college student or someone living the studio apartment life.
We recommend these products based on an intensive research process that’s designed to cut through the noise and find the top products in this space. Guided by experts, we spend hours looking into the factors that matter, to bring you these selections. We may get a small share of the sale should you buy something through our recommendation links. I enjoyed the Hamilton Beach Countertop Oven With Convection and Rotisserie (model number 31104D) and had good results with the recipes I made.
An accumulation of crumbs and other food particles can burn and begin to smoke if not cleaned out regularly. Also, we found the middle shade setting for toasting (setting 4) to be a bit dark. We recommend using setting 3 for making perfect golden-brown toast. The Cuisinart has hamilton beach mixer a three-year limited warranty, whereas most similarly priced competitors include just one- or two-year warranties. But according to a representative we spoke with, Cuisinart won’t repair the oven if it becomes defective under warranty, and won’t ask you to mail it back.