Senior staff writer Michael Sullivan conducted research and testing for the previous version of this guide. Michael also served as a knowledgeable consultant for the latest round of testing, researching, and writing of this guide. The popular Breville Smart Oven Air got an even smarter upgrade with the ability to connect to an app. Breville leveraged its partnership with ChefSteps, the brand that first introduced the Joule sous vide, to make an app loaded with air fryer recipes and videos. However, you won’t get the stellar performance and extra features that you find on the more expensive models.
People who have weaker hand muscles or grip-strength issues may struggle with maneuvering this basket. We used to recommend an identical version that didn’t come with the splatter-proof lid and was more widely available, but that’s been discontinued. We noted if any parts were dishwasher safe and if that came with any restrictions. We noted if there were initial use cleaning instructions, and followed them if provided. Today through June 27, Wayfair is hosting a fun “Days of Deals” promo. Every day the retailer will unveil a new item that’s majorly marked down, but only for 24 hours.
One argument in favor of countertop toaster ovens is that they use less energy than a full-size traditional oven. That’s true — most full-size electric ovens will draw about 2,400 watts at medium to high heat, while the average toaster oven will draw around 1,500 watts. That means that every time you’re using your toaster oven instead of your full-size oven, you’re cutting your energy consumption hamilton beach toaster oven by a little over a third. The smallest oven we toasted was the Balmuda which fits only two slices of bread at a time with one rack position. The Breville Mini Smart Oven has the ability to hold at least two racks so you could, in theory, toast as many as eight slices of bread at once. Larger models like the Oster TSSTTVMNDG-SHP-2 and GE G9OAAASSPSS could fit a small whole chicken.
The easiest baking sheets to clean belonged to the Breville Mini Oven (which is black, so that probably helps), the Panasonic FlashXpress and the $43 Comfee toaster. This was less of a cooking test and more of a cleaning test, but one that’s near and dear to my heart. Every toaster oven comes with an aluminum baking sheet with a nonstick coating, but some are much easier to clean than others. Because these sheets are mostly fitted to the oven, you’re sort of stuck using that one until you replace the toaster entirely, so it’s nice when they come clean and don’t stain or collect gunk after just a few sessions. The FlashXpress just slightly overcooked the patty, while the Cruxgg burnt it well past edibility.
It doesn’t sport electronic controls or a lot of fancy features and settings. While it’s baking performance was disappointing and it’s not large enough to roast a chicken, it shines at toasting and does a credible job of air frying. To test each toaster’s power and ability to cook more substantial foods, I baked three pizza bites placed on a rack in different parts of the oven. This was to test how accurately each toaster melts cheese and another test of how evenly the cooking is spread out across the oven. The box recommends baking a frozen pizza at 425 degrees F for 18 minutes, so that’s what I did in each toaster oven. The Comfee is priced at $45 or less, which makes it the best toaster oven for those on a budget.