How well the toasters or toaster ovens produced a range of light to dark toast. Of course, since rotisserie is in this product’s name, I had to test out that function—on birds up to 5 pounds, which is the oven’s limit. hamilton beach mixer The most difficult thing about cooking a rotisserie chicken is tying it and getting it balanced on the spit so it can spin properly. Once I accomplished that, the rotisserie worked well, and the chicken cooked evenly.
However, neither chicken wings or French fries came out with the kind of results we’d expect from fried food. The GE Quartz Convection Toaster Oven and the GE Calrod Convection Toaster Oven are identical, except that one has quartz heating elements and the other has Calrod heating elements. The quartz model costs about $25 more than the Calrod version (at the time of this publishing), but there wasn’t a huge difference in performance between the two. The underside of the toast we made was very uneven and patchy in the GE Quartz, while the GE Calrod toasted a bit more evenly. The cheese topping on Bagel Bites didn’t melt as evenly in these models as our picks, and the bottoms were burned. Also, the wide gaps on either side of the oven racks allowed bread to slip through the slots and onto the bottom of the oven cavity.
There’s a converted-to-Fahrenheit selector on the temperature indicator, but the markings are oddly spaced. You can get either 425 °F or 390 °F, but nothing in between (we chose 390 °F). But this idiosyncrasy didn’t negatively impact any of the items we cooked—most toaster ovens heat at least 10 to 15 degrees over or under the set temperature anyway. Some Hamilton Beach toaster ovens have preset programs for common foods, such as bagels and pizza. These are especially useful when you’re new to the world of toaster ovens and aren’t sure of the cooking times for your favorite foods. You’ll want to think carefully before buying your new toaster oven to make sure it has all the features you need.
Its convection fan has two speeds, like the Cuisinart’s, but the high speed is slightly more powerful and can crisp up food faster. Just avoid using the lid if it has a non-metal knob that could be damaged by close contact with the heating elements (use foil to cover the pot instead). We recommend the Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven for those who want a small oven to make toast, prepare a few frozen snacks, or reheat a couple slices of pizza. We are smitten with its adorable retro 90s design, and after years of long-term testing we continue to be impressed with its strong baking performance, compact size, and reasonable price. The FlashXpress cooked foods to a lovely, even golden brown better than most other models we tried in this price range (and beyond), and its toast shade settings were among the most accurate. For a relatively low price, this toaster oven stands out from a crowded pack of mediocre, cheap models.
We also see a place for the Easy Reach in an adventure van or other type of RV. It takes up little space and is lightweight, simple to use and to clean. When we combine its lower price with hamilton beach mixer its ability to compete with higher-priced models, we feel the Easy Reach is a great buy. A black pan can be used for roasting, baking, or catching drippings when using the rotisserie.