But we think that’s a forgivable drawback considering the low price. 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 hamilton beach 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. For a relatively low price, this toaster oven stands out from a crowded pack of mediocre, cheap models.
While the fan isn’t quite as powerful as the ones in most pod-shaped air fryers or air fryer toaster ovens, it produces similar results. That’s because a toaster oven can fit more food at once, and in our experience it cooks more evenly. Generally, you need to increase the cooking time by several minutes and the temperature 25 to 50 degrees to compensate for the toaster oven’s larger cavity. If you’d like to air fry, but you just don’t have the space (or budget) for an air frying toaster oven, then a pod-shaped air fryer might be best for you. Their cooking baskets can also be a little safer or simpler to maneuver than a hot pan for children, new cooks, or those with mobility concerns.
However, if grease splashes onto the heating elements while cooking, it’ll leave permanent stains. Their performance scores, however, was an interesting upset, with the Mueller actually winning. The Mueller was better at toasting bread, baking pizza, and roasting whole chicken in spite of its lower power draw.
Though we never experienced this in over two years of long-term testing, always be sure to place food at least an inch from the heating element. Also, clean the heating element and the bottom of the unit before operating. An accumulation of crumbs and other food particles can burn and begin to smoke if not cleaned out regularly. The Cuisinart has a three-year limited warranty, whereas most similarly priced competitors include just one- or two-year warranties.
I’ve walked away and not had something anywhere close to done, came back when timer went off two minutes later and those items were burned. I turn it down lower then what I have with my other toaster ovens but it still cooks things really quickly. Besides using my oven every day, I usually clean it after each use. In fact as i’m writing this review it’s making me want to go out and purchase a different toaster oven that will clean so much better and cook more evenly instead of burning my stuff. I’ve even tried using magic erasers on this toaster and those don’t even get it clean.
We also ran a bonus round to evaluate how well each oven could crisp up the skin on chicken thighs—a very telling test, as very few models excelled at this task. We stopped the baking after 27 minutes as the fries weren’t getting any more colors. This, nonetheless, was over our time limit of 25 minutes, so it was a 0/10. The Mueller could barely fit a 3 lb chicken for our Whole Roasted Chicken test. If you were to purchase this oven and use it to roast a whole chicken, we recommend cutting it open or chopping it into pieces beforehand. The toasting controls can be hard to figure out to avoid burning your toast.
The exorbitantly priced Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven produced the most evenly browned toast of any model we tested. That said, it took about 7 minutes to get those unparalleled results. To be fair, it’s a countertop oven, not a toaster oven, so a slower cooking time is to be expected. We think it’s best for people who don’t have space for a full-size oven in their home, or for those who have a lot of counter space and need an additional oven.
We preferred this subtle sound to the ear-shattering beeps on some digital models, like the Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven. The Hamilton Beach has manual knobs that adjust the temperature (from 150 °F to broil/toast mode), the function (broil, toast, and bake), and the 30-minute timer. The biggest drawback to this model is the toast shade setting on the timer dial. You have to turn the knob past the 10-minute mark and then reverse it to the desired shade setting. However, it’s difficult to determine exactly where the dial should be placed for your preferred toast shade.
That said, the controls are clearly labeled and straightforward to use, so we’re willing to overlook this drawback. We’d also prefer dial controls over the FlashXpress’s blister-push buttons, but they’re perfectly usable and not as glitchy or mushy as others we tested. A toaster oven is a multipurpose appliance that lets you toast hamilton beach air fryer 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). If your kitchen is so active that the oven is often full, you can use the toaster oven as Martha Rose Shulman—chef and author of The Simple Art of Vegetarian Cooking—does.
Traditional toaster ovens were designed with a single heating element. If I had to pick from the seven products above, I’d pick the Hamilton Beach 31127D model as my favorite Hamilton beach toaster oven. Its retro style met my personal preferences and its ability to deliver satisfied everyone’s taste in my family. At the end of the day, all these best Hamilton Beach toaster ovens will effortlessly meet any home’s toasting needs, requirements, and personal preferences. With that in mind, I decided to go out there myself and created a shortlist of the best toaster oven models from arguably the best toaster ovens brand available today.