Hooks on the door help eject the toaster’s wire rack, so you don’t have to reach your hand as far into the oven cavity to retrieve your food. The FlashXpress made crispy-yet-melty Bagel Bites that were more consistently browned from one edge of the pan to the other. Some ovens’ results weren’t dark enough; others were overdone or unevenly cooked. This was also one of the only models in this price range that could bake chicken thighs with a golden brown, crispy skin. Up against bigger, more expensive toaster ovens, the FlashXpress more than held its own. Some toaster ovens, like our budget pick, are equipped with only two heating elements.
We’ve learned through research done by The Ohio State University that slot toasters aren’t built to last (you can read more about OSU’s in-depth work in our blog post). Since most modern slot toasters aren’t repairable, they’re destined for a landfill once they give out. Toaster ovens, on the other hand, typically last longer, which may be in part because the heating elements are enclosed or better protected by metal guards to prevent damage. They’re also not moved or banged around as much as slot toasters, making their electrical components less susceptible to failure. For the past two years, two Wirecutter employees have used the Hamilton Beach for basic tasks like making toast, reheating pizza, and baking frozen snacks. One of our testers initially tried toasting bread in the baking pan, which only browned the top of the bread.
Generous size can hold 6 slices of toast, a 9 x 11-inch baking pan, or even a 12-inch pizza. Roll-top door makes it easy to clean, reach, or quickly transfer hot food. Works as an air fryer to quickly brown and crisp foods even from frozen. While this wasn’t billed as a toaster, it is the “multi-use” recommendation in The Spruce Eats’ list of best toaster ovens, so I tested what it could do with pale bread and bagels. I cooked bagels on the broil setting and toasted the bread using convection.
Since most of the door is glass, I suggest not slamming it in either direction and making it a point to close it gently. At 15 inches high, 23.4 inches wide, and 18 inches hamilton beach toaster deep, this is a fairly large oven that eats quite a bit of countertop space. Fortunately, it’s not an unattractive piece, so it could sit out if it’s used every day.
Keep in mind this high-quality item is made of durable metal and is sold individually. As previously mentioned, the Easy Reach struggles to maintain temperature. During our tests, we strategically placed calibrated thermometers inside the oven.
In spite of the fact that they needed 18 minutes to cook to a medium doneness, the burgers were more gray than brown, although they were moist and juicy. GearLab is founded on the principle hamilton beach toaster oven of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products.
And although the June is larger than most toaster ovens, its capacity is still limited compared with that of a full-size oven, especially if you plan to prepare food for four or more people. We like the Breville Air Fryer Pro’s sleek design and easy-to-navigate interface. The Breville also has a Phase Cook feature (similar to the Cuisinart’s Dual Cook Mode), which allows you to program two back-to-back cooking functions. Like the Cuisinart, the Breville’s rack glides out when you open the door so you don’t have to stick your hands deep into the oven cavity to retrieve your food.
The door doesn’t close automatically until the door is a few inches from closing, and in fact, it can be left ajar when it’s about 2 inches from being closed. It can, however, free-fall downward when it’s open about 5 inches. If there’s counter space in front of it, the handle would hit the counter. If it’s placed close to the edge of a counter, the hinge would get jarred.