We also looked at smart toaster ovens, such as the exorbitantly priced June Oven; it boasts an HD camera (which monitors your food as it cooks), carbon fiber heating elements, and two convection fans. We recognize that for some, a level of automation could prove helpful, so we’ll continue to test smart ovens. But we haven’t yet tested one where the features feel worth the investment for most people.
But fewer heating elements aren’t necessarily an indication of poor toasting performance. If the oven cavity is small, two elements are enough to regulate heat. That said, avoid larger toaster ovens with only a couple of elements because they won’t be able to distribute heat evenly. The more heating elements a toaster oven has, the bigger and more expensive it will be. Without a doubt, the Cuisinart distributed heat evenly across its voluminous cavity, toasting nine slices of bread in a single batch to near golden-brown perfection.
The Calphalon Quartz Heat Countertop Toaster Oven didn’t toast as well as our picks and it didn’t evenly melt the cheese on bagel bites. It also had a very noisy convection fan that sounded like it was struggling to operate with every rotation. Unlike our upgrade pick, the Cuisinart lacks a handy rack-position key on the oven door.
The Breville Smart Oven Pro is nearly identical to the Breville Smart Oven. The Pro does add a couple of minor features, like a slow-cook mode and an internal light. But the Bagel Bites we toasted between the door and the front of the oven’s rack were noticeably paler than those toasted in the middle and back of the oven.
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 mixer 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.