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 Balmuda has other design flaws (a flap on the door) and twee impracticalities (the easy-to-lose steam cup), and ultimately, we found it to be just a snazzy-looking prototype at best. Balmuda’s The Toaster is a $300 appliance that’s different from most other toaster ovens because it steams bread while it toasts. In theory, it’s supposed to help keep the “inner moisture and flavor from escaping,” but we’re not convinced it makes a difference. In fact, we weighed white sandwich bread and rustic sourdough bread before and after toasting to see how much moisture the bread retained. On average, plain white sandwich bread actually retained less moisture when toasted in the Balmuda than when toasted in our top pick, the Cuisinart. The KitchenAid KCO211BM Digital Countertop Toaster Oven didn’t toast as evenly as our picks, and several slices of bread were burned in patches on the bottom.
I washed the racks and other pieces that would contact food, and I let the empty oven heat up to burn off manufacturing residue. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). It’s common for most toasters to release steam while toasting, so don’t be alarmed. This is a normal occurrence, especially if the bread is particularly moist.
For my next attempt (I like chicken), I used heatproof, waterproof barbecue gloves for more secure chicken extraction. The Cuisinart TOB-135 toasted bread unevenly, and its temperature control was less consistent, so we dismissed it. When we selected models to test, we didn’t consider convection to be a must-have feature. hamilton beach toaster oven None of the parts are coated with a nonstick finish and hand washing is recommended. The aluminum baking pan became quite stained and we weren’t able to get it completely clean. Although it can toast 6 slices at once, in our tests, it didn’t brown the slices in the front as evenly as the ones in the back.
We noticed that crumbs tended to accumulate on the inner ledge at the base of the oven’s door. However, we found it easy to brush them onto the crumb tray using a pastry brush or a paper towel. In our last round of testing, in April 2021, we tried out two trendier models that ultimately couldn’t compete with our picks. It’s important to think about both the internal and external size of any toaster oven you’re considering.
Look through a range of air fry ovens that packs a lot of features and cooking capacity in a small countertop footprint. This powerful kitchen appliance lets you create full family-sized meals in no time. Toaster ovens come with features like an easy to read digital display that gives you at-a-glance updates on cooking progress and non-stick interiors that makes for quick and easy clean every time. So go ahead and create all your favorite pies and cakes in a toaster oven that you will love. Browse through a large collection of toaster oven and find the right pick for you.
Without wasting any more of your time, let’s skip to the main section of the content and look at the 7 best hamilton beach juicers money can buy today. 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. While wiping it clean was easy, I’d suggest being careful to not slop water or food into the convection fan’s vent holes in the oven. Since most of the crevices and protrusions are rounded, it’s easier to clean than sharp corners. The back corners are the hardest bits to clean, but they’re also the least likely places food would spatter.
As with all models, you want to remove the pan and toast bread directly on the oven rack. Otherwise, they encountered no issues—the Hamilton Beach is great for any simple toasting and baking jobs. A standard quarter-sheet tray (and if you put a quarter-sheet tray on each of its two racks, that’s equal to a standard half sheet pan you’d use in a full-size oven).