Toaster ovens are worthy of respect because they take up little space, may replace a variety of kitchen appliances (including your toaster and air fryer — in fact, some are already air fryer toaster ovens), and reduce cooking times, particularly when using the convection mode. They can cook whole chickens and roast veggies in addition to toasting bread and bagels. Because most toaster ovens don’t require preheating, they’re ideal for the summer months when you don’t want your full-size oven to heat up your entire kitchen. They’re also energy efficient, using up to half the energy of a standard oven.
We put toaster ovens to the test in the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances Lab to find which ones can make the most even, golden brown toast in the least period of time. In the last ten years, we’ve tested roughly 60. More information on how we test can be found at the bottom of this page; in the meanwhile, here are our top selections for the best toaster.
the best toaster ovens you can buy based on testing:
The Breville Compact Smart Oven is simple to operate, with electronic controls and preset cooking programs for bagels, cookies, and pizza (up to an 11-inch pie). In our tests, it swiftly browned toast, made a lovely cake, and roasted tender potatoes and poultry. Cleaning is a breeze thanks to the nonstick coating. The stainless steel construction feels robust, and the control panel is also quite intuitive. Finally, there’s something to be said for a 4.6 star rating on Amazon based on over 4,000 reviews.
The Breville Smart Toaster Oven Air, which can hold nine slices of bread or a five-quart Dutch oven, also scored well in our tests if you need more capacity.
The Hamilton Beach Super-Crisp never disappoints. While it has a simple design and simple controls, it toasts bread and bakes pizza evenly in a short amount of time. Aside from its performance, the compact footprint won’t take up much room on your counter, but it can still handle six pieces of bread and a 13-inch frozen pizza, so you won’t have to trade size for usability. Its air frying powers wowed us: it produced crispy and juicy wings as well as crispy fries that didn’t dry up.
Ninja’s Air Fryer Max XL is our pick for best overall air fryer. It’s no surprise that the air crisp function on this air fry oven impressed us as well. With a big air fry rack that provides adequate frying space and facilitates air circulation for the crispiest results, it produced crispy yet moist wings. It also works well as a toaster oven: The control panel was simple to operate and read in our tests. The bread was beautifully toasted, and the cake was evenly baked. The bottom surface also flips up to stand flush against your backsplash for compact storage, and the entire device flips up to stand flush against your backsplash for easy cleaning.
Ninja’s latest air fryer toaster ovens, the Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro and the smart oven Foodi 10-in-1 Smart XL Pro, with an embedded thermometer, will be put to the test.
Despite the fact that we have not tested this oven in our labs, it has a high Amazon rating. It’s small (it’ll hold a 9-inch pizza), so it’s perfect for small kitchens (or large kitchens with limited counter space!). Toast, reheating waffles and rolls, and cooking frozen dishes like pizza and hash browns all have fixed cooking times. We like how the rack is attached to the door and pulls forward automatically when the oven door is opened.
Keep in mind that the oven will only heat for a maximum of 25 minutes, making it ideal for many prepared frozen items, but you’ll have to restart it for longer bakes. The pan is tough to clean and rusts rapidly, according to reviewers. Before putting food on it, we recommend covering it with a fitting sheet of foil.
The stainless steel Cuisinart Deluxe Convection Toaster Oven Broiler can roast a golden brown chicken in an hour and toast almost as quickly as a pop-up toaster, despite its small size. Its large interior can easily accommodate a 13-inch pizza (and it even comes with a pizza stone!). It has numerous convection fan settings and can be set to dual cook, which means you can brown the skin on a chicken at one temperature and finish cooking it at another.
We recommend the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven for air frying since it includes four heating components on top, a huge fan to circulate the hot air and make dishes extra crispy, and an air fryer basket and tray.
From a technological aspect, this toaster oven is unique. Place a piece of food inside, and a camera will recognize it and suggest a cooking method. Then you have the option of pressing the Start Cooking button or overriding it and cooking your food in a different manner. The touchpad is almost addictive: it responds as quickly as an iPhone and provides a very clean and simple user interface.
The oven itself is large and sturdy, with a spacious interior that is easy to clean. On one of the shelves, we were able to accommodate 12 slices of bread, which toasted evenly and made a delicious cake. It also baked a great pizza with a softly crisp bottom and evenly melted cheese.
How do we evaluate toaster ovens?
We toasted more than 500 slices of bread in our most recent test of more than 20 toaster ovens. We look for baked products that are evenly cooked and the ability to broil steak and melt cheese on open-faced sandwiches. We tested how quickly and evenly toaster ovens with air fryer functionalities crisped chicken wings and frozen French fries. We also consider design quality, user manuals, control panels, convenience of use, number of rack positions, interior visibility, audio alarm, and cleanability when evaluating toaster ovens.
When buying a toaster oven, there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Consider how much space you have as well as how you intend to utilize the oven. If space isn’t an issue, go big with an oven like the Breville Smart Oven Air or the June Oven, which can fit a small turkey. If space is an issue, tiny ovens such as the Hamilton Beach Sure-Crisp can hold six slices of bread or a 13-inch frozen pizza.
- Aesthetics are crucial because your toaster oven will most likely live on your counter. In comparison to their mechanical predecessors, digital toaster ovens with stainless steel casing are often sleeker and more modern appearing.
- Most toaster ovens have two rack positions, while the larger models have three. The additional rack position expands the cooking possibilities and available space, notably for air frying and dehydrating. The uppermost positions are used for broiling, while the middle locations are used for toasting bread and baking, and the lowest positions are utilized for cooking huge roasts or pizzas
- Accessories and extra features: Most toaster ovens include at least one rack as well as a baking/broiling pan (note: a heavier baking pan means less warping over time). Most toaster ovens now include a removable crumb pan that can be washed in the dishwasher. It’s also crucial to be able to put them in the dishwasher: Dishwasher-safe parts aid toaster oven maintenance by preventing caked-on muck from smoking and keeping things looking new and shining.Many toaster ovens contain an air frying basket/rack, pizza stones, or rotisseries spits, and an interior light that allows you to view inside without opening the door. We found this feature to be quite useful, and toaster ovens with large, glass doors for easy viewing were also a hit.
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Zareen Khan, a writer who is dedicated to creating innovative and thought-provoking work that pushes the boundaries of the written word. I believe that writing is not just about expressing oneself, but about challenging the status quo and pushing the limits of what's possible. I strive to create stories that are both unique and meaningful, that challenge readers to think differently and to question their assumptions. I believe that writing has the power to change the world, and I am honored to be a part of that tradition.
Hello, my name is Zephyrine. I am a writer with a passion for storytelling and a love for the written word. I have always been fascinated by the power of words to transport us to different places, to make us feel different emotions, and to connect us with others. I strive to create stories that are both thought-provoking and entertaining, that challenge readers to think in new ways and that leave a lasting impression. I believe that good writing has the power to change the world, and I am honored to be a part of that tradition.
