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.
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 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.
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. Eventually, we were able to find the sweet spot on the dial for our desired doneness, but it took multiple attempts.
The included rotisserie spit removal tool worked, but I felt it was a bit silly. In the end, I preferred to don my waterproof grill gloves and just reach in and grab the spit. The De’Longhi Livenza Digital Convection Oven did not toast evenly in our tests. It also had a difficult hamilton beach toaster oven time maintaining its internal temperature (which fluctuated between 322 °F and 369 °F when set to 350 °F). 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.
After setting the desired temperature, we allowed the oven to preheat and then checked the temperature at timed intervals. The time it takes to toast a full batch of bread at the medium setting. When the time came to remove the chicken from the oven, I used the special tool provided. While I managed to get the chicken out, it was an awkward process.
This could be an oven replacement for pretty much everything except the Thanksgiving turkey or other massive meals. We purchased the Hamilton Beach Countertop Oven With Convection and Rotisserie 31104D so our reviewer could put it to the test in her kitchen. Michael Sullivan has been a staff writer on the kitchen team at Wirecutter since 2016. Previously, he was an editor at the International Culinary Center in New York. He has worked in various facets of the food and restaurant industry for over a decade. A. Toaster ovens are no less safe than regular ovens, especially when you buy from a reputable manufacturer like Hamilton Beach.
Small toaster ovens are much lighter and easier to tuck away in a cupboard. Check the number of slices of bread your chosen toaster oven can handle at once. How well the toasters or toaster ovens produced a batch of even, medium-brown toast.
Despite the lack of interior light, I was able to see through the glass to see my food cooking, although I would have appreciated a light for a better view. This is a fairly large oven that eats quite a bit of countertop space. We’ve read some user reviews regarding food catching fire in this oven. 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.
When you want to make perfect toast, and plenty of it, it’s easy to toast six or more slices of bread at once in a toaster oven. But if more than just toast takes your fancy, all Hamilton Beach toaster ovens can bake and broil, and some have even more cooking functions, such as air frying and convection cooking. Bread toasted on the medium setting came out beautifully golden brown, without any scorching or charring. Other models we tested toasted bread unevenly, with extreme light and dark patches.
In addition to cooking functions, you should consider size and capacity to make sure it’s large enough to cook what you want to cook but also fits on your countertop. Also look for handy features like toaster slots or a roll-top door. The large size and roll-top door of this convection toaster oven earn it approval from our cooking and baking expert. While the Hamilton Beach Air Fryer Sure Crisp Toaster Oven has a contemporary brushed chrome housing, it pretty much has the same design as toaster ovens from decades ago. It has a glass door with a small handle on top that opens downward and three dials that serve as controls. At just 9 x 18 x 14 inches, it easily fits under a cabinet and doesn’t take up excess countertop space.