Luckily, the varied colors partially meant varied textures which were all good and deserving an 8/10. The golden brown areas had a more crispy outside while the light golden areas had a softer inside. Our head chef Tuyet Pham determined that it would go great with omelets, eggs benedict, and sandwiches but not so much with soup. 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. 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.
The oven is extremely quiet as it operates with a dBA reading of 50.4; we virtually couldn’t hear it when it was running. Hamilton Beach’s new version of the Toastation is the 2-in-1 Countertop Oven and Toaster. It has the same great dual functionality as my old Toastation, hamilton beach air fryer but it’s even better. The oven can fit a 9-inch pizza — the old Toastation couldn’t — yet the overall size of the entire unit is not that much bigger. The 2-in-1 is not a cute shade of red like the Toastation, but its sleek chrome finish still looks stylish on my countertop.
The bottom of the oven acts as a detachable crumb tray which not only makes it easy to remove the falling bits and crumbs but also to clean the entire interior. Some Hamilton Beach toaster ovens have preset programs for common foods, such as bagels and pizza. These are especially useful when you’re new to the world of toaster ovens and aren’t sure of the cooking times for your favorite foods. The majority of Hamilton Beach toaster ovens have simple dial controls, but some high-end models have touchpad controls with a digital display.
The baking pan is correctly sized to keep messy food from dripping directly onto the heating elements. It slides into the brackets on the baking rack’s underside, so it’s a perfect fit. Unfortunately, though it has a coating, it isn’t completely non-stick so it can accumulate some stains after a tough roasting mission. We could fit four slices of toast, a 9-inch pizza but we could barely fit a 3 lb chicken inside the Mueller, unlike the same-sized Breville BOV450XL.
Corner to corner, no other oven was as consistent (aside from the exorbitantly priced Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven). Similarly priced large toaster ovens (like ones from Breville and KitchenAid) concentrated heat in the center of the oven and had more significant fall-off of heat toward the edges. The FlashXpress made crispy-yet-melty Bagel Bites that were more consistently browned from one edge of the pan to the other.
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. We appreciated the compact size of the Breville Compact Smart Oven (BOV650XL), but hamilton beach it didn’t do well in many of our tests. It also costs more than the Panasonic FlashXpress, which we like better overall. On the bright side, the pan has ridges and grooves to give your food attractive roasting marks and catch the dripping better.
The timer on our upgrade pick, the Breville Pro, also begins counting down once the oven is preheated. However, it will pause the timer when you open the oven door, whereas the Cuisinart doesn’t. However, after the chicken test, there were burnt bits stuck to the upper heating element’s guard and grease on the cooking chamber’s ceiling. There was ample space between the ceiling and the upper heating element, so we proceed to try every cleaning method possible.
When she runs out of room, she told us, she turns to the toaster oven to make gratins, lasagna, and sandwiches. The oven took 9 minutes to bake a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza which was slightly faster than the label’s recommended 10 minutes. However, compared to our tested toaster ovens, it could only be a 6/10. At our optimal toasting setting, the Hamilton Beach produced 4 pieces with a great, slightly golden-brown color. Though the oven doesn’t have a convection fan, the color distribution was about 80% even so we gave the toast an 8/10.
The oven door and the top of the oven get hot quickly, while it takes longer for the sides to get hot. Still, it’s an oven, so caution should be taken any time it’s in use. It might be best located on an island or a table for ample airflow all around. 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.
The children are able to use it easily, and there is no immediate danger to them when they use it, just as long as an adult is in the house. It is so simple to fix snacks and quick lunches and dinners with this toaster oven! We make little miniature pizzas on English muffins, and sandwiches are so delicious after you pop them in the toaster oven for a few minutes. Chicken nuggets are also easy to heat up, and clean-up is a snap with this toaster oven. All you have to do is pull out the heating tray, stick it in the dishwasher, and wah-la! Even Heating
Food is always thoroughly heated when using this toaster oven.