While the fan isn’t quite as powerful as the ones in most pod-shaped air fryers or air fryer toaster ovens, it produces similar results. That’s because a toaster oven can fit more food at once, and in our experience it cooks more evenly. Generally, you need to increase the cooking time by several minutes and the temperature 25 to 50 degrees to compensate for the toaster oven’s larger cavity. If you’d like to air fry, but you just don’t have the space (or budget) for an air frying toaster oven, then a pod-shaped air fryer might be best for you. Their cooking baskets can also be a little safer or simpler to maneuver than a hot pan for children, new cooks, or those with mobility concerns.
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. We stopped the baking after 27 minutes as the fries weren’t getting any more colors. This, nonetheless, was over our time limit of 25 minutes, so it was a 0/10. The Mueller could barely fit a 3 lb chicken for our Whole Roasted Chicken test. If you were to purchase this oven and use it to roast a whole chicken, we recommend cutting it open or chopping it into pieces beforehand. The toasting controls can be hard to figure out to avoid burning your toast.
In fact, it received higher scores than some bigger, fancier models with double or triple the price tag. Coupled with a thirty minute timer, the toaster oven shuts itself hamilton beach air fryer off at the end of its cooking time. 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.
We also like that the FlashXpress beeps when the cycle has finished and turns itself off automatically (as does our other pick, the Cuisinart). This model also has an oven light, which is rare for toaster ovens at this price level. However, for the best results, we’d still recommend waiting a couple of minutes for the unit to preheat. What’s convenient about 100% analog toaster ovens is that it’s very simple to adjust time and temperature during cooking. When the timer runs out, a bell will sound and the oven will shut off. Afterward, you can freely leave it plugged in and not worry about power consumption as it has no digital display.
This handy appliance will toast, broil, or bake all of your favorite foods for your busy lifestyle. And a compact toaster over takes up less counter space making it great for a small kitchen or work area.Want to toast a bagel or bread? With a small toaster oven, you can do your baking hamilton beach toaster oven without ever turning on your regular oven which saves energy. And with most of our small toaster ovens including a broil grid, bake pan and removable crumb tray, you’ll be toasting (baking and broiling) in no time. The Cuisinart also has two convection speeds, regular and high.