It also had a difficult time maintaining its internal temperature (which fluctuated between 322 °F and 369 °F when set to 350 °F). The Cuisinart TOB-135 toasted bread unevenly, and its temperature control was less consistent, so we dismissed it. 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.
The cheese topping on Bagel Bites didn’t melt as evenly in these models as our picks, and the bottoms were burned. Also, the wide gaps on either side of the oven racks allowed bread to slip through the slots and onto the bottom of the oven cavity. One disappointing thing about the Breville, especially at this price, is that it comes with a two-year warranty, whereas the Cuisinart has a three-year warranty.
In every round of testing we conducted for this guide, we started by filling each toaster with as many slices of basic white bread as we could, then set each machine to toast at medium shade. The results gave us a heat map of each oven, showing us how evenly each model toasted and whether there were any hot spots. You should also know that as soon as the oven is preheated, the timer starts counting down. This can be annoying if you’re not quite ready to put your food in the oven, but we think it’s easy enough to adjust the timer once you’re ready.
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. 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. However, in our research, we’ve found that toaster ovens have a longer life expectancy than slot toasters. If you don’t have room for both appliances in your kitchen, we’d recommend getting a toaster oven instead.
We also looked at smart toaster ovens, such as the exorbitantly priced June Oven; it boasts an HD camera (which monitors your food as it cooks), carbon fiber heating elements, and two convection fans. We recognize that for some, a level of automation could prove helpful, so we’ll continue to test smart ovens. But we haven’t yet tested one where the features feel worth the investment for most people. This convection toaster oven has a slightly more powerful fan for air frying than the Cuisinart, plus convenient markings on the door and the easiest-to-clean interior.
We also tested the Cuisinart TOA-60 model and found its performance underwhelming. The model cooked hot and burned food during our tests and we cuisinart choppers found the manual interface difficult to use for precise cooking. The Breville Smart Oven Pro is nearly identical to the Breville Smart Oven.
Plus, like many of our other top picks, the digital interface makes it easy to program to specific degrees, limiting the room for error in cooking. This model produced golden-brown toast with good texture and churned out a half-a-bag of frozen fries in minutes. The air fry basket can be a bit tough to remove, so take that into account and use an oven mitt when reaching for your food. Bone-in skin-on chicken breasts came out with moist meat and crunchy skin after 45 minutes and we found store-bought sugar cookie dough baked well according to package instructions. While it does come with fewer presets than the Breville, this model is sure to do the trick for those who want to expand their air frying horizons without sacrificing the functionality of a toaster oven.
This article has been reviewed since its original publish date for accuracy, pricing and availability. Our best overall air fryer was updated in 2022 to the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro. The Breville Smart Oven Air is very similar to our upgrade pick, the Breville Smart cuisinart air fryer oven Oven Air Fryer Pro, except it has fewer programmed settings (11 instead of the Pro’s 14), and it has a smaller oven capacity. If you need a slightly smaller machine, we think you’ll be happier with the Cuisinart—it performed just as well and it’s also more affordable.
This model comes with the most basic accessories, including an oven rack, a baking pan, and a crumb tray. More-advanced digital models will alert you once the oven is preheated to a set temperature, but the Hamilton Beach lacks this feature. The instruction manual recommends allowing 5 minutes for the toaster oven to preheat.
We found that the displays on the pricier Cuisinart and Breville toaster ovens were easier to read. We also used an AI-powered analysis tool to scan 6,500-plus customer reviews across nine toaster ovens to identify what made some models better or worse than others. Price changes, if any, will be reflected on your order confirmation. Web toasters brown more evenly and consistently than toaster ovens. Web for a relatively low price, this toaster oven stands out from a crowded pack of mediocre, cheap models.