While this might seem like a good idea, it often lead to drastically uneven cooking and burnt dishes. The kitchen was barely big enough for one person to maneuver and you had to access the oven at an angle. Michael Sullivan has been a staff writer on the kitchen team at Wirecutter since 2016.
The KitchenAid KCO211BM Digital Countertop Toaster Oven didn’t toast as evenly as our picks, and several slices of bread were burned in patches on the bottom. Some of the Bagel Bites we baked were also undercooked and pale. The Cuisinart TOB-40 Custom Classic Toaster Oven Broiler is easy to use, but on its medium setting, bread became too dark. Also, this model has no timer, so you’ll have to keep a close watch on your food to prevent it from overcooking.
The bake and broil functions will be all you need if you know your way around the kitchen. The temperature knob also includes a Min setting which, at 100°F, can act as a ‘keep warm’ option. However, the chicken’s hamilton beach toaster oven internal temperature was 185°F-192°F, higher than the USDA recommended 165°F-180°F. When we slid the pan in, the top of the chicken breast grazed the upper heating element’s guard and was seared.
While there are a few cons to this particular toaster oven, over all the Hamilton Beach Easy Reach Six Slice Toaster Oven is a great deal. From broiling a lemon and herb crusted salmon for a delish dinner for two to making a tray of pizza rolls for your incredibly picky child, this oven can do it all. The Hamilton Beach Easy Reach Toaster Oven has both a top and bottom heating element and a fan to help move the warm air throughout the device. I enjoyed the Hamilton Beach Countertop Oven With Convection and Rotisserie (model number 31104D) and had good results with the recipes I made. However, I’m accustomed to precise digital controls and presets and wished for those as I turned the dials.
None of the parts are coated with a nonstick finish and hand washing is recommended. The aluminum baking pan became quite stained and we weren’t able to get it completely clean. This is an authentic manufacturer-sourced part which is specially designed hamilton beach for use with Hamilton Beach countertop ovens. It is an identical replacement for a missing or damaged rotisserie rod/fork that was included with a new unit. Please make sure to check the owners manual for the correct application of this component.
The length of time the toaster oven is covered by its manufacturer for defects or repairs. Owner satisfaction ratings are based on the proportion of members who are extremely likely to recommend their toaster oven brand to their friends and family. If you’re looking for accessories to go with your toaster oven, see my recent Toaster Oven Accessory Buying Guide. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times.
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.
We also tested the unique features on certain models, such as dehydrate modes or the steam feature on Balmuda’s The Toaster. Additionally, we took note of any excessively loud beeps and evaluated the usefulness of each model’s accessories. This model comes with the most basic accessories, including an oven rack, a baking hamilton beach 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. Even so, a charming, old-school ding does alert you when the timer goes off.
The half-bagel slices in the front toasted perfectly, while those in the rear of the oven were paler and less crispy. Overall, we gave the Easy Reach higher than average marks for toasting and feel it does an acceptable job with this metric. Most of the frozen items we heated came out a little undercooked after the recommended cooking time.