I’ve walked away and not had something anywhere close to done, came back when timer went off two minutes later and those items were burned. I turn it down lower then what I have with my other toaster ovens but it still cooks things really quickly. Besides using my oven every day, I usually clean it after each use. In fact as i’m writing this review it’s making me want to go out and purchase a different toaster oven that will clean so much better and cook more evenly instead of burning my stuff. I’ve even tried using magic erasers on this toaster and those don’t even get it clean.
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 toaster oven 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 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.
We preferred this subtle sound to the ear-shattering beeps on some digital models, like the Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven. The Hamilton Beach has manual knobs that adjust the temperature (from 150 °F to broil/toast mode), the function (broil, toast, and bake), and the 30-minute timer. The hamilton beach toaster oven 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.
This countertop oven is available in several different variations. For example, some of these ovens have doors that roll back and open upward instead of downward, making it easier to take food in and out. We found the same heating map inconsistency when toasting bagels. The oven is only big enough to toast two full bagels at a time.
This toaster oven, however, gives you a good bang for your buck as far as functionality and performance. While traditional toaster ovens were large and bulky, the Hamilton Beach Easy Reach Convection Toaster Oven is only 11” x 17” x 20”. We’ve read some user reviews regarding food catching fire in this oven.
However, we found it easy to brush them onto the crumb tray using a pastry brush or a paper towel. Also, we were able to remove the stubborn stains on the baking pan by brushing them with a paste of baking soda and water. The oven has a back buffer to prevent it from being pushed too close to the wall. Unlike many other toaster ovens, though, you can’t wrap the power cord around the buffer.