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 hamilton beach juicer 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.
Some ovens’ results weren’t dark enough; others were overdone or unevenly cooked. This was also one of the only models in this price range that could bake chicken thighs with a golden brown, crispy skin. Up against bigger, more expensive toaster ovens, the FlashXpress more than held its own. With a large toaster oven, you’ll be able to handle most of your cooking tasks without ever switching on your regular oven which can save you money on your energy bill. Also, our large capacity toaster ovens heat up quickly so you can get to cooking right away, and clean-up is simple with the removable crumb tray. However, you won’t get the stellar performance and extra features that you find on the more expensive models.
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. In no event will Free Delivery benefits be available to you if reside outside the delivery service area of a Participating Beta Test Program Retailer. From time to time, Ace may, in its sole discretion, add, eliminate, or modify Beta Test Program benefits. If we materially reduce Beta Test Program benefits, we will offer you the option of terminating your Beta Test Program membership and receiving a refund of your membership fee. When the oven is operating, the glass door becomes excessively hot, reaching temperatures as high as 339.2°F.
It also comes with an air fry/dehydrate basket rack and a broiling rack that fits inside its enamel roasting pan. But we still prefer the Cuisinart’s ceramic pizza stone over the Breville’s nonstick pizza pan (though Breville does sell a pizza stone separately for around $30). To test how well the toaster ovens maintained a set temperature, we stuck an air probe thermometer into their cavities and monitored them for hamilton beach toaster oven 20 minutes. 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. Some brands will advertise the material of their toaster oven’s heating elements, and generally, ovens using quartz or ceramic will cost more than those using Calrod.
The FlashXpress’s one annoying quirk is that you can’t add time or change the temperature midway through a preset cooking cycle (although you can change the toast shade settings). This means you have to turn the Panasonic off and back on again to adjust it. That said, the controls are clearly labeled and straightforward to use, so we’re willing to overlook this drawback. We’d also prefer dial controls over the FlashXpress’s blister-push buttons, but they’re perfectly usable and not as glitchy or mushy as others we tested. Toaster ovens by Hamilton Beach only take up a small amount of counter space and have a variety of uses. This countertop oven is available in several different variations.