Once I accomplished that, the rotisserie worked well, and the chicken cooked evenly. When the oven is operating, the glass door becomes excessively hot, reaching temperatures as high as 339.2°F. The Hamilton Beach is the only toaster oven we tested with a door handle that becomes very hot to the touch at a temperature of 146.8 °F.
The door doesn’t close automatically until the door is a few inches from closing, and in fact, it can be left ajar when it’s about 2 inches from being hamilton beach air fryer closed. It can, however, free-fall downward when it’s open about 5 inches. If there’s counter space in front of it, the handle would hit the counter.
Hamilton Beach’s Toaster Oven took more than an hour to broil chicken breasts, can only accommodate four slices of bread — despite manufacturer claims that it can hold six. Still, this unit toasts quickly, does a good job at baking potatoes, and can roast a six-pound chicken. It’s also affordable and easy to use, thanks to its excellent manual. Coupled with a thirty minute timer, the toaster oven shuts itself off at the end of its cooking time.
With a flip of a switch, it converted from toaster to an oven. It was easy to use, cooked evenly and quickly, saved on precious countertop space and it was a cute red color, so it added a little extra personality to my kitchen. Then one day that switch that flipped it from oven to toaster broke. The Toastation had a long life and served us well, so I didn’t feel like it owed me anything. However, they did have a new version of a mini-oven and toaster combo.
I found the toaster ovens with digital displays easiest to program since you dial into your preferred level of doneness on a six- or seven-point scale rather than guesstimating with a timer knob. My favorite display was on Breville’s Mini Smart Oven, which was simple and easy to use with dials that accurately adjust the cooking time for both doneness and number of slices. This model also has an “a bit more” button and a cool-down mode to stop cooking faster. If you like the functionality of an old-school toaster but also want a mini oven for heating up leftovers and cooking smaller items, the 2-in-1 is perfect for that. I have teenagers, so the oven gets used a lot for cooking frozen pizza and entrees as well as breakfast fare like cinnamon bread and frozen waffles. The oven operates on a timer that you have to set past 10 minutes for it to start and it automatically shuts off after 60 minutes.
I hauled in a whole lot of bread to see how fast and evenly each oven made this breakfast and sandwich staple. 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.
The feature we liked the most was the oven’s roll-top opening which not only frees up counter space, but also gives the Easy Reach its name. Most toaster ovens either swing open to the side, like a microwave, or swing hamilton beach down, like a conventional oven. This exposes more than two-thirds of the interior oven, much like an outdoor BBQ grill. The size of your toaster is another big differentiator and something to carefully consider.
However, the back-left side of the oven routinely toasted a little lighter than the rest of the oven. Hamilton Beach’s Easy Reach Toaster Oven has a roomy interior, making it especially well-suited for warming up multiple snacks or cooking pizzas (up to 12 inches). Its convection heating makes for evenly browned bagels or muffins. It fits easily on any countertop, with a long cord that increases your options for placement.