Toaster Oven Recommendations

[Andy M.]

I think I'm in the market for a toaster oven. I've been cruising the kitchen stores but can't decide.

At the top end there is the Krups for $200++, in the mid-range there's the Cuisinart for $100 and a host of Rival, Toastmaster and B&D in the lower prices range. Just to mention a few of the many brands and models.

Can anyone, speaking from personal experiences, recommend a good choice for toasting breads and bagels and miscellaneous other warming, broiling, etc tasks. I don't expect we'll be baking in it or cooking small chickens.

I'm not interested in any convection models.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

 

[purrfectlydevine]

I have an older Black and Decker. The toast is ok, but not as pretty as it would be in a regular toaster. Bagels do nicely. I use it mainly for small quantities of frozen french fries, English muffin pizzas, finishing off microwaved baked potatoes, biscuits, that sort of thing. The Pampered Chef small bar pan fits nicely. With the paperwork was an order form to order other pans designed to fit.

 

[GB]

We have a Black and Decker as well. We only use it for things like bagels, English muffins, waffles, toast, etc. It works just fine for those things. It is not expensive either. If you don't want to spend a lot then I would recommend it.

 

[Stevie]

Black And Decker here too, cheap and does the job.

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks guys, I have had B&Ds in the past and wondered how the newer ones are.

 

[Paint]

I've got a Krups (but I didn't pay $200 for it - mine was around $50 on special offer a couple of years ago).

It toasts evenly (which my previous Black and Decker didn't do) and heats up quickly. It has been a good purchase, although I usually only use it for toasting things!

Paint.

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks, Paint. I'll check it out.

 

[licia]

I don't have a favorite - haven't found it yet, but I would say do lots of shopping - they are all different. I've had a few different kind and wouldn't repeat any of the ones I've had. I keep looking for a really good one. If I ever find a convection/toaster oven the right size with the right controls, that is what I'll get. Til then I will keep the one I have that isn't what I want.

 

[Andy M.]

Licia, thanks. Good points to keep in mind.

 

[RPCookin]

Personally, I won't have one in my house. I was told by a fireman that they are one of the leading causes of fires that start in the kitchen, and my own experience would bear that out. We received one (I don't remember the brand, maybe GE?) for a wedding present in 1993. One day about 6 months later I was walking through the Kitchen and noticed that it was warm, although we hadn't used it for at least a week. I thought the dial had just not been turned off all the way, but that was not the case. Everything that could be turned off was off, yet the case was still quite warm to the touch and it was hot inside. I unplugged it, tossed it in the trash and we have never even considered replacing it. That was too close, IMO, to ever risk it again.

We use a popup toaster for toast (which is unplugged when not in use, and stored on a revolving shelf in one of our corner cabinets), and we use the regular oven for cooking real food.

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks for the heads up, Rick.

 

[Claire]

RP, when we lived in Florida, we learned to unplug as many appliances as practical when not in use. That lightning will do a job on your small appliances. Thanks for the reminder that it is always a good idea.

 

[ArticKatt]

I have had many B&D's over the years I have never had a problem with them but I never leave them pluged in when not in use. You can get a lot of different B&D models. Recently I had to shop for my cousins wedding present and I got my gift and two others. I do a lot of the gift shopping for my family. When I went to the store there were a lot of toaster ovens and I think 4 different B&D models. quite a range. The one I got will broil a number of things and the one they wanted will also do a bit of baking as they want to make muffins first thing in the morning. I think it will hold a 6 muffin tray.

 

[matermark]

Hi, I may be a little late, as I just signed up to reply to this thread. I found this site when researching KitchenAids.

As for a toaster oven, I recently bought a Deni. It's actually branded "cook's essentials." I never thought of getting a toaster oven since I rarely would use it, I thought; I already have 2 convection microwaves, plus my stove is gas with a bottom broiler, circa the 1950's I'd guess. Plus I have a decent 3-burner [mostly] stainless gas grill on the porch.

The only reason I bought it was because it was a multi-purpose appliance. And was cheap--around $50 and shipping was around $7. It has the following features:

Defrost
Slow Cook
Bake
Convection
Broil
ROTISSERIE!

It has a large LCD display and you use up/down buttons to move between the above features, then you can press different +/- buttons for time and different +/- buttons for temperature, then just press the on/off to start. It's already programmed for certain times & temps for each feature, most can be changed, but not all--the defrost is set at 100 degrees and the time can be changed but not the temp; broil is set at 375 and cannot be changed. Slow cook is set at 350 but CAN be changed. All the rest you can change both time & temp.

The rotisserie comes not just with the main spit skewer and 2 spit forks, but also 2 discs that attach and hold 8 included kabob skewers. So you can make a roast or chicken, etc, or up to 8 kabobs.

It comes with a crumb tray that goes in the bottom, a drip tray that goes a couple inches above the bottom, and a wire rack that sits nearly centered in the oven. It also comes with a perforated 12-inch round pizza pan, a tiny baking sheet, plus a handle to remove trays as well as a separate special handle to lift out the rotisserie unit when hot. The manual even has many recipes.

So far I've owned it since before Christmas but was too busy to try it out. I just started using it about a week or 2 ago. I've made pork roasts, cornbread, toasted subs, garlic bread, reheated pizza, etc, and conclude it was definitely worth the money, especially with the rotisserie, which I tried out with a 4lb pork butt/shoulder.

It's also polished/brushed aluminum or stainless on the outside with a black face and looks nice too, and it even fits under my countertop cabinets. It's only drawback to me so far is the power cord could be a little longer.

I've seen this on ebay for around 2x what I paid before I got mine, and that was also another reason that convinced me to get it. Plus I had a $10 off coupon for a $100 order which I used at the same time with other things I ordered!

Hope this helps. Any questions let me know or click me.

Mark

 

[Caine]

My problem with Black & Decker, all their products, not just toaster ovens, is that the equipment seems to expire right after the warranty does.

I have the Cuisinart, a factory refurbished one I got for 50 bucks at Le Gourmet Chef, and it's been operating wonderfully for the last two years. I use it for toasting just about every type of bread product out there, plus I use it to reheat things I don't want to nuke, like pizza and leftover chicken wings. I also broil hot dogs and hamburgers in it when I don't want to fire up the barbeque grill for just one dog or burger.

But what I like best is they measure the interior in square inches, they do not profess to toast X number of slices, which is always wrong, unless you count a hot dog bun, opened, as two slices.