5.0 out of 5 stars The Goldilocks of Toaster Ovens

A. · August 27, 2011

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } My more expensive, super fancy Krups toaster oven recently kicked the bucket after about 4-5 yrs of service, and it was time to replace it. While my Krups was a good toaster oven (before it died), it took up a lot of space on the counter, it was expensive to buy, and frankly it had a lot of features (convection) and interior space that I just don't use and don't think are necessary in a toaster oven. So when I shopped for a replacement, I decided to go downmarket a bit.Problem is, the toaster oven market is bifurcated towards two extremes and IMO neither is ideal. On the low end, are super cheap pieces of junk. On the higher end, are expensive behemoths that take up all your counter space and have a lot of features that most of us will never use. Now I'll admit, for someone who lives in say a small apartment and doesn't have a regular oven, the second type may make sense. But I live in a house with a regular kitchen and I have a regular oven and a cooktop, as well as a gas grill and a big green egg. What this means is, I'm not going to be roasting a whole chicken or searing steaks or baking any cakes or cooking thanksgiving dinner in my toaster oven. What I mostly use my toaster oven for is 1) toast! and 2) heating up things like leftover pizza or empanadas or really anything else that will get soggy in the microwave but you don't want to wait for the regular oven to preheat when alls you want to do is heat up a single item, and 3) odd things like maybe an open faced sammich or something. So really, anything small that you want to heat up quickly yet still have it be crispy. I have a hunch a large percent of toaster oven owners use them pretty much like I do and want a quality product but don't want a $300 large convection toaster oven taking up all our counter space, but also don't want to trust the $20 hunk of junk that looks like it will die in 2 weeks and can't toast evenly.This toaster oven is a good choice because:1) It's simple - toast, bagel, bake, broil. The analog controls are simple to use, and unlike a digital keypad it "remembers" what your last setting was (for say toast darkness or oven temp), which you are likely to use repeatedly. Some reviews complained the controls are hard to read, and I don't find this to be a problem although I do have good near-sight vision. The crum tray is easy to remove, clean, and replace.2) It works - nice even toasting. Heats up quickly for reheating items. I was surprised at how light it was out of the box, but it works well so this doesn't appear to be a problem.3) It's a fair price - way cheaper than the expensive convection ovens, but not so cheap as to be garbage4) Small footprint - doesn't take up much counter space yet still big enough for everything I want a toaster oven to do. Honestly if something can't fit in this thing I have no problem firing up the regular oven.Now, there seem to be 2 basic complaints on this model and I don't find either to be a problem:1) No timer - who cares? I'm only using it for toast (which does shut off when it reaches desired darkness) and to heat up small stuff that only takes a few minutes, I can hang around and keep an eye on it. Again, this seems like more of a problem for people who want to bake a cake or something and I don't know why you'd want to use a toaster oven to do that.2) A lot of people complain that the toast comes out too dark - I'm puzzled by these complaints as I find it extremely easy to set the toaster to desired darkness. The medium setting comes out pretty much what I'd expect medium toast to be, and more importantly you have infinite adjustability with the analog controls so it shouldn't take you much experimenting to figure out how you want it. One person even complained they had this for over a month and couldn't get toast that wasn't burned - I'd say this person either got a defective unit, or they are severely challenged when it comes to the operation of small electronics and/or employing the trial and error method.Overall - there should be more toaster ovens in this segment. If you don't routinely roast whole prime ribs or do hard core baking in your toaster oven, this should suit your needs well.Edit: Well, 3 1/2 years later, one of the coils was coming apart and my girlfriend threw the Cuisinart away because she claims that's a fire hazard! Replacement is a Kitchenaid unit purchased from Costco (which also doesn't have a lot of unnecessary bells and whistles, although it's a bit bigger). The new Kitchenaid definitely does not toast as quickly or evenly as the trusty old Cuisinart! I wish we'd just bought another as it's replacement. 3 1/2 years isn't too bad for a toaster oven that was used fairly often and not really taken care of, rarely cleaned etc. I stand by my old 5 star review.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Different Classic

M.B. · May 22, 2025

Bought this to replace an older model “Classic” Cuisinart. This one has a slightly smaller interior and a door hook to pull out the rack (I think?) that I could live without. If the rack isn’t placed properly the hook just gets in the way. Controls are fine, but there’s not a visual marker on the dial; you have to feel for the ridge to set the temp properly. Heats quickly, cleans easily and the unit was a return so the price was right.

4.0 out of 5 stars Door sticks after opening an inch or so...

M.B. · April 3, 2025

I bought this oven in Aug 2024 and it was awesome. I have gone through 3 toaster ovens in the last 10 years trying to find one that would toast evenly and last more than 6 months. My original Black and Decker lasted the first 15 years of my marriage (we were given one as a wedding gift) and half a dozen moves. It finally gave up the ghost so I bought another Black and Decker - junk. We bought a Hamilton Beach - junk. We bought an unheard of brand, hoping for a diamond in the rough - junk. Finally, this one worked out. It toasts bread, bagels, reheats pizza, etc., perfectly. Last month, the door started sticking. I noticed many have had this issue over the years with this brand. Very frustrating. However, if you want a hack: I sprayed the little half moon hinges that slides in and out of the left side with Olive Oil and it helped tremendously. I am going to try just spraying that each week and see how it lasts - because it's such a great toaster. Hope that helps.

5.0 out of 5 stars Aiming for a Bronze Medal

M.o.A. · January 4, 2025

I see a lot of people expecting perfection when this is not the flagship model. Expect less and don't punish the manufacturer for your choice. Although this is not the top tier full featured "convection" or "air fryer" with a heat circulating fan it does bake which is what I wanted it to do. It has a smaller foot print and it cost a third the price of a top tier convection oven. It comes with a 3-year warranty which is better than many. It also has old fashioned knobs and avoids potential problems with an LED digital menu. This one is a simple but nice quality toaster oven. It is much better quality than typical toaster ovens which can be quite flimsy. This is solid, sturdy and looks nice. It might be the cream of the crop in toaster ovens if only it had an internal light. I have not reduced it by any stars merely because of that though. It is great to have dry heat for small things without having to fire up the full size oven.I have previously experienced a top model dying out of the blue with a non-repairable error code. A plus, this is non-digital but if this one dies it cost a third the price. So far so good. I have baked scones and it fulfilled my needs. I did not want another convection oven. Some of the convection ovens suffer from a fan shrill. My previous convection oven produced a shrill but only when it was being used. I have read how some of these emit a shrill when the oven is idle and it stops only when you use it. Because this is not a convection or air fryer oven there is no fan in this model to shrill.Some people have complained about this not having a timer which shuts off the oven after a set time. How many full sized ovens have timers like that? Do you care that those don't have timers? You can live without a timer. It is a matter of expecting everything when you were not willing to pay for The Everything model. This one could benefit from larger text and a more prominent pointer on the knobs but it is not worthy of a star penalty. I can feel the pointer and I memorized the temperature positions easily. 5 stars does not mean perfection. It means it is good for what it is. This is not the flagship model. If you want that then expect to pay 3-4 times more to get everything. Or you can adjust to appropriate expectations and be happy.

Very dependable toaster oven.

T. · August 19, 2017

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } A little smaller than the toaster oven which it replaced, but still will take a store-bought frozen pizza. Have used it to cook and reheat. Temperature is accurate. Fully meets my requirements. The removable parts are easy to clean.

Love it

M.a. · February 16, 2023

We had the same one for 10 years. Happy to find the exact replacement. Great smaller size than what is out there now. Does great bagels.

It has multiple functions which I have tried and work great. It's extra large for bigger meals and has ...

K. · February 8, 2018

This oven is a bit bigger and fancier than my old Betty Crocker one. It has multiple functions which I have tried and work great. It's extra large for bigger meals and has a nice look. I don't like the black exterior but looking at the stainless steel one, it would have cost $30+ more for a stainless steel one and more functions/features I probably wouldn't use. I normally just bake in my oven.I am curious about that metal piece in the oven on the left hand side. I find it gets in the way when you are baking at the middle level. Does anyone know what this is for? I love the fact that the crumb tray is a removable tray vs the hinged one from my old oven. If you're looking for durable, affordable, and stylish, this oven fits the criteria.Pros:StylishMulti functionsPull out crumb trayLarge cooking surfaceCons:Black exteriorNo timer

Wonderful appliance

s.g. · February 15, 2020

A gift for my son and he totally loves it and there are no problems

Great toaster oven

T.j. · April 25, 2014

We purchased this oven to replace our broken pop up toaster. It's a very straight forward, easy to operate machine. If you are looking for something with all kinds of bells and whistles you may want to look at other options. It does a great job of toasting bread, which is what we were looking for, but it's so handy for warming up leftovers or even cooking. With just the two of us we often do not use our range oven, we just cook our meat in the toaster oven on bake or broil. This machine runs about the cost of a decent pop up toaster and does so much more, I would never go back.