Top 3 Best Toaster Ovens – Updated October 2017

Toaster ovens, like microwave ovens, are used in kitchens all around the world to quickly cook and re-heat food. They are relatively small appliances that are usually placed on a counter, and can be used to perform a multitude of cooking functions including toasting, baking, roasting, broiling and grilling. These multi-functional cooking machines are most commonly used to toast bread or sandwiches, but they can also be used to bake pizzas and cakes, or roast whole chickens and turkeys. Additionally, toaster ovens have a significant advantage over conventional wall or range ovens. Their smaller size makes them more energy efficient, and allows them to heat up and cook foods faster. They have an advantage over toasters as well, as they can toast more slices of bread at a time and can do other cooking tasks besides just toasting.

After extensively analyzing and reviewing 40 different toaster ovens, we invested close to 19 hours creating this buying guide. Our top 3 selections were made based on several different factors, including cooking power, capacity, multi-functionality, construction quality, user-friendliness of controls, safety features, how evenly the unit cooks food and price.

It goes without saying, but you can’t make your favorite dishes without the right kind of equipment. And a good toaster oven is one of the most invaluable pieces of equipment you can have in your kitchen. They are especially handy for preparing medium to small sized meals. Once you get in the habit of using a toaster oven, it will become an indispensable part of your life – be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. When shopping for a toaster oven, it’s important that you ask the right questions, since the goal is to find a unit that will fit your specific needs and preferences. So to help you do that, we’ve made a list of five important questions you should ask yourself before making your final purchasing decision.

How much am I willing to spend on a toaster oven?

Generally, the bigger and more versatile ones like the Breville BOV800XL will cost more, but they will have more features. Conversely, a bare bones toaster oven with minimal features can be purchased for very cheap, like the Black & Decker TRO480BS which you can buy for around $30. How much you should spend is going to depend entirely on what you want out of your toaster oven. If you plan on cooking a variety of different foods in it, and if quality is important to you, then you should go for a higher priced one – it will be more reliable and will last you much longer than a cheap, low-quality one.

How energy efficient should the toaster oven be?

If you’re very particular about saving money then you’ve made a great decision to buy a toaster oven, because ANY toaster oven will be far more energy efficient than your conventional oven. However, some toaster ovens are more efficient than others. Generally speaking, the smaller the toaster oven the quicker things will bake because the preheat time is much faster. That isn’t the only factor though. How well insulated the toaster oven makes a big difference as well. The higher quality ovens have thicker walls that insulate the heat better. Also, toaster ovens that have a convection fan will have an advantage over ones that don’t since the use of a convection fan will result in food being cooked faster.

How will I use my toaster oven?

If you are just looking to make cinnamon toast or something of the sort, then a basic toaster oven without all of the bells and whistles will do just fine. It will normally take about 4-5 minutes to make hot crispy toast with brown stripes on the bottom. If you plan on using it for more than just simple bread toasting though, and intend to use it to bake cakes, roast chickens and broil large hamburgers, then you’ll probably want to get a larger toaster oven. However, that is not to say that size is everything. Even some of the smallest toaster ovens on the market can perform many of those functions, just not as well.

How much space do I have?

When you are all set to buy a toaster oven, space is a major factor that should be given serious consideration. Much like a regular oven, the amount of space your toaster oven will need is called the “footprint” and you need to find out how big your machine’s footprint is going to be. Make sure that it is not next to anything that can be damaged by heat, and make sure it is not anywhere that a child can reach. Place it on top of something slip resistant and heatproof because you want it to stay in one place and not have the heat from the oven leave a mark on the surface where it is placed.

What features should it have?

Toaster oven features can vary greatly depending on the model or brand, and many are unique to that specific brand/model. For example, some toaster ovens have a “keep warm” feature that will keep your food warm for you. This feature is very useful for when you don’t plan to eat the cooked food right away, as it will keep it warm until you are ready to eat it. If a fast cooking time is important to you then you can go for an oven with an infrared heating feature. There are also ovens that have non-stick interiors that make clean up a breeze. Some come fitted with plastic housing so that they don’t burn you when you touch it, and for those of you who don’t want to bother with too many functions, a model that is fitted with an easy-to-use electronic touchpad would be perfect for you. Virtually all of the toaster ovens that you will find in the market these days are fitted with the broiler function; handy when you want to cook burgers or make a plate of nachos.

In addtion to these five, brand is also an important consideration when you are shopping for a toaster oven. Go for a brand that offers timely and prompt after sales support. Breville, Cuisinart, Oster, and Black & Decker are some of the top brands in the market when it comes to toaster ovens.

At the end of the day, you will have to weigh the pros and cons of each of the toaster ovens that you are interested in before making your purchase, and realize that you may have to compromise one feature for another.

What Kinds of Foods Can I Make With My Toaster Oven?

Here are some culinary delights that you can prepare in your toaster oven without putting in a lot of time or effort:

• Open faced sandwiches
• Cheesy pizzas
• Lasagna toasts
• Asian chicken salad
• Seafood tacos
• Chicken quesadillas
• Oatmeal raisin cookies
• English muffin pizzas
• Apple surprise
• Cuban sandwiches
• Breakfast bagels

Most toaster ovens come with a list of some great recipes that you can try out for yourself in your own kitchen.