We tested top models to find the Wirecutter-approved toaster oven for your counter. See the results. Finding the right wirecutter toaster oven is tougher than it seems. You need one that toasts evenly, bakes reliably, and doesn’t take over your whole kitchen. We put the leading contenders through their paces, from morning bagels to small pizzas, so you don’t have too.
Our top pick excelled in every category, offering consistent performance and surprising versatility. It became our go-to for quick meals and even some serious cooking. Let’s dive into what makes it stand out and why it earned it’s spot as our favorite.
Product Comparison Table: 8 Best Wirecutter Toaster Oven
| Image | Why We Like This Product | Editor’s Rating | |
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BLACK+DECKER Crisp ‘N Bake Air Fry Countertop Convection Toaster…
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9.8 |
Read Review |
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BLACK+DECKER TO1313SBD Toaster Oven, 15.47 Inch, Silver
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9.5 |
Read Review |
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Breville BOV450XL Mini Smart Countertop Oven and Toaster Oven,…
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9.2 |
Read Review |
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Cuisinart Custom Classic Toaster Oven Broiler, 1800 Watt Countertop…
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8.9 |
Read Review |
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BLACK+DECKER TO3250XSBD 8-Slice Extra Wide Convection Countertop Toaster Oven,…
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8.6 |
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Hamilton Beach 2-in-1 Countertop Toaster Oven and Long Slot…
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8.3 |
Read Review |
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Elite Gourmet ETO490 9L/4 Slice Countertop Toaster Oven with…
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8.0 |
Read Review |
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Toaster Oven Cheat Sheet Cooking Times Chart Magnet Accessories,…
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7.7 |
Read Review |
Quick Review For Top 8 Wirecutter Toaster Oven
BLACK+DECKER Crisp 'N Bake Air Fry Countertop Convection Toaster Oven, Medium Capacity, 4-Slice, 5-in-1, Fits 9” Pizza, 30-Min Timer, Bake, Broil, Air Fry, Toast, Keep Warm, Stainless Steel
The BLACK+DECKER Crisp ‘N Bake Air Fry Countertoop Oven is designed to be a versatile and compact kitchen helper. It combines five essential cooking functions—Air Fry, Bake, Broil, Toast, and Keep Warm—into one appliance that saves space. This means you can handle a lot of your daily cooking without needing to turn on your large oven or use multiple gadgets. It’s a practical solution for preparing quick family meals, snacks, or side dishes. A key feature is it’s healthy air frying capability.
The oven uses rapid air circulation to cook food, giving you crispy fries, chicken, or veggies with little to no added oil. It’s a straightforward way to enjoy the texture of fried foods in a healthier manner. For toasting, the EvenToast technology aims to eliminate those annoying hot spots. You should get consistent, golden results on bread, bagels, and pastries, which is a common frustration with many smaller ovens. Despite it’s compact footprint, the interior is surprisingly spacious.
It can fit a 9-inch pizza or four slices of bread, making it suitable for small batches or individual portions. The design considers counter space, so it won’t dominate your kitchen. Operation is kept simple with user-friendly dial controls and a 30-minute timer, helping you manage your cooking without complication. This oven also comes with several useful accessories to maximize its functionality.
BLACK+DECKER TO1313SBD Toaster Oven, 15.47 Inch, Silver
The BLACK+DECKER TO1313SBD Toaster Oven is a compact kitchen appliance designed to handle a variety of everyday cooking tasks without taking up much counter space. Its sleek silver stainless steel finish fits easily into most kitchen decors, measuring just 14.5 inches wide. This unit is built to be both functional and straightforward, offering a practical alternative to heating up your full-sized oven for smaller meals. You’ll find the interior is cleverly curved to maximize space.
It can accommodate a 9-inch personal pizza or up to four slices of bread for toasting. For best results, its recommended to place your food evenly on the included baking tray. This helps ensure consistent results whether your toasting, baking, or just reheating leftovers. The natural convection airflow inside helps circulate heat, but for baking or broiling, a quick 10-minute preheat is advised for the most consistent and crisp outcomes. Operation is simple with four versatile cooking functions.
You can choose between baking, broiling, toasting, or using the keep-warm setting. The control dial features a precision 30-minute timer with clearly marked toast settings. For longer cooking needs, there’s a convenient stay-on option. A key safety feature is that the oven will not operate unless the timer is set or the stay-on function is selected, giving you added peace of mind. Cleanup is designed to be hassle-free thanks to the removable crumb tray.
Breville BOV450XL Mini Smart Countertop Oven and Toaster Oven, Small, Brushed Stainless Steel
The Breville BOV450XL Mini Smart Countertop Oven and Toaster Oven is a compact kitchen appliance designed to handle a surprising variety of tasks without taking up much of your precious counter space. Its brushed stainless steel finish gives it a sleek look that fits into most kitchen decors. If you have a smaller household or a compact kitchen, this mini oven aims to be a versatile primary or secondary cooking tool. At its core is the Element iQ System.
This smart technology uses five independent quartz elements. Instead of just turning all the heat on at once, smart algorithms direct the power where and when its needed most. This creates a more tailored cooking environment, which can lead to more precise results whether your toasting bread or baking cookies. It also preheats fast with 1800 watts of power, getting your meal ready quicker. You get eight distinct cooking functions: Toast, Bagel, Bake, Broil, Pizza, Roast, Cookies, and Reheat.
This versatility means it’s not just a toaster oven; it functions as a pizza oven, a small roaster, and a baker. The LCD display makes navigating these options straightforward, putting all that smart functionality at your fingertips. You can easily switch from making golden toast to roasting vegetables for a side dish. The interior capacity measures 11 by 10 by 4 inches. It fits four slices of toast, an 11-inch pizza, a six-cup muffin tray, or a batch of cookies.
Cuisinart Custom Classic Toaster Oven Broiler, 1800 Watt Countertop Toaster Oven to Bake, Broil, and Toast, Non-Stick Interior, Consistent Toast Control, Brushed Stainless Steel/Black, TOB-40N
The Cuisinart Custom Classic Toaster Oven Broiler (TOB-40N) is a powerful and versatile countertop appliance designed to handle a surprising amount of your daily cooking. With 1800 watts of power, it moves beyond just toasting to become a genuine mini-oven. It offers multiple functions like bake, broil, and a dedicated pizza setting, plus a keep-warm feature.
This means you can use it for a wide variety of tasks, from crisping up bagels in the morning to roasting vegetables or baking a small casserole for dinner, all without heating up your full-sized oven. Its interior is more spacious then you might expect from a toaster oven. The 0.5-cubic-foot capacity lets you toast six slices of bread at once or fit an 11-inch pizza. The included wire rack, broiling rack, and baking pan provide flexibility for different foods.
A key feature is the Consistent Toast Control system. It monitors the temperature to adjust timing automatically, aiming for uniform browning on every slice, whether your doing one or six. This helps avoid those half-toasted, half-pale results. Safety and ease of use are central to its design. The exterior stays cool-touch during operation, and the dials are easy to grip and turn. An automatic shutoff provides peace of mind.
BLACK+DECKER TO3250XSBD 8-Slice Extra Wide Convection Countertop Toaster Oven, Includes Bake Pan, Broil Rack & Toasting Rack, Stainless Steel/Black
The BLACK+DECKER TO3250XSBD 8-Slice Extra Wide Convection Countertop Toaster Oven is designed to be a versatile and practical addition to your kitchen counter. Its main appeal is the generous interior space. This oven fits most standard 9”x13” oven pans with handles, which is a huge advantage. You can use the baking dishes you already own, making it easy to transition a casserole from the oven directly to your dinner table.
It comes with a bake pan, a broil rack, and a toasting rack that all fit perfectly inside, simplifying the process of inserting and removing your food. Cooking performance is centered around its convection heating system. A built-in fan circulates warm air throughout the oven cavity. This promotes fast and even baking, helping to avoid hot spots that can unevenly cook your food. The oven offers multiple functions: bake, broil, toast, and a keep-warm setting.
For toasting, there’s a dedicated toast timer that gives you predictable, consistent shade selection for your bread, bagels, or pastries. It takes the guesswork out of getting it just right. A key note about operation involves the temperature. The oven uses advanced heating elements, which means the internal temperature will read lower than the dial you set. Don’t worry, this is normal and accounted for.
Hamilton Beach 2-in-1 Countertop Toaster Oven and Long Slot 2 Slice Toaster, 60 Minute Timer and Automatic Shut Off, Shade Selector, Stainless Steel (31156)
The Hamilton Beach 2-in-1 Countertop Toaster Oven and Long Slot Toaster (31156) is designed for kitchens where counter space is precious. It combines two essential appliances into a single, sleek stainless steel unit, eliminating the need for a seperate toaster and a small oven. This means you can bake, broil, and toast all with one compact footprint on your counter.
Its main advantage is versatility.
With four cooking modes—bake, broil, toast, and keep warm—it handles a surprising range of meals. You can bake cookies, broil a chicken breast, toast your morning bread, or keep a dish warm untill everyone’s ready to eat. The interior offers 16.5 liters of space, which is enough for a 9-inch pizza, about three-quarters of a pound of fries, or a simple one-pan dinner.
Two rack positions give you some flexibility for how you place your food.
When it comes to toasting, it’s built for speed and consistency. Hamilton Beach states it toasts 40 percent faster than a leading toaster oven competitor. It has a shade selector with five browning levels, so you get your toast just how you like it. The long slots accomodate two regular slices of bread or one longer artisanal slice.
Elite Gourmet ETO490 9L/4 Slice Countertop Toaster Oven with 30-Minute Timer, Adjustable Temperature Control, Includes Baking Pan and Wire Rack, Bake, Broil, Toast, Black
The Elite Gourmet ETO490 9L/4 Slice Countertop Toaster Oven is a compact kitchen appliance designed to handle a surprising range of cooking tasks without taking up much of your precious counter space. Its sleek black design fits nicely in smaller kitchens, dorm rooms, or office breakrooms, but don’t let it’s size fool you. With 800 watts of power, it provides the consistent heat needed to cook many types of foods, from morning toast to a small evening meal.
This oven’s versatility is one of its strongest points. You can use it to bake, broil, toast, and keep food warm. The adjustable temperature control lets you fine-tune the heat between 200°F and 450°F, giving you the precision needed for roasting vegetables or gently warming a plate. The built-in thermostat works to maintain that temperature for even cooking, which helps you avoid those frustrating hot spots that can lead to uneven results.
Managing your cook time is straightforward with the 30-minute mechanical timer. Its perfect for tasks like toasting a batch of bagels, roasting some chicken pieces, or baking a single-serving dessert. You can set it and focus on other parts of your meal prep, and the timer will signal when your food is ready. This feature adds a layer of convenience and helps prevent overcooking, making the whole process more reliable.
Toaster Oven Cheat Sheet Cooking Times Chart Magnet Accessories, Baking & Grilling Cookbooks, Food Temperature Guide Compatible with Breville, Cuisinart, Oster, Hamilton Beach, Kitchenaid +More
The Toaster Oven Cheat Sheet Cooking Times Chart Magnet Accessories, Baking & Grilling Cookbooks, and Food Temperature Guide is designed to end the guesswork in your kitchen. If you own a toaster oven from Breville, Cuisinart, Oster, Hamilton Beach, KitchenAid, or another brand, this set puts all the essential information right at your fingertips.
It’s a practical toolkit for anyone who wants to use there appliance to its full potential without constantly searching for answers.
You get three detailed cookbooks made specifically for countertop ovens. These guides are packed with chef’s tips and straightforward recipes to help you make easy, fast, and delicious meals. They take the confusion out of deciding what to cook and how to cook it, offering clear instructions for everything from baking to grilling.
It means you can stop wasting time figuring things out and start enjoying the process.
The core of the set are the magnetic cheat sheets. These are your visual guides for cooking times and temperatures. You simply stick them on your fridge or any metal surface near your oven. When you’re wondering how long to roast vegetables or bake chicken, a quick glance gives you the answer.
Wirecutter Toaster Oven Buying Guide
For a Wirecutter-approved toaster oven, focus on consistent performance, versatile functions, and enduring build quality. The right model can replace several appliances, saving you time and counter space. But with so many options, where do you start? Let’s break down the key factors to consider.
Heating Consistency
Ever have one slice of toast perfect and the next barely warm? Inconsistent heating is a common pain point. Look for models with strong, evenly distributed heating elements and good insulation. Convection fans are a huge plus—they circulate hot air for faster, more uniform cooking, whether you’re roasting vegetables or reheating leftovers. This consistency is what separates a good toaster oven from a great one.
Size and Interior Layout
Think about what you’ll actually cook. A compact oven might fit your kitchen better, but can it hold a 9-inch pizza or a small casserole dish? Check the interior dimensions. Also, examine the rack system. Multiple rack positions and included accessories like a baking pan or broiling tray add tremendous versatility. A cramped, single-rack interior will limit you’re options from day one.
Ease of Cleaning
This is where many ovens reveal their flaws. A non-removable crumb tray is a nightmare. Prioritize models with a pull-out crumb tray and an interior that’s easy to wipe down. Enameled interiors are often simpler to clean than stainless steel. Trust us, you’ll use the oven more if cleanup is a 30-second task, not a 30-minute chore.
Control and Interface
Do you prefer the simplicity of dials or the precision of digital controls? Dials are intuitive and durable, while digital panels offer exact temperature and timer settings, often with preset functions. Some find digital controls finicky, but they can provide better repeatability for your favorite recipes. Choose what feels most straightforward for your daily use.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wirecutter Toaster Oven
What is a Wirecutter toaster oven pick?
It’s a toaster oven that Wirecutter’s team has tested and recommends. They spend hours comparing models to find teh best ones for different needs. Their picks are meant to be reliable and a great value.
How does Wirecutter choose their top pick?
They test many ovens for things like toasting evenness, baking performance, and ease of cleaning. They consider size, features, and price. The goal is to find the oven that works best for most people most of the time.
Should I just buy the top pick?
Not always. Their main pick is a fantastic starting point. But you should check their guide for other recommendations too. They often suggest a budget model or an upgrade pick if you want specific features.
Are these toaster ovens good for baking?
Yes, many are excellent. The recommended models usually bake very evenly. They’re great for cookies, small casseroles, or reheating pizza. It preheats faster than a big oven, which saves energy.
What size toaster oven do I need?
Think about your counter space and what you’ll cook. A 6-slice model is versatile for a household. A compact 4-slice model might be perfect for a single person or a small kitchen. Wirecutter’s reviews note the footprint of each oven.
What features are most important?
Good even heating is key. A convection fan helps with browning and speed. Easy-to-clean interiors, like non-stick coatings, are a huge plus. Some people love a precise digital display, while others prefer simple dials.
How long do these toaster ovens typically last?
With proper care, a good one can last 5 years or more. It really depends on how much you use it. Following the cleaning instructions helps a lot with longevity, so you get your moneys worth.
Where can I buy the recommended model?
Wirecutter provides links to several major retailers. This includes places like Amazon, Home Depot, and Best Buy. Prices and availability can vary, so it’s good to check a couple spots.
One Last Look
Following Wirecutter’s rigorous testing, these toaster oven picks stand out. Let’s recap teh decisive features for your home. The right model saves counter space and energy compared to your full-size oven. It should match how you actually cook. Do you need it mostly for toast and snacks, or for roasting a small chicken? Consider size, ease of cleaning, and how evenly it browns your food. That last one is crucial for everything from bagels to baked potatoes.
Choosing a top-rated Wirecutter toaster oven means investing in a tool you’ll use nearly every day. It becomes a reliable partner for quick breakfasts, easy lunches, and simple dinners. With your needs and our highlighted features in mind, you can confidently select a model that fits. Then you can look forward to many years of versatile, efficient cooking right on your countertop.