The Hamilton Beach 2-Slice Toaster is pretty average as appliances go. It doesn’t have any awe-inspiring features, but it toasts bread well, and that’s what counts. Some ovens print which level to use right on the oven for ease of use. Some ovens have the information in the manual, and a few left us guessing.
It also comes with an hamilton beach toaster oven fry/dehydrate basket rack and a broiling rack that fits inside its enamel roasting pan. But we still prefer the Cuisinart’s ceramic pizza stone over the Breville’s nonstick pizza pan (though Breville does sell a pizza stone separately for around $30). The Hamilton Beach has manual knobs that adjust the temperature (from 150 °F to broil/toast mode), the function , and the 30-minute timer.
Unfortunately, while we monitored the readout in the settings, we noticed it was as much as 70 degrees off at some points. This article was updated in February 2023 to ensure all picks are in stock and reflect accurate pricing. Our top picks, based on testing notes from the Good Housekeeping Institute, remain the same. During testing, we evaluated total toast coverage and even browning. If you’re looking for a toaster that can toast more than just bread, this is one of your better choices.
To be fair, it’s a countertop oven, not a toaster oven, so a slower cooking time is to be expected. We think it’s best for people who don’t have space for a full-size oven in their home, or for those who have a lot of counter space and need an additional oven. Air fryer toaster ovens tend to look like larger versions of your classic toaster oven, but come with all the functionality of a toaster oven, air fryer and even roaster combined. If your countertop already houses a toaster oven and you’re wishing you had space for an air fryer, consider this the ideal more-than-2-for-1 upgrade.
The model cooked hot and burned food during our tests and we found the manual interface difficult to use for precise cooking. This model from Toshiba features 13 different uses all in one appliance, and we have to say, we really loved its versatility. This is the perfect choice if you’re looking for something to replace multiple small appliances or make the most of a space without a full traditional kitchen. In addition to home kitchens, our testers noted it would also be great for dorm rooms or break rooms.
“I disconnected my gas stove because it was more expensive to run, and now I do everything in my oven,” says Briggs. Air fryers have become one of the most ubiquitous kitchen appliances in the past few years. Before the air fryer, toaster ovens were the common convection-style appliance.
However, the Easy Reach didn’t score as well on the ease of its interface. Although consisting of only two simple knobs, the oven’s operation isn’t overly intuitive or as simple to use as it appears. That said, it’s not overly complicated, but it does require a few peeks at the owner’s manual. As for accessories, this oven comes with a baking pan, oven rack, and slide-out crumb tray. For this metric, we gave the Easy Reach its highest marks for ease of cleaning. Likewise, cleaning out the oven’s interior is a breeze — another benefit of the roll-top door.
Toasters are a kitchen counter standby that make every meal a little tastier. Browned English muffins add crunch to your breakfast, a toasted bagel warms your lunchtime tuna melt and browned buns add a “wow” factor to your burgers. The cool-wall feature keeps the toaster cool on the outside, and toast boost makes it easy to remove foods from the toaster. We also tested the Cuisinart TOA-60 model and found its performance underwhelming.