Depending on what camp you’re in you either think everyone should have a toaster oven or you believe a toaster oven has no place in your kitchen. For those of you who believe in these types of ovens, we have put together a list of the best countertop toaster ovens.
We believe toaster ovens are an important part of a kitchen that quickly heat up, toast, and bake dishes much quicker than a traditional oven. A countertop toaster oven has many versatilities that are really tough to beat. Using a toaster oven can reheat pizza, make cakes, frozen fish, and even broil fresh fish, roast all types of vegetables in no time.
Use our expert guide below to pick the best countertop toaster ovens.
- This comprehensive guide will explain what are some of the best countertop toaster ovens for 2020. Both compact and large toaster ovens.
- Learn what makes a toaster oven better than others.
- Compare toaster ovens from major brands and learn what oven is right for you.
Table of Contents
Best Countertop Toaster Ovens
| Our Pick | Toaster Ovens | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Cuisinart Chef's Convection Toaster Oven | 4.6/5 |
| Runner up | Oster Toaster Oven | 4.4/5 |
| Best for pizza | Hamilton Beach 31103A Countertop Oven | 4.2/5 |
| Best compact | BREVILLE compact smart oven | 4.5/5 |
| Best door design | Hamilton Beach Digital Countertop Toaster Oven | 4.6/5 |
1. Cuisinart Chef's Convection Toaster Oven
This Cuisinart convection oven is a really excellent choice that will allow you to easily toast, roots, and broil your meals with ease. This is one of our top choices for the best countertop toaster oven.
The spacious oven can accommodate a 13″ pizza and a baking pan of 9″ x 13″. Users will love the dual cook and speed convection this toaster oven has. The heating power has 1800 watts that really lets the heat up time happen quickly. The ability to bake with two racks is a plus and the non-stick interior is excellent for quick and painless cleanups.
(4.6 / 5)Pros
- 4 rack positions
- Can still use two racks to bake at one time
- Non-stick interior for easy cleaning
Cons
- Not a true air-fryer capabilities
- Button labels could rub off
2. Oster Toaster Oven
The Oster toaster oven is a great choice for a high-quality toaster oven that evenly cooks and can accommodate a pan that is 10.5 inches wide and 12.5 inches length. This is why it is part of our best countertops toaster ovens. This toaster oven also can toast 6 slices for the larger family. This oven also has a wide temperature range of 150 to 450 degrees with digital cooking controls for 7 cooking settings. This toaster oven can also handle one 12 inch pizza.
(4.4 / 5)Pros
- Even cooking
- Controls are digital
- Great performance
- Easy-to-clean
Cons
- Buttons may not light up enough to see in dark
- No preheat mode
3. Hamilton Beach 31103A Countertop Oven
The Hamilton Beach countertop oven can fit two 12″ pizzas and two 9″ x 13″ casseroles. That is why it makes our list of the best countertop toaster ovens.
This countertop oven also has convictions so baking is faster and more even than traditional ovens that do not have convictions. Easily prepare chicken up to 5lbs, roast pork, make salmon, or more right from one of the best countertop toaster ovens. This oven also uses 49% less energy compared to a traditional kitchen oven in most homes. It also comes with its own rotisserie accessories.
(4.2 / 5)Pros
- Convection cooking
- Bake, convection, broil, or rotisserie
- Cooks two 12 inc pizza at once
- Professional clean look
- Rotisserie accessories
Cons
- Not digital
4. BREVILLE compact smart oven
If you are looking for a compact toaster oven with great features the BREVILLE compact smart oven could be what you are looking for. This best countertop toaster oven is great for roasting fish or chicken or just toasting bread, You will see quickly why this compact oven carries a big punch.
It comes with an extremely fast 1800 watts so you can have dishes ready quicker. This toaster oven is compact but still can toast a 12-inch pizza and has enough room to toast up to four slices of toast at one time.
(4.5 / 5)Pros
- Smaller, compact design
- Sleek design
- Cooks two 12 inc pizza at once
Cons
- Still lacks what a larger toaster oven can do
- Not a good fit for larger families
5. Hamilton Beach Digital Countertop Toaster Oven with Easy Reach Toll-Top Door
This best countertop toaster oven has a wide easy reach roll-top door that you won’t find in many other toaster ovens. Because of this, it makes inserting and reaching all types of food much easier. This toaster oven comes with a 6 slice toast capacity and five cooking settings. It fits a 9″ x 11″ bake pan or hold a 12″ pizza.
Pros
- Sleek design with digital controls
- 5 settings with convection
- easy-to-clean design
Cons
- Still lacks what a larger toaster oven can do
- Not a good fit for larger families
Best countertop toaster ovens buying checklist guide
The buying checklist guide will help you make the best possible decision when it comes to purchasing the best countertop toaster oven. Before making a choice there are things you should know and consider.
Capacity of the toaster oven
Capacity is a make or break feature for some people. Larger families typically want the extra size of a toaster oven to cook two pizzas at once. Don’t worry even large toaster ovens are much much smaller than regular-sized range oven. Keep in mind that even larger toaster ovens will not be able to handle the same amount of food as a traditional oven.
Digital Controls
Digital controls will offer you much better control over the temperature and time than you will get over knobs. It is also important to know that a lot of digital toaster ovens will also have common meals that are preset such as baking a pizza, toasting bread, baking fish, and more that will allow for preset buttons to automatically set the oven temperature.
Power is important
Power is important in getting your oven warmed up and ready to cook faster and to cook foods more easily. You should look for toaster ovens with at least 1000 watts but can go higher.
Energy consumption
Did you know that large toaster ovens typically use the same amount of energy that a smaller toaster oven uses? There are no big differences between the two in terms of consumption of energy.
Looks and design of your countertop toaster oven
Looks matter to a degree. You want to try and choose a convection oven that not only servers the purpose of heating up and cooking food faster and with little effort but you want it to look good in your space.
There are so many designs that you shouldn’t have a hard time finding function with designs that meet your needs. Connection countertops ovens come in all different colors that will surely find a match for most home kitchens.
Toaster oven questions and answers
Learn how to use your existing or new countertop toaster oven. The below will explain the most common questions and answers when it comes to using a toaster oven.
What is a convection Toaster oven?
Convection means the process of the oven having a build-in-fan. The fan is typically at the back of the toaster oven and the main function is to circulate air around the food. This does a few different things.
- The circulation of the air increases your countertops toaster oven temperature and because of this, it keeps it consistent and accurate.
- Great for roasted vegetables and the like because it helps remove moisture to brown food.
- You will get a faster more consistent cook.
How do I know my countertop toaster oven is convection?
Newer models typically have a button you can look for that says “Convection” or “Conv”. If the toaster oven just has knobs look for the label that would say “Convection” or the word “Turbo.”
These are all indications that your countertop toaster oven is convection. Keep in mind that some older models are only convection.
It is interesting to note that some models like the Breville Smart Oven Pro has a feature in place that when you use the toaster oven to make pizza or cookies it will automatically use the convection feature.
Getting the most out of cooking with your Toaster oven
Toaster ovens are meant to be quick and efficient with that said there are steps to also procuring quality food while using your countertop toaster oven.
- Using pans with low sides when using a convection oven. This is better because it allows airflow to move around. Even using a baking sheet with a small rim works well.
- leave space between food. This allows for air again to move around the way it was designed to do.
- Do not cover food. Again, let the air circulate around your food when using convection.
Oven Temperature
Toaster ovens are able to cook food faster than a traditional oven that is electric. Because of this you should reduce cooking temps down by 20 to 25 percent lower than you normally would have your larger electrical oven set to. You may need to experiment a little to get the right temperature.
Less cooking time
Regardless of what heating element you are using you can always cook your dish longer if need be. You cannot undo an overcooked dish. Reduce your cooking time by a third, to begin with. If you’re using a convection toaster oven you should use a convection calculator to help with the time of cook.
Where should my racks go in my countertops toaster oven?
This question has been asked by every cook at one point. Where should my racks go in my toaster oven? The answer can be long and short. The simple solution and answer are to keep your rack in the middle position because this works for most food you will be cooking in your countertop toaster oven.
Top Rack
Top positions are ideal for broiler situations when the heating elements are at the top of the oven. This will work well when you want to char or crisp food quickly. For example, we all like garlic bread. This would be better to crisp the bread using the higher top rack.
Middle rack
The middle of the rack is your standard location that most food will be cooked at. Cookies, brownies, fish, and the like. You will want to use a single tray sheet-pan for these types of food.
Bottom rack
The bottom rack could also be next to a heating element. The heating element on the bottom of a countertop toaster oven can heat up in burst. This position would be good for your pizza that you want to keep a nice hot heat from the bottom.
Keep the inside clean
To get the best performance from any of these best countertops toaster ovens you should always keep the inside clean. You can use warm water and soapy water to clean the inside regulatory or even place cut up a few lemons within a bowl and put them in your oven for 30 min at 350 degrees then turn off the oven. Once cooled down you can wipe with a damp cloth.
What is our best countertop toaster oven?
There are many different types of countertop toaster ovens on the market that will most likely make you or your family happy. Matching the toaster oven with your family size and what you tend to cook the most with your oven will play a role in the overall choice you will make.
We hope that our in-depth guide has shed light on narrowing down some of the top countertop toaster ovens on the market.
Our top choice for the best countertop toaster oven is…
Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven
With its even cooking and larger size makes this a great choice for a countertop toaster oven.
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