Buying guide for Best Hamilton Beach toaster ovens
Toasting, baking, and broiling — a quality toaster oven can do it all, and when you're searching for quality at an affordable price, look no further than a Hamilton Beach toaster oven. When you want to make perfect toast, and plenty of it, it's easy to toast six or more slices of bread at once in a toaster oven. But if more than just toast takes your fancy, all Hamilton Beach toaster ovens can bake and broil, and some have even more cooking functions, such as air frying and convection cooking.
You'll want to think carefully before buying your new toaster oven to make sure it has all the features you need. In addition to cooking functions, you should consider size and capacity to make sure it's large enough to cook what you want to cook but also fits on your countertop. Also look for handy features like toaster slots or a roll-top door.
It might seem like a hard task to find your perfect Hamilton Beach toaster oven, but we've done our research. This guide contains all you need to know to make your purchase easier. You can also see our top Hamilton Beach toaster ovens above.
Key considerations
Functions
Toast: The clue's in the name: a toaster oven must be able to toast. When using the toast function, heating elements at the top and bottom switch on to toast both sides of your food at once. You’ll usually use this function to toast bread and other bread products, but you may have other foods that you'd like to cook on both sides at once.
Bake: Even the most basic Hamilton Beach toaster ovens can also bake, which means you can cook anything you'd usually roast or bake in the oven, from potatoes to cupcakes.
Broil: This is another feature found on even basic Hamilton Beach toaster ovens. Broiling food involves applying high heat from above and is much like an oven-based alternative to grilling.
Convection cook: This is essentially baking with a twist. Toaster ovens with a convection function have a fan that circulates hot air inside the oven as the food bakes, resulting in more even cooking. Only higher-end Hamilton Beach toaster ovens have a convection function.
Air fry: Some high-end Hamilton Beach toaster ovens also air fry food. Despite having great PR, air frying isn't all that different from convection cooking, so we wouldn't pay extra for this option over a model with convection.
The tray in the bottom of a Hamilton Beach toaster oven collects crumbs and other food debris to help prevent mess. You should empty this once every week or two depending on how frequently you use the appliance.
STAFF
BestReviews
Size
It's important to think about both the internal and external size of any toaster oven you're considering.
Inside: The inside needs to be big enough to accommodate the amount of food you want to cook at one time. An average Hamilton Beach toaster oven can fit around six slices of toast or a 12-inch pizza, but you can find large models.
Outside: The whole toaster oven needs to be of reasonable dimensions to fit on your countertop. If you have a large kitchen, this shouldn't be an issue, but if you have a compact kitchen with limited counter space, you'll need to think about size more carefully.
Controls
The majority of Hamilton Beach toaster ovens have simple dial controls, but some high-end models have touchpad controls with a digital display. Although dials might seem a little outdated, they're extremely simple to use and little can go wrong with them. Of course, touchpad controls have their benefits too, such as giving you more precise temperature control and being quick to use once you get the hang of them.
Expert tip
As the exterior of a toaster oven can get very hot, avoid storing food or decorative items on top. They may heat and spoil, melt, or worse catch fire.
BestReviews Cooking and Baking Expert
We look for Hamilton Beach toaster ovens with adjustable racks, as many home cooks find this to be a useful feature. Adjustable racks can be moved to different positions depending on how close the food should be to the heating element.
We find out whether a Hamilton Beach toaster oven has a convection function. Some pricier models have this technology, which cooks food quickly and efficiently by circulating hot air.
We consider whether an oven has a roll-top door. This feature is appealing to consumers with limited counter space, as the door opens by sliding over the top of the appliance instead of down and outward onto the counter top.
Prices range from around $30 to about $170, with inexpensive models being fairly basic and high-end options including modern cooking technology. We evaluate ovens at all price points to find something for everyone.
We research how easy or challenging it is to clean a toaster oven. Removable components such as racks and trays can help streamline the cleanup process.
Most toaster ovens offer bake, broil, and toast functions that produce great results for a variety of foods, including snacks, main dishes, and desserts. We take note of these functions in our product reviews.
Convenient features such as preset functions, toaster slots, timers, and crumb trays make cooking and cleanup easy. We find out whether a Hamilton Beach model offers these features and how effectively each feature performs.
While standard dimensions can accommodate a 12-inch pizza, options are available from Hamilton Beach that can fit food for groups and large households. We look at quality toaster ovens of varying capacities.
Because we value quality and reliability, we thoroughly research the overall durability of each model we consider.
We note whether toaster ovens are user-friendly or come with a learning curve. While standard dials are fairly straightforward, some digital controls can be confusing until consumers get used to them.
Features
Toaster slots
Some Hamilton Beach toasters also have toaster slots like you'd find on a conventional pop-up toaster. This gives you the best of both worlds: if you only need a couple of slices of toast, you can use your toaster oven like a pop-up toaster, which is quick and simple, but you still have the option of using it like a standard toaster oven when you're making larger batches of toast. Plus, you have all the other cooking functions that go with it.
Adjustable rack
It's nice to be able to adjust the rack position in your toaster oven to accommodate cookware of different sizes and make adjustments depending on what you're cooking. The rack should be in the center when toasting, for instance, because heat comes from the top and bottom, but when broiling, you want to position the rack closer to the top heating element. When baking, you might need to set the rack lower to fit tall foods or deeper dishes.
Roll-top door
Some higher-end Hamilton Beach toaster ovens have a roll-top door. This opens upward and rolls over the top of the unit rather than opening outward and potentially getting in your way or taking up counter space.
Presets
Some Hamilton Beach toaster ovens have preset programs for common foods, such as bagels and pizza. These are especially useful when you're new to the world of toaster ovens and aren't sure of the cooking times for your favorite foods.
Expert tip
I line my toaster oven tray with foil before each use for cleanliness, but remember to check the manufacturer’s instructions before you do the same. Some toaster ovens react badly to foil and using foil in them can start a fire.
BestReviews Cooking and Baking Expert
Hamilton Beach toaster oven prices
Inexpensive
You can buy Hamilton Beach toaster ovens starting at $30 to $60. Most of these are compact models without any fancy features.
Mid-range
These Hamilton Beach toaster ovens cost from $60 to $100. At this price point, expect some higher-end features, such as convection cooking.
Expensive
High-end Hamilton Beach toaster ovens are priced between $100 and $170. These ovens are way more than just toaster ovens (though they can toast too), with options for convection cooking, air frying, and more, plus quality features like digital controls.
Check the number of slices of bread your chosen toaster oven can handle at once. Most can fit six slices.
STAFF
BestReviews
Tips
- Consider how easy the toaster oven is to clean. Nobody wants to spend hours scraping burned-on food out of their toaster oven. A model with a smooth interior will be easy to wipe clean, plus any racks or cookware included should ideally be removable and dishwasher safe.
- Check whether your chosen model has a built-in timer. This can help prevent you from burning food by alerting you when it's ready, but the absence of a built-in timer shouldn't be a deal breaker because it's easy enough to use a kitchen timer or the timer on your phone.
- Think about what you want to cook in your toaster oven. If you only want it to make toast, buying a high-end model with lots of extra features is a waste of money. On the other hand, it's worth splurging if you know you’ll often cook a variety of foods in your toaster oven.
FAQ
Q. Why choose a toaster oven over a standard toaster?
A. Some people may still be wondering why you'd choose a toaster oven when you could buy a standard pop-up toaster. First, toaster ovens tend to be larger than pop-up toasters — the latter are usually only available in two-slice and four-slice options, whereas most toaster ovens can toast six slices of bread at once and sometimes even more, so they're ideal for large families.
What's more, toaster ovens are more than just toasters: they're more like part toaster, part oven. If your chosen toaster has bake and broil functions, you can cook almost anything you'd cook in a regular oven, plus some foods you'd usually grill or pan fry. If you live in a dorm or a small studio without a full kitchen, a toaster oven can replace a regular oven. Even if you have a regular stove at home, a toaster oven is useful when cooking for a crowd, because it gives you a little extra oven space, and for cooking on hot days since it won't heat up your home as much as a full-size oven.
Expert tip
When toasting anything on high heat, don’t walk away from it – it can burn quickly.
BestReviews Cooking and Baking Expert
Q. Are toaster ovens safe?
A. Toaster ovens are no less safe than regular ovens, especially when you buy from a reputable manufacturer like Hamilton Beach. Of course, you should always read the manual before use and adhere to any safety guidelines contained within.
Q. Does food cook evenly in a Hamilton Beach toaster oven?
A. Hamilton Beach toaster ovens are known for their reliability and even cooking, so you needn't be concerned. That said, when baking rather than toasting, you're likely to get more even results by using the convection function instead of the regular baking function.
