What Is The Best Toaster Oven To Buy?

Over the past few decades, the kitchen appliance market has been one of variety: we now have a different gadget for every type of cooking.

While this may work well on a large house with an ample kitchen and a dedicated pantry, counter space is a precious resource for many of us. Because of this, you need to combine convection ovens, air fryers, and toasters in one corner of the kitchen.

Enter the now-ubiquitous toaster oven. By simply twisting a knob, many toaster ovens allow you to access four or five appliances at once. However, not all are made the same – and often, the risk of being a jack of all trades is to be good at none.

So what is the best toaster oven to buy? Your cooking preferences and budget will determine the answer. Here, we have compiled five options that combine good value, reliability, and flexibility. The final choice will be yours!

Why Are Toaster Ovens Must-Haves?

Toaster ovens are remarkable because they can combine several appliances in the same stainless steel or glass case. Most of them appear very similar to standard full-size ovens.

However, they allow you to switch between a toaster, convection oven, and broiler mode.

This is usually done by adjusting their own heat range and the heating elements that activate under each setting:

• They only heat up from the bottom in toaster mode and provide steady and mild heat.
• The standard baking mode may use two heating elements and allows you to adjust the temperature precisely.
• When working under convection oven mode, they also activate an internal fan that helps the air circulate more quickly
• Broiler modes only use very intense heat from the top. This is useful for grating casseroles and melting cheese

Finally, some models take this concept further and add rotating kebab grillers, rotisserie tongs, or air frying baskets.

Best Toaster Ovens to Buy

We spent a few hours scouring the internet to find the top picks in the toaster oven niche. Which one will be best for you?

Toshiba Air Fryer Toaster Oven, 13-in-1 Digital Convection Oven

By promising 13 different cooking options in one, Toshiba sets the bar pretty high with its air fryer toaster oven. In reality, some items in this long list take advantage of more classic functions and adjust them with the right accessories.

This oven offers the standard baking, toasting, and broiling triad, in addition to an air frying mode. However, they also include a pretty thick pizza stone, which you would normally buy separately.

The pizza stone provides a robust and even source of heat from the bottom.  This is great for any baked dough in general, not just pizza.

If you joined the sourdough bread trend during 2022, you could use the convection oven mode and the pizza stone to achieve that elusive oven spring and a thick crust that all YouTubers rave about.

The rest of the accessories may be more mundane, but they are nicely made. The baking sheet comes with a non-stick coating. Both the baking sheet and the crumb tray are dishwasher-friendly and easy to remove.

On the other hand, the air fryer option is a bit confusing. This is partly because ovens don’t look like we expect air fryers to look. The frying basket is also included, but we found it hard to wash. In addition, the mesh was a bit too large, so expect a couple of fries to escape.

Finally, the Toshiba Convection Oven Toaster also includes a food dehydrator and even a fermentation mode. Both allow you to mix low heat and long cooking times with a high degree of precision and remain relatively hard to find in other brands.

Pros	Cons
13 different cooking modes.	The air fryer basket should have smaller holes.
A high-end pizza stone.	Not very energy efficient.
A complete set of dishwasher-safe accessories.
Best Toaster Oven Reviews

Instant Omni Plus 10-in-1 Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo

Omni’s main strong point has always been its remarkable design. With a few standard tweaks on the “expected” shape, they usually manage to make each one of their appliances unique and distinctive.

In the case of the Instant Omni Plus 10 in 1 Combo, this works remarkably well. It is essentially a combined air fryer toaster oven, but by choosing rectangular shapes and a thicker bottom, you won’t risk confusing it with a standard toaster.

This shape provides an added advantage, and it’s that it maximizes the internal capacity without spreading all over your counter. The Omni Plus is tall and deep enough to fit an extra-large cupcake tray or a whole rotisserie chicken.

In addition, Omni has replaced the standard three-knob set on the side for a futuristic LED panel on top.

It includes a digital display for the temperature and time, plus actual words that show which “mode” you are cooking with – so no more interpreting an eerily-similar dial of tiny symbols.

The accessories were created to appear high-end, although they lack a bit on the resilience side. For example, the baking pan is coated in enamel, but you will have to be very careful not to scrape it with metal tongs.

The rotisserie lift and spit, on the other hand, appear solid enough and don’t look like they would bend under heat. The air fry basket is secure, but it may be hard to clean if you don’t have a dishwasher.

One final high-tech advantage provided by the Omni Plus is the inclusion of quartz-based infrared technology. Depending on the settings, this can be used to speed up the preheating process without sacrificing a lot of energy or complement the broiler.

In this case, it will provide an even crispy layer to your toast or baked goods.

Pros	Cons
Large enough to fit a 4-pound chicken.	Enamel-coated accessories are no very resilient.
Includes rotisserie accessories.	The air fryer basket is hard to clean.
Can preheat in seconds.
Best Toaster Oven Reviews

Hamilton Beach 31323 Sure-Crisp Air Fry Toaster Oven

Small and unassuming, the Hamilton Beach Sure-Crisp Toaster oven was created for anyone with little counter space who wants to expand their cooking options.

It is relatively small and remarkably light and has a smaller capacity than the other two models we presented before.

However, it still manages to pack some punch, especially regarding its heating elements and cooking times.

Let’s start with its capabilities. Even if it only has two rack positions, it manages to heat efficiently and steadily whenever using the broiler, convection oven, or toaster mode. The central tray is only large enough to hold up to three slices of bread when arranged side-by-side.

When on air fryer mode, the Sure-Crisp also uses its convection fans to distribute air evenly around the food. This means you won’t have to flip any burgers, spring rolls, or French fries halfway through the process.

The package includes a basic air fry basket, a bake pan, a broil rack, and a removable crumb tray. They are all chromed and designed to the dishwashing resistant. However, there is no non-stick treatment on the baking pan.

The overall layout keeps to the basic three-knob form that most people would be familiar with. Because of this, the chances are that you won’t need to pay much attention to the manual.

Pros	Cons
Small and light.	Small capacity.
More comfortably priced than other options.	The baking pan may be hard to clean.
Built to last.
Best Toaster Oven Reviews

De’Longhi Livenza Compact Oven

The De’Longhi Livenza Compact oven is a rarity in the toaster oven niche. It offers the same multi-function capabilities as its competitors, providing the same heat range as a full-sized oven.

In addition, the design sits comfortably between what’s traditional and what’s uplifted. It steers clear from any odd placements and complicated touchscreen controls.

The timer and temperature control are located where they usually would, to the right of the glass door. However, the polished stainless steel dials make it look sleeker and fancier than its competitors.

This panel is rounded up by an LED screen, which allows you to know all the basic information about your cooking status at a glance.

The oven itself is relatively small, although wide. Expect to fit a medium-sized pizza or up to 5 slices of bread when toasting bread. However, the chicken will have to be quartered, and any steaks will only fit in pairs. This could pose a problem for large families.

On the other hand, the Livenza Compact oven is remarkably energy efficient. This also helps it reach high temperatures when it is operating under the convection setting. Its ability to conserve heat is mainly due to its double glass door and insulating rubber.

Pros	Cons
It can reach very high temperatures.	Relatively small.
Easy to operate.	Only five preset modes of operation.
Efficient LED display.
Best Toaster Oven Reviews

Ninja DT201 Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Digital Countertop Convection Toaster Oven

Ninja is a relatively new brand of kitchen appliances, although they have successfully managed to own 2020 due to the success of their air fryer. With the Foodi, they combine their best-selling cooking tool with a convection oven, a toaster, and a food dehydrator.

True to its image, the Foodi showcases high-quality stainless steel that is meant to resist scratches and dents. On the top sits a complex button panel, which includes an LED timer, temperature display, and capacitive buttons that allow you to tweak the settings.

Plus, although technically unnecessary, the ON/OFF button looks futuristic and blends in well with the overall product.

This is a pretty bulky oven, but it can easily fit an entire 4-pound chicken, accompanied by an additional rack of steamed veggies or roasted potatoes. This is also made possible by additional heating elements or coils, which make it unnecessary to rotate or swap pans.

It has four rack positions, in addition to a removable crumb tray. An air frying basket, broiling tray, and baking tray are also included. However, despite including “pizza” as one of its settings, it does not have a pizza stone.

This oven operates using 1800 watts, which may strain your electricity bill. On the other hand, it will take less than 4 minutes to reach temperatures well above 400° F.

Pros	Cons
It can fit a family-sized meal.	It consumes a lot of energy.
It can reach high temperatures.	It does not include a pizza stone.
It comes with its own recipe book.
Best Toaster Oven Reviews

About the Brands

Toshiba

Japanese multinational Toshiba is a well-established maker of electronics and home appliances. The company’s origins date back to 1939. They also produce computers, hard drives, and even auto parts, so they usually offer superb technical service.

Omni

A relatively new brand from the Philippines, Omni was one of the pioneers of the Smart Home revolution in South East Asia. However, they also provide a wide range of small and large home appliances, cameras, and security systems.

Hamilton Beach

All-America appliance company Hamilton Beach was initially founded in 1910. However, much of its current fame follows its merger with Proctor-Silex in 1990.

They are almost exclusively devoted to the kitchen sector, and they supply anything from bread machines to ice cream makers.

De’Longhi

In the beginning, De’Longhi was just a small Italian manufacturer of semi-artisanal coffeemakers. After hitting gold with a series of Espresso machines, they became increasingly popular in the Americas.

They have expanded their factory and now produce a more comprehensive range of kitchen appliances and cooking utensils.

Ninja

Ninja Kitchen is an American manufacturer of kitchen appliances. They are best known for their high-tech options that offer seamless integration with Smart Home apps and respond to voice commands

Final Thoughts

When choosing a toaster oven, you should consider the size of your kitchen (especially your available counter space) as well as the size of your family’s appetite.

If you are fond of experimenting with new recipes, you may also want to invest in a high-end toaster oven that offers extra cooking modes, such as fruit dehydration or fast broiling.

However, the most important thing is to get something that will work well for many years – and in that case, any of the options shown above will serve you well!