Let's Talk Toaster Ovens

[sunnysandiegan]

Hi! We're in the market for a new toaster oven. There are so many out there, we're having a tough time narrowing it down. I thought I'd come here and ask what y'all have and if you like it (or not) and why (or why not).

A little info:

We currently have a Black & Decker under-counter model that is 10+ years old. It no longer toasts well (has gotten steadily worse for several years and is just about done working altogether in this regard). We use it many times every week for all sorts of "cooking". Toast, bagels & mozzarella, tuna melts, reheating leftovers, baking potatoes, garlic bread, cookies, muffins, and lots more. We have a family of three and it is easy to use this versus the big oven.

Under-counter models are no longer popular and we have a new space to put a toaster oven (ditching the microwave). The space is restricted to 18x25. We'd prefer to have the width of the toaster oven be no wider than 18 inches, so we can use the rest of the space for food prep. This is not vital, but definitely on the wish list.

We prefer manual knobs, but it's not a deal-breaker.

All of our appliances are white, so we'd prefer to have a white one. We have a 9 year old, so having the unit not get too hot on the outside is the bigger focus. Just another preference.

Rotisserie is another preference. Convection is strongly preferred.

Really, the biggest challenge is we have quite a few preferences, but only 2 requirements. The unit MUST fit on this cart, so the absolute maximum is 18x25. The unit MUST include a toast function. These requirements are pretty much available in everything we've seen thus far.

Do you have a toaster oven you like? Care to share the make and model and why you like it?

Thanks!!!

[rere]

We have this Cuisinart toaster oven that we really like.We use it a lot(same deal as you,family of 3 and no microwave).We've had it for about a year.I love the convection oven setting,how easy it is to clean(the bottom drops down from the front and is really easy to remove) and the size(it's not a giant but I can fit four pieces of toast or our larger size left over container).And it toasts much faster than the old cheapy that we had before.

[sunnysandiegan]

Thanks rere!

Anyone else have a toaster oven they like?

[busymama77]

We have a very basic black Kenmore toaster oven that we bought maybe 4 or 5 years ago and it still works great. While it still works well, I'd like to trade it in for a newer model - something in stainless steel. It's a counter top type, too.

[SleeplessMommy]

We have a less than 5 year old Black & Decker model. After a frustrating internet search PLUS several phone calls I found out that heating elements are no longer made. 2 out of 4 are broken. So you are doing great to ditch this brand.

[lolar2]

If you, personally, happen to like the under-counter kind, they do still sell new ones.

[lunamama]

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-TOB-...7265943&sr=8-2

This is ours and I love it!!!

[mamadelbosque]

My grandpa just gave us his toaster oven, and I'm in love I honestly have no idea what brand, let alone model it is... but its great!! It has a little oven part on one side and then an *actual* toaster part on the other side... so you can make toast just like normal still

[sunnysandiegan]

Thanks!

[theresa1]

the cuisinart one looks great. We were given a new toaster oven maybe 6 months ago and it is really slow and full of non stick teflon stuff I would rather avoid. Is there any non-stick coatings on the inside of the cuisinart one? It doesn't look like it in the picture... Thanks

[ellemenope]

I saw this one at bed bath and beyond the other day and mentioned to DH that when we get a toaster this is the one I want. But, honestly, all I can say is that it looked nice, had the manual dials, and was a convection. Plus, I like kitchen-aid ATM. I am not liking cuisinart right now.

[lunamama]

Mine has no non-stick material on it. The inside is all metal.

[sunnysandiegan]

Originally Posted by ellemenope

I saw this one at bed bath and beyond the other day and mentioned to DH that when we get a toaster this is the one I want. But, honestly, all I can say is that it looked nice, had the manual dials, and was a convection. Plus, I like kitchen-aid ATM. I am not liking cuisinart right now.

I like that one! It took me a few searches before I could find the dimensions. It may be too big for our space and desire to have a bit of working space next to the toaster oven. I'll have to go see it.

I recall several Cuisinart toaster ovens having the nonstick coating inside. I don't know if all of them have it, though. I am not a fan of that stuff at all. It really stinks when it is cooking and makes me feel nauseous. Not to mention, of course, the health effects coming out about it.

[sunnysandiegan]

I was in Target and BBB yesterday.

KitchenAid makes two models that I saw. Both are massive for a toaster oven. I was willing to forgo the prep space until I looked inside. Both have nonstick coatings. I didn't even realize this was so popular now. Our toaster oven doesn't have the coating and I've never seen it in a toaster oven before (read about them since posting this thread), so I didn't add that to my list until yesterday.

BTW, I saw three Cuisinart toaster ovens yesterday and all three had the nonstick coating inside.

DH found the under-counter toaster ovens online, but we're pretty sure we want to abandon this style. Our kitchen is large, but the work surfaces are poorly arranged (one usable space). We rarely use the microwave, so when we replaced the ancient GE range hood we got a microhood (thinking more about resale value than our own usage, but getting it more out of the way for us). That put every cooking device in the exact same spot. Moving the toaster oven to the microwave cart (ditching the microwave we actually did use due to location and height for DD) will spread out the work surfaces. Plus, removing the under-counter toaster oven will allow us to hook up the microhood properly with the least fuss. (It works for the fan and lights as is, but the microwave can only be used in 30 second intervals without tripping the circuit breaker.)

Never say never, though, because the choices I saw yesterday are pretty dismal. At this point in time, if I HAD to get one right now, I would buy an Oster from Costco. It gets great reviews and it gets terrible reviews. Costco has a good return policy in the event we got one of the "terrible" ones. I am hoping to find something else, though. The inside of this one does not have the nonstick coating and the size is perfect for our space and it has manual knobs and it does what we want. The two drawbacks are: 1) The outside is stainless steel and gets HOT from what I have read. Problematic for our DD and the location; and 2) In order to toast, you have to turn all three dials to the proper setting. What happened to a simple push-button "toast" feature???