Toaster ovens vs. toasters

Some models can press panini, but for many a traditional toaster will do

In tests of toaster ovens, the Breville Smart Oven BOV800XL performed well and is recommended by Consumer Reports.

Consumer Reports / March 27, 2011

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Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and fresh-baked cookies? That’s the promise of toaster ovens.

Consumer Reports tested 23 models and found a few able multitaskers. Others botched basic jobs. If all you want is toast, buy a toaster; it can pop out evenly browned slices for $35 or less. Here are details:

Oven features expand. Pizza stones, cookie sheets, and even rotisserie spits are available in toaster ovens. But the Hamilton Beach Set & Forget 31230,$100, is the first CR has seen with a built-in temperature probe to “serve perfectly cooked meat every time.’’ The company also claims the countertop cooker uses 65 percent less energy than a standard electric oven or range. CR found the Hamilton Beach roasts well, but energy savings are minimal, about $7 per year if you make one roast a week. In baking tests, the Hamilton Beach couldn’t cook pizza or muffins as evenly as other toaster ovens, let alone a full-sized oven.

High prices, mixed results. The Breville Smart Oven BOV800XL, $250, is the most expensive toaster oven tested, but also the top scorer, combining even toasting and cooking. Italian manufacturer DeLonghi includes an integrated panini press in its new EOP2046 toaster oven, $200. But mediocre broiling and even less impressive baking made overall performance so-so at best.

Toasters tops in toasting tests. Toasters continue to brown more evenly and consistently than toaster ovens. The Oster Inspire 6329 toaster, $35, consistently made batch after batch of medium-brown toast. Spending $70 for the DeLonghi DTT720 gets you fine overall performance plus countdown indicator lights and an alarm that sounds 8 seconds before the toast is done.

CR’s Ratings

Top toaster ovens deliver consistent baking, broiling, and toasting. The best toasters brown evenly, from light to dark, with almost every batch.

Among CR’s recommended toaster ovens are the Breville Smart Oven BOV800XL, $250; the Breville BOV650XL, $180; the Oster TSSTTVMNDG, $80, a CR Best Buy; and the T-Fal Avante Elite OT8085002, $120. All toast as evenly as top-scoring toasters, while baking and broiling well. If toasting is less important, CR recommends the DeLonghi DO1279, $130.

For toasters, recommended models include the Cuisinart CPT-170, $70; theHamilton Beach Digital 22502, $35, a CR Best Buy; the Proctor Silex Cool Touch 22203, $15, a CR Best Buy; and the Oster Inspire 6329, $35. All toast slices uniformly.

How to Choose

Here’s what else to keep in mind:

Toasting times depend on volume. Even the fastest toaster ovens take twice as long as toasters. But if you are toasting for a crowd, an oven with a six-slice capacity can quickly make up for lost time. Four-slice toasters combine the best of both worlds.

Convection doesn’t pay. There’s little proof from CR’s tests that this fan-driven technology enhances baking performance, probably because air circulation is less of a factor in a small oven.

Size can be deceiving. Some toaster ovens with the biggest dimensions couldn’t fit six slices of toast. If you plan to cook frozen pizza, make sure the rack is at least 12 inches deep. Look for variable or extrawide slots in toasters.