Toaster / Mini Oven - Review of 3 best buy appliances

Three popular and highly rated toaster/mini ovens are reviewed below – including positives AND negatives for each one.

Mini Ovens - Why have one?

As the name suggests, they are smaller than a regular oven and use less power. They also heat up faster and tend to cook somewhat faster. These toaster/mini appliances do not emit as much heat into the kitchen/house as a regular sized one - a great advantage in warm summer months.

They are compact and take up less room and can be placed on a counter top – great space savers in a trailer, college dorm or small apartment etc. They also make a handy second stove at busy family gatherings such as Thanksgiving or Christmas.

There is no need to bend to put your food in or take it out. They brown the food as required and are portable.

Please do note that these domestic devices do an awful lot more than simply toast bread and re-heat food. For example, you can bake biscuits, cakes, bread etc, grill fish, meat etc. and so much more. Three popular and high rated models are reviewed here - the positives AND negatives for each one.

Some features of this Toaster/Mini Oven

• LCD display and touch-pad operation for ease of use
• Includes rack, baking pan, crumb tray
• Handy 60 minute Digital timer
• 500 watts with a generous.6 cubic feet capacity

The Positives

The Waring Pro TCO650 Digital Convection is efficient. It cooks quickly and evenly, and is large enough to accommodate a 12 inch pizza.

Buyers have said that this appliance is particularly suited to single people or those with small families, where a full sized appliance would probably waste energy and time for them.

There is a choice of 3 different rack positions and it's said to be easy to operate, with good cord length. Many felt it was user friendly and that they were particularly pleased with the quality of foods they cooked, baked etc in this small appliance.

Some purchasers remarked that this is a good choice for those with safety concerns about microwaves and/or appliances with non-stick coatings.

Negatives

The bleep that signifies end of cooking is said to be very loud. (That said, although you cannot adjust the volume, the bleep can be turned off if preferred).

Although the handle is fine and does not get hot, an important factor to be conscious of is that the device itself gets very hot on the outside.

Take Note ...

An impressive 87% of reviewers gave this competitively priced Waring Pro Toaster/Mini Oven either 5 stars or 4 stars.

This is based on approximately 470 ratings. (average rating was 4.4 out of 5 stars.)

TWO MORE OBJECTIVE REVIEWS TO FOLLOW

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A few of the features

• 0.6 cubic foot capacity means you can toast up to 6 slices of bread simultaneously
• Optional convection feature for faster cooking
• Large enough for a 12 inch pizza
• Easy clean interior
• User friendly electronic touch-pad controls

The Positives

This Cuisinart has been commended for it’s great capacity – one reviewer said they were easily able to roast a regular chicken, vegetables and a casserole simultaneously.

Others said that they now rarely use their larger main stove and find this mini simply indispensable. Many people use it daily/throughout the day.

People were happy with how rapidly it heats up, saving time preheating. It consistently toasts bread perfectly.

Having used it, some purchasers bought another to gift to a loved one.

Negatives

Some people have said that when the convection feature is used the device hums/is somewhat noisy.

Some have commented that removal of the crumb tray is awkward and that care must be taken to avoid scorching when opening the unit.

Take Note ...

This attractive looking device, with outstanding heat distribution, appears to be well worth the asking price. A remarkable 89% of over 770 reviewers gave the Cuisinart TOB-195 Exact Heat either 5 or 4 stars.

(Overall the average rating was 4.5 stars out of 5.)

SEE BELOW FOR A FURTHER PRODUCT REVIEW.

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A selection of the features

• Infrared feature to cook up to 40 percent faster than conventional ones
• Automatic cooking time calculator to help produce perfect food every time
• Available in a choice of Silver or White to suit your kitchen décor.

The Positives

­This appliance is very compact and occupies precious little counter space. It is very easy to keep clean and straightforward in operation.

The Panasonic Flash Xpress Toaster/mini oven heats up rapidly, so no problems with pre-heating. It also cools down very quickly. This is noteworthy if you are concerned not to overheat your kitchen or house.

Many who had friends and relatives who bought a previous model of this item several years ago (before it was discontinued for a time), raved about it's durability and were extremely pleased it was on the market again and recommend it highly to friends and acquaintances.

Negatives

The cooking time cannot be re-adjusted once food has started cooking, meaning should you change your mind you would need to, for example, turn the device off manually at the required time.

The capacity of this product is relatively small (takes 4 slices of bread/toast).

Take Note ...

Purchasers found this Panasonic Flash Xpress to be of attractive design, efficient and able to produce good quality cooking results for a variety of foods.

Of around 890 ratings, a majority of 88% of buyers awarded it either 5 or 4 stars. Overall at this time it has 4.5 stars out of 5 - a first-rate product.

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If you would like further information, you can go directly to reviews of the Cuisinart TOB-195 Exact Heat Toaster Oven described in this article, and from there you can also navigate to see evaluations of the other toaster/mini ovens named above, plus many more.

Halogen Ovens Review

Breville Mini Oven Review

Don't just make toast! Recipes to try.

More recipes

Cheery Cooking! :-D

Acknowledgement: Some information on this page constitutes a summary of Amazon.com buyer reviews

5/2014