You can purchase this beautiful toaster oven from the manufacturer for only $40. At the time of this article, we also found it selling on Amazon for only $30. So, you might be able to purchase it at a super low price on sale. Our bread and bagel slices toasted very evenly and came to a beautiful brown color both when the device cooked on high and on low. There was hardly any difference across the rack for how well it toasted so you can know anything placed inside will cook evenly without any cold spots. It's good to note that while we were able to fit four slices of bread on the rack, two bagel slices fit very snugly, so there isn't as much room to work with. This smaller size makes it a better fit for single people or smaller households, although the fact that it's so basic does little to separate it from the best toasters.
When cooking the frozen burrito, we followed the cooking instructions both on the box and in the toaster oven's manual. The tortilla turned out beautifully toasted without being dried out. The cheese and beans were slightly cooler inside, but not cold, which made it easier to eat right away. You cannot reposition the rack inside this toaster oven, so we were worried that the cookie test wouldn't turn out so well. However, the cookies turned out perfectly with the tops becoming ever so slightly golden and the insides being fully cooked and delicious.
When we reheated day-old pizza slices, they came out very evenly toasted without being burned. The bread was crisp, but not hard and the cheese and pepperoni were warmed without being overdone. We measured the interior temperature of the unit to see how accurate it was. It was only 10 degrees above what we had set it to, which made it one of the more accurate devices we tested. The temperature control dials allow you to set the oven anywhere from 200 to 450 degrees, which is the average temperature range for most toaster ovens. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a convection fan, so it might not cook as quickly as some other devices in our comparison.
While you can only set the timer for 30 minutes, which is average for a device this size, you can also turn the dial to the Stay On setting if you want it to cook even longer. The cord only measured 26 inches long, which made it a little harder to reach an outlet. We found it easier to use cords that were at least 30 inches long in our tests, like the one that comes with the Hamilton Beach 31334.
The toaster oven comes with a bake pan and one rack, but as mentioned before, there is only one position to place them in, which limits cooking options. The interior isn't stick resistant so it might take a little longer to clean some foods out.
Black + Decker covers this toaster oven with a two-year warranty, which is longer than average. You will want to be careful to keep anything from touching it while it cooks. We measured the sides and top of the unit reaching up to 200 degrees while the backside got to 117 degrees. While this isn't the hottest device in our comparison, it can still leave a burn. The handle was slightly warmer than room temperature and we found it was best to grasp it in the middle as the sides got warmer.
This basic device's cooking abilities are truly a cut above its competitors, but the lack of conveniences, like a convection fan and a non-stick interior, make it place lower in our comparison. Still, for the low price and the powerful cooking options it offers, this small appliance is a great option for any single person or small household.
