A couple of years ago, I bought a lovely, hardcore KitchenAid toaster oven. It died this week, which was very disappointing because I’d been hoping to have it for a very long time, and it showed no signs of illness. It’s outside the warranty period, so off I go to buy a new one.
Any recommendations? I want a toaster oven rather than a standard toaster because I like to use it for things like tuna melts, broiling the occasional piece of fish without heating up the whole apartment, etc. Before the recently deceased KitchenAid, I had a little cheapo Black & Decker, which I wasn’t very happy with because even on the highest setting, it didn’t toast bread properly. So who has a model that actually toasts bread until it is a lovely golden brown and crispy on the outside, but not dried-out on the inside?
I have a Black and Decker model that i got about 15 years ago. For a long time I broiled all my chicken in it because it was easier to clean the B&D broiler pan than the one in my oven. I’ve done a fair amount of baking in it as well as lots of toasting. Plus it’s set up to accept a set of brackets that let you mount it under the counter
Yeah, I had a Black & Decker one that was a hand-me-down when I had my first apartment, and it was great. Maybe the previous one I bought was just a fluke, or maybe they’ve substantially changed the manufacturing process since then; I don’t know.
I ended up with a Euro-Pro 6-Slice Convection Toaster Oven. We’ll see how it works once I’ve finished my first cup of coffee, but if it doesn’t make a decent slice of toast, I will just return it (which is something I hardly ever do, but the thing should be able to fulfill its most basic function properly, no?). It looked like it was a step up from the cheapo B&D model, but I wasn’t willing to spend $100 - 150 for the hardcore fancy brands.
Good luck with it. I wanted a toaster/convection oven, too. Bought two and tried them. Both quit toasting after I used the convection function. No, it wasn’t me - I’m pretty good with appliances and such. So give the oven function a try soon and see whether the toast function continues to operate well afterward. And then report back, because I’d love me a little convection oven but kinda gave up after those two were such disappointments.
Of course I’m checking this thread at work and not at home, where I could wander into my kitchen and tell you.
I can say that my toaster over works much better at toasting bread when it’s clean. When the bottom is full of crumbs, toasting just doesn’t work well.
I have no experience with thier toaster ovens, but kitchen aid mixers I’ve fixed have been very repairable, and all that I know of are still in service.
Repair parts are probably available…You have no neighbors, friends, wierd uncles, or local dopers that are halfway handy and have some electrical sense?
So far, the Euro Pro did a fabulous job on my toast. I haven’t tried the other functions yet - after all, how many times can a girl use a toaster oven in one day? but I have high hopes for the future. I didn’t really care about the convection oven part, but this was just the model that happened to combine the required amount of solidity with not costing $150. Maybe I will buy some fish this week and see how it does at broiling.
P.S. I try not to let the thing get too full of crumbs, but unless you have the entire bottom covered with a layer of burning crumbs, why should it affect how the thing makes toast?
A year or so ago I bought a T-Fal Avante Elite from Amazon.com, about 75 bucks. It’s very futuristic looking, and does a good job on toast and as a convection oven.
For what we use it for, however, it is probably overkill. It regularly sees use heating up fish sticks for my daughter. But it sure as hell beats preheating the oven to do it, it cooks them in 8 minutes and they are nice and crispy, vs 30 seconds and soggy in the Microwave, or 20 minutes + in the regular oven.
Don’t get one where the outside doesn’t stay cool to the touch. If you’re absent-minded, like me, and you get one on which the outside gets hot, you will eventually get a large and painful blister from it… Probably sooner rather than later, if you’re as absent-minded as I am.
Do they make toaster ovens with a crumb-catcher tray that you can pull out? Our toaster oven doesn’t have one, and it’s really a pain to get the crumbs out of it.
Just bought a $30 toaster oven this weekend - either Proctor-Silex or Black & Decker. My previous B & D had just given up the ghost after about 13 years of service. I’ve yet to find a toaster oven that toasts bread as good as a toaster, but I like the versatility of quick reheats.
Yeah, my toaster oven has a pull out tray.
I figure the layer of crumbs on the bottom starts absorbing heat, instead of reflecting back up from the metal for even toasting.
This is my toaster oven, which I have regaled in other threads.
It’s the best appliance I own. It’s the only thing in my kitchen that I would (will) replace with the exact same model when it goes kaput. I recommend it to everyone, and it has totally replaced my regular oven.
The cons? Simple - it’s big, you’ll need the counter space. It’s kinda expensive for a toaster oven.
