Hamilton Beach 31401 Toaster Oven and Pizza Maker

Overview

A small-kitchen cook or office worker gets a compact countertop oven that toasts, broils and bakes without heating a full-size oven. Food goes in through a dropdown glass door onto one of two shelf positions, and a pull-out crumb tray collects what falls.

Counter space is the reason to buy this one: it covers toast, broiling and small bakes in a footprint that fits a work area or a studio kitchen. The limitation is scale, since the interior takes a few slices or a small pan and nothing larger, and the manual knobs leave timing to the cook.

Who it's for

A studio apartment, dorm or break room where a full oven is missing or too slow for a few slices of toast. Cooks feeding a family or roasting whole birds will outgrow the interior quickly and should look at a larger countertop oven.

Pros and cons

Performance notes

Toast color depends on which of the two shelf positions holds the bread, since the closer shelf browns faster. The knob thermostat cycles the heating element to hold the set temperature, so preheating matters for baking. A compact cavity recovers heat quickly after the door drops open, but edges brown sooner than in a large oven.

Specifications