The undersides of the bread we toasted in the KitchenAid were more unevenly browned than the tops. The Zojirushi ET-WMC22 toasted so unevenly that the bread looked like someone with terrible aim had zapped it with a laser. You can’t replace any of the oven’s components , so if something goes wrong with the oven under warranty, Cuisinart will just send you an entirely new unit . Eva (she/her) is a reviews analyst in the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she tests kitchen gear, home appliances and culinary innovations. Nikolas Greenwald is a Lab Assistant in the Good Housekeeping Institute where works with all of our Labs to develop testing protocols and manage data collection and analysis.
We’ve read some user reviews regarding food catching fire in this oven. Though we never experienced this in over two years of long-term testing, always be sure to place food at least an inch from the heating hamilton beach 1000 watt microwave element. Also, clean the heating element and the bottom of the unit before operating. An accumulation of crumbs and other food particles can burn and begin to smoke if not cleaned out regularly.
While we haven’t had the chance to test this exact model yet, we have had great results testing Samsung ranges with built-in convection modes. This microwave features fewer presets than other models but does offer a child-lock, a +30 second button and rapid defrost. Make sure to measure the countertop space you have available in your kitchen first before purchasing this microwave as it is a large model. We appreciated the easy-to-read and clean control panel and while there is a button to push open the microwave door, we did miss having a handle. This model can also be mounted to the wall, although it doesn’t have a venting system like most over-the-range microwaves. The exterior of this microwave is made out of plastic, which we found makes it prone to sliding around.
More-advanced digital models will alert you once the oven is preheated to a set temperature, but the Hamilton Beach lacks this feature. The instruction manual recommends allowing 5 minutes for the toaster oven to preheat. Even so, a charming, old-school ding does alert you when the timer goes off. We preferred this subtle sound to the ear-shattering beeps on some digital models, like the Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven.
The digital clock and timer are lit up on an easy-to-read LED display. Generally, you need to increase the cooking time by several minutes and the temperature 25 to 50 degrees to compensate for the toaster oven’s larger cavity. Also, you don’t need to buy an air-frying basket—a regular quarter-sheet pan will give you similar “air-frying” results in a convection oven . Its convection fan has two speeds, like the Cuisinart’s, but the high speed is slightly more powerful and can crisp up food faster.
We also used an AI-powered analysis tool to scan 6,500-plus customer reviews across nine toaster ovens to identify what made some models better or worse than others. We tested five new toaster ovens in 2022, but none upended our long-standing picks, the Panasonic FlashXpress and the Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven. Inverter microwaves use technology to deliver power continuously while traditional microwaves cycle their power on and off. The Cuisinart TOB-40 Custom Classic Toaster Oven Broiler is easy to use, but on its medium setting, bread became too dark. Also, this model has no timer, so you’ll have to keep a close watch on your food to prevent it from overcooking.
Bread toasted on the medium setting came out beautifully golden brown, without any scorching or charring. Other models we tested toasted bread unevenly, with extreme light and dark patches. With every batch of toast made, most toaster ovens get hotter, which can leave you with charred pieces of toast if you’re not watching closely.