Countertop ovens-vs toaster ovens?

Has anyone ever used these countertop ovens? Macy, Kohls and Carsons carries two kinds-Kitchenaid and DeLonghi. They run around $100 on sale. The deLonghi is now on sale at Macy's for $50. They look bigger than the typical toaster oven that sells for way less. Anyone know the difference? Do these things really work? I remember cooking on toaster ovens in college and what a pain in the a#* it was to clean when you 'broiled' meat. My top oven is dying a slow death and I wonder if this would be a good bandaid until I redo my kitchen. Anyone have any experience with these?

You might want to check out this thread: Toaster Oven recommendations?

I have a Krups model, which is about $200, and I love it. It was way better for reheating food than the oven. We use it for toast and also to bake/roast small quantities.

Cooks Illustrated rated these a while back and did not like the DeLonghi EO1258. I don't know if that's what you are looking at. They didn't rate any KA models.

I've bought a few and returned them unused mostly on the basis of the fact that I have a tiny kitchen and they are too big on my counter. The good ones are especially big as are the ones with convection. They looked huge on my countertop and took up too much space. I did see a cheap one at Target that might be more acceptable size wise but then I though really why do I need it. I already have two ovens. A regular convection range over and a GE profile microwave that also switches to a convection oven. So I think its overkill. The thing I really would miss is to be able to pop something in there and brown it or broil it fast like pizza slices. I read a lot of reviews on them and some are fire hazards and stuff starts on fire more easily with them so you have to be really careful. Also they supposedly don't make toast very well.

Wanted to bump up this thread. We are considering getting a toaster oven to replace our old-school pop-up toaster. But, upon doing some googling on the topic, we're seeing a lot of what seem to be combination convection/toaster ovens out there. We're not really familiar with convection ovens, so I'm curious: What can a convection oven do that a cheaper toaster oven cannot do? Do you have a convection oven (that also toasts, presumably) that you love? Do tell! Thanks!

I can still cautiously recommend this Black and Decker after four months of heavy use. At $45 on Amazon Prime shipped, there's not much of a risk if you don't like it - return it minus the shipping cost, or just bide your time until one of the really nice ones comes on sale. This was a Consumer Reports Best Buy last year; it's big (though not as big as some), it looks fine, and will not impress you with a rock-solid build, but outcooks many models out there. This is not a "love" thing, just a, "we needed it to speed up meal prep for our two-year-old while waiting for a new range" thing, and it's done the trick.

The pluses on the convection are that frozen pizzas (holds a standard 12" with room to spare, perfect for just about any TJ, Frontera, CPK, or Frontera Kitchens pie), tater tots or fries, proofed croissants, biscuits, or puff pastry, or ribs or chicken to reheat turn out crisp and even, at least in my unit, and slightly faster than regular setting ovens. I have not used it for roasting or scratch baking yet. This CTO model comes with analog spring-loaded dials, imprecise but supposedly lower risk since there are no circuit boards. Most appliance sites and even some manufacturers will tell you that no toaster oven does as good a job on actual toast than your old upright standby, but toast, french toast, frozen naan, english muffins, and bagels are fine by me here. Crumb tray slides out easily in front; back or side trays are criticized in the highest price models. Included pans are very thin and dishwasher safe.

The minuses on B & D - and virtually all toasters and toaster ovens, honestly - is that you should use them in well-ventilated areas (near a hood if possible), keep them unplugged when not in use, rest nothing near them, and be careful with your hands around them. People, utensils, and dishtowels get seared by the $200 units just as much as by the $20 units if care is not taken. Any appliance can burn your kitchen down in a bad wiring situation, so you can either be deterred by those reports (they're there for every single unit on Amazon and Abt), or just take the plunge. I wish you much success and happy convectiontoasterovenbroiling in whatever you choose for much time to come.

Thank you so much for that feedback. I so agree about the need to exercise caution around these things. I think we once had a little fire going in our toaster oven growing up, and it's enough to make you feel like you're cooking with little more than an Easy Bake Oven. All that said, someone mentioned on this or another thread that there are models with automatic shut-off (I really hope that's a standard feature), but I plan to exercise caution above and beyond that.

By contrast, does anyone have any of the higher priced (e.g., $130 - $250) Cuisinart, DeLonghi, or Breville models? How do you like them? We're mulling all the options, but like you, Santander, we think the #1 use will be to heat up chicken nuggets (for the toddler, that is), but I'm certainly intrigued by the possibility of heating up baked potatoes or reheating leftovers without having to fire up the big oven.

Thanks!!

rehorn wrote:By contrast, does anyone have any of the higher priced (e.g., $130 - $250) Cuisinart, DeLonghi, or Breville models? How do you like them?

You should definitely check out the thread recommended by Darren above where many specific models in the more expensive brands are discussed:

Darren72 wrote:You might want to check out this thread: Toaster Oven recommendations?