How to Choose the Best Toaster Oven for Your Kitchen
It's time to get toasty.
Ever wondered how to use a toaster oven? Many modern toaster ovens have the cooking power and fancy features of full-size ovens, making them an excellent appliance choice if you want a compact yet fully functional way to bake, toast, roast, broil, or even air-fry smaller food items on the fly. In this guide, we'll walk you through the toaster oven shopping process so you can be sure you're buying a toaster oven for your toasting needs.
Tip!
Confusing a toaster with a toaster oven? Find the difference between a traditional toaster and a toaster oven with our helpful guide: Toaster vs. Toaster Oven: Which One is Right for You?
Best Toaster Oven Sizes
Overall Toaster Oven Size
Toaster Oven Capacity
Best Toaster Oven Features
Specialty Toaster Ovens
Best Toaster Oven Sizes
Toaster oven size can refer to its overall dimensions or the dimensions of its interior, also known as its capacity. Both dimensions are important to keep in mind when shopping for a toaster oven for your cooking needs and kitchen space.
Overall Toaster Oven Size
Overall size will inform whether the toaster oven will fit comfortably on your kitchen countertop. Toaster oven dimensions are listed on-site under the Weights & Dimensions tab, with measurements listed for overall height, width, depth, and weight. Before you begin shopping, we recommend taking rough measurements of the maximum amount of space a toaster oven could comfortably take up on your countertop. Be sure to choose a countertop location that has a grounded power outlet nearby. When shopping, try to choose a toaster oven that fits within those measurements.
Weight is also an important metric if you're concerned about heavy lifting. Many toaster ovens weigh under ten pounds, but some can weigh over 20.
Toaster Oven Capacity
Toaster oven capacity, or the dimensions of the interior of the toaster oven, will dictate what foods can fit in the toaster oven. In many cases, toaster oven capacity is listed in the Weights & Dimensions tab on-site similarly to overall size: H x W x D. In other cases, capacity is listed in cubic feet, with smaller toaster ovens having 0.3 cubic feet of interior space, and extra large toaster ovens boasting up to one whole cubic foot of interior space. Capacity is also often described using slices of toast or pizza diameters; for example, larger toaster ovens are often described as being able to comfortably toast six slices of toast or bake a 12" pizza.
When investigating toaster oven capacity, consider your household's needs. If you mostly cook for yourself or a partner, look for smaller toaster ovens that can cook a variety of smaller meals while taking up less space and using less energy than larger models. If you want a toaster oven that can toast enough bagels to feed a hungry family in the morning, look for large or extra large models with larger interior capacities.
Mini Toaster Ovens: Cooking for one or low on counter space? Then enjoy all that mini toaster ovens have to offer. Though they’re small in size, they’re still effective to cook pizza, toast bread, and even bake cookies.
Small Toaster Ovens: Small toaster ovens are slightly bigger than mini toaster ovens, and can feed between one to two people. Most small toaster ovens have one rack with a pan capable of cooking or baking everything a mini toaster oven can.
Large Toaster Ovens: If you have more mouths to feed and the space to accommodate a large toaster oven, then you can experience cooking with two toaster oven racks at a time! Large toaster ovens come with more space so you can experiment with cooking bigger pieces of protein, or two different pizzas at a time.
Extra-Large Toaster Ovens: Extra-large toaster ovens take compact cooking to the next level. Also built with two racks, extra large toaster ovens are more expansive in size and can cook casseroles, whole chickens, and whole sheet pan meals.
The best toaster ovens are available with a variety of user-friendly features that classic toasters lack. When shopping, take note of the features you'd most like your toaster oven to have.
Timer: Classic toasters are equipped with mechanical timers that automatically pop up your toast when it is done cooking. Toaster ovens, on the other hand, can be equipped with mechanical timers or digital timers that display the cooking time and ring an alarm when your food is ready.
Auto Shut-Off: Many toaster ovens have auto shut-off settings that automatically stop cooking once the timer has run out. This is especially helpful (and safe!) if you multitask often or tend to be a little forgetful.
Additional Trays: Some toaster ovens have additional trays that allow you to cook multiple levels of food at the same time, which increases the toaster oven's cooking capacity without increasing the size of the oven. Many toaster ovens also have removable crumb trays that sit in the bottom of the oven to catch loose crumbs. These removable trays facilitate cleaning and prevent your toaster oven from releasing smoke and burnt odors while cooking.
Cool-Touch Exterior: When using a toaster oven with a cool-touch exterior, you won't have to worry about burning yourself or nearby objects. The exterior will remain cool to the touch while the oven is on. This feature is a must-have if you have curious children who may come in contact with the toaster oven while it is in use.
Removable Crumb Tray: Craving toasty bread? With a removable crumb tray, cleaning up fallen crumbs is a breeze! This feature collects the pieces of toasted bread that fall below into the tray so all you have to do is slide the tray out and dump the crumbs in the trash cans. Not only does this make the cleaning process easier, it also reduces chances of burning yourself by trying to reach in the oven.
Some toaster ovens are specially built for tasks you might not think a typical toaster oven could do. In addition to toasting, most toaster ovens can bake, broil, and warm. Others come with buttons designated for cooking specific foods, like pizza or chicken. Several toaster ovens come with more specialty cooking functions outlined below.
Convection Heating: Convection toaster ovens have a fan and exhaust system that circulate heated air during the cooking process, which cooks food more evenly and efficiently than non-convection toaster ovens.
Rotisserie: No longer will you need to get your rotisserie chicken from the supermarket! Rotisserie toaster ovens come with a (sometimes removable) spit that rotates while cooking, allowing for even heating. Rotisserie cookers are perfect for keeping larger pieces of meat – legs of lamb, prime ribs, and whole chickens – juicy throughout cooking.
Air Fryer: Air fryers are basically mini convection ovens that heat food evenly by using fans and exhaust that circulate hot air, similar to how hot oil circulates in a deep fryer. Air-fryer toaster ovens are convection toaster ovens that come with specialized basket trays that allow for even more consistent, efficient crispiness.
Pizza Oven: Pizza toaster ovens make it possible to make scrumptious, crispy pizza in your own kitchen. Thanks to the heavy-duty racks and air circulation, your crust will cook in brick-oven style for a superior crunch that is super easy to make.
Now that you know how to choose a toaster oven for your kitchen, it’s time to find the right one for your kitchen!
