For an appliance that sits squarely on your countertop, in full view, there certainly are a lot of unappealing-looking toaster ovens on the market. Our picks range from beautiful Japanese ovens to standard stainless steel; they all look good and they all do the job (in fact, a lot of them do more than just toast). Here are our top picks.
Above: Designed by Naoto Fukasawa for Muji, the MoMA Muji Vertical Toaster Oven is a Japanese toaster (we think the hassle of using a power converter might be worth the gain in beauty). You can source it from Amazon for $125.99. Read more about Fukasawa’s Muji designs in our post Appliances for Minimalists: The Muji Toaster Oven and More. Above: The Breville Smart Convection Oven has nine operating modes, including bake, broil, toast, and roast. It measures 18.5 by 16.25 by 11.25 inches and has a 0.8-cubic-foot interior–large enough for a 13-inch pizza (and yes, 13-by-9-inch baking sheets are available); $249.95 at Williams-Sonoma. Above: The Dualit Professional Mini Toaster Oven goes from room temperature to 365 degrees in three minutes. It defrosts, grills, bakes, and convection cooks, in addition to regular toasting; $199.99 at Crate & Barrel. Above: The new Balmuda Steam Oven Toaster from Japan uses has a steam feature for toasting and warming breads (idea for the plain toast, baguette, croissant, rice cake, and croque monsieur lover). It’s $354.98 through Amazon or can be purchased directly from Balmuda in Japan. (Note that you might want to recruit your closest Japanese-speaking friend to help decipher the manual and guidebook that comes with the toaster.) Above: The KitchenAid Digital Convection Oven comes with two 12-inch round pans and has a nonstick, PTFE/PFOA-free interior. It’s available in white, stainless, and blue; $279.99 at Crate & Barrel. Above: Cuisinart’s Compact Toaster Oven Broiler is small, has seven functions including a leftovers and warming option, and is $69.95 at Amazon. Above: While difficult to source, the Plus Minus Zero Vertical Toaster Oven, from Naoto Fukasawa, is available in black or white (shown) through various dealers on Amazon; $275 to $320. Above: The Cuisinart Convection Toaster Oven Broiler has bake, broil, toast, and convection bake functions; $99.95 at Crate & Barrel. (I own this toaster oven and I have to confess that I removed the black tabs on the sides so it would fit in a tight niche; it still works fine.) Above: The Wolf Gourmet Oven, with the brand’s distinctive red knobs, is somewhere between a toaster and an actual oven with a built-in temperature probe and six cooking modes (proof, warm, roast, bake, broil, and toast); $549.95 at Williams-Sonoma. Above: The KitchenAid Compact Toaster Oven can bake, broil, toast, warm, and slow roast on a four-hour temperature-hold setting; $116.99 at Macy’s. Above: Consumer reviews across the Web deem the Panasonic Flash Xpress Toaster Oven, shown here in white, as one of the best. It uses quartz and ceramic infrared heating; $117.78 on Amazon. For more countertop appliances, see our posts:
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
Join the conversation