Hamilton Beach Countertop Toaster Oven & Pizza Maker Large 4-Slice Capacity, Stainless Steel (31401) Import To Shop ×Product

Best thing I’ve purchased for cooking food at home! 🙂Oh lord. Where do I even begin?Pros:I ordered this because lately, I’ve been in the mood for homemade hot sandwiches. I’ve recently been putting 2 slices of bread in my toaster, then a slice or two of meat and cheese in the microwave on a plate, the combining them after they’re done. Can’t believe it is so terrible compared to the toaster oven!I received the Toaster Oven on the day it said it would be delivered, which was 2 days after the purchase date. It shipped the night I purchased it, which was awesome! (Currently using Amazon Prime for students)After opening it, I was pleased to find out that there is a crumb tray as well. I was only expecting the broiler tray and the wire rack, so that was a very nice surprise. The aesthetic of the entire unit is nice. There is a “hot” symbol (A triangle with a few wavy lines) on the top to warn you of the extreme temperatures the outside of it gets, and trust me – It’s insanely hot. I’ve got a burn on my finger that I’ve to treat with burn cream because my dumb self decided to test out how hot it gets. So be warned, the temperatures on the outside of the unit (the door, sides, and top) are very high. The door handle to open it is 100% perfectly fine, and never gets hot.In the less than 24 hours we’ve owned this, We have created approx. 20 different sandwiches that are all major successes. Today I decided to branch out and try a few new things. I’ve made Buffalo ranch chicken wraps; containing 4 small tortillas, 2 cans of white chicken chunks in water, 2 TBSP of “wings” sauce, and 1 TBSP of Bacon ranch. Rubbed a little vegetable oil on the outsides to help crisp them up very nicely, and tossed them in at 350 for 15 minutes. I got the recipe on a youtube video, and boy were they amazing.I’ve made home-made pizza in the toaster oven using Biscuits flatten out with a rolling pin, then used Tomato paste, mozzarella cheese, and hard salami slices. It was also a huge success. I’ve heard you can broil Hamburger patties in here, so I may give that a try. I’m a bit nervous because of the grease being in there, but I’ll do the research before I do this.As for space; You can fit 4 slices of bread in there pretty easily. I have no issues doing this. I’ve not tested anything like the 9” Pizza advertised, but I’m fairly certain you’d be able too. I’ve also fit 4 rolled up tortillas (from the above recipe) with plenty of room to spare. I’d estimate you could put 6 rolled up small tortillas in the unit.The quality of the unit is very nice. There are a few small issues I have, but they’re so small it’s not worth taking a star off. They are noted below. The temps get pretty hot and toasts the bread very well. The sandwiches I’ve made in the toaster oven have had the meat and cheese with the bread to melt the cheese and warm up the meat. It’s fantastic. Make sure to take the broiling tray OUT of the unit if you’re toasting something, otherwise, the bottom parts of the bread will NOT toast because the heat is being severely diminished from the broiling tray.Cons:The top portion of the bread (when toasting) toasts at uneven temperatures for some reason. The pieces closest to the door will toast about 1-2 minutes faster than the ones in the back. I believe it’s because of a small metal sheet on the top coil that prevents some of the eat getting to the back. It still works out fine, but you’ll have to sometimes move pieces around, OR just take them out earlier than the ones in the back.The outsides of the unit, although you ARE warned, gets insanely hot. This is a hazard for children and pets. This isn’t really a “con” but something that you should take VERY seriously. I highly suggest monitoring the use of it around children, and keep it out of reach of children and pets. You can LITERALLY cook an egg on the outside of the unit. Hell, You’d probably burn it rather quickly. As I said, this isn’t really a “con” – but for the love of god, take the warnings seriously, and don’t…test.. it out. lol. I’d invest in burn cream if you don’t have any, just incase it happens accidentily. It’s very painful. (Again, It’s my fault – I was warned, and still wanted to see how hot it actually gets.)

Ok but limitedI had an old Hamilton Beach for over ten years. It had four heating elements and plenty of room before the door got weak and it finally died.Hastily purchased the same brand but like many consumer items today they just get cheesier. Pay attention to that fool wire rack. With the additional guards on one side you really cannot lower it enough to cook anything with any height. I cook chicken halves and they just won’t fit at all. The rack is evidently designed to hold a drip tray when broiling. If you can put such so close to the heating element then you should be able to bake ..generally at 350, at that bottom of the drip tray level as well, my Pyrex baking dish ( 8.5 x 10.5. Has handles ) should be able to sit at that same height off the element as the potentially flammable spatter adhering to the unit no matter how careful. Plus gunking up the rack which means ongoing cleaning. That would leave plenty of room above the nasty drip tray to accommodate a small casserole dish or anything with a bit of height..my 1/2 chicken would fit.Actually the notion and design of this drip tray configuration is so unnecessary if they provided a small broiler pan with its own insert and drip tray. I have several from older toaster ovens and they work just fine. No ongoing cleaning of the main and only rack. This unit would be better off with just a plain wire shelf ..even two… and a better choice for extras.. even if sold separately. I am tempted to cut off those wire drip tray hangers and use the shelf as years of design have proved useful.But on this model the lower tray setting is limited. Flip it over and it should be fine for baking at medium temps but those wires to hold the drip tray get in the way.In fact trimming the rack and turning it upside down can add approximately 1/2” to height. It is not designed to flip over but it could work with lighter weight pans with weight evenly distributed .So many things are designed by those who likely never have to use them. New and improved isn’t always a good thing.My old Hamilton Beach worked fine on bake with only enough space to keep the rack off the elements.Still looking around for a basic machine ..don’t need a full mini oven.ONE plus to many of these they actually have mechanical knobs instead of stupid touch pads .. a knob you just set it for toast when you find the right setting..only having to change it when you put different bread in. .. with touch pads the item will not always remember your setting for the next batch of bread and you have to constantly re set it to the same setting.. Simple appliances don’t need touch pads!!!!LAs to getting hot. All toaster ovens do to some degree…none are really insulated and to expect it to be insulated is silly. Regular toasters can get warm as well.

Best purchase this yearI did my research and finally settles in this to replace my microwave that I rarely ever used and that took up too much counter space. I really like this toaster oven. It is easy to use and heat things up thoroughly and quickly. I have no complaints.

Not Bad For the PriceI’ve used this toaster oven for several weeks and I’m reasonably happy with it. I’m not giving it 5 stars for 2 reasons:1) Because the handle on the oven door sticks out so far, it’s impossible to open the door far enough so that it’s not slightly tilted toward the rear of the oven. That means the crumb tray, which has no border on it, has to be pulled out at a slight upward angle. So far, I haven’t once succeeded in removing that try without dumping at least a few toast crumbs into the bottom of the oven.2) As others have said, it’s a little difficult to set the Toast timer at the same place every time. I’m finding less uncertainty in just turning the knob to the “Stay On” position and stand there and watch the toast until it’s the color I want. Either way, it does not toast evenly. It’s toasted and it tastes fine, but it’s not pretty.I’ve used the broiler. It works great. I’ve baked a couple of things. That worked fine.I still miss my old Black & Decker toaster oven that I got with S&H Green Stamps (now you have an idea how old it was and I am). Cleaning crumbs out of it was a breeze and it toasted more evenly. They just don’t make stuff like they used to.I contacted Hamilton-Beach Customer Support before I purchased, to ask a question about certain models. They were responsive and courteous.So far, so good.****************************************************Edited 08/29/2020 to add: A year later and I don’t think a single day has passed when I haven’t used this toaster oven. Everything is still working as it should. I now do set the timer for toast because I’m too lazy to stand around and watch bread toast. Practice has taught me where to set the knob for a nicely toasted slice or English muffin. It has been baked in, roasted in, and broiled in. If I need to time something, I set my kitchen timer. That is more precise and, if I’m working in another room, I’m less likely to ignore it.I think what other reviewers have reported as smoke rising from the oven is steam. It’s not uncommon to see wisps of steam rise from the corners of the door when you first begin toasting or baking something. It quits in a little while, as soon the food has dried a bit.I also set this oven on fire once. A pan of coffee cake rose too high in the center and touched the top element. I did exactly what the instructions tell you to do – left the door closed and unplugged the oven. The little fire extinguished itself in a few seconds. I wiped off the element and finished the baking, no problem.If this oven quits tomorrow, I will still feel like I have had my money’s worth.

Great for what it does, but smallThis is a great product if you want just a simple toaster oven. I found it small for my needs, so I returned it and got something else.