EDITOR'S RAVE
TEFAL TOASTER OVEN OF1608
$89.90, from major electrical stores
USING IT It is a little hard to set the controls precisely – the temperature knob is marked in intervals of 30 deg C, from 90-210, and at 230 deg C, while the timer has 5min intervals up to 30min. But I do like the latter's stay-on function, which keeps the heat on until I turn it off. Also, the appliance has modes for toasting and grilling.
PERFORMANCE This toaster oven heated up fastest – it crisped bread in just 2-3min, and gave me crunchy chicken nuggets in 10min. The downside is that food got burnt more easily, too. It did the best job with grilling chicken – the teriyaki sauce was the most caramelised and the meat was the juiciest and most tender.
VERDICT Quick to heat up and cooks raw food best, so it's great for time-strapped mums. You just need to keep an eye on your food so it doesn't burn.
RATING: 8.5/10
GREAT FIND
CORNELL TOASTER OVEN CTG19
$49.90, from Harvey Norman
USING IT The controls are precise – the 15min timer is marked to the minute, while the temperature dial is marked in intervals of 15 deg C, from 90 to 230 (except between 180 and 200 deg C). It also has a stay-on function and toasting mode, which make it even easier to use.
PERFORMANCE This toaster oven heats up more towards the back and in the middle, so my toast and chicken nuggets were crispy, but slightly burnt in places. The grilled chicken fillets were a tad dry, but better-caramelised than the ones cooked in the Electrolux and Sona toaster ovens.
VERDICT Precise controls for both time and temperature make this the easiest to use, although the heating is the least even.
RATING: 7.5/10
SONA ELECTRIC TOASTER OVEN STO22A
$69, from major electrical stores
USING IT The timer is reasonably precise as it's marked in 2min intervals. It doesn't have a stay-on function like the other toasters, but has a useful 60min timer (the others have timers of 15min or 30min). The temperature dial, however, is marked in large intervals of 50 deg C, up to 250 deg C, making it hard to cook anything at a precise temperature. This toaster oven is the largest – 10 litres, compared with the rest which are 9 litres – but is the most shallow. Its grill tray only holds two slices of bread, while the others can each squeeze in four.
PERFORMANCE The heating is even and controlled. It took the longest to get my bread and nuggets crispy, but they didn't burn. The less-intense heat, however, meant that the chicken fillets needed a slightly longer time to cook and turned out drier than the rest.
VERDICT Simple and no frills, but you don't have to keep an eye out for singed toast.
RATING: 7/10
ELECTROLUX OVEN TOASTER EOT3501
$69, from major electrical stores
USING IT The 15min timer has a stay-on function and is marked by the minute. But I didn't like how the temperature control is irregularly marked at 95, 120, 150, 175, 205 and 230 deg C. The door is shorter than the other ovens' doors, making it hard to flip food or reach into the cavity to wipe away oil splatte
PERFORMANCE It heated evenly across the top and bottom, but more intensely towards the back, charring my toast slightly. Grilling raw food is not its forte: my chicken fillets emerged tender but lacked colour. What it aced was the nuggets, which boasted an even golden-brown hue and a perfectly crispy crust.
VERDICT Not that versatile, but great if all you need is to crisp up frozen food.
RATING: 6.5/10
This article was originally published in Simply Her October 2014.
All product and pricing information was correct at the time of the magazine's publication. We advise readers to check with the stores for the latest availability and pricing information.