Cuisinart Toaster Oven Guide
Cuisinart is a brand with a long history of building quality kitchen appliances. They have a line of toaster ovens, which right now includes 4 different models that all cater to different market segments. Three of them are 6-slice ovens, and there’s only one 4-slice model in their lineup right now (the TOB-40). Cuisinart’s toaster ovens fall somewhere between the high-end luxury of a brand like Breville and the quality-on-a-budget offerings from brands like Black and Decker, although they’re probably a bit closer to the high-end than the low.
Cuisinart TOB-195
The Cuisinart TOB-195 is the flagship model in the Cuisinart toaster oven lineup. It’s a 6-slice convection oven with a 0.6 cubic-foot capacity, meaning it’s one of the larger models on the market. The spacious interior can easily fit a 12″ pizza, or a whole chicken. The design in stainless steel with brushed chrome is quite attractive, and it has, in our opinion, a certain sturdy high-tech feel to it, although it may not suit everyone’s taste.
It uses a touchpad control panel that’s easy to use and clean, and there are four built-in cooking functions: toast, convection, broil and pizza/bake. There are also buttons for quick access to the 4-6 slice toasting, defrost, reheat and bagel functions. Of course it also has a timer and a clock, and the oven shuts off automatically after four hours.
One of the main features of the TOB-195 is the technology they call Always Even shade control. Coupled with the Exact Heat sensors inside the oven, this feature ensures even cooking by maintaining a precise temperature throughout the whole oven.
Cleaning up after using it should be easy, thanks to the slide-out crumb tray, though it doesn’t slide out on the front like the one found on the Cuisinart TOB-40 (read more about that model further down on this page). Nevertheless, it’s a useful feature, and the brushed chrome interior should be very easy to wipe off too.
As usual we headed out on the web to find user reviews, to get a good picture of what people really think of this product. What we found was that it has been extremely well received by the vast majority of users. Complaints are very rare, and most customers love the design, the size and the functionality of this Cuisinart toaster oven. There are a few people though who compare it to the Breville BOV800XL, which plays in roughly the same league, and those people almost always favor the Breville. The front-removable crumb tray, the auto-ejecting rack and the excellent functions on the Breville are hard to beat, and it seems that this oven comes close but not all the way.
However, it is almost $100 cheaper than the BOV800XL, meaning that if you can live with those limitations you can save quite a lot of money by choosing this oven instead. For that kind of money we think that this oven really offers tremendous value, and most people seem to agree with us. All in all, if you want a great oven with tons of features but don’t want to pay a huge premium, get this one!
Cuisinart TOB-155
The Cuisinart TOB-155 can in many ways be considered the “light” version of the TOB-195. They are in fact similar in so many ways that it’s difficult to distinguish them from one another at a first glance. Both are 6-slice ovens with an inside capacity of 0.6 cubic-foot, the design is similar and they have virtually the same features. However, the TOB-155 does not have a convection cooking capability, and this is really the main difference between them.
If you’re thinking about buying a TOB-155, then we suggest that you read what we’ve written about the TOB-195, since almost all of those things are true for this oven as well. It has the same Total Touch control panel, same cooking functions, same slide-out crumb tray. The design is also similar, although not exactly the same as you can see on the picture.
User reviews are also quite similar to the TOB-195, and they’re generally very positive. The main complaints seem to be about the price (there are other brands offering similar models for much less), the footprint (6-slice ovens take up quite a lot of space, that’s a fact) and also some complaints that it can get very hot to touch on some parts of the exterior. Aside from that people seem to love it, and if you’re looking for the best 6-slice Cuisinart oven but don’t need convection cooking, then this is the model for you.
Cuisinart TOB-60
The Cuisinart toaster ovens we’ve looked at so far are quite similar in size and features, and this one is intended for those who don’t need the high-end features found on the TOB-195 but still want a 6-slice convection oven.
So what makes this oven unique? Well, first of all there’s the design, with a visually pleasing brushed stainless steel housing. We’re quite sure that most people like the look of this oven, as it’s elegant but not over-the-top. It has a few preset cooking functions: toast, broil, bake, convection bake and keep warm. It’s easy to operate thanks to the three control dials, and the interior has a non-stick surface so it’s easy to clean after using it.
Compared to the TOB-195 it’s missing quite a few features. It doesn’t have the touchpad control panel, or the Always Even/Exact Heat sensor technology that produces optimal results every time. It also doesn’t have a removable crumb tray. If those things are important to you, we recommend that you instead choose the TOB-195. However, this oven costs around 40% less and if you can live without those features you might find this oven suitable.
Unfortunately, it seems that users aren’t quite as fond of this oven as the other two models we’ve covered so far. It’s not that they hate it, but generally it seems to be closer to “average” than “great”. Users particularly mention that it doesn’t toast bread very well, and it’s easy to burn it. The convection fan doesn’t run all the time, it just comes on intermittently, which is probably one of the causes for uneven results. Some also mention that the control panel isn’t very good, and the dials are flimsy and hard to use.
However, for every complaint there are at least one other review that is overwhelmingly positive, which is why it’s so difficult to sort out what’s true and what’s not from an objective point of view. In reality we think that the majority of buyers are happy with this product, but don’t expect miracles from it. If you want miracles, buy the TOB-195 instead!
Cuisinart TOB-40
This is the only 4-slice toaster oven made by Cuisinart, but don’t let the smaller footprint and the lower price fool you. In fact this oven packs many of the features found only on the flagship TOB-195 model, while costing almost $100 less.
It is, of course, intended for those who want a high-quality oven with great features, but don’t need the full 6-slice capability of more expensive models. In fact, this oven beats the others in a few areas. For example, the removable crumb tray slides out on the front, which is much more convenient than out the back. This makes cleaning the oven so much easier. It also features a rack that automatically slides out when you open the oven, a feature commonly associated with the high-end Breville BOV800XL. We also have to mention that we really like the clean design, and we actually think it looks better than all the other ovens from Cuisinart (though that is of course not a fact, just our opinion).
It also features many of Cuisinart’s other high-end features, like the Always Even shade control that continually and automatically adjusts the temperature inside the oven for perfect, even results. The interior, while “only” having a 4-slice capacity, is still big enough to fit an 11″ pizza inside.
So, on paper this little affordable oven certainly looks good, but what do real users think about it? Well, for the most part they actually seem to love it. While it hasn’t received quite as high ratings as, for example, the Cuisinart TOB-195, it’s still very well received. Unlike the TOB-60 it seems that the build quality is excellent, and the control panel is much improved. There are also very few complaints about the cooking quality, which can probably be partly attributed to the Always Even technology.
There are of course a few complaints, but they’re mostly minor in nature. A few people think that the letters on the control panel could be bigger, and that they’re quite difficult to read. It also doesn’t have a timer, which might be a big deal to some people. Other than that it seems like a solid toaster oven, and you do get a lot for your money if you decide to go with this one.
