Are you a pop-up toaster person or a toaster oven type of person? It’s actually often cause for debate in my house. Â I grew up with toaster ovens. They were a constant fixture in my house at breakfast time. From toasting bagels to reheating pizza, it had its’ place. When I got engaged, my grandmother bought me a simple pop-up toaster. I was pretty skeptical about it. My husband on the other hand, was firmly in the pop-up toaster camp. Â So we’ve lived with both kinds of toasters over the years.
So the fine folks at Hamilton Beach recently sent me this Easy Reach 4-Slice Toaster Oven to try out. I was definitely excited to check it out.
This unit has the traditional toaster oven features. You can time-cook it based on how well done you like your toast, you can set it on a timer set to temperature, or you can simply bake with it – set to a particular temperature. What’s different about this toaster is that it has a unique roll-top door to make it easier for you to take your food in and out of the oven without getting burned. The oven door really did open smoothly and it definitely allows better access to the food inside. It’s like a toaster garage!
When it came time to cook with it, I first surveyed my daughter as to what to cook and she suggested bagels. Well, I had to test it with something more than just bagels. The bagels did toast well – just how I like it, but I was curious as to how the baking feature worked.
I decided to bake some cookies in the oven. Sometimes I like to mix up some cookie dough ahead of time and then freeze it so I can bake as needed. I mean, who doesn’t love fresh baked cookies? Anyhow, I whipped up a batch of my favorite oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies. Don’t tell anyone my secret, but I have a special place in my heart for the oatmeal cookie recipe on the lid of the Quaker Oats can. Anyhow, I do a doctored up version of that recipe and it never fails.
I set the toaster oven to 350. It seemed to heat up very fast, which is great.
I scooped up the cookie dough on to a parchment paper lined baking sheet (which is included) and let it go.
The cookies cooked up nicely. I like to take them out a little earlier, since I like a chewier cookie.
Overall, I really like the way the toaster baked the cookies and toasted my daughter’s bagel. The only con I think of with this toaster is that I wish it had more space. Toaster ovens always seem to show what seems like big food items in their marketing photos. In this case, the box showed a pizza. Well, that must have been a personal sized pizza. But that’s ok. It’s a toaster oven. This is perfect for toasting your breakfast, heating up that leftover pizza and even the occasional small baking job.
Definitely worth checking out.
For a chance to get in on the toaster action, enter the giveaway below!
*Full disclosure: Hamilton Beach provided me with this toaster. All opinions are my own.
About Hindy Garfinkel
Looks yummy! And easy to use
Instead of my oven as I am one person
awesome! probably pizza – matzah pizza 🙂
I would totally use it for Pesach baking!!!
I’d love to have this for Passover, which would make it easier for me to prepare real food for my kids while I’m cooking for the holiday meals.
Would be perfect for Pesach! I could use it for Matza Pizza!
I would make a pizza.
Cookies!
Pizza bread
Grilled cheese sandwiches for our daughter for school!
I would use it for open faced sandwiches, like pastrami and provolone. Pizza too!
Homemade pizza
I would love to make a flatbread pizza in this toaster oven.
Toast!! 😀
making grilled cheese sandwiches
i would use it to bake potatoes or casseroles
i would use it to bake potatoes or casseroles
I would make English muffin pizzas.
def would love to try and cook the pizza thank you for your genrneosity
To make veggie pizzas!
Thanks for the chance to win
I will use it to make fish sticks for our kids. I hate heating the entire oven for a dozen fish sticks.
I am going to make individual loaded pizzas!
I would make twice baked potatoes.
Bagels!!
I’ll use it to make toasted garlic bread!
I’ll use it to make toasted garlic bread!
I will make mini pizzas with this toaster oven.
I would probably use it to make pizza rolls. Its like everyone wants them constantly here 🙂
ellen beck on he form
I would make baked sweet potatoes.
I would make English muffin pizza first.
Toaster ovens always make me think french bread pizzas (one of the first things I ‘learned’ to cook!)
I would use this toaster oven to make spinach chicken flatbread.
I would use it for a bagel.
Probably a pizza
I would make cheesy garlic bread.
I would make cheesy garlic bread.
I’d make a flatbread sandwich
Melanie Montgomery
The first thing I would make in the toaster oven is grilled cheese sandwiches.
Rafflecopter name Barbara Montag
thank you
I will use the toaster oven to cook asparagus first.
I would use it to make me a ham and swiss cheese toast first!
I’d use it to make me and my kids some cheese toast
I would like to make a Cherry Lattice pie first.
I would use it to make garlic cheese bread first!
I will use it for this cookie recipe! lol
English Muffins!
I would make garlic bread.
Bagel 🙂
This is so awesome- and would be so perfect! I would love to make mini pizzas for the kids with toppings of their choice. This would also be used each morning for my breakfast!
This is so awesome- and would be so perfect! I would love to make mini pizzas for the kids with toppings of their choice. This would also be used each morning for my breakfast!
Oh I would love to try garlic bread first!
I would use it to make grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches.
I’d use it for pita pizzas
I’d use it for pita pizzas
I would use it to make baked potatoes.
I would use it to make baked potatoes.