Customer reviews from hamiltonbeach.com
Hamilton Beach - 6-Slice Convection Toaster Oven - Black
Average customer rating
4.8
(30 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 30 reviews
5 Stars
26
4 Stars
3
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
0
1 Star
0
97%of customers recommend this product.
(
28 out of
29)
Customer Reviews for Hamilton Beach - 6-Slice Convection Toaster Oven - Black
Customer Rating
5
A lifesaver, fun, safe, and easy to use!
on February 9, 2020
Posted by: Nightsong
from Northern California, USA
Gender:Female
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This turned into quite a bit of an adventure!
This review is for the Hamilton Beach Countertop Oven with Convection and Rotisserie and an extra-large capacity. It was so wonderful to finally receive this oven, as my family's been without a working stove for years. While we have been able to cook with other appliances, there's nothing quite like been able to bake, roast, and cook with a real, proper oven.
The unpacking was really simple and straightforward, with an extra protective layer of cardboard on top, inside the box, and each of the pieces individually wrapped in plastic. It hadn't been raining when we received it, but it had been recently so we could really appreciate that touch. I have attached pictures showing each layer as I unpacked the box. It came with a rotisserie skewer, a fork to remove it, a crumb tray, the manual, the first oven rack, and then below this is the oven itself nestled in protective foam -and- wrapped in plastic. It may take a little jockeying around but the oven is really lighter than I thought it would be, so just have some patience and it pulls right out. The important thing to note is that under the next layer of protective foam is the second oven rack, against the bottom of the box. It fits tightly into that layer of foam so, once you pull the foam out, the rack is easily retrieved.
Inside the oven itself is the baking sheet, which is good for both baking cookies on and acting as a base for light-weight foil dishes. It is designed to fit right into the grooves on the inside of the oven, so it can completely replace one of the oven racks. The inside of the oven is beautiful and pristine, so you'll want to definitely use the crumb tray to keep it that way. The fan for the convection is on the right side, same as the controls.
Now, I am completely new to convection ovens. I knew that this had a standard "bake" setting, which I had from older ovens, and I knew that convection basically just meant there was a heat-proof fan in there moving the warmth around, but what did this actually mean as far as cooking? I didn't know! So, to familiarize myself with the controls, I followed the manual's directions to let it burn off at 450 degrees for several minutes, then set about getting some chicken from the freezer to test with.
This is where I stared making novice mistakes when it came to cooking. I put the chicken in the oven, frozen, before the oven was pre-heated. When the oven was done pre-heating and beeped at me to let me know it was time to start the timer, I had the idea that I might be overcooking it a bit, but I set the timer to go anyway. The chicken came out -looking- overdone, but tasting fabulously, which is actually how everyone in my family loves it. Crisp skin, caramelized flavor, with awesome tenderness inside. Needless to say, I was truly hooked at this point. What could go wrong??
The next thing tried was a thawed supermarket lasagna, and this is where I started running into the learning curve with regard to the "convection" setting on the oven. With something deep-dish, I learned, it needed to use the "bake" setting until it was fully cooked, first, and then if you wanted a nice toasting on the top you could switch to the convection setting. Otherwise, the top cooks at a much faster rate than the insides. Live and learn! On the other hand, you can also use the convection setting to toast the top first, and -then- use the bake setting, which is what I ended up doing. I ended up cooking it an extra half an hour, because I hadn't used the proper settings, but it turned out fabulously gooey and bubbly inside!
We also tried a pair of pizzas and found out that the regular supermarket pizzas -do- fit in perfectly, but regrettably those were eaten too quickly for me to grab pictures of them! This also gave me the opportunity to properly preheat the oven before putting the pizza inside, and they turned out just right. I -definitely- recommend using the convection setting for pizza for that perfect top-and-bottom roast!
Baking biscuits is where I learned my true limitations with the convection setting. Do NOT use it to bake with unless you specifically want a browned top. My family has an age-old habit of making stuffed biscuits with different cheeses, mustards, a variety of meats, basically anything goes. I had three pans set up with these, and one of pull-apart (cinnamon-drenched heavenly biscuitness) and learned that, as long as convection is turned on, things on the right (where the fan is) brown noticeably quicker. I felt like I was literally watching them brown in front of my eyes, and I probably was! So if you're baking something like biscuits, be ready to rotate the pans! That actually worked perfectly for me, as they turned out with that sweet spot of just-baked inside and roasted on the top. Still, for cakes in the future, I'll just use the bake setting.
The pull-apart was an adventure all on its own. Building on my experiences from before, I first baked it the recommended time for the biscuits while covered with foil, and then pulled off the foil and turned on the convection setting for an extra ten minutes. Because of all of the extra cinnamon and sauce, it did take longer to cook than standard biscuits, but it was entirely worth it. I placed the pan close to the convection fan just so that the top would toast nicely. Happily I -did- get a picture of this end result before it was devoured!
I haven't tried the reheating functions or rotisserie yet, but they are definitely on the list for this little baby! I love it so much, I have to try a cake next, too! Don't tell my family, but I actually like it quite a bit better than our old, standard gas stove because this sits on the countertop and I don't have to bend over and lift heavy pans inside and out again. My back never really liked doing that, despite years of running and jogging to help strengthen it. Having this magical machine sitting at counter-height is such a lifesaver and makes it easier to watch, too! It's also nice that my cat can't turn it on by mistake, as had happened in the past with another cat and our the gas stove, because this little gem needs to be both plugged in and have several buttons pressed before it even turns on. So, for me, it's more ergonomic, a lot safer, and just as easy to run even if I still do need to learn a bit more about it. It also seems to stay a lot cleaner, too, but that could just be because I haven't tried cooking a lot of messy foods in it yet. It's just so nice to have such an easy to care for appliance and be able to bake again! Definitely recommend!!!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting hamiltonbeach.com
Customer Rating
5
Great oven
on February 14, 2020
Posted by: Mama H
from Los Angeles
Gender:Female
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Such a great oven and I like that you can cook a chicken in it rotisserie style. It is a little big, but I love it. This will be especially useful when I need more oven space when entertaining or cooking big meals.
Written by a customer while visiting hamiltonbeach.com
Customer Rating
4
Great Looking Countertop Oven
on February 15, 2020
Posted by: KAREN O
from Lake Ozark, Mo
Gender:Female
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I like this toaster oven, it look great sitting on my counter. It is a great size. Love all the rack choices. the two baking , a baking pan and a rotisserie. It heats evenly and the bake/convection mode works great. I use it everyday to reheat leftovers especially meats because they will taste fresh again verses microwave. I wish the crumb tray pulled out from the bottom. The instruction book that came with it was not much help at all.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting hamiltonbeach.com
Customer Rating
5
Great features!!
on February 15, 2020
Posted by: Mkb74
from Pikeville, KY
Gender:Female
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This oven is large enough to make an assortment of foods. But not heavy at all. It is very elegant looking and beautiful. You can reheat, warm, do convection, bake, broil and rotisserie!! You can’t beat that in one appliance. The knob turns very easily. There is a timer and a start stop button. There is also the temperature button. We love pizza and I made the one in the picture with the set time and temp it had on the box. It turned out perfect!! The outside of the oven gets pretty warm. But that is to be expected. After I was done it was so easy to clean up.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting hamiltonbeach.com
Customer Rating
5
Bakes great!
on March 4, 2020
Posted by: Dilly Dilly
from FL
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I am very pleased with the Hamilton Beach XL Digital Countertop Oven. In most cases, this oven could totally replace a standard oven. For a countertop appliance, it is large. So make sure you have a good space for it with enough room to give clearance around the back, sides, and top as they will get very hot. The front glass door will get extremely hot too. Do not touch the glass when cooking, only use the door handle. This oven has multiple settings - defrost, reheat, bake, broil, convection and rotisserie. I use the reheat, bake and convection the most. The digital display is clear and easy to read. The oven is simple to use. Turn the dial to select the setting like back, then press minus or plus button for temperature and time. There is even a "warm" option. I love the safety feature that the oven actually turns off completely once the timer goes off. I've cooked Chicago deep dish pizza, flautas, fries, chicken, etc. All have come out great. I do watch the time when using the convection option as that cooks faster. For baking unless I need to cook multiple items at once, the Hamilton Beach XL Digital Countertop Oven in my go to. Works great and I'm saving money not having to heat up a whole standard wall oven when cooking one dish. You can actually cook on two racks if they are not tall, like cookies or thin crust pizza. Perfect small kitchens.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting hamiltonbeach.com
Customer Rating
5
Versatile!
on July 8, 2023
Posted by: Sherryb
from Oklahoma
Gender:Female
[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I am so played with this toaster oven! It is large enough to bake a chicken or a pan of meatloaf. It will even accomodate my Bundt pan so I can bake my favorite cakes. Cooks very evenly. Does not heat up the house and uses a lot less power than my electric oven.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting hamiltonbeach.com