You don’t need an expensive toaster oven if all you want to do is just to toast a few slices of bread every morning. The Black & Decker TO1303SB 4-slice toaster oven is the one to look into if you want something simple and cheap. And don’t let the price fools you. It is a popular model with lots of positive user reviews to give you the confidence of a good buy. This review will delve further into this oven.
Black and Decker TO1303SB 4-Slice Toaster Oven Review
The features of this Black & Decker toaster oven include:
- 1200-watt
- Even toast technology
- Bake pan and broil rack included
- Removable crumb tray
- 30-minute timer
- Stay-on function
- Size: 14.5” (L) x 8.8” (H) x 10.8” (W)
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The Black & Decker TO1303SB is a counter top toaster oven that can fit 4 slices of bread or a 9” pizza with its curved interior. On the outside is a large, clear view glass door that allows you to take a peek inside to check on your food. The outer shell is made of stainless steel to fit most kitchen décor.
The controls are in the form of knobs located at the side of the oven. You can control the temperature and choose from 4 different types of cooking functions – bake, broil, toast and keep warm. The timer allows for 30 minutes of cooking time. Should you need to cook for more than half an hour, there is a stay-on function to accommodate a longer cooking time as well.
Inside, the toaster oven has a unique Even Toast technology. Basically, it optimizes heat distribution so that it can toast 30% more evenly compared to other brands. There are two heating elements inside – one at the top and the other at the bottom of the oven. You also get a removable crumb tray for easy clean-up and a bake pan and broil rack for more cooking options. These accessories are dishwasher-safe.
The toaster oven is easy to set up and comes with a user manual and 2 quick start-up sheets. The power cord is about 2 feet long.
The promotional video of the unit can be viewed below:
Should You Buy The Black & Decker TO1303SB Toaster Oven?
Pros
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Cheap – The Black & Decker TO1303SB is a basic toaster oven. It is cheap, selling for about $30 at the time of this review, which is reasonable for basic toasting, broiling and baking functions. As comparison, top end models like the Breville BOV450XL Mini Smart Oven costs about $150 which is 5 times more.
- Toast comes up even – If you are using it to toast bread, it does quite a good job at it. The bread comes out evenly toast although there would be grill lines on one side due to the wire rack.
- Easy to use – The functions are intuitive to use with little complications. The glass door opens up flat that you can easily reach inside to clean up the unit. The accessories are also dishwasher-safe for added convenience.
- Compact – This will be ideal for those who have a lack of counter top space in the kitchen. It is compact and yet can toast 4 slices of bread at one go. The stainless steel exterior also makes it look stylish for a modern kitchen. Another compact unit that deserves a good look is the Panasonic NB-G110P Flash Xpress if space is a real constraint for you.
Cons
- Small interior – Some people have complained that the interior is not as big as they would have liked. Not all types of bread can fit into the compact oven 4 slices at a time. An alternative would be to get a bigger capacity model or one with a built in toaster. The Waring WTO150 has an additonal 2-slice toaster built in to enable you to toast 6 slices at one go.
- Dark toast setting – The toast setting tends to run a little too dark for some. You will need a few test runs to get the right level of darkness for your toast. The timer knob is also a little stiff for a few when turning it back to the desired setting.
- Only one rack level – There is only one level available for the rack. In other words, there is no flexibility for the rack height that you may have a problem fitting in taller food. Check out the Black & Decker TRO480BS if you perfer an oven with more than one rack height.
- Short power cord – The 2 feet cord is a little short, so do ensure you have the space for this near to a power socket.
We would recommend a buy for this Black & Decker toaster oven. It has a very attractive price point and the overwhelmingly positive reviews from buyers make it hard to give this a miss. If you are just looking for a basic unit, chances are you would not be disappointed with its performance given the price that you pay.
The main worry would be the size and height of the interior. If you are used to toasting larger sized bread and cooking taller food (more than 2 inches tall), you will encounter a problem. In that case, you won’t be able to fit 4 slices of bread as advertised and your food could be touching the upper heating coil since the rack height is non-adjustable. If you do not have these worries, then the Black & Decker TO1303SB 4-slice toaster oven should be a value-for-money buy.
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FIRE HAZARD! DO NOT BUY! I was considering between the Hamilton Beach Easy Reach or this (which you recommended instead of the Easy Reach). I read a lot of reviews on Amazon and there were way too many cases of this unit catching on fire or exploding. That’s right, exploding! All you need to do is scroll through the customer-submitted photos to see the aftermath of fire-damaged kitchens, shattered glass, bubbling metal, and toddlers with burn injuries. Please update this review to direct people away from this unit. I ended up buying the Easy Reach. It’s still new, but so far I’m happy with it.