Efficient and Versatile Cooking Appliances
In today’s fast-paced kitchens, efficient cooking appliances are a must-have. Countertop ovens are no exception, offering a perfect blend of cooking performance, convenience, and space-saving design. These versatile appliances can cook a wide range of dishes, from roasted meats and vegetables to baked goods and even air-fried foods.
Expert Endorsement
Greg Frey Jr., a chef at Golden Door in San Marcos, California, which was rated the number one spa in the world by Condé Nast Traveler, swears by his countertop oven in his home. “It’s more efficient to use the countertop unit for needs like reheating dishes, roasting small portions, roasting vegetable sides, even air-frying, versus the energy needed to heat up the wall oven,” he explains.
Top Picks
After testing a variety of countertop ovens, we’ve compiled a list of our top picks. These appliances have impressed us with their performance, features, and value for money.
- Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven Elite
- Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven
- Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro
- Calphalon Performance Cool Touch Toaster Oven
- Chefman XL 7-in-1 Air Fryer Toaster Oven
- Café Couture Oven with Air Fry
- Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven
- Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Digital Air Fryer Oven
- Toshiba 7-in-1 Countertop Microwave Oven with Air Fryer Combo
Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven Elite
The Wolf Gourmet Countertop Oven Elite is our top pick, offering exceptional performance and features. This convection oven can broil, roast, bake, toast, warm, or proof, and even has a bagel setting to toast one side and warm the other side. The oven features a swappable dial color, an integrated temperature probe, and a crumb tray that slides in and out easily.
Upsides:
- Well-built
- Integrated temperature probe
- Swappable dial colors
Downsides:
- Hefty price tag
Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven
The Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Oven is a large and versatile appliance, capable of cooking a wide range of dishes. It features 10 cooking functions, including air fry, air roast, whole roast, bake, dehydrate, broil, reheat, pizza, toast, and bagel. The oven has a spacious interior, making it ideal for cooking large quantities of food.
Upsides:
- Generous cooking cavity
- 10 cooking functions
- True surround convection
Downsides:
- You’ll need plenty of countertop space
Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro
The Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro is a high-end appliance that offers advanced features and a user-friendly interface. It features a Wi-Fi connection, allowing users to control the oven remotely using the Joule Oven App. The oven also has a smart cooking system, which automatically adjusts the cooking time and temperature based on the type of food being cooked.
Upsides:
- Compatible with Joule Oven App
- Autopilot feature
- 13 cooking settings
Downsides:
- Bluetooth and smartphone or tablet required to use app
Calphalon Performance Cool Touch Toaster Oven
The Calphalon Performance Cool Touch Toaster Oven is a popular choice among home cooks, offering a range of cooking functions and a sleek design. It features a cool-touch exterior, which keeps the oven up to 75% cooler during cooking. The oven has 12 cooking presets, including broil, roast, bake, bagel, toast, pizza, cookies, reheat, dehydrate, keep warm, defrost, and bread proof.
Upsides:
- Exterior is always cool to the touch
- 12 different cooking presets
- 2 back-to-back cooking functions
Downsides:
- Doesn’t have air-fry function
Chefman XL 7-in-1 Air Fryer Toaster Oven
The Chefman XL 7-in-1 Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a budget-friendly option that offers a range of cooking functions. It features a large capacity, making it ideal for cooking for large families. The oven has 7 cooking presets, including broil, bake, convection bake, air fry, toast, slow cook, and warm.
Upsides:
- Large capacity to cook 2 meals at once
- Great price
- Air-fry feature
Downsides:
- Doesn’t have touch controls
Café Couture Oven with Air Fry
The Café Couture Oven with Air Fry is a stylish and functional appliance that offers a range of cooking functions. It features a crisp finish feature, which melts pizza toppings and browns chicken thighs. The oven has 14 cooking presets, including air fry, bake, broil, roast, keep warm, reheat, toast, bagel, pizza, cookies, slow cook, dehydrate, proof, and crisp finish.
Upsides:
- Beautiful design in three different finishes
- Crisp finish feature
- Wi-Fi connected
Downsides:
- App can be finicky
Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven
The Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a compact and user-friendly appliance that offers a range of cooking functions. It features a dual cook feature, which allows users to combine two cooking functions or two temperatures to run consecutively. The oven has 12 cooking functions, including toast, bagel, bake, broil, pizza, roast, dehydrate, proof, low, air fry, reheat, and warm.
Upsides:
- Dual cook feature
- 12 cooking functions
- Air fryer
Downsides:
- Need to use nonstick spray since pan isn’t nonstick
Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Digital Air Fryer Oven
The Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Digital Air Fryer Oven is a compact and versatile appliance that offers a range of cooking functions. It features a space-saving design, which allows users to save up to 50% of counter space. The oven has 9 cooking functions, including air fry, air roast, air broil, bake, toast, bagel, dehydrate, keep warm, and reheat.
Upsides:
- Space-saving design
- 9 cooking functions
- Easily accessible back panel
Downsides:
- May be too small for large families
Toshiba 7-in-1 Countertop Microwave Oven with Air Fryer Combo
The Toshiba 7-in-1 Countertop Microwave Oven with Air Fryer Combo is a versatile appliance that offers a range of cooking functions. It features a microwave, convection, and air fryer combo, which allows users to cook a wide range of dishes. The oven has a 360-degree heat circulation system, making it ideal for cooking even food.
Upsides:
- Microwave, convection, and air fry
- 360-degree heat circulation
- Combi mode
Downsides:
- Learning curve on which racks to use
How We Chose the Best Countertop Ovens
To compile our list of top picks, we consulted with a trusted chef, Greg Frey Jr. at Golden Door in San Marcos, California, who has extensive experience with cooking and kitchen appliances. We also surveyed the market for countertop ovens with a great reputation, from trusted appliance brands like Ninja, Breville, and Wolf, to smaller favorites that rose up the ranks in Amazon for their quality, efficiency, and longevity.
