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Black and Decker 4 Slice vs Oster 6 Slice Convection Oven Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)6.1/10
- Design (25%)4.6/10
- Usability (25%)5.5/10
- Performance (50%)7.0/10
- Design (25%)6.2/10
- Usability (25%)6.6/10
The Black and Decker 4 Slice (TO1760SS) and the Oster 6 Slice Convection Oven (TSSTTVMNDG-SHP-2) have an easy time of it. The comparison demonstrates the key differences between a small and a large toaster oven and explains why the latter typically prevails. The Oster may cost almost twice as much as the Black+Decker, but it offers more real value.
A convection system, an inside light, a slide-out crumb tray, and a digital control panel are all made possible by the Oster's bigger size. More cooking space also means it’s less prone to splashing grease and less of a mess to clean. The Black and Decker, in contrast, only features three analog control dials and a removable crumb tray for cleaning the inside.
Credits where credits due, the Black and Decker did slightly better than the Oster in toasting bread despite a lower power output. We figured the Oster’s cooking chamber was too large for its not-so-high power. However, while baking pizza, whole chickens, and fries, the Oster convection fan offered benefits in terms of getting the proper color and texture.
Black and Decker 4-Slice Toaster Oven Performance
- Toast (40%)7.1/10
- Pizza (25%)5.6/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)6.1/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)3.2/10
- Toast (40%)6.2/10
- Pizza (25%)8.0/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)7.8/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)6.0/10
Toast
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: 3/4 to Medium
- Cooking Time: 4m
- Second Batch: 4m
- Convection: No
At the beginning of our Toast test, we turned the toast knob to the Medium Toast icon/setting—around 4 minutes 10 seconds on the timer—which resulted in four slightly burnt pieces of bread. We then chose the setting between Medium and Light, which was around 3 minutes 25 seconds on the timer, but that wasn’t enough time to get an even surface color.
Finally, we figured that around 4 minutes on the timer would yield the best possible result, with a total score of 7.1/10. Since it used an analog control knob, it was quite tricky to precisely choose 4 minutes, and we had to use an external timer.
On this setting, the Black+Decker produced four pieces of toast with a brown-colored top. However, the bottom was slightly charred in some areas and lacked color in others, so we gave the toast a 6.5/10 for even surface color.
Fortunately, the toast was crispy on the outside while still soft and moist on the inside, deserving a 7.5/10 for taste. Our head chef Tuyet Pham concluded that it would go great with omelets and eggs benedict, but not so much with soups or sandwiches.
For some reason, despite the identical toasting time, the second batch had a more uneven surface color than the first. The toast had a slightly darker color and crispier texture, which is more suitable for soups, and scored a 6.8/10 for consecutive usability.
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: 2/6
- Cooking Time: 6m 43s
- Second Batch: 4m18
- Convection: No
Using the steps of our Toast test, we determined that level 2—6 minutes 43 seconds on the timer—was the best option, scoring a 6.2/10. In comparison, the toast at level 1 had a very light color, and the toast at level 3 had a dark brown color, with some dark patches.
The Toast Level 2 of the Oster produced four pieces with a golden brown color on the top. However, due to the unideal tray position, the toast was dark brown on the bottom. Even though the color was even, the big difference between the top and bottom resulted in a 6/10.
Due to the long cooking time, the first batch of toast was crispy outside but a bit dry inside, so it got a 7/10 for taste. Our head chef, Tuyet Pham, determined they would go well with eggs benedict, omelet, and soup, in particular, but not with sandwiches.
Even though this oven automatically deducted the toast timer to 4m 18s, the second batch was still significantly darker and drier. The color was also uneven, ranging from golden brown to dark, so it got a 5/10 for consecutive usability.
Pizza
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 13m
- Convection: No
The low power output of the Black+Decker held it back in our Pizza test, where a high temperature of 450 °F was required; it scored a 5.6/10. The oven took 13 minutes to bake a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza, which was longer than our time limit of 10 minutes, resulting in a 0/10.
Fortunately, the other aspects were quite solid, even though the oven’s internal temperature couldn’t be maintained at 450 °F. The crust had a nice golden color but it was a bit soft, so it got a 7/10.
The toppings had reasonably even caramelization throughout and the cheese was slightly melted—enough to score another 7/10. Taking the crust and toppings into account, our chef gave the pizza one last 7/10 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 6m 50s
- Convection: Yes
The Oster did very well in baking a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza, but the evenness in caramelization could be improved. Thus, it received an 8/10 in total.
It only took 6m 50s to bake the pizza as opposed to 10 minutes on the label. In comparison to other toaster ovens in our Pizza test, it got a solid 8.2/10.
The crust had a nice golden brown color and since it was neither too soft nor too dry, it scored an 8/10. The cheese was melty and the toppings’ caramelization was about 80% even, so we gave it another 8/10. For its taste, our chef gave the pizza one final 8/10.
Whole Roasted Chicken
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 1h 30m
- Convection: No
During our Whole Roasted Chicken test, the 3 lb chicken touched the upper heating element’s guard. This heavily seared the middle part of the chicken and made a mess inside the cooking chamber. If you were to roast a chicken in this oven, we recommend cutting open the chicken or chopping it into pieces beforehand.
The final test score of 6/10 made us speculate that the oven’s lower output also hindered its performance, even though the required temperature was only 350°F. The Black+Decker took 1 hour 20 minutes to roast the chicken, compared to the standard one hour, so it got a 6/10.
The skin had almost no color, except for the areas near the upper heating element, and was still very soft; we could give it just a 5/10. That being said, increasing the cooking time further would reduce the score for the skin and risk overcooking the chicken.
The only upside to the long cooking time and low oven temperature was the doneness of the chicken. The meat had no pink areas and the chicken’s internal temperature was 185°F–187°F, which was very close to the USDA recommended 165°F–180°F.
This partially helped maintain the juiciness of the meat, but the unappetizing skin gave our chef no choice but to give the chicken a 5/10 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 350°F.
- Cooking Time: 1h
- Convection: Yes
Thanks to the Oster’s large capacity, we placed a 3 lb chicken on top of its broiling rack which is then set on top of the baking pan before we perform our Whole Roasted Chicken test. The overall score was 7.8/10.
The oven was able to roast the chicken in 1 hour, which was the standard amount of time needed, and deserved an 8/10. Thanks to the broiling rack and the oven’s convection system, the skin got an even golden color throughout. However, even with those advantages, the skin wasn’t able to crisp up much, so it got a 7/10.
The chicken was fully cooked, but its internal temperature was a tad high at 190-192°F, so we gave it an 8.8/10. The meat was soft and juicy throughout, so it earned a 7.5/10 for taste from our chef.
Baked French Fries
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 400°F
- Cooking Time: 30 m
- Convection: No
While conducting our Baked French Fries test, the Black+Decker’s weakness in maintaining a high temperature became more apparent, and it scored a 3.2/10.
To start with, it took 30 minutes to bake 12 oz of frozen fries; this was way longer than our limit of 25 minutes and resulted in a score of 0/10. Despite the long time duration, the fries had almost no color, so we could only give it a 4/10.
The same can be said for the texture of the fries which was not crispy, earning it another 4/10. Overall, the fries appeared more boiled than oven-baked, so our chef had to give it one last 4/10 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 400°F
- Cooking Time: 20 m
- Convection: Yes
The Oster left a lot to be desired in baking french fries, thus scoring a 6/10.
The oven took 20 minutes to bake 12 oz of french fries. In comparison to other toaster ovens in our Baked French Fries test, it scored a 7.3/10.
The fries had an uneven color, ranging from almost none to golden and brown on the ends, so they got a 6.8/10. The fries were very soft so they could only get a 6/10 for texture. Our chef gave the fries a 5/10 for taste.
Black & Decker 4-Slice Toaster Oven Design Review
- Exterior (20%)4.0/10
- Interior (30%)1.0/10
- Build Quality (50%)7.0/10
- Exterior (20%)7.0/10
- Interior (30%)6.0/10
- Build Quality (50%)6.0/10
In the Black+Decker TO1760SS Countertop Toaster Oven Box
- Model: TO1760SS
- Warranty: 2 years (US and Canada only)
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
- Removable Crumb Tray
The Black+Decker toaster oven is simply positioned with two foam pads inside the packaging. To the same degree, its two accessories are wrapped in a carton sheet and duct-taped to the oven. There is a simple user manual inside the box.
- Model: TSSTTVMNDG-SHP-2
- Warranty: 1-year limited (US and Canada only)
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
- Rack Clamp
- Removable Crumb Tray
- Rotisserie Kit and Lifter
- Air Fryer Basket
The packaging includes two foam pads to keep the oven firmly in place and the three accessories are wrapped in carton sheets to avoid scratches during transportation. The oven also comes with a user manual.
Exterior
- Weight:5.7 lbs (2.6 kg)
- Length:15.6" (39.5 cm)
- Width:11.6" (29.5 cm)
- Height:8.9" (22.5 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:Cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:No
- Crumb Tray:Removable
The Black+Decker has a basic stainless steel casing and a back buffer to prevent the oven from getting too close to the wall. Our measurements of 15.55" x 11.61" x 8.86" showed a slight difference in the length and height of the oven compared to the manufacturer’s 16.9" x 11.63" x 9.07", but that wasn’t an issue. The large cool-touch door handle provides a good grip.
- Weight:12.1 lbs (5.5 kg)
- Length:19.7" (50.0 cm)
- Width:15.2" (38.6 cm)
- Height:11.6" (29.5 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Black
- Door Handle:cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:No
- Crumb Tray:Slide-out
The Oster has air ventilation holes on all sides of the convection system, which is a plus. In addition, having a slide-out tray is always helpful because it makes it easier to clean the oven.
Although the back buffers aren’t very sturdy, the bottom stands are and they also act as oven-carrying handles. Our measurements of the oven’s footprints were 19. 68" x 15.19" x 11.61" which were only slightly different in terms of width to the manufacturer’s provided 19.72" x 16.29" x 11.33".
Control Panel
- Type:3 control knobs
- Temperature:150°F - 450°F
- Timer:1 minute - 30 minutes + stay-on
- Indicator Light:Yes
- Status Bar:No
- Light Toggle:No
- Convection Toggle:No
- Rotation Toggle:No
- Automatic Preheat:No
- Audio Cues:No
The Black+Decker has 3 control dials, one each for temperature, functions, and timer. The oven will start running when you turn the timer dial and the indicator light glows red.
- Type:LCD display + 15 buttons
- Temperature:150°F - 450°F
- Timer:1 minute - 90 minutes
- Indicator Light:Yes
- Status Bar:No
- Light Toggle:Yes
- Convection Toggle:No
- Rotation Toggle:No
- Automatic Preheat:No
- Audio Cues:No
The Oster has an LCD digital display and 15 buttons, including 8 functions, 2 to adjust time, 2 to adjust temperature, a light toggle, a clock feature, a stop and a start button. The built-in clock is something you rarely see in a toaster oven, but we’ve seen some comments about it, usually pointing out that the clock is ahead of time by 5 minutes.
Cooking Functions of the Black & Decker 4-Slice Toaster Oven
- Toast
- Bake
- Broil
- Warm
The Black+Decker serves the three basic functions of a toaster oven: Toast, Bake, and Broil. If you know your way around the kitchen, Bake and Broil are all the functions you’ll need.
The Warm function maintains the oven at around 150°F, which is the common lowest temperature for most analog ovens. However, that’s a bit higher than most digital ovens’ warm function, which maintains around 100°F–-120°F.
- Toast
- Bake
- Convection Bake
- Broil
- Warm
- Defrost (150°F)
- Pizza (400°F)
You can only adjust the temperature on the Bake and Convection Bake functions, which should be good enough for experienced cooks. Other functions have their temperature predetermined by the manufacturer, which can be useful for beginners in the kitchen.
For some reason, the user manual doesn’t specify the predetermined temperature for the Warm function. Nonetheless, we were able to measure it to be around 180°F, which was unfortunately quite high for its purpose. Other toaster ovens with the Warm function usually maintain around 80°F-100°F.
Interior
- Heating Elements:2 quartz
- Convection Fan:No
- Lighting:No
- Tray Levels:1
- Rotisserie:No
- Safety Hook:No
The TO1760SS has only one tray level, while most other same-sized units, including the Mueller MT-175, have at least two. Moreover, it doesn’t have an interior light or a convection system: two common weaknesses of small toaster ovens.
The oven has two quartz heating elements, which may not distribute heat as evenly as four or more will do. Nonetheless, they are easier to clean and more energy-efficient than the more common nichrome variety. However, if grease splashes onto the heating elements while cooking, it’ll leave permanent stains.
These heating elements use infrared light to cook, which makes the process quicker. They cool down faster too, but are not as durable.
- Heating Elements:4 nichrome
- Convection Fan:Yes
- Lighting:Yes
- Tray Levels:2
- Rotisserie:No
- Safety Hook:No
The Oster has four standard nichrome heating elements but only two tray levels—unlike the similar-sized Cosori CO130-AO that has three. In addition to a convection system, it has internal lighting which is always useful, especially when you can choose when to turn it on and off.
Capacity
- Length:10.8" (27.5 cm)
- Width:8.7" (22.0 cm)
- Height:6.7" (17.0 cm)
The Black+Decker has a standard capacity for a small oven—10 liters, 4 slices of toast, a 9-inch pizza, and barely enough for a 3 lb chicken. This was one of the rare occasions where the cooking chamber’s volume that we measured matched the manufacturer’s stated capacity.
- Length:14.2" (36.1 cm)
- Width:12.6" (32.0 cm)
- Height:9.4" (24.0 cm)
Its spacious interior can accommodate 6 slices of toast, a 12-inch pizza, and more than a 3 lb chicken. While the manufacturer didn’t state the exact capacity, we measured the cooking chamber’s volume to be around 28 liters.
Power Cord Review of the Black and Decker Natural Convection Toaster Oven
- Length:25.6" (65.0 cm)
- Type:3-prong plug
- Power:1150 W
- Rated Output:120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord has a good length for household use—roughly 25.59". However, the oven doesn’t have any storage space for it.
- Length:26.0" (66.0 cm)
- Type:2-prong plug
- Power:1300 W
- Rated Output:120 V ~ 60 Hz
Since the power cord is positioned at the bottom of the oven, it may have some inconvenient bends. The length of roughly 25.98" is adequate for household use but not enough to wrap around the back buffers.
Accessories
- Length:10.8" (27.4 cm)
- Width:8.3" (21.2 cm)
- Height:0.6" (1.5 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The baking rack fits perfectly with the guide, which helps prevent accidents when placing food in the oven.
- Length:14.2" (36.1 cm)
- Width:15.0" (38.1 cm)
- Height:0.2" (0.5 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The rack fits perfectly with the guide rails and helps reduce the chance of an accident when you put food in the oven.
Accessories
- Length:9.0" (22.9 cm)
- Width:7.9" (20.0 cm)
- Height:0.6" (1.5 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The baking pan rests on the supports of the baking rack, which saves a bit of space in the cooking chamber. However, this means the pan will be shorter in length than the rack.
The pan does the job of catching any meat juices and drippings. This helps prevent any mess and the risk of fire from dirty heating elements. However, it doesn’t have a good coating and thus sustained some stubborn stains after our Whole Roasted Chicken test.
- Length:12.9" (32.7 cm)
- Width:10.5" (26.7 cm)
- Height:1.2" (3.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel with enamel coating
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
The baking pan goes hand-in-hand with the broiling rack to catch the drippings and meat juice. Its enamel coating makes it more resistant to stains and caramelized bits but it is not advisable to put the baking pan in the dishwasher.
However, it’s slightly smaller than the oven’s capacity and therefore, does not make the most of the space. Nonetheless, it still does the job of preventing any hot mess from dirtying the heating elements which can lead to fire danger.
Accessories
- Length:10.7" (27.2 cm)
- Width:7.7" (19.5 cm)
- Height:0.8" (2.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
Crumbs can be quite a hassle to clean up, but the removable crumb tray makes it easier to remove them from the oven’s floor. Nonetheless, be careful, as some crumbs may still fall to the bottom of the oven as you take the tray out of the oven.
- Length:10.9" (27.7 cm)
- Width:8.5" (21.7 cm)
- Height:1.2" (3.1 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
The broiling rack has an elevation from the baking pan to allow for heat circulation around the food. However, it’s not firmly attached to the baking pan, so be careful when you move this combo around. In addition, the rack doesn’t have a coating, which may make it prone to caramelized bits, stains, and discoloration.
Build Quality
The Black+Decker has a sturdy build and is made from durable stainless steel. The dials turn smoothly and are polished for aesthetics and easy cleaning.
The oven, equipped with a tamper-resistant screw to prevent removal of the outer cover, contains no user-serviceable parts. This means you need to refer service to qualified service personnel if an issue crops up and not attempt self-repair.
Though it is made from durable materials and has a sturdy build, the Oster isn’t heavy for its size. The digital display is clear, but the flat buttons can be irresponsive at times; this seems to be a common problem for Oster units, as the Oster TSSTTVFDDG also suffers from it.
Throughout the testing procedure, we found that the oven’s power output of 1300 W may have offset its large capacity. Our speculation was that its performance efficiency could increase with 1800 W.
Black & Decker 4-Slice Toaster Oven Usability
- User Control (30%)6.0/10
- Ease of Use (50%)5.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)6.0/10
- User Control (30%)6.0/10
- Ease of Use (50%)6.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)9.0/10
User Control
There are a few things to keep in mind when using Black+Decker’s three simple control knobs. For the timer knob, always rotate past 10 minutes and then rotate back to the desired time when setting it to less than 10 minutes.
It’s also tricky to accurately adjust time and temperature. Normally, you can use an oven thermometer and an external timer to get around this. However, if you check the pointer, you'll find that the temperature knob of this unit is off by around 50°F. Evidently, when we set the temperature to 450°F for our pizza test, the oven heated up to only around 405°F.
For the Oster, the temperature can be adjusted in increments of 10°F. The timer can be adjusted in increments of 30 seconds when it’s below 10 minutes and in increments of 1 minute after 10 minutes. The convection fan isn’t all-applicable, but you can adjust time and temperature according to your preference on Convection Bake.
Ease of Use
The manufacturer claims the Black+Decker has the EvenToast Technology™ which toasts bread 30% more evenly. However, we didn’t notice an increase in evenness in our Toast test. Their Natural Convection technology certainly didn’t change the fact that this unit doesn’t have the convection fan that comes with several advantages.
With three control knobs, it’s very simple to readjust cooking settings. The cooking cycle finishes when the timer reaches O (off). When this happens, the oven will ding once and shut off. As it has no digital display, you can freely leave this oven plugged in without worrying about power consumption.
It’s easy to keep the door partially open to let food cool down; however, be vigilant as the door can slide all the way down on the rare occasions when the oven is tilted. Opening the door doesn’t turn off the oven, unlike some other models.
The Oster doesn’t beep with each press of a button which isn’t normally an issue. However, because the buttons weren’t always responsive, we had to check the display with each press and this required us to do so more than once.
One thing to keep in mind is that the oven requires you to press Cancel before changing the cooking function. After the cooking cycle finishes, the digital display will show END and the oven will sound 4 beeps 3 times. You’ll then need to press Cancel before performing further inputs.
The oven’s exterior only gets hot to the touch after a long period of cooking at a high temperature (> 400°F). The door can easily be kept partially open, but it doesn’t stop the cooking process, unlike some other ovens.
The built-in clock will keep ticking as long as the oven’s plugged in, but the power consumption should be minimal. Thus, it’s up to you to keep the oven plugged in or to remove it.
Cleanability
While the interior of the Black+Decker didn’t have a non-stick coating like the Breville BOV450XL, it was easy to clean because there were no tricky nooks and crannies. The removable crumb tray made it easy to clean up the crumbs, though we still had to tilt the oven to remove the last of them.
During our Whole Roasted Chicken test, the chicken touched the upper heating element’s guard and left some permanent discoloration there, even after we cleaned up the burnt bits. There were also some permanent stains on the cooking chamber’s ceiling.
The Oster has an internal and external coating. There are no tricky nooks and crannies. The slide-out crumb tray made cleaning up the crumbs very easy but we still had to tilt the oven to remove all of them.
Although some grease splashed inside the oven during our Whole Roasted Chicken test, we could easily clean it up using the instructions in our toaster oven cleaning guide. The baking pan, even with the enamel coating, sustained some stubborn burnt bits and stains that required brushing with a paste of baking soda and water.