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Breville BOV450XL vs Cuisinart TOA-60 Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)8.7/10
- Design (25%)9.2/10
- Usability (25%)7.1/10
- Performance (50%)6.8/10
- Design (25%)6.4/10
- Usability (25%)6.2/10
While both possess a decent overall construction, the Breville BOV450XL’s imperfections become evident when placed next to the Cuisinart TOA-60. Although both ovens use 1800 Watts of power, the Breville lacks a convection system.
In addition, the oven’s smart heating algorithms sometimes cause inconsistencies in the heating of the four quartz elements. Nonetheless, it’s still good at making toast, roasting a whole chicken, and baking french fries, only showing weaknesses in baking pizzas.
With the help of 6 nichrome heating elements and a convection fan that always deploys, the Cuisinart possesses a stable and steady internal temperature. This was the main reason behind its consistently excellent performance scores.
Despite having a more spacious interior than most small toaster ovens, the Breville certainly has less capacity than a true medium-sized unit. While its interior is easier to clean thanks to its coating, it’s painted black and lacks internal lighting.
Both have a useful slide-out crumb tray and the standard baking pan and rack but the Cuisinart further provides an air fryer basket. Besides the temperature conversion button, other unique features of the Breville aren’t very useful. Convenience is an aspect that the Cuisinart lacks though it’s not a big deal.
The Cuisinart TOA-60 is effective, lasting, and robust with 100% analog control — our selective best medium-sized convection toaster oven. Meanwhile, the Breville BOV450XL is a small-sized smart toaster oven with unique features and interesting cooking functions.
Cuisinart TOA-60 Performance
- Toast (40%)8.1/10
- Pizza (25%)9.6/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)8.5/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)9.2/10
- Toast (40%)7.8/10
- Pizza (25%)5.5/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)6.6/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)6.5/10
Toast
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: 1/2 Medium
- Cooking Time: 4 m
- Second Batch: 4 m
- Convection: Low (default)
During our Toast test, the Light toast level—around 2 minutes 30 seconds on the timer—gave no color and the Medium one—around 5 minutes on the timer—was too brown even though the color was even. We determined that right in the middle of Medium and Light toast level—around 4 minutes on the timer—was the best option scoring an 8.1/10.
Toasting bread for 4 minutes with the Cuisinart produced 4 pieces with a beautiful golden color throughout thanks to the deployment of the convection fan. This oven was the first one to score a 9/10 for even toast surface color.
The first batch of toast was quite crispy yet very soft inside, worthy of a 9/10. Our head chef Tuyet Pham determined they would be great to go with sandwiches, omelet, and eggs benedict. For soup, however, they didn’t cut the mustard but that could be rectified with the extra crispiness of a second batch.
While the second batch had a brown color, it had a few dark spots so it got a 6/10 for consecutive usability. If you want the second batch to be the same as the first, remember to lower it down to Light—around 2 minutes 30 seconds.
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: 4/7
- Cooking Time: 3m
- Second Batch: 2m 36s
- Convection: No
After following our Toast test procedures, we determined that this oven’s toasting level 4—3 minutes on the timer—was the best option, giving it a score of 7.9/10. At level 3, the bread was very lightly toasted and at 5 was darker than ideal and had a more uneven surface color.
At toast level 4, the Breville produced 4 pieces with mottled light golden to golden-brown color which looked quite appetizing. The color was not evenly distributed due to the oven’s lack of a convection system, though, so we gave it an 8/10.
The first batch of toast was nicely crispy outside while still soft and moist inside, deserving an 8/10 score for flavor. Our head chef, Tuyet Pham, determined they would go well with pretty much anything including an omelet, eggs benedict, and particularly sandwiches.
Even though the oven automatically adjusted the timer to 2 minutes 36 seconds, the color of the second batch was a bit darker. Also, the second batch was crispier than the first which made it more suitable for soup.
Overall, it’s a 7.5/10 for consecutive usability. Remember to reduce the heat by one level if you want the same result. Thanks to its high wattage, this oven has the fastest cooking time for toast among the toaster ovens we’ve tested thus far.
Pizza
- Function: Bake with high convection
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 3m 30s
- Convection: High
The Cuisinart baked a very appetizing 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza scoring a 9.6/10 despite using only the included baking pan.
Compared to the recommended 10 minutes on the label, it only took 3m 30s to bake the pizza which was extremely fast. In comparison to other toaster ovens in our Pizza test, it deserved a whopping 10/10.
The crust came out a tempting golden brown with some nicely charred spots—if a little soft due to the short cooking time. Thus, it got a 9.2/10.
The pizza itself also had excellent even coloring all over from the good convection system. Thanks to the high and steady temperature, the melted cheese was also perfectly caramelized earning it a 9.8/10.
After tasting, our chef gave the pizza a 9.5/10.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 10m 30s
- Convection: No
The Breville oven did not agree with the 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza we tried to bake. We gave it a score of only 5.5/10.
This oven took 10m 30s to bake the pizza which was only slightly longer than the recommended 10 minutes on the label. However, 10 minutes was the time limit of our Pizza test, so it failed the cooking time section.
The crust had a nice golden color but was soft and dry—a possible consequence of the long cooking time. Therefore, we could only give it a 7/10.
The toppings were mostly dry with uneven color. Plus, the cheese wasn’t well melted, so it received a 6.5/10.
After tasting, our chef gave the pizza a 7/10.
Whole Roasted Chicken
- Function: Bake with high convection
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 50m
- Convection: Yes
Following our Whole Roasted Chicken test, we placed a 3 lb chicken inside an air fryer basket on top of a baking pan and it fit without a problem. Although the air fryer basket had plenty of space, the pan was quite rigid so we had to be extra careful when taking it out to flip the chicken.
Unfortunately, while cooking the chicken, fat splashed everywhere inside the oven leading to some smoking. All things considered, the Cuisinart earned an 8.5/10 for this test—on par with a good toaster oven that uses a rotisserie kit like the Instant Omni Plus 18L.
It took 50 minutes to roast, which is shorter than average and deserving of a 9/10.
Despite not having a rotisserie kit, we were able to achieve adequately crispy skin with an even golden brown color scoring a 9.5/10. We did it by spreading the chicken out and flipping it after the first 40 minutes of cooking.
High convection and flipping helped the chicken to be thoroughly cooked without any pink spots in just 50 minutes. However, the internal temperature was a little too high at 205-207°F compared to the USDA recommended 165°F-180°F, so it got an 8/10.
Due to being spread out, the wings were extremely crispy and deliciously fall-off-the-bone. However, the wings and the breast ended up a little dry so our chef gave the chicken an 8/10 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 1h 5m
- Convection: No
The Breville could barely fit the 3 lb chicken for our Whole Roasted Chicken test and scored a 6.9/10. The chicken grazed the safety guards that protect the upper heating elements while we were putting it in. During the roasting, quite a bit of grease splashed inside the oven and caused the heating elements to smoke a little.
The oven took 1h 5m to cook the chicken which was just 5 minutes longer than what we consider standard, so it got a 7.5/10.
After roasting, the skin had a quite even coloring although a bit too light, and remained soft. We awarded it a 7/10. In addition, the skin on the back got stuck to the baking pan during roasting.
The chicken’s internal temperature was 168-171°F which was very close to the USDA recommendation. However, there were a few pink spots near the bone, so we gave it a 7/10.
Even though the meat was juicy, the unappetizing chicken skin was enough that our chef lowered the score to 6.5/10 for taste.
Baked French Fries
- Function: Bake with high convection
- Temperature: 400°F
- Cooking Time: 12m
- Convection: High
The Cuisinart baked some excellent french fries scoring a 9.2/10.
It took only 12 minutes to cook 12 oz of french fries which was very fast. In fact, it’s the fastest one throughout our Baked French Fries test so far so it scored a perfect 10/10.
Due to the shorter cooking time than ideal, the color wasn’t entirely even but was good enough for a 9.5/10.
The fries were crispy and golden on the outside while moist on the inside thanks to the strong convection and the air fryer basket. Thus, we gave it a 9.2/10 for texture.
Our chef gave it an 8.7/10 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 400°F.
- Cooking Time: 25 m
- Convection: No
The Breville did an acceptable job of baking 12 oz of french fries, scoring a 6.5/10.
It took 25 minutes, the limit of our Baked French Fries test, so this oven got a 5/10.
Except for a few golden pieces, the fries mostly lacked color. They only deserved a score of 7/10.
The fries had a variety of textures, none of which were good. The golden fries were dry and yet only slightly crispy. Also, the ones that lacked color were really soft, so it was only a 6.5/10.
Our chef gave the fries a 7/10 for taste.
Cuisinart Air Fryer TOA-60 Design Review
- Exterior (20%)9.0/10
- Interior (30%)9.5/10
- Build Quality (50%)9.0/10
- Exterior (20%)6.0/10
- Interior (30%)4.0/10
- Build Quality (50%)8.0/10
In the Box
- Model: TOA-60
- Warranty: 3 years (US and Canada only)
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
- Air Fryer Basket
The user manual provides numerous recipes with all the ingredient measurements, specific cooking functions, temperatures, and times. The package also comes with a simple instruction to register your Cuisinart for premium customer service, special offers, and more. Within the warranty period, the manufacturer has their own satisfaction guarantee policy.
- Model: BOV450XL
- Warranty: 1-year limited
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
On the packaging were some illustrations and basic information, and the oven was couched nicely between two foam pads. Breville’s user manual explains in detail how each oven function works.
The default accessories, a baking rack and baking pan, were packaged in a fitted carton box. You can opt to buy a separate 11” pizza pan and/or a broiling rack to cover more cooking methods.
Exterior
- Weight:21.0 lbs (9.5 kg)
- Length:16.3" (41.5 cm)
- Width:15.2" (38.5 cm)
- Height:13.6" (34.5 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:Cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:No
- Crumb Tray:Slide-out
With its simple design, the slide-out crumb tray of the Cuisinart really stands out. The side handles make it easy to carry. It also has two buffers on the back to prevent the oven from being too close to the wall.
Our measurements of the oven’s footprint of 16.34" x 15.16" x 13.58" pretty much coincided with the manufacturer’s 16" x 15.5" x 14" with marginal differences being less than an inch.
- Weight:10.0 lbs (4.5 kg)
- Length:15.7" (40.0 cm)
- Width:14.2" (36.0 cm)
- Height:8.9" (22.5 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:Yes
- Crumb Tray:Slide-out
The small size didn’t stop Breville from designing a sturdy stainless steel outer shell. The shape of the back buffers makes it easy to wrap the power cord around them once things have cooled.
Also, the tray-level indicators on the glass door and the slide-out crumb tray are always nice touches. However, the oven’s exterior doesn’t provide good grip points to carry the oven.
We measured the oven’s footprint to be 15.74" x 14.17" x 8.86" which was slightly different in terms of height from the manufacturer’s 16.1" x 14.2" x 10.4".
Cuisinart TOA-60 Control Panel
- Type:4 control knobs
- Temperature:200°F - 450°F
- Timer:1 - 60 minutes
- Indicator Light:Yes
- Status Bar:No
- Light Toggle:Yes
- Convection Toggle:No
- Rotation Toggle:No
- Automatic Preheat:No
- Audio Cues:No
The control panel is completely analog with four control knobs and a light toggle
- Type:LCD display + 1 control dial + 8 buttons
- Temperature:120°F - 450°F
- Timer:1 minute - 2 hours
- Indicator Light:No
- Status Bar:No
- Light Toggle:No
- Convection Toggle:No
- Rotation Toggle:No
- Automatic Preheat:Yes
- Audio Cues:No
The control panel consists of 1 control knob for 8 functions and 4 buttons to set the time, temperature, and/or toasting mode. The digital display and the Start/Cancel button both shine blue when the oven’s plugged in and red when it’s cooking.
Beyond the standard stuff, you’ll find 3 unique buttons: Temperature Conversion (°F-°C), Frozen Foods, and A Bit More. The latter adds a specific amount of time depending on the cooking function.
The LCD screen will display ‘E01’ or ‘E02’ when there is a non-resettable issue with the appliance. When this happens, immediately unplug the cord from the wall outlet and call the Breville Customer Service Center.
The ‘E03’ shows up when the oven temperature exceeds its design limit. Should this occur, unplug your oven, allow it to cool for 15 minutes, then plug it back in.
The ‘E04’ appears when the room temperature is below the set minimum. If this happens, unplug the oven and move it to a warmer area.
Cooking Functions
- Toast (Light - Medium - Dark)
- Air fry
- Bake with low / high convection
- Broil with low / high convection
- Warm (200°F)
If you know your way around the kitchen, the bake and broil functions with low or high convection will be all you need.
- Toast (7 levels, 4 slices maximum)
- Bagel (7 levels, 4 slices maximum)
- Bake (1h 30m maximum)
- Broil (High and Low levels, 20 minutes maximum)
- Pizza (55 minutes maximum)
- Roast (1h 30m maximum)
- Cookies (55 minutes maximum)
- Reheat (370°F maximum)
For safety reasons, all cooking functions have a predetermined timer limit after which the oven stops cooking. If you want to continue cooking, simply operate the oven in standard mode. The High setting of the Broil function does the job faster than Low and you’ll need to experiment with it to learn how quickly it cooks.
Interior
- Heating Elements:6 nichrome
- Convection Fan:Yes
- Lighting:Yes
- Tray Levels:2
- Rotisserie:No
- Safety Hook:Tray Level 2
For the Cuisinart, its convection fan runs as standard with most cooking functions except for Warm. It runs on the low setting for Non-Convection settings and on a high setting for Convection settings.
In addition, the oven has two heating elements at the bottom and four at the top which allows for more even heat distribution. It also has an interior light that you can turn on and off with a switch. It only has two tray levels but you can make use of the rack-up and down positions.
- Heating Elements:4 quartz
- Convection Fan:No
- Lighting:No
- Tray Levels:3
- Rotisserie:No
- Safety Hook:No
The Breville’s interior has a non-stick coating, 4 heating elements, and 3 tray levels (quite rare for its size). However, it has no internal lighting or convection system.
The oven uses 4 quartz heating elements, each with its own safety guard to prevent direct contact with baking pans and food. Unlike the more common nichrome style, these don’t heat the air in the oven, but rather radiate the infrared heat directly to the food or pan.
Overall, they produce more heat and cool down faster than nichrome. In addition, they’re easier to clean and are more energy-efficient but not as durable. However, if grease splashes onto the heating elements while cooking, it’ll leave permanent stains.
Capacity of the Cuisinart TOA-60 Convection Toaster Oven
- Length:12.6" (32.0 cm)
- Width:11.4" (29.0 cm)
- Height:7.1" (18.0 cm)
Besides a 12-inch pizza or a 4-pound chicken, the TOA-60 is one of the few that actually fits 6 pieces of toast even though just barely. We measured the cooking chamber’s volume to be roughly 17 liters which coincided with the manufacturer’s provided capacity.
- Length:11.5" (29.2 cm)
- Width:11.0" (27.9 cm)
- Height:6.7" (17.0 cm)
The BOV450XL had enough space for four slices of toast, an 11-inch pizza, or barely a 3 lb whole chicken.
We measured the cooking chamber’s volume to be 13.86 liters compared to the manufacturer’s provided capacity of 12.74 liters. However, it could just be because we measured from the cooking chamber’s walls to walls whereas the manufacturer stopped before reaching the heating elements.
Power Cord
- Length:29.5" (75.0 cm)
- Type:2-prong plug
- Power:1800 W
- Rated Output:120 V ~ 60 Hz
Even though the power cord length is enough for household use—roughly 29.52", it doesn’t fully wrap around the two back buffers.
- Length:40.9" (104.0 cm)
- Type:3-prong plug
- Power:1800 W
- Rated Output:110 V - 120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord is roughly 40.94"—plenty of length for household use—and can be wrapped around the back buffers for storage. The plug also has a nice little handle which makes it easier to grab.
Accessories
- Length:12.6" (32.0 cm)
- Width:11.0" (27.9 cm)
- Height:0.9" (2.4 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The rack fits perfectly with the guide, which helps prevent accidents when placing your food in the oven.
- Length:11.5" (29.2 cm)
- Width:10.3" (26.3 cm)
- Height:0.3" (0.7 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The rack fits perfectly on the guide rails, which helps prevent accidents when placing your food in the oven.
Accessories
- Length:12.4" (31.6 cm)
- Width:11.0" (27.9 cm)
- Height:0.9" (2.2 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The baking pan has a coating but is not completely non-stick so you may end up with some stubborn stains after a hefty roast. It does, however, easily catch any meat juice and drippings from the air fryer basket. Thus, it prevents mess and avoids any danger of fire from dirty heating elements.
- Length:10.6" (27.0 cm)
- Width:10.6" (27.0 cm)
- Height:1.2" (3.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel with enamel coating
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
Although the baking pan is a bit smaller than the rack, it still has more than enough space for a 3 lb chicken. Thus, it keeps most of the mess off the heating elements.
However, even with the enamel coating, the chicken skin still stuck to the pan during our roasting test. Also worth noting is that the dishwasher can damage this coating.
Accessories
- Length:11.1" (28.2 cm)
- Width:9.4" (24.0 cm)
- Height:2.2" (5.7 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The air fryer basket’s decent elevation really helps to circulate heat around the bottom of the food.
Build Quality
The build of the Cuisinart TOA-60 nails simplicity and durability from the materials to the user controls. That does, however, make it a little heavier than some of the same-sized ones we’ve tested including the Toshiba AC25CEW-BS and Instant Omni Plus 18L.
It’s also a little taller due to the convection fan being top, rather than side-mounted. Nonetheless, the slide-out crumb tray and carrying handles show attention to convenience.
The Breville is well-constructed and durable with a high power rating of 1800 W. All of its parts fit nicely and work smoothly, especially the LCD display and the buttons.
Thanks to the good insulation of the casing, the oven gets hot to the touch only after cooking for a long period of time at high heat.
Cuisinart TOA-60 Usability
- User Control (30%)7.0/10
- Ease of Use (50%)7.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)7.5/10
- User Control (30%)8.0/10
- Ease of Use (50%)4.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)9.0/10
User Control
The Cuisinart has seven settings to choose from including both Broil and Bake with high and low convection. The four control knobs for Time, Temperature, Functions, and Toast are as straightforward as possible.
The Temperature Conversion button is a nice touch for international users. The cooking time can be adjusted in increments of 1 minute and the temperature in increments of 5°F. For some reason, this differs from what the user manual states.
The manual says that the FROZEN FOODS button adds the right amount of additional time needed to defrost the target foods in the Toast, Bagel, Pizza, Cookies, and Bake functions. However, we didn’t find it very useful since cooking time depends heavily on the food quantity and personal preference.
The A BIT MORE button, where each press adds a pre-set amount of time to each function, has a similar problem. It only seemed useful when the oven was still cold and we wanted to skip the preheating phase.
Ease of Use
The safety hook for tray level 2 allows you to partially slide out the baking rack or tray to reposition the food during cooking. However, this feature makes it quite tricky to remove the tray or rack.
Although the oven has good heat insulation, the casing can still get quite hot to the touch after 400°F, especially after a long cooking time. After the oven finishes cooking, you will hear a very clear ding.
Opening the oven door stops it from cooking while also turning off the light but doesn’t stop the timer. Having no digital display, you can freely leave this oven plugged in and not worry about power consumption.
The Breville has an automatic preheating phase that lasts 1m 45s. Our tests saw it reaching around 180°F in that time. The temperature alert will sound when the oven reaches your selected temperature. Then, it will sound three times at the end of the cooking cycle.
It’s very easy to adjust cooking settings during use, especially compared to an analog unit like the Mueller MT-175. However, even though this oven doesn’t turn off upon opening the door, the door won’t stay partially open – it’s all or nothing.
According to the manufacturer, the Element iQ System’s smart algorithms focus power where and when it’s most needed, creating ideal cooking conditions every time. However, we didn’t notice a significant difference in performance when comparing it to other ovens of the same size/wattage.
If it’s not actively cooking, the oven will go into STANDBY mode after 10 minutes with no interaction. Although unplugging the oven resets your customized setting, Breville recommends doing so anyway after you finish using it.
Cleanability
We cleaned the Cuisinart following our toaster oven cleaning guide. The internal and external coating of the oven made it easy to clean. It does have some tricky nooks and crannies but all in all, they’re not too difficult.
Cleaning up the crumbs was extremely easy thanks to the slide-out crumb tray but we still had to tilt the oven to remove all the crumbs. We thought the fishnet design of the air fryer basket might make it difficult to clean any caramelized bits of food but that didn’t happen.
During the roasting of a whole chicken, fat splattered everywhere inside the oven. It left some stubborn stains on the insulators at the ends of the heating elements. Even with a paste of baking soda and water, we weren’t able to remove them.
Fortunately, there were no drippings on the crumb tray so no worries of oxidation. In addition, we’re happy to report that the gaps between the heating elements and internal walls were large enough to clean.
We cleaned the Breville in accordance with our toaster oven cleaning guide. Thanks to the stainless steel exterior and non-stick interior, it was very easy to clean. Removing crumbs was also easy thanks to the slide-out crumb tray, although we still had to tilt the oven to get the last of them out.
The upper heating elements got stained by smoke from splattered grease during our roasted chicken test. Fortunately, we had no problem removing the stains by brushing the elements with a paste of baking soda and water. We were also able to easily scrub the burnt chicken skin off of the baking pan.