COMFEE Toaster Oven (CFO-BB101) vs Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4 Slices Side-by-Side Comparison

It was difficult to perform our Toast test on the Comfee as we couldn’t input the exact cooking time or toast level. This was because the timer for toast was a countdown from 10 minutes without any level or minute indicator.

Our first attempt was 4m 10s, but the toast turned too dark, especially on the bottom side. Then we tried 2m 45s, but it barely acquired any color and we figured out that 3m 30s was possibly the best choice.

However, after many attempts, we couldn’t set the timer exactly as mentioned above and had to evaluate the result of 3m 50s. This strongly affected the oven’s toast score, resulting in a 4.6/10.

After setting it at 3m 50s, the Comfee produced four slices of toast with a golden brown color on the top. However, most of the bottom surface had no color but also just a few dark areas, so it got a 6/10.

The first batch, which was slightly crispy, was passable and our head chef Tuyet Pham gave it a 5.5/10 for taste.

The fact that we couldn’t set an exact timer only worsened the results for the second batch. The top had a large burnt area, the bottom had almost no color, and the toast didn’t become crispy at all. This result made the Comfee fail the consecutive usability section of our toast test and got a 2/10.

To start off our Toast test, we placed four pieces of bread on the lower tray level and turned the time knob to the point just before the toast icon, which was around 4 minutes 5 seconds on the timer. The bread came out only lightly toasted on top.

Thus, we tried increasing the timer to 5 minutes and had a pretty good result. We then tried increasing the timer again to 7 minutes and 20 seconds just for good measure, but that almost burnt the toast.

With everything in mind, we decided 5 minutes of toasting would yield the best possible result and the final score was 6.7/10. It was quite tricky to get the exact toasting time due to the analog control knob so we used an external timer.

The top of the four pieces of toast had good golden-brown color in areas that were closest to the center of the oven, but was only lightly toasted in areas furthest away from the center of the oven. On the bottom, the lightly toasted areas were even larger, so we gave the toast a 7/10 for even surface color.

The toast was a bit too crispy in the golden-brown areas and a little dry in the lighter areas, so we could only give it a 6.8/10 for taste. Our head chef, Tuyet Pham, determined it would go well with omelets and eggs benedict, but not sandwiches and soups.

The second batch came out brown on both the top and the bottom and crispy throughout, which could be more suitable for soup than the first batch. However, there were still lighter areas on both sides and the bottom even had some burnt ends.

Thus, we could only give the oven a 6.3/10 for consecutive usability. If you want the second batch to be the same as the first, around four minutes on the timer should be enough.

The Comfee wasn’t suitable for baking a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza with a score of 5/10.

This oven took 11 minutes, which was over our time limit, to bake the pizza to a desirable outcome. Thus, it failed the cooking time section of our Pizza test.

The crust attained just a light golden color and was very soft, so it got a 6/10. There were some small bits stuck to the baking pan, but they weren’t hard to get rid of.

The toppings had uneven caramelization and were a bit dry throughout, so they scored a 6.5/10. The cheese was slightly melty, but some areas darkened a lot.

Our chef gave the pizza a 6/10 for taste.

We used the Hamilton to bake a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza at 450°F for our Pizza test and the final score was 6.6/10. To our surprise, the oven took 6 minutes to bake the pizza, which was very fast and worthy of a 9/10 for cooking time.

Unfortunately, the crust showed the oven’s uneven heat distribution. The bottom right quarter of the crust almost became brown before the rest could turn an ideal golden-brown color. The crust was also mostly soft, so we could only give it a 6/10.

The same problem also showed in the toppings, giving the oven another 6/10. While the cheese was only slightly melty and most of the meat was not caramelized, some pieces of meat had some burnt ends.

With that said, our chef gave the pizza a final 6/10 after tasting it.

The Comfee’s capacity barely fit a 3 lb chicken, which led to some problems during our Whole Roasted Chicken test. Overall, it left a few things to be desired and got a score of 7.1/10.

The oven took 1h 20m to cook the chicken, which was 20 minutes longer than the standard amount of time so it got a 6/10.

Even though we had to rotate the baking pan 3 times during roasting, most of the skin could only get a yellow color, similar to when it’s steamed. The only exception was the middle area, which was close to the upper heating elements and turned a golden brown color.

Nonetheless, the skin was soft so it could only get a 6.5/10. In addition, the skin on the back got stuck to the baking pan when we tried to flip the chicken.

The chicken was thoroughly cooked and the internal temperature was 183-189°F, which was only a little higher than recommended by the USDA, so we gave it a 9.1/10.

The meat was soft and juicy, so our chef gave it a 7/10 for taste.

The cooking chamber of the Hamilton technically didn’t have enough space for a 3 lb whole chicken as required in our Whole Roasted Chicken test. Thus, we had to place the chicken directly in front of the upper heating element, which led to a number of problems.

On the bright side, the result wasn’t too bad at 6.6/10 for a total score. If you choose to roast a whole chicken in this oven, we recommend flattening the chicken out, cutting it open, or cutting it into pieces.

The oven took 1 hour 20 minutes to roast the chicken, which was 20 minutes longer than the standard cooking time, so we gave it a 6/10.

Looking at the skin, the side that faced the door lacked color due to the lower temperature. In addition, the chicken grazed the upper heating element’s guard a number of times, which caused parts of the chicken to burn and led to the oven smoking during roasting as well as burnt bits on the guards afterward.

The silver lining in this was that the burnt areas actually had a nice golden-brown color. However, due to a lower power draw, the skin on the sides basically had no color. With everything in mind, we could only give the skin a 5/10.

Interestingly, the chicken had near-perfect doneness at 9.8/10. The meat had no pink spots and an internal temperature of 174°F-183°F, which was really close to the USDA recommendation.

The ideal doneness helped maintain the tenderness and juiciness of the meat. However, the skin was really unappetizing, so our chef could only give the chicken a 6/10 for taste.

Baking 12 oz of french fries wasn’t a favorable task for the Comfee; it ended up with a 4.7/10.

Even after 35 minutes, the Comfee wasn’t able to produce a notable change in the texture and color of the fries. In addition, as the time limit for our Baked French Fries test was 25 minutes, this oven failed our cooking time criterion.

The fries lacked color, so they got a 6/10. The oven basically thawed the fries without really baking them resulting in soggy fries with a score of 5.5/10. Our chef could only give the fries a 6/10 for taste.

The Hamilton was at its weakest baking 12 oz of frozen fries for our Baked French Fries test, scoring a 3.6/10.

At 26 minutes, which was over our time limit, the fries still had no significant change in color. Thus, we stopped the baking process and gave the oven a 0/10 for cooking time.

Color-wise, the fries didn’t look much different before and after baking. The only saving grace was that the fries were actually cooked, so we could still give it a 4.5/10 for color.

Similarly, the fries had a texture like they were air-dried, which was still better than boiled french fries that are simply soft and soggy. Thus, it got another 4.5/10.

After tasting this batch of french fries that lacked both color and texture, our chef couldn’t give a higher score than 4.5/10.