COMFEE Toaster Oven (CFO-BB101) vs Mueller 4 Slice 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.

For our Toast test, we started off by trying the Medium Toast setting which was around 3 minutes 5 seconds on the timer. The four pieces of bread on the upper tray level came out only lightly toasted on top except for one golden brown piece. We then cranked it up to the Dark Toast setting—around 4 minutes 50 seconds on the timer—which, unfortunately, burnt the toast a bit.

Finally, we opted for the middle ground which was 4 minutes on the timer—⅓ of the rotation from Medium to Dark. This setting was tricky to get right on the time dial, so we used an external timer. It gave us the best possible toast results from this oven scoring a 7.5/10 in total.

After 4 minutes of toasting, the four pieces of toast had pretty good surface color. However, the colors varied from light golden to golden brown on both the top and the bottom, so we could only give a 7/10.

Luckily, the varied colors partially meant varied textures which were all good and deserving an 8/10. The golden brown areas had a more crispy outside while the light golden areas had a softer inside. Our head chef Tuyet Pham determined that it would go great with omelets, eggs benedict, and sandwiches but not so much with soup.

After taking out the first batch, we immediately put four more pieces inside to test the oven’s consecutive usability which ended up at 7/10. Also under the identical toasting time, the four pieces of bread became brown with an increased evenness from the first batch. While the color was a bit darker than ideal, the extra crispiness made the second batch more suitable for soups.

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.

For its low power draw, the Mueller did pretty well in our Pizza test with a score of 7.6/10.

The oven took 9 minutes to bake a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza which was slightly faster than the label’s recommended 10 minutes. However, compared to our tested toaster ovens, it could only be a 6/10.

The crust had a golden color all the way through and the inside was still moist. If only the crust was a bit more crispy, it would’ve gotten higher than an 8/10.

The toppings were also caramelized quite evenly from the meat and veggies to the cheese, worthy of another 8/10. The cheese was nicely melted but the areas closer to the back of the cooking chamber were more caramelized compared to the rest.

With both the crust and the toppings being 8/10, our chef had no reason to give the pizza one final 8/10 for taste.

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 Mueller could barely fit a 3 lb chicken for our Whole Roasted Chicken test. Nonetheless, the result was quite decent at 7/10 in total. If you were to purchase this oven and use it to roast a whole chicken, we recommend cutting it open or chopping it into pieces beforehand.

We first placed the chicken backside down on the baking pan. When we slid the pan in, the top of the chicken breast grazed the upper heating element’s guard and was seared.

After the first 40 minutes, we flipped the chicken to find out that parts of the skin on the back got stuck to the baking pan. Then, when we reinsert the pan, the same problem with the breast happened to the back. Luckily, they weren’t burnt.

However, even after 1 hour and 20 minutes, most of the chicken skin still hasn’t reached a desirable color. The chicken, for the most part, looked like it was steamed and not roasted, so we gave the skin a 5.5/10.

Nonetheless, our chef decided to stop the roasting as the color wouldn’t improve anyway and to avoid overcooking the meat. This cooking time was the equivalent of a 6/10 according to our data.

With such a long cooking time, the meat had no pink spots. However, the chicken’s internal temperature was 185°F-192°F, higher than the USDA recommended 165°F-180°F. Thus, we gave it an 8.7/ for doneness.

While not the most appetizing looking, the meat was very juicy. That, combined with the slight caramelization on the skin, was enough for a 7.5/10 for taste from our chef.

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.

Our Baked French Fries test brought out the Mueller’s weakness of not being able to maintain a high temperature due to its low power draw. Its even heat distribution couldn’t help much if the temperature wasn’t high enough, so the final score was 3.6/10.

We stopped the baking after 27 minutes as the fries weren’t getting any more colors. This, nonetheless, was over our time limit of 25 minutes, so it was a 0/10.

The fries had no significant color change and barely enough for a 4.5/10. We ended up with 12 oz of frozen fries that were more similar to being dried in an oven than being baked, so we gave them another 4.5/10 for texture.

Fortunately, the fries were cooked through and not soggy, so our chef could give them a 4.5/10 for taste and not a zero.