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Cuisinart TOB-40N vs Oster TSSTTVMNDG-SHP-2 Toaster Oven Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)6.8/10
- Design (25%)6.2/10
- Usability (25%)5.8/10
- Performance (50%)7.0/10
- Design (25%)6.2/10
- Usability (25%)6.6/10
The contest between the Cuisinart TOB-40N Custom Classic Toaster Oven Broiler and the Oster TSSTTVMNDG-SHP-2 Digital Convection Toaster Oven was a close one. The Oster edged it out narrowly in the end—not just because it has a higher price.
In toasting bread, the Cuisinart actually had a higher score compared to the Oster. This was probably because the Cuisinart had a higher power output, hence, effectively reaching 450°F—the preset toasting temperature. For the remaining tests, including baking pizza, roasting a whole chicken, and baking french fries, the Oster’s convection system was able to assist it in getting the upper hand throughout.
Interestingly, despite being an analog toaster oven and a digital unit respectively, the Cuisinart and the Oster had the same design scores concerning their exterior, interior, and build quality. Usability-wise, they both didn’t have any note-worthy features of convenience. While the Oster’s flat buttons allowed for more precise control, they required quite a bit of force to register.
The Cuisinart TOB-40N is for you if you want an inexpensive medium-sized unit with a big capacity. Meanwhile, the Oster TSSTTVMNDG-SHP-2 is suitable for someone looking for a simple and robust large unit.
Cuisinart TOB-40N Classic Toaster Oven Performance
- Toast (40%)7.1/10
- Pizza (25%)6.5/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)7.4/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)5.1/10
- 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: Medium
- Cooking Time: 3m 40s
- Second Batch: 3m 40s
- Convection: No
During our Toast test, the Medium level — 3 minutes 40 seconds on the timer — on the Toast knob was the best option, scoring a 7.1/10. Decreasing the time to 3 minutes 25 seconds resulted in a very light color, whereas increasing it to 4 minutes 15 seconds resulted in a significantly dark — although more even — color.
The Medium toast level of the Cuisinart produced 4 pieces with a light golden-brown color. However, without the convection fan, there were some brown areas on the top and dark brown spots on the bottom. Thus, we gave it a 7.5/10.
The first batch of toast was slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, so we gave it a 7/10 for taste. Our head chef, Tuyet Pham, determined they would be great for sandwiches. They may not be ideal to have with soups, egg benedict and omelet, but can be served with these foods as well.
With the same toasting time as the first, the second batch had a brown color and some dark spots on the bottom. Interestingly, this was one of the few ovens where our chef preferred the second batch, thanks to its crispiness being on point.
In the end, it got a 7/10 for consecutive usability. If you want the second batch to be the same as the first, remember to only turn the knob ¾ of the way to Medium which is around 3 minutes 25 seconds.
- 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: 9m
- Convection: No
The Cuisinart did an acceptable job of baking a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza with a score of 6.6/10.
Compared to the recommended 10 minutes on the label, this oven was able to bake the pizza slightly faster at 9 minutes. However, that result only scored a 6/10 among the ovens in our Pizza test.
The crust had some charred spots and a little bit of crispiness but was still soft overall, so it got a 6.5/10.
The toppings caramelized unevenly and some areas of the cheese got darkened. Nonetheless, they weren’t dry, so we were able to give them a 7/10.
After tasting the pizza, our chef gave it a 6.5/10.
- 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 17m
- Convection: No
The Cuisinart was able to comfortably fit a 3 lb chicken for our Whole Roasted Chicken test and scored a 7.4/10.
The oven took 1h 17m to cook the chicken; this was 17 minutes longer than the standard amount of time so it got a 6.3/10.
The skin had an uneven color, ranging from light golden to golden at the ends, and was soft throughout. This was most likely the result of the absence of a convection system; we gave it a 6/10.
The chicken was thoroughly cooked and the internal temperature was 181°F-183°F, which was only a little higher than recommended by the USDA, so we gave it a 9.7/10.
The meat was soft and juicy, deserving a 7.5/10 for taste from our chef.
- 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: 31 m
- Convection: No
The Cuisinart left a lot to be desired in baking french fries and scored a 5.1/10.
The oven took 31 minutes to bake 12 oz of french fries to an acceptable color and doneness. With our time limit being 25 minutes, it failed the cooking time criterion of our Baked French Fries test.
The fries gained an acceptable color, enough for a 6.5/10. Even though the baking pan was large enough to spread the fries, they still weren’t able to crisp up much and got a 6/10. After tasting the fries, our chef gave them a 6.5/10.
- 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.
Cuisinart TOB-40N Design Review
- Exterior (20%)7.0/10
- Interior (30%)6.0/10
- Build Quality (50%)6.0/10
- Exterior (20%)7.0/10
- Interior (30%)6.0/10
- Build Quality (50%)6.0/10
In the Cuisinart TOB-40N Custom Classic Toaster Oven Box
- Model: TOB-40N
- Warranty: 3-year limited
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
The packaging keeps the oven as well as its two accessories in place. The accessories are also wrapped in carton pads to avoid scratches during transportation. The oven comes with a user manual with recipes and a simple instruction to register your Cuisinart for premium customer service, special offers, and more.
- 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:10.0 lbs (4.5 kg)
- Length:15.9" (40.5 cm)
- Width:14.8" (37.7 cm)
- Height:9.0" (22.9 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Black
- Door Handle:cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:No
- Crumb Tray:Slide-out
The Cuisinart has a stainless steel exterior with a cool-touch door handle. What stands out in this simple design is the slide-out crumb tray. The oven has two buffers at the back to prevent it from being placed too close to the wall. Due to their small size, the carrying handles built-in to the bottom stands are a bit awkward to use when the oven is hot.
Our measurements of the oven’s footprint were 15.94" x 14.84" x 9" which was quite different in terms of width compared to the manufacturer’s 17" x 11.74" x 8.35". This could be because we took the door handle and back buffers into account when measuring the oven’s width while the manufacturer didn’t.
- 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 of the Cuisinart TOB-40N
- Type:3 control knobs + Stop/Start button
- Temperature:100°F - 450°F
- Timer:Not available
- Indicator Light:Yes
- Status Bar:No
- Light Toggle:No
- Convection Toggle:No
- Rotation Toggle:No
- Automatic Preheat:No
- Audio Cues:No
The Cuisinart has 3 control knobs for functions, temperature, and toast/bagel level. The Stop/Start button is only for Toast and Bagel functions.
- 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
- Toast
- Bagel
- Bake
- Broil
- Warm (100°F)
Besides the standard Bake and Broil functions, the Cuisinart has the Warm function which maintains the oven at around 100°F. In addition to a Toast function, this oven has a Bagel function which can be useful for fans of this type of bread.
- 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:4 nichrome
- Convection Fan:No
- Lighting:No
- Tray Levels:2
- Rotisserie:No
- Safety Hook:Yes
Although the TOB-40N has only two tray levels, you can make use of the rack-up and down positions. Interestingly, the door has a hook to automatically pull out the baking tray only on the upper level.
Although the pull-out hook doesn’t work with the baking pan, the interior safety hook does. Unfortunately, the oven doesn’t have internal lighting or a convection system that the same-sized Toshiba AC25CEW does.
- 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 of the Cuisinart Classic Toaster Oven Broiler
- Length:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Width:11.5" (29.3 cm)
- Height:7.1" (18.0 cm)
The Cuisinart has a spacious interior compared to the same-sized Hamilton Beach 31127D. It’s capable of fitting 6 slices of toast in addition to all our test dishes including an 11-inch pizza and a 3 lb whole chicken.
We measured the cooking chamber’s volume to be around 15.8 liters which was different from the manufacturer’s provided 14.15 liters. However, it could just be a difference in measuring standards.
- 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
- Length:31.1" (79.0 cm)
- Type:2-prong plug
- Power:1800 W
- Rated Output:120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord is roughly 31.1"—plenty long enough for household use—and can be wrapped around the back buffers to save space. It also comes with a plastic lock to keep the cord in place.
- 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:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Width:11.3" (28.6 cm)
- Height:0.8" (2.0 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: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:11.7" (29.8 cm)
- Width:11.2" (28.4 cm)
- Height:0.8" (2.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The baking pan does the job of catching any drippings to prevent any mess and fire danger from dirty heating elements. It has a coating but is not completely non-stick so it can be prone to some stubborn stains after a hefty roast.
- 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.
Build Quality
The Cuisinart has a sturdy construction and durable material. Its auto-slide rack and slide-out crumb tray show attention to convenience in a simple design. Although the easy-grip dials are a nice touch, they feel flimsy at times.
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.
Cuisinart Custom Classic Toaster Oven Usability
- User Control (30%)7.0/10
- 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
The Cuisinart doesn’t have a timer. You simply choose a temperature setting and turn the Function knob from Off to a specific function for the oven to start running. In other words, this oven has a built-in stay-on timer for every function except for Toast and Bagel.
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
When the toasting cycle finishes, the oven will beep 5 times and turn off. After you finish using the oven, remember to turn the Function knob to Off. As there is no digital display, you can freely leave this oven plugged in and not worry about power consumption.
Thanks to the safety hook for tray level 2, you can partially slide out the baking tray or rack to reposition the food during cooking. However, this feature makes it quite tricky to remove the tray or rack. Be careful, as the oven can be quite hot to the touch after a long cooking time on high heat.
According to the manufacturer, the Cuisinart has an Always Even Shade Control to monitor the temperature and adjust the timing to consistently toast to the shade selected every time. However, our test result showed no significant improvement even when compared to the Cuisinart TOA-60 of the same brand.
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
We cleaned the Cuisinart following our toaster oven cleaning guide. The oven has an internal and external coating plus no tricky nooks and crannies so it was easy to clean.
During the roasting of a whole chicken, fat splattered everywhere inside the oven. Nonetheless, we were able to clean it all off, even on the gaps between the heating elements and internal walls. The slide-out crumb tray made it easy to clean up the crumbs but we still had to tilt the oven to remove them all.
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.