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Hamilton Beach 31401 Countertop vs Cuisinart TOB-40N Side-by-Side Comparison




Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)5.1/10
- Design (25%)3.6/10
- Usability (25%)4.6/10
- Performance (50%)6.8/10
- Design (25%)6.2/10
- Usability (25%)5.8/10
Between the two toaster ovens, the Hamilton Beach 31401 is the winner at making toast. However, the Cuisinart TOB-40N claims victory in baking pizza and roasting a whole chicken. Neither has a convection system, so uneven coloration on the food was a shared weakness between them.
The Hamilton is a small toaster oven with only two heating elements. It draws just 1200 watts, which may help you save energy.
However, those same factors turned out to be problematic; foods that needed long cooking times or high temperatures like pizza, whole chickens, and french fries, came out subpar. Fortunately, you can mitigate this disadvantage by cooking in 1-person portions—smaller than the amount in our tests.
The Cuisinart has a spacious interior for its medium size. Its 4 nichrome heating elements draw 1800 W of power which should be sufficient for most foods. However, the oven didn’t perform well when baking french fries.
While both ovens have simple designs, the Hamilton is lighter and the Cuisinart is more sturdy. The Cuisinart has a slide-out crumb tray as opposed to the removable crumb tray of the Hamilton.
Both of them use 100% analog controls which are easy to operate. Interestingly, they both have stay-on features, though they get there in different ways.
The Hamilton’s stay-on setting appears on its timer knob. Meanwhile, the Cuisinart has no timer. This means the oven will turn on when you rotate the function dial to a specific function and stay on until you rotate the dial back to Off.
Hamilton Beach 4-Slice Toaster Oven Performance
- Toast (40%)7.7/10
- Pizza (25%)5.5/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)1.0/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)4.0/10
- 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
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: Medium
- Cooking Time: 4m 15s
- Second Batch: 4m 15s
- Convection: No
With our Toast test, we determined the best option was right at the position of the Toast icon—around 4 minutes 15 seconds on the timer, scoring a 7.7/10. Turning the knob halfway down would result in no color and turning it halfway up nearly burnt the toast.
With 4m 15s, the Hamilton Beach produced 4 pieces with a light golden brown color on the top and golden on the bottom. Although that was great, the top and the bottom were quite different and they were both only about 80% even throughout. Thus, we gave it a 7.5/10.
The first batch of toast had a nice balance of crispiness on the outside and softness on the inside, deserving an 8/10 for taste. Our head chef Tuyet Pham determined it would go well with pretty much everything including eggs benedict, omelet, and especially sandwiches. It wasn’t as suitable for soup but the second batch was.
The second batch got crispier and more even in color. However, it also became browner so we gave it a 7.3/10 for consecutive usability. If you want the second batch to be the same as the first, remember to only turn the knob to ¾ to Medium—around 3 minutes 40 seconds.
- 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.
Pizza
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 10m 30s
- Convection: No
The Hamilton didn’t perform well in baking a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza scoring a 5.6/10.
Compared to the recommended 10 minutes on the label, the oven took only a tad bit longer at 10m 30s. However, this meant that it failed the cooking time criterion with 10 minutes being the time limit for our Pizza test.
For the most part, the crust didn’t have a good toasted coloring and was soft so it got a 6/10. The toppings had pretty good caramelization but some darkened areas of the cheese lowered the score to 7.5/10. After tasting the pizza, our chef gave it a 7/10.
- 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.
Whole Roasted Chicken
- Function: Rotisserie
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 1h 30m
- Convection: No
This was one of the rare occasions where an oven failed the entirety of our Whole Roasted Chicken test. Our speculations concerned the instability of the heating elements and the fact that the chicken grazed the upper safeguard during cooking.
After 1h 30m—our time limit, the oven wasn’t able to roast the chicken to a desirable outcome and failed the first criterion. After roasting, the skin had no noticeable caramelization and barely enough for a 5/10.
The chicken reached an internal temperature of 176°F which was quite good. However, the meat itself was undercooked and still pink in a lot of areas. Thus, it was another failure. Due to the meat being undercooked, our chef couldn’t taste it to give a score.
- 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.
Baked French Fries
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 400°F
- Cooking Time: 30 m
- Convection: No
The Hamilton Beach wasn’t suitable for baking 12 oz of french fries scoring only a 4/10.
There were no noticeable changes to the fries after 30 minutes of baking in this oven. Due to our time limit of 25 minutes, this constituted a failure in the cooking time section of our Baked French Fries test.
There was no change in the fries’ color so they received a 5/10. The oven basically thawed and heated the fries so they were very soggy scoring another 5/10. Our chef could only give the fries a minimal score of 5/10 for taste.
- 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.
Hamilton Beach Stainless Steel Toaster Oven Design
- Exterior (20%)4.0/10
- Interior (30%)1.0/10
- Build Quality (50%)5.0/10
- Exterior (20%)7.0/10
- Interior (30%)6.0/10
- Build Quality (50%)6.0/10
In the Hamilton Beach Countertop Toaster Oven Box
- Model: 31401
- Warranty: 1-year limited in the US and 5-year limited in Canada
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
- Removable Crumb Tray
Inside the packaging are the Hamilton Beach oven, a baking rack, a baking pan, a removable crumb tray, and a simple user manual.
- 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.
Exterior
- Weight:5.4 lbs (2.4 kg)
- Length:15.0" (38.0 cm)
- Width:12.2" (31.0 cm)
- Height:8.5" (21.6 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:No
- Crumb Tray:Removable
The Hamilton Beach has a stainless steel exterior, a back buffer to prevent the oven from being too close to the wall, and a cool-touch door handle. However, the back buffer isn’t designed to wrap the power cord around, unlike many other toaster ovens.
- 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.
Control Panel
- Type:3 control knobs
- Temperature:100°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 Hamilton Beach has three simple control knobs for Temperature, Function, and Timer. Even though the timer is only from 1 minute to 30 minutes, it has a stay-on position. 1 minute to 30 minutes, it has a stay-on position.
- 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.
Cooking Functions of the Hamilton Beach 31401 Toaster Oven
- Toast
- Bake
- Broil
If you know your way around the kitchen, the bake and broil functions will be all you need. The temperature knob has a Min setting which can act as Keep Warm and maintain the oven at around 100°F.
- 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.
Interior
- Heating Elements:2 quartz
- Convection Fan:No
- Lighting:No
- Tray Levels:2
- Rotisserie:No
- Safety Hook:No
The 31401 has 2 quartz heating elements that cook food using infrared light. To avoid direct contact with baking pans and trays, each one has its own safety guard.
Compared to the more common nichrome heating elements, they produce more heat and cool down faster. In addition, they’re easier to clean and more energy-efficient but not as durable. However, if grease splashes onto the heating elements while cooking, it’ll leave permanent stains.
Nonetheless, the oven suffers from a lack of internal lighting and a convection system, similar to most small units like the Mueller MT-175. Moreover, having only two heating elements may not distribute heat evenly as having four.
- 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.
Capacity
- Length:10.9" (27.8 cm)
- Width:9.4" (24.0 cm)
- Height:7.1" (18.0 cm)
The Hamilton Beach, with only two tray levels, can accommodate 4 slices of toast, a 9-inch pizza, or barely a 3 lb chicken. We measured the cooking chamber’s volume to be roughly 12 liters which coincided with the manufacturer’s stated capacity.
- 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.
Power Cord of the Hamilton Beach 31401 Countertop Toaster Oven
- Length:29.9" (76.0 cm)
- Type:2-prong plug
- Power:1200 W
- Rated Output:120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord is long enough for household use.
- 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.
Accessories
- Length:10.9" (27.8 cm)
- Width:8.8" (22.3 cm)
- Height:0.9" (2.3 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. Unfortunately, by burning a batch of toast, we left some extremely stubborn burnt bits on some rods.
- 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.
Accessories
- Length:9.3" (23.5 cm)
- Width:8.1" (20.5 cm)
- Height:0.7" (1.8 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The baking pan rests on the supports of the baking rack to catch any drippings and meat juice, preventing any mess and the risk of fire from dirty heating elements. However, it doesn’t have a good coating and sustained permanent stains after our Baked French Fries and Whole Roasted Chicken test.
- 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.
Accessories
- Length:10.9" (27.8 cm)
- Width:8.1" (20.5 cm)
- Height:0.8" (2.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
Without a tray, falling crumbs are quite a hassle to clean up. However, some can still fall to the bottom of the oven as you remove the tray.
Build Quality
The Hamilton uses durable material but its construction isn’t very sturdy. Even though the control knobs turned smoothly, they felt a bit loose.
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.
Hamilton Beach 31401 4-Slice Toaster Oven Usability Review
- User Control (30%)7.0/10
- Ease of Use (50%)3.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)5.0/10
- User Control (30%)7.0/10
- Ease of Use (50%)5.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)6.0/10
User Control
Even though the Hamilton Beach only has three simple control knobs, there are a few things to keep in mind. For the timer knob, when setting it to less than 10 minutes, always rotate past 10 minutes and then rotate back to the desired time.
It’s also tricky to precisely adjust time and temperature but we didn’t find this to be an issue. You can use an oven thermometer and an external timer to get familiar before eye-balling it.
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.
Ease of Use
With three control knobs, it’s very simple to readjust cooking settings. The cooking cycle finishes when the timer reaches 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 but be careful as the oven’s exterior gets hot to the touch quite quickly. However, opening the door doesn’t stop the oven, unlike some others.
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.
Cleanability
The Hamilton Beach oven’s exterior and interior were easy to clean following the steps of our toaster oven cleaning guide. Due to the chicken touching the upper safeguard during cooking, there were some caramelized bits stuck to it. Nonetheless, they were easy to remove with just dish soap and a sponge.
We accidentally burnt a batch of toast during our test and it caught fire which led to some discoloration on the oven’s exterior. Luckily, we were able to remove most of it with an all-purpose cleaner.
What surprised us the most, however, were the permanent stains left on the baking pan. Even after we applied a paste of baking soda and water and then scrubbed it with diluted vinegar, the stains didn’t budge at all.
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.