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Hamilton Beach 31401 vs Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven Side-by-Side Comparison




Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)5.1/10
- Design (25%)3.6/10
- Usability (25%)4.6/10
- Performance (50%)8.0/10
- Design (25%)9.4/10
- Usability (25%)8.3/10
Between the Hamilton Beach 31401 Toaster Oven and the Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven (CO130-AO), the latter is the clear winner. The former has a below-average overall score due to it having all the common weaknesses of a small unit.
The Hamilton only has a barebone control panel and no interior light to help with convenience. In contrast, the Cosori has an intricate control panel with informative digital display, intuitive buttons, and toggle switches for lighting, temperature conversion, and convection settings.
The Hamilton has a low power output and no convection system to help with its cooking performance like the Cosori. However, it actually has a very good score in toasting bread, especially in the second consecutive batch of toast. We speculated the reason to be the oven not heating up too fast, and thus avoided burning the toast.
Nonetheless, the Cosori is just at good at making the same amount of toast, if not more thanks to its larger capacity. It also has a rotisserie kit to help with roasting whole chicken and an air fryer basket for air frying fries.
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%)7.6/10
- Pizza (25%)7.6/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)8.9/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)8.1/10
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: 2/7
- Cooking Time: 5m 49s
- Second Batch: 3m 50s
- Convection: No
We started our Toast test with four pieces of white bread. We ran the toast function at level 3. The results were good, but the color was a bit too brown to be ideal. After examining the outcome on level 2, it was clear that was the best option, earning a score of 7.6/10 in total. We also tried toasting at level 1, which resulted in lightly toasted bread, for reference.
At level 2, which automatically set the timer for 5 minutes 49 seconds, the four pieces of toast mostly had a beautiful golden brown color. However, the existence of lighter areas, especially on the bottom side, kept it from being perfect. We considered it worthy of an 8/10 for even surface color.
The taste deserved another 8/10 thanks to the toast’s crispy surface and soft, moist interior. Our head chef, Tuyet Pham, determined the toast would complement pretty much anything, including sandwiches, omelets, eggs benedict, and soup.
After the first batch of toast, we immediately placed the second batch in the oven. The toast level 2 program automatically reduced the time to 3 minutes 50 seconds to account for the last batch’s residual heat.
However, this seemed like too much of a reduction, since the toast came out mostly lacking in color. It wasn’t very crispy either, so we could only give the oven a 6.8/10 for consecutive usability.
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: 3m 30s
- Convection: Yes
The Cosori’s ability to maintain a high temperature really shined in our Pizza test, garnering a score of 7.6/10.
With a high power output and powerful convection system, it only took 3 minutes 30 seconds to bake a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza placed on tray level 2. This was extremely fast and deserving of a 10/10, the same as the Cuisinart TOA-60 which has the current highest pizza score.
However, the short cooking time resulted in uneven heating in the pizza crust and toppings.
While the bottom right quarter of the crust was golden brown, the rest didn’t have much color. Only that well-cooked part was crispy while the rest was soft, so we gave the crust a 7/10.
The same happened to the toppings. The bottom right quarter had a lot of caramelization—to the point that the onions even charred—while the rest was only mildly caramelized. In addition, the cheese wasn’t very melty, so we gave the toppings a 7/10 as well.
Taste-wise, our chef said it would be better if it weren’t for the slight bitterness from the charred onions. She gave the pizza another 7/10.
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: Rotisserie
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 40m
- Convection: Yes
We’ve conducted our Whole Roasted Chicken test a great many times, and the Cosori wasn’t the only one with a high power output and powerful convection system. What set it apart was its rotisserie kit and function.
In addition, the large cooking chamber had more than enough space for a 3 lb chicken to rotate smoothly with a baking pan below to catch the drippings, unlike the Instant Omni Plus 18L. Everything together scored a whopping 8.9/10.
The oven took only 40 minutes to roast the chicken to a beautiful color. That was the fastest time we’ve had so far, earning it a perfect 10/10. The skin was mostly golden with some appetizing golden-brown color at the wings and the tips.
However, it seemed like the skin cooked a bit too quickly and the fat wasn’t fully rendered, so the skin wasn’t very crispy. Nonetheless, the skin still deserved an 8.5/10.
What impressed us most was the near-perfect doneness—9.9/10—in such a short amount of time. The chicken had no pink spots and a consistent internal temperature of 178°F-181°F. It was basically spot-on to the USDA’s 165°F-180°F recommendation.
Unfortunately, for some reason, the meat wasn’t as juicy as we had expected. Combined with the less-than-crispy skin, our chef couldn’t give the chicken a higher score than 8/10 after tasting it.
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: 17m
- Convection: Yes
The Cosori took on our Baked French Fries test with its air fryer basket and scored an 8.1/10.
It took 17 minutes to bake 12 oz of frozen fries on tray level 2—quite fast compared to most. After comparing it with other units from our data, we gave it an 8.4/10 for cooking time.
The fries mostly had a great golden color with some of the thinner pieces looking the most appetizing. However, some thicker pieces weren’t as golden, so we gave the fries an 8/10 for color.
The same can be said about the texture of the fries, which earned another 8/10. Most of the fries were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, but the thinner ones were a bit dry and the thicker ones weren’t crispy enough.
Overall, though imperfect, the fries were delicious enough to get one final 8/10 taste score from our chef.
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%)9.0/10
- Interior (30%)9.5/10
- Build Quality (50%)9.5/10
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: CO130-AO
- Warranty: 1 year
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
- Broiling Rack
- Removable Crumb Tray
- Rotisserie Kit and Lifter
- Air Fryer Basket
The Cosori toaster oven was packed between two foam pads while all six of its accessories were wrapped in carton sheets and taped to the oven. Everything comes in an aesthetically pleasing box with minimal information on it.
All the documents you’ll need are inside a nice envelope. You get a user manual, a recipe book, and some quick references. You’ll also find a QR code leading you to the manufacturer’s website where you can register your product to extend your warranty by an additional year.
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:15.7 lbs (7.1 kg)
- Length:20.0" (50.7 cm)
- Width:17.3" (44.0 cm)
- Height:12.6" (32.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:Cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:No
- Crumb Tray:Removable
During our assessment, a prominent aspect of the Cosori toaster oven is the air ventilation holes on all sides of the casing to accommodate its powerful convection system. In addition, the glass door has indicators corresponding to the oven’s three tray levels and twelve cooking functions.
The oven doesn’t have carrying handles but it’s not heavy for its size so it’s not a big problem. Our measurements of 19.96" x 17.32" x 12.6" pretty much aligned with the manufacturer’s 20.1" x 16.5" x 12.5" with marginal differences being less than one inch. The difference in width is probably because we took the door handle into account.
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:LED display + 2 control knobs + 3 buttons
- Temperature:80°F - 450°F
- Timer:1 minute - 6 hours + 12 hours + 24 hours
- Indicator Light:Yes
- Status Bar:Yes
- Light Toggle:Yes
- Convection Toggle:Yes
- Rotation Toggle:No
- Automatic Preheat:Yes
- Audio Cues:No
The Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven has 2 control dials, one for functions and one for both timer and temperature. It also has 3 buttons, one for both the interior light and the temperature conversion, one to deploy the convection system, and one Start/Cancel button which lights up when the oven is running.
The LED screen will display ‘E1’ when there’s an open circuit in the temperature monitor and ‘E2’ for a short circuit.
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 (level 1-7)
- Bagel (level 1-7)
- Pizza (150°F - 450°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Bake (150°F - 450°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Roast (150°F - 400°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Air Fry (150°F - 400°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Broil (150°F - 450°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Cookies (150°F - 450°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Rotisserie (150°F - 400°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Dehydrate (100°F - 180°F, 30 minutes - 24 hours)
- Ferment (80°F - 110°F, 30 minutes - 12 hours)
- Warm (140°F - 230°F, 1 minute - 12 hours)
Besides the basic cooking functions, which already have a wide time and temperature range, the Cosori air fryer toaster oven also has various practical additional cooking functions allowing for even wider time and temperature ranges.
The ones that impressed us the most were Warm, Dehydrate, and Ferment which can maintain the oven at as low as 140°F, 100°F, and 80°F respectively. Looking at a number of recipes, these temperatures fit their intended purpose, which means this oven can act as a family-sized dehydrator and dough proofer.
Note that only the bottom heating elements operate during these functions.
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:Yes
- Lighting:Yes
- Tray Levels:3
- Rotisserie:Yes
- Safety Hook:No
The interior features include a convection fan, light, a rotisserie socket and bracket, three tray levels, and four nichrome heating elements. To be nitpicky, we think it’s a shame it doesn’t have a non-stick coating, so it may accumulate some stubborn stains.
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:14.2" (36.0 cm)
- Width:13.8" (35.0 cm)
- Height:9.8" (25.0 cm)
The Cosori has a spacious cooking chamber even compared to other large ovens. It can accommodate 6 slices of toast, a 13-inch pizza, or a 5-pound chicken.
We measured the volume to be around 31.49 liters compared to the manufacturer’s listing of 30 liters. The difference is minor and 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:40.9" (104.0 cm)
- Type:3-prong plug
- Power:1800 W
- Rated Output:120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord has plenty of length for household use—roughly 40.94 inches. It protrudes from the bottom of the oven, unfortunately, so it may create awkward kinks now and then.
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:14.2" (36.0 cm)
- Width:13.4" (34.0 cm)
- Height:0.3" (0.7 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The baking rack fits perfectly onto its guide rails to prevent accidents when placing food in the oven. It’s also shaped to maximize the space inside the cooking chamber.
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:14.2" (36.0 cm)
- Width:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Height:1.2" (3.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The baking pan also fits the guide rails to fully utilize the cooking space. It has ridges and grooves which can give your food attractive roasting marks and allow drippings some space to flow away. Its coating isn’t completely non-stick, so it may gather some stubborn stains, though.
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.

- Length:14.0" (35.6 cm)
- Width:12.0" (30.5 cm)
- Height:0.8" (2.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
The crumb tray is a helpful accessory to clean up the pesky falling crumbs and bits. However, some may still fall to the oven’s floor as the tray is removed.
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 Cosori is made from high-quality and durable 304 stainless steel. The thick casing provides good insulation in addition to a well-thought-out convection system. Thus, the oven only gets hot to the touch after a long cooking time at a high temperature (>400°F).
As for the control panel, the LED display is very easy to see, the control dials turn smoothly, and the buttons are responsive. The accessories are designed to make the most out of the cooking chamber’s interior space.
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%)9.5/10
- Ease of Use (50%)8.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)7.5/10
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 convection feature can toggle between normal and high, and neither setting makes much noise. The fan can run on all functions except Toast and Bagel.
Since time and temperature are controlled by a single dial, you must toggle between functions. Press the dial’s face to switch between them. Temperature can be adjusted in increments of 5°F or 2°C-3°C.
The timer, however, has different steps depending on the cooking function. For Pizza, Bake, Roast, Air Fry, Broil, Cookies, Rotisserie, and Warm functions, the timer can be adjusted in increments of 1 minute until it reaches 60 minutes, then in increments of 5 minutes from 1-2 hours, in increments of 10 minutes from 2-3 hours, and in increments of 15 minutes from 2-3 hours. For Dehydrate and Ferment functions, the timer only adjusts in increments of 30 minutes.
On top of the many practical cooking functions, the ease with which you can adjust time and temperature makes this oven, overall, simpler to use than many other digital ones. In addition, you can press and hold the time and temperature dial to turn off the display to save energy while you’re not cooking.
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.
The Cosori has an automatic preheat phase which engages for the Pizza, Bake, Roast, Broil, Cookies, and Air Fryer functions. If the oven’s already hot, the function will recognize that fact and reduce its preheating time.
This toaster oven is one of the rare units that actually preheat to the input temperature. Most others simply heat to a hardwired preheat temperature that cannot be adjusted.
According to our observation, the Cosori takes around 2-4 minutes to reach 300°F, 3-5 minutes for 325°F, 4-6 minutes for 350°F, and 6-8 minutes for 400°F. When preheating is finished, the oven will beep several times and the display will flash once every minute. You’ll need to press start to initiate cooking or the cooking function will be canceled after 10 minutes.
Thanks to the light toggle button, you have full control over when to turn the light on and off. The door can rest open at a 70° angle to allow food to cool inside the oven. Opening the door doesn’t stop the heating elements or the interior light.
The oven turns off automatically after 30 minutes of no interaction. Nonetheless, we still suggest unplugging it after use for safety reasons.
The Cosori’s EvenRapid Tech™ is advertised to reduce cooking time by 30% thanks to increased heat circulation. Suffice to say, it met our expectations with fast cooking times and even surface caramelization (except on our Pizza test).
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.





The Cosori’s exterior and interior are made of stainless steel, so they’re usually easy to clean. However, the interior doesn’t have a non-stick coating, so the grease from our whole roasted chicken test led to some extremely stubborn stains on the cooking chamber’s ceiling. We couldn’t completely remove them even after brushing them with a paste of baking soda and water.
The rotisserie forks and rod as well as the rotisserie bracket and the baking pan developed equally stubborn stains. On the bright side, it wasn’t difficult to clean caramelized bits of food from the air fryer basket despite the fishnet design.
The grease on the other walls and around the fan cavity was easy to clean. We were worried that grease might splash into the fan cavity, though.
We were able to easily remove fallen food scraps thanks to the removable crumb tray. However, we still had to tilt the oven to get them all out.