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Instant Omni Plus 18L vs Hamilton Beach 31127D Toaster Oven Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)8.1/10
- Design (25%)9.7/10
- Usability (25%)8.4/10
- Performance (50%)6.6/10
- Design (25%)5.2/10
- Usability (25%)6.4/10
In our performance tests, the Instant Omni Plus 18L consistently produced great results while the Hamilton Beach 31127D’s scores were so-so. On the bright side, the Hamilton did well in making toast where it tied with the Instant.
The Instant has four quartz heating elements and one swirl nichrome heating element which are sufficiently supplied with 1800 Watts of power. Meanwhile, the Hamilton only has four nichrome heating elements and uses 1400 W.
Both ovens have a sturdy build and are made from durable materials. The Instant is equipped with a convection system and interior light. Although the Hamilton has a neat roll-top door, it still has a fairly simple design.
Moreover, the Instant’s LCD touchscreen offers a status bar, automatic features, and unique cooking presets which are all useful. To give credit where credit’s due, the stay-on feature is a nice addition to the simple control dials of the Hamilton.
The Instant Omni Plus 18L, being a smart kitchen gadget, scored a massive victory against the Hamilton Beach 31127D in all aspects. Nonetheless, taking into account the price on top of everything else, the Hamilton is still a solid choice.
Instant Omni Plus 18L Performance
- Toast (40%)7.3/10
- Pizza (25%)8.6/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)8.4/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)9.3/10
- Toast (40%)7.3/10
- Pizza (25%)6.6/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)6.3/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)5.1/10
Toast
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: 2/5
- Cooking Time: 5m 25s
- Second Batch: 4m 1s
- Convection: No
Using the steps of our Toast test, we determined that level 2—5 minutes 25 seconds on the timer—was the best option scoring a 7.3/10. In comparison, the level 1 and 3 had a more uneven while being lighter and darker surface color respectively.
The Toast Level 2 of the Instant Omni Plus 18L produced four pieces with an 85% even golden brown color. Since the fan couldn’t be deployed, the toast had some darker spots and lighter areas resulting in a 6/10.
The first batch of toast was nicely crispy while still soft and moist inside and we gave it an 8/10 for taste. Our head chef Tuyet Pham determined it would be excellent with omelet and eggs benedict but not so good for sandwiches or soup.
This is one of the few ovens with a smart program that automatically deducts time to reach certain temperatures when the oven’s already hot. Thus, the surface color of the toasts was quite consistent throughout multiple batches. In addition, due to its extra crispiness, the second batch was determined to be good enough for soup.
If you want the second batch to be similar to the first, remember to lower it by one level. Overall, the score for consecutive usability was 7/10.
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: 3/4 to Medium
- Cooking Time: 3m 30s
- Second Batch: 3m 30s
- Convection: No
We initially set the toast knob to Medium—right at the Toast icon—for our Toast test. The bread came away very dark on the bottom but barely toasted on top. Then, the halfway point to Medium gave the toast no color.
Eventually, we settled on a point 3/4 the way to Medium—around 3 minutes 30 seconds on the timer—as the best option, and awarded it a score of 7.3/10.
At our optimal toasting setting, the Hamilton Beach produced 4 pieces with a great, slightly golden-brown color. Though the oven doesn’t have a convection fan, the color distribution was about 80% even so we gave the toast an 8/10.
The first batch of toast was crispy on the outside while still soft and moist on the inside, so we gave it an 8/10 for taste. Our head chef, Tuyet Pham, said it would go very well with everything including sandwiches, soup, omelets, and eggs benedict.
The second batch represented a significant decrease in performance, scoring only 5.5/10 for consecutive usability. The toast had an uneven, dark brown color plus a burnt flavor. If you want the second batch to be the same as the first, remember to only turn the knob halfway to Medium—around 1 minute 55 seconds on the timer.
Pizza
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 3m 50s
- Convection: High
The Instant Omni Plus, having a very strong convection system, did not seem ideal for baking a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza resulting in an 8.6/10.
A cooking time of only 3m 50s was extremely fast compared to the recommended 10 minutes on the label. After comparing it to other toaster ovens in our Pizza test, it was more than enough for a 10/10.
The crust, although golden brown, was a little soft with some lighter and darker areas due to the short cooking time plus strong fan. It got an 8/10.
The entire surface was a little too dry due to all the convection. In addition, while the cheese was nicely melted, caramelization wasn’t even due to the short cooking time. Thus, the final score for the toppings was 8.2/10.
Our chef gave the pizza an 8.5/10 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 9m 10s
- Convection: No
This oven left a bit to be desired when we tried baking a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza. We gave it a score of 6.6/10.
It took 9 minutes and 10 seconds to bake a pizza which was slightly faster than the recommended 10 minutes on the label. It only garnered a score of 5.8/10 after being compared to other toaster ovens in our Pizza test, though.
The crust had a good golden brown color but was soft, so we could only give it a 7/10. The toppings were caramelized unevenly and some areas of cheese got darkened. On the bright side, the toppings weren’t dry, so they got a 7/10. After tasting, our chef gave it a 6.5/10.
Whole Roasted Chicken
- Function: Roast
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 50 minutes
- Convection: Yes
Following our Whole Roasted Chicken test, we chose a 3 lb chicken and it fit without a problem scoring an 8.4/10.
However, cleaning up was a big hassle as there wasn’t enough space below to use the drip pan. Worse still, during cooking fat splashed everywhere inside the oven causing the heating elements to smoke.
The roasting time was 50 minutes which was shorter than average and worthy of a 9/10.
The rotisserie kit and high convection together produced perfectly golden brown crispy skin deserving a 9.8/10. One thing to note is that due to the meat being considerably moist, the skin lost its crispiness in a relatively short time span.
The smooth rotation and high convection also allowed the whole chicken to be thoroughly cooked without any pink spots in just 50 minutes. The internal temperature was only a little higher than the USDA recommended 165°F-180°F at 178-190°F, so it got a 9/10.
The meat was almost fall-off-the-bone. Unfortunately, with it being so moist—to the point of softening the skin, our chef could only give it a 7 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 1h
- Convection: No
Even though the Hamilton Beach could comfortably fit a 3 lb chicken for our Whole Roasted Chicken test, its performance was far from perfect, scoring only 6.3/10.
The oven took 1 hour—our standard for this test—to cook the chicken to a desirable color, so we gave it an 8/10.
After roasting, the skin took on an even golden color on top but only a very light caramelization on the bottom — although that was also even. Unfortunately, the skin was very soft, so we could only give it a 5.5/10.
The chicken reached an internal temperature of 165-176°F which was very close to the USDA recommendation. However, there were pink spots near the bone so we could only give it a 6/10.
The meat was acceptable in terms of texture and juiciness, but didn’t stand out as remarkable. Our chef gave the chicken a 6/10 for taste.
Baked French Fries
- Function: Air Fry
- Temperature: 400°F.
- Cooking Time: 15m
- Convection: High
The Instant Omni Plus was excellent at baking 12 oz of french fries with a score of 9.3/10.
After performing our Baked French Fries test on different toaster ovens, we came to the conclusion that the ideal cooking time for baked french fries was 15 minutes. However, it wasn’t the fastest one on our list so it scored a 9/10.
The strong convection combined with the air fryer basket produced evenly golden fries worthy of a 9.8/10 for color.
What helped the color also baked perfectly crispy fries while retaining a nice amount of moisture. This earned the oven another 9.8/10 for the texture of baked french fries.
Our chef gave the fries a 9/10 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 400°F.
- Cooking Time: 27m 15s
- Convection: No
Baking 12 oz of french fries clearly wasn’t the Hamilton Beach oven’s forte, and it came away with a score of 5.1/10.
This oven took 27 minutes and 15 seconds to put some color into the french fries. That exceeded our time limit of 25 minutes, though, so it failed the cooking time criterion of our Baked French Fries test.
Even though the fries had some golden ends, most of them basically had no color. We gave them a 6.5/10.
Despite being spread out on the baking pan, the fries didn’t crisp up, so they got a 6/10. Our chef gave the fries a 6.5/10 for taste.
Instant Pot Omni Plus Toaster Oven Design Review
- Exterior (25%)9.5/10
- Interior (30%)9.5/10
- Build Quality (50%)9.0/10
- Exterior (20%)7.0/10
- Interior (30%)1.0/10
- Build Quality (50%)7.0/10
In the Instant Pot Omni Plus 18L Box
- Model: 140-4002-01
- Warranty: 1 year (US and Canada only)
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
- Rotisserie Kit and Lifter
- Air Fryer Basket
Besides keeping all the accessories in place, the packaging also has interesting illustrations for the key information on the Instant Omni Plus 18L. You can quickly access the download page for the Instant Pot App thanks to the QR code on the package and the user manual.
Their website provides the full manual, how-to videos, FAQs, and more. You’ll also need to go there to register your product and activate your warranty.
- Model: 31127D
- Warranty: 1-year limited in the US and 5-year limited in Canada
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
- Removable Crumb Tray
Aside from the Hamilton Beach oven itself, the box also contained a baking pan, a baking rack, a removable crumb tray, and a basic user manual.
Exterior
- Weight:25.4 oz (721 g)
- Length:16.5" (42.0 cm)
- Width:15.8" (40.0 cm)
- Height:13.9" (35.3 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:Yes
- Crumb Tray:Yes
An example of the Instant Omni Plus 18L’s clever design is the slide-out crumb tray not to mention its two strong base stands as well as air ventilation on two sides and the back. For safety, it has two buffers on the back to prevent the oven from sitting too close to the wall and a cool-touch door handle.
To accommodate its many cooking functions, there are tray-level indicators on the glass door. Our measurements of the oven’s footprint of 16.54" x 15.75" x 13.90" were quite different from the manufacturer’s 12" x 12" x 13.89" in terms of length and width.
We could explain that the difference in width was because we also took the dial and the back buffers into account but not the difference in length. Nonetheless, we didn’t find this to be a problem.
- Weight:9.3 lbs (4.2 kg)
- Length:18.5" (47.0 cm)
- Width:14.6" (37.0 cm)
- Height:9.4" (24.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:No
- Crumb Tray:Removable
The Hamilton Beach has a stainless steel exterior. Our measurements of the oven’s footprint were 18.5" x 15.56" x 9.41"—marginally different from the manufacturer’s provided 18.74" x 15.24" x 9.41".
What stands out most is the roll-top door with a cool-touch handle. It moves up and out of the way, giving you safe and easy access to your food before, during, and after cooking.
The oven has a back buffer to prevent it from being pushed too close to the wall. Unlike many other toaster ovens, though, you can’t wrap the power cord around the buffer.
Control Panel
- Type:black LCD digital touchscreen + one master-control knob
- Temperature:150°F - 450°F
- Timer:1 - 60 minutes
- Indicator Light:Yes
- Status Bar:No
- Light Toggle:Yes
- Convection Toggle:Yes
- Rotation Toggle:Yes
- Automatic Preheat:Yes
- Audio Cues:Yes
This oven has a black LCD digital touchscreen and one master-control knob. The display includes the cooking status bar, functions, and toggles for Light, Convection, and Rotation. Besides the automatic oven preheat feature, it features an audio cue to turn food halfway through the input cooking time.
Audio cues include the beeps when you plug in the oven, select a function as well as adjust time and temperature, and when the oven finishes cooking. According to some reviews we’ve seen, they can be a bit loud, especially for households with children and/or pets. However, they can be turned off by pressing and holding the control knobs for 5 seconds until the screen displays S OFF.
- 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 contoured control knobs labeled Temperature, Function, and Timer which are durable and easy to grip. While the timer only runs from 1 minute to 30 minutes, the knob has a stay-on position as well.
Cooking Functions
- Air fry (180°F - 450°F)
- Broil (350°F - 450°F)
- Bake (180°F - 450°F)
- Roast (180°F - 450°F)
- Dehydrate (85°F - 175°F)
- Reheat (120°F - 360°F)
- Warm (170°F - 300°F)
- Toast (level 1-5)
Even though there’s no Rotisserie function, the oven comes with a tailored rotisserie kit and a Rotation Toggle. Besides making dried fruits, herbs, and meat jerky, the Dehydrate function is also ideal for proofing bread dough at 85°F and Low Convect.
- Toast
- Bake
- Broil
The bake and broil functions will be all you need if you know your way around the kitchen. The temperature knob also includes a Min setting which, at 100°F, can act as a ‘keep warm’ option.
Interior
- Heating Elements:4 quartz and 1 nichrome
- Convection Fan:Yes
- Lighting:Yes
- Tray Levels:4
- Rotisserie:Yes
- Safety Hook:No
The Instant Omni Plus has four golden quartz heating elements. These pipes use infrared light to cook, which produces more heat and also cools down faster.
They are also easier to clean and more energy-efficient but don’t last as long in terms of durability. However, if grease splashes onto the heating elements while cooking, it’ll leave permanent stains.
Featuring safety guards, the heating elements are kept out of direct contact with baking pans and trays. The oven even includes a coil nichrome heating element at the top, specifically for broiling.
To top it off, this oven has a powerful and not noisy convection system as an interior light. In addition to 4 tray levels, you can make use of the baking rack with its rack-up and down positions.
- Heating Elements:4 nichrome
- Convection Fan:No
- Lighting:No
- Tray Levels:2
- Rotisserie:No
- Safety Hook:No
Unfortunately, the 31127D doesn’t have any interior features worth mentioning, not even internal lighting or a convection system like the Cuisinart TOA-60. The only thing it has is four nichrome heating elements.
Capacity of the Instant Pot Omni Plus 18L
- Length:13.8" (35.0 cm)
- Width:12.6" (32.0 cm)
- Height:8.7" (22.0 cm)
The Instant Omni Plus can comfortably fit a 12-inch pizza or a 4-pound chicken which is true to its description. However, it can’t quite fit 6 slices of toast. Moreover, when roasting only a 3-pound whole chicken with the rotisserie kit, there wasn’t enough space to fit a baking pan below. This wasn’t the case with a larger unit like the Cosori CO130-AO.
We measured the cooking chamber’s volume to be roughly 24.6 liters—a lot different from the manufacturer’s provided capacity of 18 liters. However, this could be because we measured from the cooking chamber’s walls to walls whereas the manufacturer stopped before reaching the heating elements.
- Length:13.0" (33.0 cm)
- Width:12.2" (31.0 cm)
- Height:7.7" (19.5 cm)
The Hamilton Beach has enough capacity for 6 slices of toast, a 3 lb chicken, or a 12-inch pizza.
We measured the cooking chamber’s volume to be around 19.92 liters which was vastly different from the manufacturer’s stated capacity of 10 liters. However, this could be because we measured from the cooking chamber’s walls to walls whereas the manufacturer stopped before reaching the heating elements.
Power Cord
- Length:2.8 ft (0.9 m)
- Type:3-prong plug
- Power:1800 W
- Rated Output:120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord is roughly 33.46"—more than long enough for household use. However, the cord can’t fully wrap around the two back stands as they are too high up.
- Length:35.0" (88.9 cm)
- Type:2-prong plug
- Power:1400 W
- Rated Output:120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord protrudes from the bottom of the oven which can create some inconvenient bends. Nonetheless, roughly 35" is plenty of cord length for household use. However, the oven doesn’t have a storage place for the cord.
Accessories
- Length:12.4" (31.5 cm)
- Width:11.4" (29.0 cm)
- Height:0.9" (2.4 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:13.0" (33.0 cm)
- Width:11.9" (30.2 cm)
- Height:1.0" (2.5 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The rack fits perfectly into the guide rails, reducing the chance of an accident when placing your food in the oven.
Accessories
- Length:13.8" (35.0 cm)
- Width:12.4" (31.5 cm)
- Height:1.8" (4.6 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
Thanks to its perfect size, the baking pan does a great job of catching the meat juice and drippings from the air fryer basket. Thus, it helps prevent making a mess and avoid the danger of fire from dirty heating elements. Keep in mind that the dishwasher can damage the enamel coating.
- Length:11.3" (28.8 cm)
- Width:9.4" (23.8 cm)
- Height:0.7" (1.8 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The baking pan is correctly sized to keep messy food from dripping directly onto the heating elements. It slides into the brackets on the baking rack’s underside, so it’s a perfect fit. Unfortunately, though it has a coating, it isn’t completely non-stick so it can accumulate some stains after a tough roasting mission.
Accessories
- Length:13.4" (34.0 cm)
- Width:11.4" (29.0 cm)
- Height:0.9" (2.4 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The rotisserie kit does a perfect job of securing a chicken thanks to the 4-pronged forks with adjustable angles.
The structure of the forks isn’t very strong so parts can get bended although not by much.
- Length:12.9" (32.8 cm)
- Width:10.0" (25.4 cm)
- Height:0.7" (1.8 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
The removable crumb tray makes it easier to remove crumbs and other debris from the oven’s floor. However, some may still fall to the bottom of the oven as you take out the tray.
Accessories
- Length:14.6" (37.0 cm)
- Width:11.0" (27.9 cm)
- Height:2.0" (5.1 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The air fryer basket has a good elevation to help with heat circulation around the bottom of the food.
Build Quality
The Instant Omni Plus 18L is a well-built and intricate piece of equipment, to say the least. It provides a helpful cooking status bar, smart programs, and automatic features. The oven does consume a lot of electricity so make sure your outlet can provide and handle 1800 W.
The meticulous design shows in the bottom tray, safeguards for heating elements, and cooling fan for its mainboard. However, the bottom tray can easily slide out if you tilt the oven. Also, during our roasting of a whole chicken, the hot drippings created some oxidation on the crumb tray.
The Hamilton Beach is well-constructed out of durable stainless steel. Its contoured knobs turn smoothly and are a nice simple touch.
Instant Omni Plus 18L Usability
- User Control (30%)9.9/10
- Ease of Use (50%)8.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)7.0/10
- User Control (30%)6.0/10
- Ease of Use (50%)6.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)8.0/10
User Control
The Instant Omni Plus 18L has 8 settings to choose from but can serve more than 10 functions. Although the LCD display could be improved with better contrast, it’s not a big problem.
The master-control knob can be confusing for first-timers but it should take little effort to get familiarized with it. The temperature can be adjusted in 1°F increments by turning the knob slowly and in 10°F increments by turning the knob fast. Also, the timer is specified by the minute.
If you want to readjust the setting during cooking, simply tap the feature and adjust it with the knob. Don’t tap Cancel as it will reset your inputs and repeat the automatic preheating.
The convection setting is applicable to almost all except for toast. One thing to note from the manual is that most recipes recommend reducing the temperature by 25°F when convection is on.
The convection fan speeds can toggle between high and low which is not very common for ovens, especially at the same price range. The two exceptions are Air Fry which always uses High Convect and Warm using Low Convect.
The Hamilton Beach only has three simple control knobs but there are a few things to pay attention to. If you wish to set the timer knob for less than 10 minutes, you must first turn it beyond the 10-minute mark (to start the heating) and then roll it back to the setting you want.
Precisely adjusting time and temperature can be a bit difficult but it’s not a major problem. If you’re concerned, use an external timer and an oven thermometer for more accurate measurements.
Ease of Use
When you adjust temperature and time for a function, the Instant Omni Plus saves your setting for next time use. After the oven finishes cooking, it will beep and automatically switch to Keep Warm mode until the display shows End.
After a period of no interaction, the digital display will show the word OFF similar to when you’ve just plugged it in. You’ll then need to push the knob once to turn it on. It’s advised to unplug the oven after you finish using it.
The light automatically turns off after 30 seconds of no interaction and turns on 30 seconds before finishing cooking. Opening the oven door pauses the cooking but the light stays on for another 30 seconds. Closing the oven door resumes the cooking but it will go into stand-by mode resetting all inputs after 5m30s.
Taking the rotisserie kit out of the oven can be a bit tricky even with the lifter. However, with a bit of practice, it’ll be no problem at all. The oven has good heat insulation, so the casing doesn’t get too hot to the touch at 350°F and 400°F but be careful at 450°F.
The simple analog control panel makes it very easy to adjust settings on the fly. Once the timer counts down to the Off position, you’ll hear a chime and the oven will shut itself off. Since there’s no digital display, the oven won’t draw any more power even if you leave it plugged in.
The oven’s exterior only gets hot to the touch after a long cooking time at a high temperature. The door can be kept partially open at many degrees but keep in mind that it doesn’t switch the oven off.
Cleanability
We cleaned the Instant Omni Plus 18L following our toaster oven cleaning guide. Despite having an internal and external coating, it still wasn’t easy to clean due to some very tricky nooks and crannies. The small gaps between the heating elements and internal walls didn’t help either.
Most of the mess came from the considerable fat splatter from roasting a whole chicken. It left difficult stains on the heating elements and their safeguards which were already tricky to clean.
With the removable oven-bottom tray, cleaning up the crumbs was extremely easy but we still had to tilt the oven to get all of the crumbs out. On the bright side, having thought it would be difficult to clean caramelized bits of food from the air fryer basket due to the fishnet design, we were happy to find this wasn’t the case.
We cleaned the Hamilton Beach in accordance with our toaster oven cleaning guide. The oven was easy to clean thanks to its surface coatings and the fact that it has no tricky nooks and crannies.
The removable crumb tray made it easy to clean up the crumbs, though we still had to tilt the oven to get the last of them. Unfortunately, after our Whole Roasted Chicken test, the baking pan accumulated some discoloration that we weren’t able to remove even with a paste of baking soda and water.