Mueller 4 Slice Toaster Oven vs Black and Decker 4 Slice Toaster Oven Side-by-Side Comparison
Mueller 4 Slice vs Black and Decker 4 Slice Toaster Oven. Comparing the two shows why the former is our best-value pick for the small category
Specifications
Design
The Mueller has a standard design for a small oven which further highlights its detachable crumb tray. Its quartz heating elements can be another factor worth considering if you’re into energy efficiency.
Featuring a standard design of a small toaster oven, the Black+Decker TO1760SS has all the basic features, with no noticeable strengths and weaknesses. The quartz heating elements may appeal to you if you want to opt for energy-saving devices.
Usability Comparison
Similar to most small toaster ovens, the Mueller is easy to operate but not the most convenient to use. For instance, the control panel has a lot of room for errors and the oven’s interior doesn’t have a non-stick coating for easy cleaning.
Due to its small size, the Black+Decker has some obvious limitations when it comes to features of usability, especially compared to our top choices. For example, it has no non-stick coating to help with cleaning, and the control panel has a lot of room for errors. Moreover, its advertised advanced technologies are more misses than hits.
Performance Test
The Mueller showed its strength in heat distribution with its score in toasting bread, baking pizza, and roasting a whole chicken. However, baking french fries showed its weakness of low power draw which is common in small toaster ovens.
The Black+Decker TO1760SS performed to various degrees throughout our four tests. It was at its best toasting bread despite a minor inconvenience from the timer. With baking pizza, french fries, and roasting a whole chicken, however, the oven’s low power output affected the results by quite a lot.
Overall Scores
Pros & Cons
- Lightweight and small size
- Easy-to-clean stainless steel exterior
- Cool-touch door handle
- Simple control knobs
- Stay-on feature
- Quartz heating elements have safeguards
- Energy-saving
- Lightweight and small size
- Easy-to-clean stainless steel exterior
- Cool-touch door handle
- Simple control knobs
- Stay-on feature
- Quartz heating elements have safeguards
- Energy-saving
- No convection fan
- No internal lighting
- No safety mechanism for the door
- No convection fan
- No internal lighting
- No safety mechanism for the door
Conclusion
Comparing the Mueller 4 Slice Toaster Oven to the Black and Decker 4 Slice Toaster Oven shows why the former is our best-value pick for the small category. With similar sizes and prices, the Mueller is obviously the better choice with its higher overall score.
Both toaster ovens have two quartz heating elements and analog control dials. The Mueller, additionally, has a unique detachable crumb tray that makes it easier to clean the interior—a common problem for small units. Most importantly, the Mueller has a higher build quality shown in its thicker casing for better heat insulation and firmer, more precise dials.
What solidified the Mueller’s higher value was its performance score that’s good even in comparison to larger units. Although the two toaster oven have similar power draw and no convection system, the Mueller was better in all of our cooking tests, including toasting bread, baking pizza, roasting whole chicken, and baking pizza.
Behind the Comparison
Alan Nguyen is a writer and product reviewer at HealthyKitchen101. His major in English language teaching taught him to present concise information. In addition to his cooking hobby, he values the practical aspects of household appliances.
Tuyet Pham is an award-winning Saigonese chef passionate about delicious and healthful foods. At HealthyKitchen101, she develops recipes and collaborates with our Research, Testing, and Review lab to evaluate the performance of cooking appliances. Her assessments add a strong authoritative voice to our product scoring process.
Lap is Head of the Research, Testing, and Review Team (RTR Team) at HealthyKitchen101.com, where he directs and supervises the testing of kitchen gadgets and appliances.
