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Ninja Foodi XL Pro vs Black and Decker 4 Slice Toaster Oven Side-by-Side Comparison

Alan Nguyen
Reviewer
Nguyen Ntk
Visual Specialist
Updated
Tested Using Methodology v1.0
Updated Mar 22, 2023
Tested Using Methodology v1.0
Updated Mar 19, 2023
The front of a closed stainless steel Ninja DT201 Foodi XL Pro Air Convection Air Fryer Toaster Oven on a white background.
The front of a closed stainless steel Black+Decker TO1760SS 4-Slice Natural Convection Toaster Oven on a white background.

Our Verdict

8.6
Overall Score
  • Performance (50%)
    8.0/10
  • Design (25%)
    8.8/10
  • Usability (25%)
    9.5/10
5.6
Overall Score
  • Performance (50%)
    6.1/10
  • Design (25%)
    4.6/10
  • Usability (25%)
    5.5/10

Compared to our best large toaster oven pick—the Ninja Foodi XL Pro DT201—the  Black and Decker 4 Slice TO1760SS simply stood no chance. The small size of the Black+Decker could do nothing to close the gap in overall scores between the two.

The Black+Decker has a good build quality all things considered but too few design features. It only has two analog control dials and two quartz heating elements.

On the other hand, the Ninja has an informative digital display, numerous cooking presets, toggle switches, additional unique buttons, six heating elements, a convection system, and an interior light.

The unit also has a much higher power output to knock it out of the park when it comes to the most important aspect of a toaster oven—cooking performance. Its included accessories, including an air fryer basket, also helped.

Outstanding for Large Servings

Ninja DT201 Foodi XL Pro Air Performance

Black and Decker 4-Slice Toaster Oven Performance: Varied Results
8.0
Performance Scores
  • Toast (40%)8.3/10
  • Pizza (25%)6.5/10
  • Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)9.0/10
  • Baked French Fries (10%)7.8/10
6.1
Performance Scores
  • Toast (40%)7.1/10
  • Pizza (25%)5.6/10
  • Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)6.1/10
  • Baked French Fries (10%)3.2/10
8.3

Toast

7.1
Taste: 8.5
50% * 8.5 = 4.3
Even Surface Color: 8.5
20% * 8.5 = 1.7
Consecutive Usability: 7.8
30% * 7.8 = 2.3
  • Function: Toast
  • Number Of Slices: 4
  • Toast Level: 5/7
  • Cooking Time: 5m 15s
  • Second Batch: 4m
  • Convection: No

We began our Toast test by setting the toast function to level 4. With four slices of bread placed on tray level 3, they came out very light on top. The bottom side had a bit more color but it wasn’t enough.

After that, we cranked the oven up to level 6. That gave us a very even color, but it was too brown. In the end, we settled for toasting at level 5, which ran for around 5 minutes 15 seconds, as the best option, earning a score of 8.3/10.

Under this setting, the toast mostly received a light golden brown color. However, there were various areas that were a bit darker or lighter, possibly due to the bread’s varying thickness. The unevenness in surface color, especially on the bottom, prevented us from scoring it higher than 8.5/10.

Interestingly, this unevenness in the bread gave it a variety of textures throughout which deserved another 8.5/10. Our head chef, Tuyet Pham, determined the toast would go great with pretty much everything including omelets, sandwiches, eggs benedict, and soup.

The light golden brown areas were slightly crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. On top of that, the golden brown areas were crispy all the way through and the light golden areas gave us a different, softer texture.

For the immediate second batch at the same toast level, the oven automatically reduced the time to 4 minutes. This time, the toast had a more even brown color than the first batch. However, there was a more apparent unevenness on the bottom with colors that ranged from white to dark brown.

Nonetheless, nothing was burnt, so it did not taste bitter. The extra crispiness made the toast even better for soup. All in all, the oven got a 7.8/10 for consecutive usability.

Taste: 7.5
50% * 7.5 = 3.8
Even Surface Color: 6.5
20% * 6.5 = 1.3
Consecutive Usability: 6.8
30% * 6.8 = 2.0
  • Function: Toast
  • Number Of Slices: 4
  • Toast Level: 3/4 to Medium
  • Cooking Time: 4m
  • Second Batch: 4m
  • Convection: No

At the beginning of our Toast test, we turned the toast knob to the Medium Toast icon/setting—around 4 minutes 10 seconds on the timer—which resulted in four slightly burnt pieces of bread. We then chose the setting between Medium and Light, which was around 3 minutes 25 seconds on the timer, but that wasn’t enough time to get an even surface color.

Finally, we figured that around 4 minutes on the timer would yield the best possible result, with a total score of 7.1/10. Since it used an analog control knob, it was quite tricky to precisely choose 4 minutes, and we had to use an external timer.

On this setting, the Black+Decker produced four pieces of toast with a brown-colored top. However, the bottom was slightly charred in some areas and lacked color in others, so we gave the toast a 6.5/10 for even surface color.

Fortunately, the toast was crispy on the outside while still soft and moist on the inside, deserving a 7.5/10 for taste. Our head chef Tuyet Pham concluded that it would go great with omelets and eggs benedict, but not so much with soups or sandwiches.

For some reason, despite the identical toasting time, the second batch had a more uneven surface color than the first. The toast had a slightly darker color and crispier texture, which is more suitable for soups, and scored a 6.8/10 for consecutive usability.

6.5

Pizza

5.6
Cooking Time: 10
20% * 10 = 2.0
Crust: 6
20% * 6 = 1.2
Toppings: 5
30% * 5 = 1.5
Taste: 6
30% * 6 = 1.8
  • Function: Pizza
  • Temperature: 450°F
  • Cooking Time: 5m
  • Convection: Low

Our Pizza test was one of the few occasions where we felt the Ninja didn’t measure up to its potential. We suspect the score would be better if we were baking a fresh pizza instead of a store-bought 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza. Anyhow, we settled on a score of 6.5/10 for this test.

After preheating, we placed the baking tray and the pizza at tray level 3 as suggested by the digital display. The oven only took 5 minutes to bake the pizza compared to the recommended 10 minutes on the label. According to our standards, this deserved a 10/10 for cooking time.

Unfortunately, despite having the convection system on low, the crust was only golden on the side closest to the fan. The other half of the crust lacked color. In addition, such a short amount of time wasn’t enough to crisp any of the crust (even the golden side). Thus, we could only give the crust a 6/10.

The reason we had to stop the cooking so early was that the meat and the bell peppers on the golden half of the crust were beginning to char. Luckily, the toppings on the other half cooked properly. However, it seemed the cheese didn’t have enough time to melt, so the toppings only got a 5/10.

Considering the state of the crust and the toppings, our chef gave the pizza a 6/10 after tasting it.

Cooking Time: 0
20% * 0 = 0.0
Crust: 7
20% * 7 = 1.4
Toppings: 7
30% * 7 = 2.1
Taste: 7
30% * 7 = 2.1
  • Function: Bake
  • Temperature: 450°F
  • Cooking Time: 13m
  • Convection: No

The low power output of the Black+Decker held it back in our Pizza test, where a high temperature of 450 °F was required; it scored a 5.6/10. The oven took 13 minutes to bake a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza, which was longer than our time limit of 10 minutes, resulting in a 0/10.

Fortunately, the other aspects were quite solid, even though the oven’s internal temperature couldn’t be maintained at 450 °F. The crust had a nice golden color but it was a bit soft, so it got a 7/10.

The toppings had reasonably even caramelization throughout and the cheese was slightly melted—enough to score another 7/10. Taking the crust and toppings into account, our chef gave the pizza one last 7/10 for taste.

9.0

Whole Roasted Chicken

6.1
Cooking Time: 10
20% * 10 = 2.0
Skin: 8.5
20% * 8.5 = 1.7
Doneness: 8.4
20% * 8.4 = 1.7
Taste: 9
40% * 9 = 3.6
  • Function: Air Roast
  • Temperature: 350°F
  • Cooking Time: 40m
  • Convection: Maximum

The strengths of the Ninja really shined through in our Whole Roasted Chicken test, scoring an impressive 9/10. We placed our 3-pound whole chicken in the air fryer basket with plenty of room to spare and slid it onto tray level 3. We also placed a baking pan below to catch any drippings.

With this test, we were able to confirm the manufacturer’s claim that food in this oven didn’t need to be turned, especially when using its air fryer basket. Nonetheless, to stay consistent with our test parameters, we still flipped the chicken after the first 25 minutes.

The oven took only 40 minutes to cook the chicken all the way through and to create an appetizing-looking and crispy skin. It was one of the fastest cooking times among our toaster ovens and deserved a whopping 10/10, on par with the Cosori CO130-AO which uses a rotisserie kit.

The skin was evenly golden from the bottom to the top. It also crisped up nicely around the tips of the wings and drumsticks as well as areas with a lot of fat.

However, it would seem the surface of the chicken cooked so quickly that a lot of the fat didn’t get rendered out from the skin. Thus, while the outer layer of the skin was crispy, the inside was soft. The skin’s softness from the remaining fat, unfortunately, prevented it from scoring higher than 8.5/10.

Checking with a meat thermometer, we found the chicken’s internal temperature to be 194°F-199°F which was quite high compared to the USDA recommended of 165°F-180°F. This was the reason we didn’t continue cooking longer for better skin caramelization. Our chef was afraid that would overcook the chicken. After carving the chicken, we found no pink spots in the meat and gave it an 8.4/10 for doneness.

With such a short cooking time, the meat remained delightfully juicy. Also taking into account the texture of the skin, our chef gave the chicken a 9/10 for taste.

Cooking Time: 6
20% * 6 = 1.2
Skin: 5
20% * 5 = 1.0
Doneness: 9.4
20% * 9.4 = 1.9
Taste: 5
40% * 5 = 2.0
  • Function: Bake
  • Temperature: 350°F
  • Cooking Time: 1h 30m
  • Convection: No

During our Whole Roasted Chicken test, the 3 lb chicken touched the upper heating element’s guard. This heavily seared the middle part of the chicken and made a mess inside the cooking chamber. If you were to roast a chicken in this oven, we recommend cutting open the chicken or chopping it into pieces beforehand.

The final test score of 6/10 made us speculate that the oven’s lower output also hindered its performance, even though the required temperature was only 350°F. The Black+Decker took 1 hour 20 minutes to roast the chicken, compared to the standard one hour, so it got a 6/10.

The skin had almost no color, except for the areas near the upper heating element, and was still very soft; we could give it just a 5/10. That being said, increasing the cooking time further would reduce the score for the skin and risk overcooking the chicken.

The only upside to the long cooking time and low oven temperature was the doneness of the chicken. The meat had no pink areas and the chicken’s internal temperature was 185°F–187°F, which was very close to the USDA recommended 165°F–180°F.

This partially helped maintain the juiciness of the meat, but the unappetizing skin gave our chef no choice but to give the chicken a 5/10 for taste.

7.8

Baked French Fries

3.2
Cooking Time: 7.7
20% * 7.7 = 1.5
Color: 7.5
20% * 7.5 = 1.5
Texture: 8
20% * 8 = 1.6
Taste: 8
40% * 8 = 3.2
  • Function: Air Fry
  • Temperature: 400°F
  • Cooking Time: 19m
  • Convection: Maximum

We put 12 oz of frozen fries into the air fryer basket and slid it onto tray level 3. We also gave the fries a toss after the first 13 minutes. The overall score for our Baked French Fries test was 7.8/10.

The oven took 19 minutes to bake the fries which was enough for a 7.7/10. With this oven, our chef had to balance the cooking time with the color of the fries. If we stopped baking too early, the thicker fries would lack color; if too late, the thinner fries might be burnt.

The fries’ colors ranged from light golden on the thicker ones to golden brown on the thinner ones. This unevenness resulted in a 7.5/10.

The colors of the fries largely reflected their texture. The longest and thickest fries had a slightly crispy outside and a very moist interior. Meanwhile, the shortest and thinnest fries were completely crispy all the way through.

The silver lining was that average-sized fries got perfect, crispy surfaces with moist interiors. While the texture varied, none of them were bad, so we gave the overall batch an 8/10.

Considering the varied colors and textures of the fries, our chef awarded them a respectable 8/10 after her taste test.

Cooking Time: 0
20% * 0 = 0.0
Color: 4
20% * 4 = 0.8
Texture: 4
20% * 4 = 0.8
Taste: 4
40% * 4 = 1.6
  • Function: Bake
  • Temperature: 400°F
  • Cooking Time: 30 m
  • Convection: No

While conducting our Baked French Fries test, the Black+Decker’s weakness in maintaining a high temperature became more apparent, and it scored a 3.2/10.

To start with, it took 30 minutes to bake 12 oz of frozen fries; this was way longer than our limit of 25 minutes and resulted in a score of 0/10. Despite the long time duration, the fries had almost no color, so we could only give it a 4/10.

The same can be said for the texture of the fries which was not crispy, earning it another 4/10. Overall, the fries appeared more boiled than oven-baked, so our chef had to give it one last 4/10 for taste.

Not As Flashy as It Looks

Ninja DT201 Foodi XL Pro Air Toaster Oven Design

Black & Decker 4-Slice Toaster Oven Design Review: Standard
8.8
design Scores
  • Exterior (20%)7.0/10
  • Interior (30%)9.5/10
  • Build Quality (50%)9.0/10
4.6
design Scores
  • Exterior (20%)4.0/10
  • Interior (30%)1.0/10
  • Build Quality (50%)7.0/10

In the Ninja Foodi 10-In-1 XL Pro Air Fry Toaster Oven Box

In the Black+Decker TO1760SS Countertop Toaster Oven Box
  • Model: DT201
  • Warranty: 1 year
  • User Manual
  • Baking Rack x 2
  • Baking Pan x 2
  • Broiling Rack
  • Removable Crumb Tray
  • Air Fryer Basket

The Ninja toaster oven arrived firmly positioned between two foam pads inside an eye-catching package. Its seven included accessories were also fitted nicely in carton boxes. The oven came with a separate user manual, a tips and tricks sheet, and a recipe booklet.

  • Model: TO1760SS
  • Warranty: 2 years (US and Canada only)
  • User Manual
  • Baking Rack
  • Baking Pan
  • Removable Crumb Tray

The Black+Decker toaster oven is simply positioned with two foam pads inside the packaging. To the same degree, its two accessories are wrapped in a carton sheet and duct-taped to the oven. There is a simple user manual inside the box.

7.0

Exterior

Exterior
  • Weight:
    26.4 lbs (12.0 kg)
  • Length:
    16.9" (43.0 cm)
  • Width:
    20.3" (51.5 cm)
  • Height:
    13.4" (34.0 cm)
  • Material:
    Stainless steel
  • Color:
    Silver
  • Door Handle:
    Cool-touch
  • Tray Indicators:
    No
  • Crumb Tray:
    Removable

The Ninja has many ventilation holes on its casing, especially at the back and on the bottom, to accommodate its extremely powerful convection system. A unique design choice that stood out to us was the fact that the control panel was located on the oven’s cool-touch door handle.

Most ovens situate their control panel on the casing, thus adding to the oven’s footprint. By combining the control panel with the door handle, the oven can also maximize space for its cooking chamber.

You don’t need to worry about the handle slamming to the ground or countertop since the door hinge does a great job of keeping the door firmly in place. While it doesn’t have tray-level indicators on its glass door, the digital display does show the recommended tray level for every function.

Our measurements of the oven’s footprints were 16.93" x 20.28" x 13.34" which jived closely with the manufacturer’s 17.09" x 20.22" x 13.34". For these measurements, we also took into account the door handle and rear buffer.

The oven has a buffer on its backside to prevent it from being pushed too close to the wall. The feature could be a bit longer, in our opinion. We do need to mention that the bulky shape of the oven and its lack of carrying handles may make it difficult to move around.

  • Weight:
    5.7 lbs (2.6 kg)
  • Length:
    15.6" (39.5 cm)
  • Width:
    11.6" (29.5 cm)
  • Height:
    8.9" (22.5 cm)
  • Material:
    Stainless steel
  • Color:
    Silver
  • Door Handle:
    Cool-touch
  • Tray Indicators:
    No
  • Crumb Tray:
    Removable

The Black+Decker has a basic stainless steel casing and a back buffer to prevent the oven from getting too close to the wall. Our measurements of 15.55" x 11.61" x 8.86" showed a slight difference in the length and height of the oven compared to the manufacturer’s 16.9" x 11.63" x 9.07", but that wasn’t an issue. The large cool-touch door handle provides a good grip.

Control Panel

  • Type:
    Digital display + 10 buttons
  • Temperature:
    85°F - 450°F
  • Timer:
    1 minute - 4 hours
  • Indicator Light:
    Yes
  • Status Bar:
    Yes
  • Light Toggle:
    Yes
  • Convection Toggle:
    Yes
  • Rotation Toggle:
    No
  • Automatic Preheat:
    Yes
  • Audio Cues:
    No

When plugged in, the On/Off switch will light up. You then press it to turn on the oven and its digital display. The door handle is black while the digital display is white, creating good color contrasts.

The control panel includes two buttons to adjust cooking functions, two for time, two for temperature, a light toggle, a Start/Stop button, and the ‘2-level’ button.

The ‘2-level’ button is unique to this Ninja. It suggests the best rack levels for cooking two trays of food at the same time. This even allows you to roast a tray of meat and a tray of vegetables at the same time. Everything is explained in detail in the Ninja recipe booklet.

  • Type:
    3 control knobs
  • Temperature:
    150°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 Black+Decker has 3 control dials, one each for temperature, functions, and timer. The oven will start running when you turn the timer dial and the indicator light glows red.

Cooking Functions of the Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven

Cooking Functions of the Black & Decker 4-Slice Toaster Oven
  • Air Fry (250°F–450°F)
  • Whole Roast (250°F–450°F)
  • Air Roast (250°F–450°F)
  • Bake (180°F–450°F)
  • Dehydrate (85°F–200°F)
  • Pizza (180°F–450°F)
  • Bagel (level 1-7, 1-9 slices)
  • Toast (level 1-7, 1-9 slices)
  • Broil (HI or LO)
  • Reheat (100°F–450°F)

Each cooking function on the Ninja has its own temperature range to match the function’s purpose. What’s special about this model is that each function deploys a specific convection level and a specific number of heating elements, each tailored to the dishes stated in the recipe booklet.

Whole Roast, for example, uses a high fan speed and the rear convection heat source to provide rotisserie-style results. Air Roast uses the maximum fan speed and the rear convection heat source to quickly cook food for a crispy outside and juicy inside.

Air Fry also uses the maximum fan speed and the rear convection heat source to cook food as quickly as possible for the crispiest results. Pizza uses the rear convection heat source but a low fan speed to avoid drying the pizza crust and toppings too much.

Bake operates the same way as Pizza. The same goes for Dehydrate, which has a lower temperature range for removing moisture from foods.

The remaining cooking functions don’t deploy the convection fan. Broil activates the top heating elements on the high setting to provide top-down heat for a crispy finish. On the other hand, Reheat activates the top and bottom heating elements on the high setting.

Toast also activates the top and bottom heating elements but on the medium setting to quickly and evenly brown both sides of your bread. Bagel, however, activates the top heating elements on the medium setting and the bottom heating elements on the high setting. This is because the recipe book instructs you to place the bagel slices cut-side up.

  • Toast
  • Bake
  • Broil
  • Warm

The Black+Decker serves the three basic functions of a toaster oven: Toast, Bake, and Broil. If you know your way around the kitchen, Bake and Broil are all the functions you’ll need.

The Warm function maintains the oven at around 150°F, which is the common lowest temperature for most analog ovens. However, that’s a bit higher than most digital ovens’ warm function, which maintains around 100°F–-120°F.

9.5

Interior

1.0
  • Heating Elements:
    5 quartz + 1 nichrome
  • Convection Fan:
    Yes
  • Lighting:
    Yes
  • Tray Levels:
    4
  • Rotisserie:
    No
  • Safety Hook:
    No

The best aspects of the DT201 are its convection system and heating elements. Together, these two systems are designed to eliminate the need for rotating your pans or flipping foods halfway through cooking, a fact that we confirmed with our performance tests.

The convection fan provides airflow of up to 130 CFM (cubic feet per minute). Such a powerful convection system would usually be very noisy but thanks to the door’s tight seal, it wasn’t a problem.

The Ninja has three quartz heating elements on top and two on the bottom; most other similarly-sized units have four in total. What really separates this oven from the rest, however, is its third heat source in the rear, right where the convection fan sits. This nichrome heating element surrounds the convection fan cavity to properly and consistently heat the airflow.

The quartz heating elements heat food directly using infrared light, so airflow isn’t always important. Meanwhile, nichrome heating elements heat up the air around them, so their effectiveness can be improved with the help of convection systems.

The cooking chamber has four tray levels with engraved numbers 1-4 from the bottom up. It also has a coating but it’s not 100% non-stick, so it may be prone to stubborn stains.

Of course, an oven like this won’t lack an interior light. While this oven isn’t designed to accommodate a rotisserie kit, its performance showed that it could provide the same results.

  • Heating Elements:
    2 quartz
  • Convection Fan:
    No
  • Lighting:
    No
  • Tray Levels:
    1
  • Rotisserie:
    No
  • Safety Hook:
    No

The TO1760SS has only one tray level, while most other same-sized units, including the Mueller MT-175, have at least two. Moreover, it doesn’t have an interior light or a convection system: two common weaknesses of small toaster ovens.

The oven has two quartz heating elements, which may not distribute heat as evenly as four or more will do. Nonetheless, they are easier to clean and more energy-efficient than the more common nichrome variety. However, if grease splashes onto the heating elements while cooking, it’ll leave permanent stains.

These heating elements use infrared light to cook, which makes the process quicker. They cool down faster too, but are not as durable.

Capacity of the Ninja Foodi 10-In-1 XL Pro

Capacity
  • Length:
    14.5" (36.8 cm)
  • Width:
    11.8" (30.0 cm)
  • Height:
    11.0" (27.9 cm)

The Ninja has the largest cooking chamber out of all the toaster ovens we’ve reviewed so far, measuring around 30.82 liters. While the manufacturer didn’t state a specific capacity, this unit could comfortably accommodate a 12-pound turkey.

Each rack level can also fit nine slices of toast or a 12-inch pizza. With the 2-level even cooking feature, you can roast a 5 lb whole chicken and a tray of vegetables at the same time.

  • Length:
    10.8" (27.5 cm)
  • Width:
    8.7" (22.0 cm)
  • Height:
    6.7" (17.0 cm)

The Black+Decker has a standard capacity for a small oven—10 liters, 4 slices of toast, a 9-inch pizza, and barely enough for a 3 lb chicken. This was one of the rare occasions where the cooking chamber’s volume that we measured matched the manufacturer’s stated capacity.

Power Cord

Power Cord Review of the Black and Decker Natural Convection Toaster Oven
  • Length:
    3.2 ft (1.0 m)
  • Type:
    3-prong plug
  • Power:
    1800 W
  • Rated Output:
    120 V ~ 60 Hz

The power cord is roughly 38 inches — plenty for household use. Unfortunately, the oven doesn’t have a storage place for the cord. The rear buffer is also not designed to wrap the cord around.

  • Length:
    25.6" (65.0 cm)
  • Type:
    3-prong plug
  • Power:
    1150 W
  • Rated Output:
    120 V ~ 60 Hz

The power cord has a good length for household use—roughly 25.59". However, the oven doesn’t have any storage space for it.

Baking Rack x 2

Accessories

Baking Rack
  • Length:
    14.5" (36.8 cm)
  • Width:
    11.5" (29.3 cm)
  • Height:
    0.3" (0.7 cm)
  • Material:
    Stainless steel
  • Dishwasher Safe:
    Yes

The Ninja comes with two baking racks which fit perfectly with the rail guides to prevent accidents when moving food in or out.

  • Length:
    10.8" (27.4 cm)
  • Width:
    8.3" (21.2 cm)
  • Height:
    0.6" (1.5 cm)
  • Material:
    Stainless steel
  • Dishwasher Safe:
    Yes

The baking rack fits perfectly with the guide, which helps prevent accidents when placing food in the oven.

Baking Pan x 2

Accessories

Baking Pan
  • Length:
    13.5" (34.4 cm)
  • Width:
    14.5" (36.8 cm)
  • Height:
    1.0" (2.6 cm)
  • Material:
    Stainless steel
  • Dishwasher Safe:
    Not advisable

The Ninja comes with two baking pans to make the most out of its capacity. They are designed to be smaller than the baking racks and too short to reach the upper guide rail.

They have an enamel coating which is non-stick and easy to clean. Note that citric acid from citrusy fruits can damage this coating.

  • Length:
    9.0" (22.9 cm)
  • Width:
    7.9" (20.0 cm)
  • Height:
    0.6" (1.5 cm)
  • Material:
    Stainless steel
  • Dishwasher Safe:
     Yes

The baking pan rests on the supports of the baking rack, which saves a bit of space in the cooking chamber. However, this means the pan will be shorter in length than the rack.

The pan does the job of catching any meat juices and drippings. This helps prevent any mess and the risk of fire from dirty heating elements. However, it doesn’t have a good coating and thus sustained some stubborn stains after our Whole Roasted Chicken test.

Broiling Rack

Accessories

Removable Crumb Tray
  • Length:
    13.5" (34.4 cm)
  • Width:
    13.5" (34.4 cm)
  • Height:
    1.0" (2.5 cm)
  • Material:
    Stainless steel
  • Dishwasher Safe:
    Not advisable

The broiling rack is designed to fit nicely onto the baking pans and also has an enamel coating. It has grooves and ridges which can give your roast dish that grill-like appearance. The holes at the bottom allow grease to drain from the food onto the baking pan below.

  • Length:
    10.7" (27.2 cm)
  • Width:
    7.7" (19.5 cm)
  • Height:
    0.8" (2.0 cm)
  • Material:
    Stainless steel
  • Dishwasher Safe:
    Not advisable

Crumbs can be quite a hassle to clean up, but the removable crumb tray makes it easier to remove them from the oven’s floor. Nonetheless, be careful, as some crumbs may still fall to the bottom of the oven as you take the tray out of the oven.

Removable Crumb Tray

Accessories

  • Length:
    13.5" (34.4 cm)
  • Width:
    11.8" (30.0 cm)
  • Height:
    0.7" (1.8 cm)
  • Material:
    Stainless steel
  • Dishwasher Safe:
    Not advisable

The removable crumb tray is a useful accessory for cleaning up pesky crumbs. The tray also fits perfectly with the oven’s shape so as to minimize crumbs falling onto the oven’s floor when you take it out.

Air Fryer Basket

Accessories

  • Length:
    14.5" (36.8 cm)
  • Width:
    11.3" (28.8 cm)
  • Height:
    1.2" (3.0 cm)
  • Material:
    Stainless steel
  • Dishwasher Safe:
    Yes

The air fryer basket fits with the guide rails, unlike many other toaster ovens that have a basket which fits inside the baking pan,e.g., the Cuisinart TOA-60. Of course, you’ll still need to place a baking pan below to catch drippings. However, this design choice, combined with its fishnet structure, allows for plenty of space and maximizes heat circulation around the food.

9.0

Build Quality

7.0

The Ninja’s casing is made of durable and thick stainless steel which gives the oven good heat insulation. Thus, during our tests, the oven’s exterior only got hot to the touch after cooking for a long time at a high temperature (>400°F).

The digital display has a good color contrast which makes it easy to see—an advantage compared to the Instant Omni Plus 18L. Its buttons are highly responsive and very sturdy. All of the accessories are designed well to fit their purposes and make the most out of the oven’s capacity.

Unfortunately, possibly due to uneven metal expansion, the pans that we received bent when heated. Even though they flattened out again once they cooled, this was still a manufacturing flaw.

Moreover, the light button seemed to be broken when we received the oven. We could sometimes turn the light on and sometimes not. Nonetheless, we deemed these flaws to be specific to our particular unit, so we didn’t deduct too many points in terms of build quality.

The Black+Decker has a sturdy build and is made from durable stainless steel. The dials turn smoothly and are polished for aesthetics and easy cleaning.

The oven, equipped with a tamper-resistant screw to prevent removal of the outer cover, contains no user-serviceable parts. This means you need to refer service to qualified service personnel if an issue crops up and not attempt self-repair.

Excellently Convenient

Ninja DT201 Foodi XL Pro Air Usability Review

Black & Decker 4-Slice Toaster Oven Usability: Limited Features
9.5
usability Scores
  • User Control (30%)9.9/10
  • Ease of Use (50%)9.9/10
  • Cleanability (20%)8.0/10
5.5
usability Scores
  • User Control (30%)6.0/10
  • Ease of Use (50%)5.0/10
  • Cleanability (20%)6.0/10
9.9

User Control

6.0

The control panel of the Ninja is far from simple but the digital display presents all the information in a way that’s pleasing to the eye and not at all complicated. In addition, its buttons are really straightforward.

The timer adjusts in 1-minute increments when under 1 hour and 5-minute increments when over 1 hour. You can also hold the +/- buttons for 2 seconds to activate faster scrolling in 5-minute increments.

The temperature can be increased in 5-degree increments. You can also hold the +/- buttons for 2 seconds to activate faster scrolling in 10-degree increments.

For the Toast and Bagel functions, the preset temperature is 450°F, similar to all toaster ovens. Adjusting the Temp/Shade and Time/Slice buttons simply changes to a predetermined cooking time.

The best part, however, is that you can select the number of bread slices and toast up to 9 slices at once. You can also manually adjust the time once cooking has started to better choose your preferred shade of browning. This toasting performance really puts the Ninja in a class of its own.

The Air Roast and Air Fry functions are basically distinguished by their tray positioning, especially when cooking two trays at the same time. To utilize the Air Roast function, for instance, you can place the meat dish on tray level 1 and the vegetable dish on level 3. As for the Air Fry function, you can cook two trays of the same food to the same results by placing them on tray levels 2 and 4.

The Dehydrate function is another stand-out feature in our minds. The recipe booklet outlines instructions for several types of food. You can purchase additional dehydration accessories to dehydrate up to 4 levels at one time. The Reheat function can also be used to keep your food warm at around 120°F.

There are a few things to keep in mind when using Black+Decker’s three simple control knobs. For the timer knob, always rotate past 10 minutes and then rotate back to the desired time when setting it to less than 10 minutes.

It’s also tricky to accurately adjust time and temperature. Normally, you can use an oven thermometer and an external timer to get around this. However, if you check the pointer, you'll find that the temperature knob of this unit is off by around 50°F. Evidently, when we set the temperature to 450°F for our pizza test, the oven heated up to only around 405°F.

9.9

Ease of Use

5.0

The oven has a short automatic preheat phase which lasts 1 minute 25 seconds and heats the oven to around 200°F. While this feature wasn’t very useful in practice, the oven still reaches the correct temperature extremely quickly. All cooking functions use this phase except for Toast, Bagel, Broil, Dehydrate, and Reheat.

Whenever you select a function, the oven will display the optimal oven rack position. As you cycle through functions, you’ll notice the tray-level recommendations change for the best results. When the door is open, display settings freeze to prevent any accidental changes to the cooking cycle.

The 2-level even cooking feature allows you to cook two sheet pan meals at once which can be very helpful for big gatherings or weekly meal prep. The door hinge allows for partial opening at any angle greater than 75° which most toaster ovens can’t do.

The manufacturer’s claim of ‘30% faster cooking than a traditional full-size convection oven’ was a bit arbitrary. The same goes for ‘up to 30% crispier results vs. a traditional convection oven’. Nonetheless, our performance tests did show crispier and juicier results than many other toaster ovens.

We also couldn’t confirm the claim of ‘up to 50% more even baking results vs. a leading countertop oven’. Our observations of the cooking process did show, however, that the oven distributed heat so evenly that there was no need to flip food midway through the bake. 

Keep in mind that opening the door stops the oven but not the interior light. During the cooking process, the light will turn off automatically after one minute, and there’s no way to keep it on.

The oven turns off automatically after 10 minutes of no interaction. Nevertheless, we still suggest you unplug the oven after use for safety reasons.

The manufacturer claims the Black+Decker has the EvenToast Technology™ which toasts bread 30% more evenly. However, we didn’t notice an increase in evenness in our Toast test. Their Natural Convection technology certainly didn’t change the fact that this unit doesn’t have the convection fan that comes with several advantages.

With three control knobs, it’s very simple to readjust cooking settings. The cooking cycle finishes when the timer reaches O (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; however, be vigilant as the door can slide all the way down on the rare occasions when the oven is tilted. Opening the door doesn’t turn off the oven, unlike some other models.

8.0

Cleanability

6.0

The exterior’s stainless steel finish made it very easy to clean. In addition, the interior has plenty of space, so the grease rarely reached the cooking chamber’s walls.

However, the interior doesn’t have a non-stick coating so we had to put in a little effort to clean the grease. We were also worried that grease could have splashed inside the fan cavity.

The baking pans and broiling rack are easy to clean thanks to their enamel coating. The small downside to this was that the stains that did appear stuck out like a sore thumb.

We could remove most bits that fell off our food thanks to the removable crumb tray. Plus, when the door was fully opened, its hinge left a small space where we could just sweep the remaining crumbs out.

While the interior of the Black+Decker didn’t have a non-stick coating like the Breville BOV450XL, it was easy to clean because there were 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 remove the last of them.

During our Whole Roasted Chicken test, the chicken touched the upper heating element’s guard and left some permanent discoloration there, even after we cleaned up the burnt bits. There were also some permanent stains on the cooking chamber’s ceiling.