Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice Countertop Toaster Oven With Roll-Top Door, 1200 Watts, Fits 9” Pizza, 3 Cooking Functions for Bake, Broil and Toast, Silver (31344DA)

I really like this toaster oven. I love the look of it (kind of Jetson’s-like) and the slide-up door. I love the broiling feature using the rack and the tray under it which is great for hot dogs. It comes out like cooking in an outdoor grill. I like the simplicity of it also. It does everything I need.

I will write this review in three parts: arrival and packaging; instruction/1st heat set; and first actual food use.I could not believe the arrival speed, the first delivery date was set for January 3, 2025. The oven arrived December 31, 2024, two days after ordering! That was fast!Next, no matter the product, I have always requested that my purchases be shipped in an outer box for protection and against prying eyes!This appliance comes in a very stiff cardboard box surrounded by styrofoam, in other words, well-packed to guard against box punctures. Mine had a minor box puncture but it did not affect the oven! So far, I am pleased that Hamilton-Beach desires a "thoughtful" presentation. Now for the instructions.I'm sure many have opened products only to be greeted with an instruction booklet either too small to read or print requiring a magnifying glass; confusing or misleading language; and lots of pictures with no explanation or please refer to diagrams 1-A2-3B on opposite page 5. You won't get that with this appliance. Again, Hamiliton-Beach wrote a clear and concise instruction booklet with pictures detailing all the cooking processes this attractive little appliance will accomplish along with proper care and maintenance. Easy to read large print and understandable language!Needless to say, for the price, and without all the bells and whistles of expensive appliances that are complicated, and for a single senior man without family to care for, this is a perfect fit for my cooking needs. I do have a well-supplied well-stocked kitchen with all the appliances to create great meals because I enjoy cooking. This is an addition to my kitchen, for quick and simple, that I will enjoy having.It was time to say goodbye to the ancient single-function toaster!My second review will discuss the cooking in a few weeks. Stay tuned. Happy New Year and Happy Cooking!January 4, 2025I am now ready for my final critique. But allow me this qualifying statement.This is a "Toaster Oven" first and foremost. I will never cook any meat in this appliance, that is what a conventional oven is for! The operative word in the description is "Toaster." Its primary function is toasting, re-heating, warming, and light baking, nothing more.I have tried all of the functions listed and this unit, little as it is, is quite impressive! Nothing that I tried was over done or too dry. The dials are basic and that is okay, there is no need to be complicated when heating food. For my needs, this is a keeper. And the design reminds me of the old "roll-top office desks" long ago. It's compact and a great counter space saver. Thank you, and again Happy cooking!

I read a lot of mixed reviews and finally took a chance on this HB 4-slice rolltop toaster oven to replace my nicer Oster. I've had the Oster about 10 years and it still works, except about a month ago the timer broke. Now it doesn't turn itself off so I've been having to plug and unplug it every time.I like this little rolltop toaster oven so far, but I rarely use one for anything other than toast or cheese toast so I think it will work for me. I'll try to give a detailed review for those who are undecided as I was.Pros (for me): small size and footprint (slightly smaller than stated); door rolls up out of the way and removes for cleaning; inside is very visible; like most it has a slide out crumb tray; looks good; large knobs; timer for up to 30 minutes and a stay-on setting; makes a slice of cheese toast just fine.Cons: no function control-- both upper and lower elements are always used; has only one heating element on bottom and one on top; bottom heating element and its cover are in the middle so crumbs will fall on it; all of inside is very visible (shows if it's not spotless!); 4-slice size might be smaller than you need.I'm not sure how good a job this will do if used for baking because the top element heats too. Usually for baking only the bottom heats, for broiling only the top element heats, and both for toasting. This one always uses both the top and bottom elements so there are no differing functions. The broil and toast symbols are with the 450 temperature mark and there is no difference; no click or stops. (See photo for "pretend" functions; it's simply a temperature control.) The knob just freely turns and both elements heat. The instruction booklet says to preheat if "baking" but do not preheat if "broiling." This may be an issue if you plan to actually cook in this little thing. I've only made toast so far.What makes me like it is that it doesn't take up much of my limited counter space, I like the rolltop, and it was relatively inexpensive. My Oster had function controls, four elements, and a convection fan and was slightly larger, but similar ovens were more expensive and I don't need the fan. Although most of my appliances are stainless steel and black, this oven looks good. The trim around the door looks like stainless steel, but the rest is a dark metallic gray color (see photo), if that matters to you. There is a gap between the door and the control area, but I don't know that it's a real problem on such a small oven. I heated the oven at 450 for about 15 minutes before I used it, and there was no smoke and very little odor. Maybe those problems have been fixed. Like most toaster ovens, the outside gets hot. I have it sitting on a rectangular glass cutting board although that's probably not necessary.The instructions are a little quirky, but I'm not following some of them. On almost every page it says to unplug the oven when it's not in use, but I could just keep my old Oster if I was willing to do that. I'm hoping that is just a paranoid legal dept. talking. (My washer's instructions said to turn the water off at the source every time, but who does that?) I am turning the temp control down all the way after each use, though, although I just left my Oster's on the toast settings, and I always unplug my small appliances if I'm away overnight. Also, for some reason it says not to heat taco shells in it-- ??. It also says to not use any metal foil on anything, but I've always used foil on the crumb tray, dull side up, without any problems.There are two positions for the rack, but the upper one says for broiling only. The rack can suspend the included baking pan under it (intended for broiling), but which can catch crumbs so they don't fall on the element cover, so I like that feature. So far I've not had the problem of the pan warping when used.EDIT: Yesterday I put a flour tortilla covered with cheese on the baking pan and the pan did suddenly warp. It made a loud noise and would have probably slung liquid had there been any. Not a problem for my uses.I'm saving the packaging in case there is a problem within the return period, but so far I like it for my purposes. I'm sure there are better ones, but the rolltop door is a great feature, and the 4-slice size is very compact. I'll edit my review if any major problems happen.

Lasted from 2019 to 2025. Almost exactly 6 years.The temperature knob stopped catching correctly, but otherwise it was a great toaster. RIPNot sure what we paid for it, but suspect it was less than $65 years ago

Great little oven! Heats well and evenly. Leftover pizza warmed in there is just as good as fresh. I appreciate that the door rolls up, allowing easy access to food inside.

Nice small little toaster oven. Works awesome. Very happy.