Cuisinart
TOA-65 Digital Convection Toaster Oven Airfryer
- Bottom Line
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This easy-to-use model that covers all the bases, according to our cooking expert.
- Pros
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The 3-pound capacity is suitable for frying up a meal for a group or family. Apart from its high-velocity, high-heat features, it also has low temperature settings to slow-cook, braise, dehydrate, and even proof.
- Cons
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Only has one rack, which makes it difficult to cook multiple items at once.
About the product
We tested the Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toast Oven to help you decide if it’s worth checking out
If you don’t have room in your kitchen for too many countertop appliances, it can be tough to find a space for an air fryer. But with an air fryer toaster oven like the Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toast Oven, you can replace multiple appliances on your counter and still enjoy healthier fried foods like french fries and chicken tenders with little to no oil.
The Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven is similar to other Cuisinart toaster oven air fryers but stands out for its increased versatility. The TOA-65 supports 11 cooking functions and offers six air-frying presets, while other models top out at six or seven functions and don’t offer presets for air-frying. It can also hold up to six slices of toast compared to most other ovens’ four. The TOA-65’s digital display also makes it easier to set a precise temperature to ensure more even cooking.
But how does the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven stack up against other air fryers and air fryer toaster ovens?
The BestReviews Testing Lab put this air fryer oven to work to determine how well it could air-fry favorites like french fries and chicken wings and perform other cooking functions, such as baking and toasting. We also considered factors like how much noise it made when in use, how hot its exterior got and how easy it was to clean. Ultimately, the Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Oven excelled at air-frying foods like bacon and hot dogs, but its presets for french fries and chicken wings led to uneven results.
What is the Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven?
Product specifications
Type: Oven air fryer | Capacity: 0.6 cu. ft. | Dimensions: 14” L x 15.75” W x 14” H | Weight: 26.4 lb | Material: Stainless steel | Control Type: Buttons and knob | Number of Functions: 11 | Temperature Range: 80 to 450 degrees
The Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven is an oven air fryer with 11 cooking functions and presets. It can air-fry, toast, bake, broil, roast, reheat, warm, slow cook, dehydrate and proof. It also has settings for bagels and pizza and features a dual cook mode that allows it to transition from one cooking mode to another. The air-frying function has presets for fries, chicken wings, nuggets, snacks and veggies.
This oven is fairly large, measuring 14 inches long, 15.75 inches wide and 14 inches high, so it requires some space on the counter. The larger size also increases its capacity, so it can hold six slices of toast, a 12-inch pizza or a 4-pound chicken. During testing, we easily fit a 2-pound bag of frozen french fries in the oven’s air fryer basket.
The Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven’s stainless steel finish gives it a classic look that would work well in nearly any kitchen. Additionally, the oven has a digital display and features a combination of buttons and a knob to control the settings. These controls were easy to use and allowed us to set precise temperatures and times during testing.
Pros
- Versatility: The Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven offers 11 cooking functions and presets, so it can air-fry, toast, bake, roast, broil, reheat, dehydrate, proof and more. It can replace multiple appliances, including a toaster oven, air fryer and dehydrator, so it may help save space on your counter.
- No preheating necessary: Unlike other air fryers and air fryer ovens, the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven doesn’t require preheating, which saves time and can get your food on the table faster.
- Generous capacity: The Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven can fit up to a 4-pound chicken, making it ideal for a family of four.
- Effective air-frying: While there is some trial and error involved, the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer can cook foods evenly and get them perfectly crispy once you learn the correct settings.
Cons
- Space required: Because of its large capacity, the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven takes up 14 by 15.75 inches of space, so it may not fit all kitchens. It isn’t as wide as other toaster ovens but is taller at 14 inches, which may make it a tight fit beneath low overhead cabinets. However, its versatility may allow you to get rid of other countertop appliances and save space.
- Inconsistent presets: The Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven’s air-frying presets for fries and other foods often call for the food to cook longer or at a higher temperature than necessary, so it can wind up burned or overdone.
- Cleanup time: Not all of the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven’s accessories are dishwasher-safe. Because the crumb tray and oven rack require hand-washing, cleanup can take a little longer.
How we tested
To see how well the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven performed, we air-fried several foods commonly made in an air fryer. We also prepared the same foods in a standard oven, so we could compare cooking times and results.
Air-frying french fries
The french fries we made in the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven didn’t have air-frying instructions on the package, so we used the oven’s preset for air-frying french fries. We coated the fries with light olive oil and a small amount of salt before placing them in a single layer in the oven’s air fryer basket. The preset the fries defaulted to was 20 minutes at 450 degrees, but we stopped the cooking halfway through to shake the fries to ensure even cooking and took them out two minutes early because we noticed them getting burnt.
The fries cooked for a total of 18 minutes.
Air-frying chicken wings
To prepare our chicken wings for air-frying, we tossed them with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika and placed them in the air fryer basket. We used the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven’s air-frying preset for chicken wings, which cooked them for 23 minutes at 400 degrees. We interrupted cooking halfway through to flip the wings for even cooking, though.
Air-frying hot dogs
We readied the hot dogs for air-frying by cutting a series of slits down each one. Next, we placed them in the air fryer basket and cooked them at 400 degrees for six minutes. We then transferred them to buns and returned them to the oven for another two minutes to finish cooking.
The hot dogs cooked for a total of eight minutes.
Air-frying Brussels sprouts
We mixed the Brussels sprouts with a small amount of olive oil, sliced garlic, salt and pepper and placed them in a single layer in the oven’s air fryer basket. We used the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven’s air-frying preset for veggies to cook the sprouts for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, though we interrupted cooking halfway through to toss them and ensure they cooked evenly.
Air-frying bacon
We placed the bacon in the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven’s air fryer basket with the drip pan below and cooked it at 350 degrees for 11 minutes.
Cooking performance
We evaluated the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven’s performance by assessing the flavor of the finished foods and how crispy they were. We also considered how efficiently the oven cooked the foods and compared their results to items prepared in a standard oven.
Air-frying french fries
The Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven’s air-frying preset for french fries cooked our fries for 18 minutes, which was six minutes faster than those prepared in the standard oven. The fries were overly crispy, though, with some getting burnt near the ends. The interior of the fries was also fairly dry and bland.
Ultimately, we found that the preset’s temperature and time settings were too high to cook the fries effectively. However, the settings could easily be adjusted to get better results.
Air-frying chicken wings
The oven’s air-frying preset for chicken wings cooked the wings for 23 minutes, which was half the time those made in the standard oven needed to cook fully. The finished wings had a crispy skin with charring in some spots, but the meat inside was still juicy. The oven-baked wings had a somewhat crispy skin, but their interior was noticeably drier.
The flavor of the air-fried wings was better than those from the oven, too. We used the same seasonings for both batches, but the dryness of the oven-baked wings made them somewhat bland.
Air-frying hot dogs
The hot dogs we made in the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven took just eight minutes to cook, 11 minutes faster than those made in the standard oven. The finished hot dogs had a nice crispy skin and a juicy interior, so their flavor was good. We also found that the buns were perfectly toasted and had no burnt areas.
The hot dogs from the oven developed a crispy skin, but they shriveled up and weren’t as juicy inside. The taste was fine, though we found the texture a bit off-putting.
Air-frying Brussels sprouts
With the veggie air-frying preset, our Brussels sprouts cooked for 10 minutes in the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven, a full 16 minutes less than those prepared in a standard oven. The finished sprouts were fairly crispy, but we found they could have used another minute or two to get as crisp as we’d prefer. The interior was tender and, overall, the sprouts were flavorful.
The oven-roasted Brussels sprouts were slightly crispy but not as crisp as the air-fried version. They tasted fine, though they weren’t as flavorful as those we air-fried, either.
Air-frying bacon
The bacon cooked for 11 minutes in the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven, 10 minutes faster than the standard oven. Even though we like our bacon extra crisp, we found it perfectly cooked, with no chewy or burnt areas.
We had similar results with our oven-baked bacon, which was also very crisp. However, the bacon from the oven was incredibly greasy because it sat in its drippings while cooking. The grease from the air-fried bacon dripped from the basket to the tray below, so it didn’t need much blotting afterward.
Other cooking results
In addition to air-frying, we tested the oven’s other cooking functions. We used the Toast setting to toast two slices of bread at the medium darkness level. It took two minutes, and the finished toast had a nice golden brown color.
We also used the Reheat setting to reheat a slice of pizza. The pizza was warmed through and didn’t get soggy or overly crisp, so it was almost like having it fresh. However, it took 20 minutes to heat it because the Reheat setting has a default temperature of 250 degrees. We felt that increasing the temperature to 300 or 325 degrees might speed up the process.
Where to buy the Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven
The Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven regularly costs $299.95. You can find it at Amazon.
How easy was it to use?
The Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven is easy to use, so even those new to using an air fryer oven won’t have much trouble operating it. Cleaning the oven isn’t difficult, either, but some accessories take longer to clean than others.
Controls and display
The air fryer oven features an LCD display and a combination of buttons and a dial to control its settings. It has push buttons for the Defrost setting, the convection fan speed, the interior light, the air-fry presets, the Dual Cook setting and to start and stop the oven. The selector dial lets you move through settings, including function, temperature and time, on the LCD screen, and you can choose one by pressing the dial’s center.
We found the controls easy to use during testing, though it took us a few test runs to master the selector dial. Because the dial is paired with the LCD display, though, we could set precise temperatures and times, which provided better cooking results. The display is also backlit, so we could read it easily while setting the controls and monitoring the food during cooking.
Cooking
Cooking in the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven was pretty straightforward. The trickiest part was figuring out which position the air fryer basket, oven rack or baking/drip pan should be in for each function. Unlike other air fryer toaster ovens we tested, such as the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer, Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro and the Brevile the Joule Smart Oven, the Cuisinart doesn’t have the positions listed on the door. As a result, we occasionally had to consult the owner’s manual to ensure we placed the accessory in the right spot for our cooking function.
The oven’s interior measures 12 inches wide, 11 inches deep and 6.5 inches high. We found this was enough space to easily maneuver the basket or pan when adding or removing food. In particular, we had no trouble taking out food when using a pot holder or oven mitt to handle the hot accessories.
Cleaning
Some of the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven’s accessories are dishwasher-safe, so the baking/drip pan and air fryer basket are quick and easy to clean. On the other hand, the crumb tray and wire rack require hand-washing with warm, soapy water, which can add a few minutes to the cleanup time.
However, during testing, we didn’t have any trouble washing the crumb tray and wire rack by hand. We also wiped the oven’s interior with a clean sponge dampened with warm water and a nonabrasive dish soap. The entire process took about five minutes.
Is this design right for your kitchen?
The Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven has a simple design that makes it user-friendly. It also blends in well with most modern decor, though its size may be an issue for some kitchens.
Look and feel
Unlike other air fryer ovens and toaster ovens, the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven is more square than rectangular. As a result, it takes up less horizontal space on a countertop than other models. Though its 14-inch height makes it taller than other toaster ovens, we didn’t have any issue finding a spot for it in beneath the cabinets in our testing area.
The oven’s stainless steel construction gives it a sleek, modern appearance that looks great sitting out on a counter. It perfectly matched the other stainless steel appliances in our testing area, so it would fit well in many modern kitchens.
The stainless steel materials also give the oven a durable feel that would hold up well to regular use. The accessories all felt sturdy and had a good weight, too, so the air fryer basket and baking/drip pan can withstand daily use and repeated cleanings in the dishwasher.
User experience
Cooking in the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a straightforward process that produces solid results. During testing, we found the controls easy enough to use, but we would have preferred if they consisted solely of buttons rather than the combination of buttons and the selector dial.
The oven has many presets designed to make it easier to operate, but we often had to adjust their preset temperatures and/or times to ensure the best cooking results. With some trial and error, though, we found that the oven produced crisp, evenly cooked foods.
Who is it for?
The Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a versatile countertop oven that air-fries well, so it is ideal for anyone who regularly uses multiple cooking methods and wants to enjoy healthier “fried” foods. It can also replace several appliances, including an air fryer, a toaster oven, a dehydrator and a slow cooker, so it’s a good fit for those looking to maximize space in their kitchen.
How does it compare to other air fryers we tested?
The Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven is smaller than some air fryer ovens we tested, including the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, Breville the Joule Smart Oven and the Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven, so it may fit better in smaller kitchens. However, it can’t hold as much food — both Breville models can accommodate a 14-pound turkey, while the Cosori holds up to a 5-pound chicken. On the other hand, Cuisinart can only fit up to a 4-pound chicken.
The other air fryer ovens we tested were also slightly more versatile than the Cuisinart. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro and the Breville the Joule Smart Oven offer 13 cooking functions, while the Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven supports 12 functions and presets. However, the Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven is the only model with air-frying presets for popular foods like french fries, chicken wings and snacks.
Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven review: Should you get one?
The Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a solid countertop oven that offers plenty of versatility. It also air-fries well, though there is a bit of a learning curve, particularly when it comes to its air-frying presets for french fries and veggies.
It’s also made by a trusted, well-known brand and offers high-quality construction that can stand up well to everyday use. Its capacity isn’t the largest of the air fryer ovens we tested, but it can easily cook for families of three to four.
The Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven isn’t quite the standout that the high-end Breville ovens we tested were, but it costs considerably less. Still, if you’re on a budget, you might balk at its nearly $300 price tag and prefer a more affordable model like the Cosori.