Cuisinart vs Breville Toaster Oven (2022): Which Brand Should You Go With?

Large and clunky conventional gas ovens used to be the only way to reliably cook and heat food at home without using a stovetop. Thankfully, with the technological advancements that came with time, compact countertop ovens that can do several things for you are more common than ever. Nowadays, toaster ovens are some of the most versatile appliances a kitchen can have: it can toast bread, reheat leftovers, and even bake smaller food items (if your oven’s capacity can handle it, of course).

Two of the most well-known brands on the food appliance market are Cuisinart and Breville. This article focuses on some of their best toaster oven options, but both companies sell appliances beyond ovens that make kitchen work much easier. You can be sure that both the Cuisinart TOB-260-N1 and the Breville BOV800XL are good choices, but which one is better for you? Keep reading to see how their design, function, and other aspects compare.

Cuisinart TOB-260-N1 vs Breville BOV800XL Comparison Chart

Design

Both steel-finished toaster ovens would fit in a modern, sleek kitchen.

The two toaster ovens both look modern and sophisticated, with a utilitarian stainless steel finish that looks good and cleans easily. The Cuisinart is more angular, compared to the Breville’s bevels. With this conscious design choice, both would fit in great in your kitchen. Cuisinart’s oven is a little bigger compared to its Breville counterpart, which will affect cooking performance and its placement in your kitchen, so take note. The difference in size definitely affects the ovens’ capacity: the Cuisinart has a capacity of 27L, which is considerably bigger than the Breville’s 22.7L.

In terms of controlling the temperature, both have digital displays available for easy reading and adjustment. However, the Breville is more reliant on rotary dial knobs compared to the Cuisinart, which uses more buttons instead of knobs. This makes the Cuisinart marginally easier to clean and maintain, though it may not be as easily repairable as the Breville’s dials if it breaks. The digital displays on both ovens are blue; however, the Breville’s screen changes colors to orange when it’s active. Both also have timers and an automatic shutoff feature.

Cooking Functions

The two ovens do far more than just toast bread.

Though they’re called “toaster” ovens, these two models can do more than just toast bread. They still do that job perfectly, though: the Cuisinart can fit around 9 pieces of toast at a time in a single layer, while the Breville can fit 6 (as seen above). Frozen pizza is also no problem for either oven, which can easily fit a 13-inch pie. Since they’re convection ovens, they function by pushing hot air around in the oven using the built-in fan. Heat can easily be monitored, thanks to the 5 quartz heating elements present in both ovens.

The two ovens still have distinguishing features. The Breville boasts its Smart Element iQ system that uses the quartz heating elements to provide precise, stable heat at any setting. The Cuisinart, on the other hand, has two different convection settings available aside from the 15 cooking functions that earns it its “Chef’s Convection Oven” label. Aside from the conventional convection setting, the Cuisinart also comes with a Speed Convection setting that allows you to use it without requiring any pre-heating.

Another notable feature that the Cuisinart has is its dual cook function, allowing you to run two cooking functions at different temperatures consecutively. This is particularly useful for dishes that may need slow cooking then a quick, high-temperature sear to lock in juices. Aside from these features and their sizes, the two models from Cuisinart and Breville are almost identical.

Ease of Use and Maintenance

Multiple use appliances have never been this easy to handle and maintain.

Both the models are quite easy to use. Thanks to the relatively large digital displays, tracking the remaining time and current settings are simple tasks. All the dials and buttons are also labelled clearly, so there’s not much room for error. If you’re looking for accessories to help you prepare certain dishes, both packages come with additional useful tidbits. The Cuisinart includes oven racks, a drip pan, a broiling pan, a removable crumb tray, and a pizza stone. The Breville, on the other hand, is relatively spartan with just a pizza pan, a baking pan, and a broil rack.

Regardless of which model you go for, the stainless steel ovens are easy to clean. If anything goes wrong with your oven of choice, you can also rest easy since they’re both protected by warranties from their respective manufacturers. The Breville oven is protected for up to a year, while Cuisinart offers a significantly longer warranty at three years.

Verdict

The Breville’s only edge is it’s space-saving.

For those who are looking for a more compact countertop oven, the Breville BOV800XL is for you. Its 10 cooking functions give you just enough options to cook a wide variety of dishes quickly and consistently. It can fit anything from six pieces of toast to a whole chicken, so don’t take its smaller size as a disadvantage. The Element IQ feature also ensures that your food won’t get burnt, ensuring perfectly cooked dishes every time.

If space isn’t an issue, though, you should go for the Cuisinart TOB-260-N1. Its larger capacity means that it can fit more and bigger ingredients without sacrificing its advantages as a countertop appliance. It also has more cooking functions (15 compared to Breville’s 10). Its most distinct advantage, though, is the dual cooking function that allows you to queue two functions, allowing your food to go from slow cooking to intense heat without much adjustment needed. It doesn’t hurt that its warranty is longer, too.

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