Black and Decker CTO6335S Toaster Oven Review

Imagine coming home from a long day at work and facing the prospect of putting a meal together. Do you really want to fire up your oven, heating up the entire house in the process and using up a large amount of electricity in the process, to cook a chicken?

Or would you rather cook that same chicken in a toaster oven, faster and cheaper than the oven, while keeping your kitchen cool? If you choose the latter option then I recommend you consider the Black and Decker CTO6335S toaster oven.

This is a toaster oven that is a workhorse and is large enough to cook an entire chicken, as well as anything else that can fit inside. Even better, it includes convection cooking at a very low price, far lowering than the other convection toaster ovens that I have reviewed up to this point.

This is a machine that is for sale exclusively through Amazon.com, and it is an incredibly popular model. It is perfect for people who want to cook meals without heating up their kitchens or who want to save money on their electric bill by using this instead of their large traditional ovens.

Length = 14 inches
Width/Depth = 11 inches
Height = 5.25 inches

The interior dimensions are an approximation. I am waiting for verification of these dimensions from Black and Decker and will update the numbers after I hear from them if any are incorrect.

Food Capacity

Toast Quantity = 6 slices
Bagel Quantity = 4 bagels
Baking Dish Size = 9” x 12” including handles
Pizza Size = 12” pizza
Open-Faced Sandwiches = 1 to 2, depending on size of bread
Chicken Size = Whole chicken

Although you can cook a 12” pizza inside this unit, the wire rack won’t completely support a pizza of this size. The back of the toaster oven has a hollowed out bump that allows you to cook a round pizza, which it does. The problem is that the wire rack that you cook the pizza on is rectangular, not circular, so the part of the pizza that hangs over the back side of the rack will droop down during the cooking process, making a major mess.

The obvious solution is to use a 12” pizza pan, but this may not actually work. One owner said that the 12” pizza pan she tried didn’t fit because she couldn’t close the door when the pan was inside. Another person, however, said that his 12” pan did fit. That makes me suspect that some pizza pans are slightly larger than others when you take the edges into consideration.

So, what can you do? It turns out that there is a way to cook a 12” pizza without making a mess. You can use the bottom of a 10” cheesecake pan, which is both flat and round. The bottom of a cheesecake pan will support your pizza and keep it from drooping, and will result in perfectly cooked pizza!

Weight

15.8 Pounds

The weight of this model does not surprise me given that it is large. It is heavier than many other models but it isn’t overly heavy.

Exterior Housing Material

The color of the exterior is silver with a brushed chrome look. It is a very nice looking toaster oven that will match just about any kitchen’s style.

Cord Length

Cord length is 24 or 36 inches

I am waiting to hear back from Black and Decker about the length of the cord, but I do know that it is either 24” or 36”.

The plug for the cord is a grounded three pong plug.

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Convection

Yes, the CTO6335S toaster oven * has a convection fan. The convection setting works very well which results in faster cooking food, and the fan runs quietly. One reviewer said that it is amazingly quiet!

When using convection cooking you have the option to turn it off during the cooking cycle. This is beneficial because it means you can turn off the fan if foods are brown enough and you don’t want them to burn before cooking is complete.

Heating Elements

4 elements

There are a total of four elements – two on top and two on the bottom. The large number of elements means that the toaster oven heats up quickly and foods cook evenly.

The elements are protected by metal shields, which keeps them from getting food stuck on them. The shields also keep the elements from breaking or cracking from accidental bumps. This is a great feature that Black and Decker has included.

I have not yet been able to determine if the elements are made of quartz or not, but have asked Black and Decker and will update this information when I know more.

Rack Positions

Technically the Black & Decker CTO6335S * has two rack positions. However, the shape of the wire rack is shaped in such a way that it can be used in an up or down position, which gives you a total of four rack positions.

Having four rack positions will ensure better results depending on what you choose to cook. For example, if you need food to be close to the bottom elements you can use Position Four, or if you want to broil food you can use Position One.

Be aware that this many rack positions can be confusing. Personally, I wouldn’t be able to remember the optimal positions for whatever I am cooking and would find myself referring back to the manual frequently, or just keeping it at one or two positions.

Rotisserie

There is no rotisserie option.

Temperature Range

200° F to 450° F for BAKE
500° F for BROIL

You have the option to cook using either Fahrenheit or Celsius. You can easily toggle between either temperature option by pressing the ▲ and ▼ buttons at the same time.

I don’t recommend that you use this model to keep food warm. The lowest temperature may be too high for this purpose, which can result in overcooked food.

Warming Tray

The top is flat and there are no vents on top of the Black and Decker CTO6335S toaster oven *, so you can safely keep plates warm on top during use.

Watts

1500 watts

As far as watts go, the wattage on this model is right in the middle. There are higher end models with watts as high as 1800 models, and lower end models with watts as low as 1200.

What does that mean? This toaster oven * has enough power to completely cook foods and to cook them faster than models with 1200 watts.

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LCD DIsplay

Above the controls is an LCD screen that shows you various information. The display shows you the cooking time and temperature, selected cooking function, convection, and toast darkness.

The screen does have one sizeable drawback – it isn’t backlit nor does it have any type of luminescense. Not having backlighting means that the display is difficult to read. You may need to turn on a light to use this toaster oven.

Type OF Controls

The controls are as follows, from top to bottom:

• • TIMER / TEMP / TOAST – Up and down buttons to increase or decrease the time, temperature, or toast and bagel shade
  • COOKIES – Preset cooking function
  • PIZZA – Preset cooking function
  • FROZEN SNACKS – Preset cooking function
  • POTATO – Preset cooking function
  • TIMER – Button that lets you set the cooking time, up to two hours
  • CONV – Button that turns the convection fan on or off
  • BAKE – Preset baking function
  • BROIL – Preset broiling function
  • TOAST – Button to set shade level for toast
  • BAGEL – Button to set shade level for bagels
  • START / STOP – Button that starts and stops all cooking activities

The controls are located under the LCD display screen. They consist of buttons and I read several complaints about the buttons being hard to press. When I asked for clarification about why they are hard to press I found out that it depends on where you press them. It is easy to use the buttons as long as you press them in the middle. The buttons are long and rectangular, so people have trouble when they press them on the edges.

The buttons get hot when the machine is in use. Not hot enough to burn, but hot enough to be uncomfortable.

Also, the buttons make a loud beeping sound every time they are pressed. This can get annoying to listen to every time you need to input a setting. It does not appear that there is a way to turn off the beeping but I am checking with Black and Decker just to be sure.

Temperature Control Options

Some toaster ovens have separate temperature controls for toast and cooking. Not so with the CTO6335S *. Instead, there are up and down arrows that allow you to choose the temperature or toast darkness.

Having just one set of temperature controls helps keep things simple. You will always know exactly where to look when you need to adjust the temperature for anything you cook in this appliance.

Toast Darkness Adjustment

There are seven different toast shade options. You can set the shade level anywhere from 1 (lightest) to 7 (darkest). The default setting is 4, and this would be a good setting to start with when you first make toast in the Black and Decker CTO6335S *. You can adjust your toast shade accordingly after you know what the middle setting can do.

If you change the toast darkness setting from 4 to something else, the machine has an internal memory that will remember your new setting. The new setting will remain until you either change it again or unplug the machine.

Preset Cooking Functions

There are six preset cooking functions, which Black and Decker calls “One-Touch Cooking Functions”. The preset functions are BAKE, BROIL, COOKIES, FROZENSNACKS, PIZZA, and POTATO:

• • BAKE – Preset to 350 ̊F and 30 minutes
  • BROIL – Preset to 450 ̊F and 20 minutes
  • COOKIES – Preset to 350 ̊F and 12 minutes
  • FROZEN SNACKS – Preset to 400 ̊F and 6 minutes
  • PIZZA – Preset to 400 ̊F and 20 minutes
  • POTATO – Preset to 400 ̊F and 45 minutes
    

This is the first toaster oven that I have reviewed that has a potato cooking function, but it’s a good function to include because baked potatoes are a popular food and they are easy to make in a toaster oven. I’ve made them myself and they turn out delicious!

You can modify the temperature or cooking time for any of the preset cooking functions. The instruction manual says that it remembers the temperature settings for BAKE and BROIL so that the next time you choose either of those options it will “remember” the last temperature used.

Interestingly, according to owners of this model the same is true for all the preset functions. I think this is a great feature and don’t understand why the manufacturer doesn’t promote it.

The oven does a nice job of baking and cooking. Cakes can be difficult to cook properly in a toaster oven, but cakes come out fine in this one. You can cook pretty much anything that will fit inside.

Timer

You can set the timer for up to 120 minutes, which is a generous amount of time for a toaster oven. Unlike spring loaded timers, this one is silent as it counts down to zero.

Setting the timer is not optional. You must set a timer, and if you don’t the machine will automatically set the cooking time to 30 minutes. Black and Decker’s choice for 30 minutes seems odd to me. Why not 10 or 15 minutes? This is how long it takes to cook a variety of foods, such as french fries or chicken nuggets.

The timer changes in one minute increments every time you push the ▲ or ▼ buttons. However, if you press and hold the ▲ or ▼ button it will change in 10 minute increments.

The toaster oven beeps three times when food is done to let you know that the cooking cycle has ended. This is a great feature because you don’t have to stay near the toaster oven to know when it is done.

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Alarm

There is an alarm bell on this toaster oven * that signals when cooking is complete. Just about everyone who commented on the alarm agrees that it is too quiet. The sound is loud enough to hear when you are right next to the machine, but if you are away from it or not paying attention you can easily miss it.

Always On

There is no “always on” feature. I prefer this because it is much too easy to accidentally leave on a toaster oven that has this feature. I’ve done it myself, and it is scary to realize that a toaster oven has been left on for an unknown period of time.

Automatic Shutoff

Every cooking activity automatically turns off when cooking is finished. This is great because it prevents foods from getting burned or overcooked.

Auto-Eject Rack

The rack does not automatically eject. This means that you need to carefully pull out the rack yourself so be sure to use an oven mitt to prevent burns.

BPA FREE?

I have not been able to determine if all parts that come in contact with food are BPA free. I am waiting for a response from Black and Decker about this matter and will update this information after I hear back from them.

*

Crumb Tray

The crumb tray can be pulled out from the front. This is ideal, since it is the easiest way to keep the crumb tray clean. I would never want a toaster oven that has the toaster oven on the bottom or back.

The crumb tray is located under the door. This is a plus because you don’t have to worry about burning yourself on an open door that is hot.

Door

The handle on the door stays cool. It is well placed so that you won’t get burned when opening the door.

Black and Decker failed, though, when they designed the door of the CTO6335S. Unlike most toaster oven doors, they did not connect the door to the body with a spring. This means that the door can slam down onto your counter if you are not careful when opening it.

As long as take care when opening the door you shouldn’t have a problem. But, one moment of forgetfulness and you will hear a loud bang and possibly damage your door.

Exterior Temperature During Cooking

I have yet to see a toaster oven that doesn’t get hot on the outside, and this model is no different. Yes, the exterior gets hot during cooking, but not too hot. Still, the external temperature changes as the internal temps change, so I recommend that you don’t touch the outside until it cools down.

The external heat can also damage walls and the underside of cabinets. Black and Decker says that you should leave space between the back of this model and your kitchen wall, but they don’t say how much space. I suggest a minimum of two inches, more if you think it is too hot.

Handle

There are no handles on this toaster oven. It is fairly light, so handles aren’t really needed. Just make sure you let it cool down before trying to move it so you don’t get burned.

In Use Light

There is an “in use” light above the LCD display screen. The light, when on, is blue. Blue seems an odd choice to me since most indicator lights are red, though I suppose it doesn’t really make a difference as long as you can tell that the machine is on by looking at the light.

Interior Light

There is no interior light inside the Black and Decker CTO6335S toaster oven *.

Nonstick Interior

The interior is coated with a nonstick material. It is easy to keep the inside clean, thanks to the nonstick coating. Use care when cleaning the interior so that you don’t scratch the surface and damage the nonstick coating.

Under Counter Mount

This model cannot be mounted under a cabinet.

Wire Rack Stopper

Neither rack position has a stopper to prevent the rack from being pulled out all the way. This means you need to take care when pulling out the rack so that you don’t accidentally spill the rack and cooked food onto the counter, floor, or your legs and feet. Fortunately, the rack remains horizontal when pulled out and doesn’t tilt down.

Included Accessories

• • 13 x 9 inch Bake pan
  • Drip pan with broiler insert
    

Optional Accessories

There are no additional accessories made specifically for this model.

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I was unable to find a video that shows off the various features of this toaster oven.

Dimensions: Length 22.8” x Height 15.5” x Depth 13.4”
Weight: 15.8 pounds

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Duration

The warranty for the Black and Decker CTO6335S is two years. Most toaster oven warranties last for just one year, so this is a nice warranty length. As is common with just about every warranty I’ve seen, you are responsible for shipping a defective unit to Black and Decker, as well as return shipping for the repaired or replaced unit.

Customer Support Experience

A small number of the reviews that I read for the Black and Decker CTO6335S * toaster oven were from owners whose machines stopped working before the warranty ended. Although these owners complained about the machines, they didn’t say if they contacted Black and Decker for warranty support.

I would like to encourage everyone to always contact a manufacturer when a product fails early, or even just outside the warranty period. Give the manufacturer a chance to do the right thing instead of just complaining.

That being said, Black and Decker has an excellent reputation as a company. They also monitor the comments and reviews for their products, including this one, and actively apologize for any problems, as well as direct people to the proper place for getting help. I am confident that Black and Decker will honor their warranty based on what I have seen in their responses to complaints.

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• • Easy To Use – The controls are intuitive and easy to use
  • Heating Elements – There are four elements for better interior heating and even cooking, as well as shields for each element to protect them from cracks, breaks, and food
  • Convection Cooking – Cook food faster and at lower temperatures with the convection cooking option
  • Timer – The timer can be set for a generous 120 minutes
  • Preset Cooking Functions – Choose from the six preset cooking functions to start cooking fast
  • Crumb Tray – The crumb tray is located on the front, under the door, for easy removal and cleaning
    

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• • Door – There is no spring attaching the door to the body of this machine which can cause it to slam down onto your counter
  • LCD Screen – The display screen isn’t backlit so it is difficult to read without external lighting
  • No Auto-Eject – The rack does not automatically eject, which means you need to pull it out yourself
  • No Rack Stopper – The rack can be pulled out completely from the interior of this machine because there is no stopper
  • Alarm – The alert sound is too quiet to get your attention unless you are focused on it

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I am not the only person who thinks the price is fair. Many owners love the price, and several went so far as to say that it is a bargain!

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Based on what I wrote above about the price of this model, I doubt you will be surprised to learn that the majority of ratings and reviews for the CTO6335S toaster oven are positive. As of this writing there are over 120 reviews for it on Amazon, and 109 of them are 4 or 5 star reviews. That means there are just over 10 reviews that are 1, 2, or 3 star reviews. That’s impressive!

Here are the most helpful online sources I used to research the Black and Decker CTO6335S toaster oven. You may find additional helpful information by visiting any or all of these sources:

• Product information on Amazon *
• Black and Decker Website
• Black and Decker CTO6335S Instruction Manual

I was pleasantly surprised to learn how well this convection toaster oven works given its price of less than $100. The next least expensive convection toaster oven is the Oster TSSTTVMNDG *, which costs over $100. The convection fan works well and food cooked in this model turns out great.

Of all the cons for the Black and Decker CTO6335S toaster oven, the only one that would potentially keep me from buying this model is the fact that the display screen does not have any type of illumination. However, if you are willing to overlook this flaw, then you may end up loving this toaster oven as much as current owners do. It is well priced and full of great features, the best of which is the inclusion of convection cooking.

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