Cuisinart TOB-40 Toaster Oven Review

The Cuisinart TOB-40 Toaster Oven is the #1 bestselling toaster oven on Amazon as of this writing. It didn’t take me long to figure out why so many people love this particular toaster oven. Cuisinart left off a lot of expensive bells and whistles that most people are never going to use, but made sure that it is rich in must-have features.

This toaster oven makes a great piece of toast, but it does more than just brown bread. You can also cook an entire chicken in it, a pizza, or even a cake and muffins!

Cuisinart created this as a replacement for the TOB-30BW, and in doing so they did an excellent job. They made a unit that is large enough to cook a wide variety of foods, while taking up as little space as possible on your counter.

Exterior Housing Material

The exterior is made of stainless steel. Stainless steel is a popular material for kitchen appliances because it does not absorb dirt. Any smudges or fingerprints that it may acquire are easily wiped off with a damp cloth.

Another advantage of stainless steel is that it doesn’t discolor. You won’t have to worry about the heat from the oven causing it to change colors over time.

Exterior Color

The outside of the Cuisinart TOB-40 toaster oven * is a combination of black and stainless steel, giving the toaster a very modern look.

Cord Length

Cord length is 34 inches

At least one person complained that the cord was too long, but this may have been someone blessed with plenty of kitchen outlets. Those of you who have older kitchens with just a few, possibly even one, electrical outlet will love the length of this cord! If, on the other hand, you are fortunate enough to have plenty of kitchen outlets, you can wrap the excess cord on the cord wrap arms that are located on the back.

Cord Prongs

The cord has three prongs. The difference between two prong and three prong plugs has to do with grounding. A plug with three prongs will protect you from electrical shocks, while two prong plugs won’t. If you have an older home that only has two prong outlets, you will need to get a plug adapter to use this toaster oven.

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Convection

This is not a convection oven. Unless you specifically want either the convection or rotisserie features, you won’t miss them. By not adding these Cuisinart has managed to keep the price very reasonable.

Heating Elements

4 elements

There are a total of four heating elements made of quartz – two on the top and two on the bottom. Having four elements helps heat up the interior quickly, especially when combined with the 1800 watts that power the elements. The placement of the four elements helps ensure that food is heated evenly, and that toast is properly browned all over.

Perhaps the best aspect of the heating elements is that they are nonstick. Heating elements are permanently attached and cannot be removed for cleaning, which means their nonstick exterior ensures that cleaning them will be an easy task.

Rack Positions

There are two types of racks you can use in the Cuisinart TOB-40 toaster oven * – oven and broiling, both of which are included.

There are two places within the oven where you can put the wire oven rack, and there are a total of three different positions you can choose from these two locations.

POSITION A – The wire rack inserted in the lower rack position so that the bottom of the rack is hanging down. Position A is used when cooking or baking things such as pizza, cake, muffins, or chicken.

POSITION B – This is the same as position A, except that you flip the rack so that the bottom is facing up while in the lower rack position. Position B is used to bake foods like nachos, quesadillas, and potatoes.

POSITION C – The wire rack inserted in the upper rack position so that the bottom of the rack is hanging down.. Position C is used to cook things like toast, bagels, and open-faced sandwiches, or for broiling.

Page 6 of the manual says that you should never use glass dishes for broiling, but it does not state why. I also do not know the reason for this, but wanted to make sure you are aware of this.

Rotisserie

The TOB-40 does not have a rotisserie option.

Temperature Range

​150° F to 450° F

There are two types of temperature options on this model:

Toast Temperature – This is the temperature option used when cooking either toast or bagels. You can move the toast temperature knob anywhere between Light and Dark for total toast control. The heating elements will not start on this temperature option unless you press the “Start/Stop” button

Cooking Temperature – This is the temperature option used when either baking or broiling, and it ranges from 150° F to 450° F, then has an additional heat option of “Broil”. The temperature can be set in 50° increments, so you won’t have complete control over your desired temperature. The unit will begin to heat up as soon as you move the cooking function from “Off” to either “Bake” or “Broil”, but will not turn off until you press the “Start/Stop” button.

Unlike some toaster ovens that have just one temperature control, this Cuisinart toaster * comes with two. One temperature knob controls the toast while the other controls cooking.

This might seem odd, but since my toaster oven only has one knob, I think this is in an incredibly convenient feature. By having two separate knobs, you can set your toast temperature and it will remain unchanged when you bake or broil. Think about how nice it will be to dial in on your desired level of darkness for your toast and not having to worry about it changing when you bake. I wish my toaster oven had this feature!

Warming Tray

Although it is okay to use the top of a toaster oven as a warming tray on some models, this is not one of them. There is a vent on top of this unit and covering it might cause damage to the electrical components. The manual specifically states that you should not place anything on top of this toaster oven.

Watts

1800 watts

The 1800 watts of the Cuisinart TOB-40 toaster oven * means that the inside gets nice and toasty when heated. Of the many reviews that I read, more than one person commented about how perfect the toast is with this unit. The 1800 watts ensures that toast is crispy on the outside, but not dry on the inside. In other words, it makes perfect toast!

Watts range on different toaster oven models, and 1800 is on the high end of watts. The higher the watts, the faster your oven will heat up, and the faster food will cook. It also means that the cost of running your toaster oven will be just a bit more per hour than a toaster oven with lower watts. On average it costs about 12 cents per 1000 kilowatts per hour. That being said, the difference between lower wattage and 1800 watts may very well be negligible because this toaster oven won’t be on as long as a lower watt oven because it heats up and cooks quicker.

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LCD DIsplay

There is no LCD display.

Type OF Controls

There are a total of three knobs, each with a rubberized grip for easy turning. The three knobs are:

FUNCTION – This knob has the following settings: Off, Toast, Bagel, Bake, and Broil. If you turn the knob to either Toast or Bagel you will need to press the Start/Stop button that is located underneath the knobs to start heating the toaster oven. If you turn the knob to either Bake or Broil the oven will begin heating up immediately.

TEMPERATURE – The temperature knob allows you to set the cooking temperature. The listed temperatures range from 150° to 450°, and end at Broil. It is a good idea to set your temperature before you turn the FUNCTION knob to either Bake or Broil.

TOAST SHADE – This knob allows you to set how dark you want your toast or bagels, anywhere from LIGHT to DARK. The knob is analog, so you can set it to any location between LIGHT and DARK.

Although some toaster ovens make noise when certain cooking knobs are in use, this model remains silent. You will not hear a ticking sound when using any of the three knobs.

Underneath these three knobs there two additional features:

TOAST/BAGEL START/STOP – Press this knob to start heating up the toaster oven for either toast or bagels, or press it to stop cooking for any of the cooking options. The Toast and Bagel cooking options will stop cooking automatically, while the Bake and Broil options require you to press this button to turn off the oven.

At first I didn’t understand why Cuisinart included two different cooking knobs, but now I get it. Having two separate knobs, one for toasting and one for cooking, is a great benefit! It means that your toast setting is untouched when you cook, so you won’t have to reset the toast option any time you put bread into it.

OVEN IN USE LIGHT – Any time you turn on this toaster oven, the red “in use” light will turn on. This is an important benefit because it allows you to see with a quick look if the unit is on or off.

Number Of Controls

There are three knob controls, giving you a lot of control over what you are cooking.

Digital Or Manual Controls

The controls are manual, allowing you control over each function or setting.

The FUNCTION knob is digital, since you need to choose a specific type of cooking, while the TEMPERATURE and TOAST SHADE knobs are analog, allowing you to set the knob anywhere.

Toast Darkness Adjustment

The TOB-40 has three toast settings: Light, Medium, and Dark. Don’t let that fool you, though. Although there are three settings, you can set the knob to any location in between the settings so that toast is done to your desired darkness.

People have stated in their reviews that this toaster oven is very sensitive to changes on this dial, so you may need to go through a trial and error period before you find the right setting for you.

Preset Cooking Functions

There are no preset cooking functions.

Timer

There is a timer, but it only works when you choose either the Toast or Bagel cooking functions, but it is not a timer in the traditional sense. Instead of allowing you to choose the time to cook toast or bagels, you will instead choose the darkness you want, and the timer will automatically turn off when your desired darkness has been reached.

This is frustrating to some people who want a timer with minutes, but you really don’t need to know how long the toaster is toasting once you understand how the Toast and Bagel function works.

When you cook using the Bake or Broil functions, you will want to use a kitchen timer to prevent overcooking, since there is no timer for these two settings.

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Alarm

The alarm on this model is a high-pitched sound that beeps five times to get your attention when your toast or bagel is done. Multiple people stated that they didn’t like the alarm because it was loud, and that it sounded like a smoke alarm had gone off. You can listen to it in the video listed a little further down.

Automatic Shutoff

The Cuisinart TOB-40 * toaster oven has an automatic shutoff feature, but it is a safety feature, not a timer. Since you are required to manually turn off the Bake and Broil settings, you cannot rely on the automatic shutoff feature for these two types of cooking.

The purpose of the automatic shutoff feature does is to turn off the machine if it is left on for too long. Interestingly, there is nothing about this feature in the manual. I was able to find where someone said he thought that the machine turns off after four hours of use, but I wanted to be sure about this so I contacted Cuisinart. Here is the response I received from Cuisinart about this important safety feature:

“The auto off works when using the toasting function and only for 2hrs and 30min when using the Bake and Broil functions.”

So, according to Cuisinart, if this model is left on, the auto shut-off feature will turn it off after 2 1/2 hours. That is good to know!

Auto-Eject Rack

There is an auto-eject rack that pulls out when the door is opened. If you’ve ever owned a toaster oven that doesn’t have an auto-eject rack, then you will love this feature. The fact that the rack pops out when the door is opened means you don’t have to pull it out yourself and risk a burn in the process.

BPA FREE?

All parts that come into contact with food are BPA free.

*

Crumb Tray

The pull out crumb tray makes disposing of crumbs, grease, and food drippings a snap! Simply pull out the tray and clean it. This might seem like a minor feature, but the alternative is a nightmare. Toaster ovens without crumb trays have bottoms that snap open. That means you have to lug the entire unit over to the sink or garbage can, then precariously hold it while opening the bottom and hoping that all the crumbs have fallen out. If you need to clean the hinged door, it gets even more complicated. With the TOB-40 you can skip all that work, thanks to the humble crumb tray.

Some people state that they place a piece of foil over the crumb tray to make cleaning it even easier than it already is. Do not do this! The instruction manual specifically states on page 2 the following:

“Do not cover crumb tray or any part of the oven with metal foil. This will cause overheating of the oven.“

Additionally, the instruction manual states the following on page 5:

“Caution: Aluminum foil is not recommended for covering the drip pan. Foil is extremely dangerous when broiling fatty foods. Grease will accumulate and may catch fire. If foil is used to cover drip pan, be sure foil is tucked neatly around the pan and does not touch the walls or heating rods. NEVER COVER THE CRUMB TRAY.”

Door

Quite a few people commented on how hot the glass door gets during cooking. It gets hot enough to burn if you touch it, so be sure to keep little hands away from it when in use.

I also came across several people who said that the door became stuck after a while making it difficult to open, and that the glass shattered when they pulled on it to get it open. There were only a few people who had this experience, but it is worth noting so that you are aware of this.

Exterior Temperature During Cooking

According to people who own the Cuisinart TOB-40 toaster oven *, the exterior does get warm to the touch, but does not get so hot that it would burn skin or ignite a towel. According to one user, the exterior stays warm for up to 10 minutes after cooking is finished.

The overall consensus is that the exterior does get warm, but not dangerously so. Many people commented about how this unit feels much cooler than other toaster ovens they have owned. And, of course, the external temperature will be hotter if you are cooking with high temperatures.

You probably already know this, but keep items that are easily melted away from the top and sides, such as plastic bread bags. This is a lesson I have learned the hard way, and I can assure you that it is not fun scraping dried plastic from the sides of a toaster oven.

Handles

There are no handles on this toaster oven. The lack of handles means tou won’t be able to move it unless it is completely cooled off. Having handles makes it easier to move a toaster oven, but as of this writing not one single person complained that there aren’t any, so it must be fairly easy to move without them.

In Use Light

To me, an in use light is a must have feature, and this toaster oven * has one. Having a light that turns on when the toaster oven is in use means that you can see from a distance if the oven is on. When you turn on the oven, a red light also turns on and stays on until the oven is turned off.

Interior Light

This toaster oven does not come with an interior light. Some people are unhappy about this fact, while others don’t care because they don’t feel the need to watch their food as it cooks.

Nonstick Interior

The inside is also stainless steel that has been coated with a nonstick surface. Many consumers raved about the ease of cleaning the inside of the Cuisinart TOB-40 toaster oven, thanks to the nonstick surface. Cuisinart adds in their manual the importance of wiping down the inside top surface to prevent grease and food from building up. Built up food and grease can shorten the lifespan of your toaster oven, so this is good advice to take. Just make sure you let the unit cool completely before cleaning it.

Under Counter Mount

This model cannot be mounted under a cabinet.

Included Accessories

• Wire Oven Rack – This is placed in the center of the oven.
• Broiling Rack – Use this in one of two ways: use it by itself when baking or roasting, or use it with the drip tray when broiling to catch fat that drips down.
• Baking / Drip Pan – Use when baking and roasting, or when broiling food.

Optional Accessories

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The exterior is made of stainless steel, which does not usually need more than a wipe down with a damp cloth. You can help protect the smooth, shiny surface by periodically cleaning it with a spray meant specifically for stainless steel.

It is important to keep crumb tray clean to prevent grease or food fires. The crumb tray pulls out at the bottom, so it is easy to keep it clean. Simply get into the habit of cleaning the crumb tray as part of your kitchen cleaning and your tray will stay nice and clean.

Do not use a metal scouring pad to clean any part of this toaster oven. Doing so can cause pieces of the pad to break off into the unit. If this happens, the metal pieces can touch electrical parts, which can cause an electrical shock.

When cleaning the toaster oven, never use abrasive cleaners or Brillo pads. Doing so will cause scratches that will damage the finish.

When cleaning either the exterior or interior, always make sure the unit is cool so that you do not accidentally burn yourself. Use either a damp cloth or sponge, and place the cleaning agent on the cloth or sponge (NOT the oven), then wipe down the outside and inside.

Any time you cook greasy foods, allow the unit to cool completely, then wipe down the inside top of the oven. This will help keep your oven in proper working order, and will help extend the lifetime of the unit.

Cuisinart created a helpful video of how the TOB-40 toaster oven * works. If you watch to the end you can hear the alarm that goes off when toasting is done and decide for yourself if it is too loud for your ears.

Dimensions: Length 16.29” x Heights 8.86” x Depth 14.63”
Weight: 12.9 pounds

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Duration

Cuisinart offers a limited 3 year warranty for this product.

Customer Support Experience

Several people had to contact Cuisinart for various warranty issues. The overall consensus is that Cuisinart stands behind their products and is an easy company to work with when filing warranty claims.

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• • Even toasting – The heating elements work very well at keeping the heat evenly dispersed within the oven. The result is toast that is evenly browned, and food that is thoroughly heated and cooked.
  • In use light – The red “in use” light tells you immediately if the unit is on or off. When on, the light is lit. When off, the light is also off.
  • Size – Although a few people complained about this model being too big for their kitchens, most people loved the size. They say that it isn’t huge, but fits very nicely on their counter tops. Prevent any surprises by taking the time to use a ruler to measure out the dimensions to make sure it will fit in your kitchen.
  • Easy to clean – People loved how easy it is to keep the inside clean, thanks to the nonstick finish.
  • Feature count – Cuisinart smartly left off fancy (and expensive!) bells and whistles that many people rarely or never use. In doing so they created a powerful cooking machine that meets the needs of most people.
  • Lack of timer – (This may also be a con, see below.) Although some people demand that their toaster ovens have timers for all cooking functions, others prefer that they don’t, such as with this unit. The benefit to not having a timer is that the unit won’t turn off automatically before your food is done cooking. When this happens, the unit will start to cool down and will need to be heated again to the desired temperature before cooking can be completed.
  • Crumb tray – The overwhelming majority of people love how easy it is to remove and clean the crumb tray.
  • External heat – People love that the outside of this toaster oven doesn’t get too hot, meaning that accidental burns are extremely unlikely.

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• • Lack of timer – The lack of an auto shutoff timer for the Bake and Broil cooking functions can be a major turnoff for some people. However, the reason this is also listed under the Pros list is because the lack of a timer means that the heating elements will remain hot until you decide the food is done. You don’t have to worry that the unit will turn off and start cooling down before your cooking is complete.
  • Size – Some people complained that this unit was bigger than they expected. “Too big” or “too small” is relative to your own personal situation, so take a moment to pull out a ruler and measure out how big this is on your counter top. That way you won’t be surprised by how well it does or doesn’t fit in your kitchen.
  • Alarm – There is an alarm that goes off when toasting is done. Several people found it to be rather loud and similar to the sound of a smoke alarm. The benefit of a loud alarm, though, is that you can hear it without having to stand next to the toaster oven to know when your food is done toasting.
  • Glass door – The glass door gets hot enough to burn if touched, though this is common for toaster ovens, and you should never touch the door for any of them. Also, the door shattered for a few people after becoming stuck.
  • Toast darkness – This seems like an odd complaint to me because this machine gives you total control over how dark your toast is, but some people still complained about this. I suspect that they haven’t taken the time to fine tune the toast setting for their desired level of toasting. As I’ve already said, there will be a trial and error process to find your toast sweet spot, so be prepared to end up with a few pieces of overdone or burnt toast before you find it.
  • No interior light – Some people prefer to see food as it is cooking, just as you can with a traditional oven. But unless you like to stand by your toaster oven and watch your food cook, you probably won’t miss this feature.

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If you have done any research on toaster ovens, then you already know that the prices for them can range from less than $50 and up to $500 or more, depending on the features that they have (or don’t have). This particular toaster oven is on the low end of the price spectrum, but don’t let that scare you off. This is a quality kitchen appliance that is made by a reputable company. 

Honestly, I’m not sure how Cuisinart was able to price this toaster oven as low as they made it. The two temperature controls seems like a high-end feature to me, as well as the 1800 watt elements. Given all that Cuisinart put into this machine I would have expected it to cost quite a bit more than it does.

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As I stated earlier, this is the #1 bestselling toaster oven in all of Amazon.com. I’m not sure there is more that I can say regarding the consumer response to this machine, since that fact proves that this is a model that people want. Over and over again people sang the praises of this small appliance, and continue to rate it well.

You can read more about what people have to say here on Amazon: TOB-40 Toaster Oven Reviews *.

Here are the online sources I used to research the Cuisinart TOB-40 toaster oven. You may find additional helpful information by visiting any or all of these sources:

• • Product information on Amazon *
  • Product information on Walmart *
  • Cuisinart Website
  • Product Manual

If you are in the market for a new toaster oven, then the Cuisinart TOB-40 toaster oven is certainly worth looking at. The price is low enough to fit most budgets, yet contains enough features to make most people happy in the kitchen.

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