Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven Review: The Ultimate Kitchen Multitasker

When it comes to toaster ovens, our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute have tested over 40 models in recent years. We also know a thing or two about air fryers: We've tested 50 models and counting. So, when it comes to identifying top-performing air fryer toaster ovens, we know which functions and qualities to look for.

That brings us to the TOA-70 air fryer toaster oven from Cuisinart, an 8-in-1 appliance. It can toast and air fry, but this latest model can also bake, grill and more. The multi-use toaster oven is a favorite of GH Institute Director Nicole Papantoniou, who has personally tested more than 20 air fryer toaster ovens and uses this model in her own home for cooking and reheating. "It's fast and powerful, perfect for making evenly cooked toast or personal-sized baked ziti," says Papantoniou. It was also a top performer during our most recent round of Lab testing, which I conducted alongside 11 other models.

Outside of formal testing, I've also been reaching for the TOA-70 to prepare lunch because I know that whatever I cook or reheat will be crisp and juicy. During the week, I might quickly air-fry a few pieces of frozen fish for my midday meal, which allows me to get a crispy golden crust while still keeping the inside juicy and moist.

Cuisinart TOA-70 Toaster Oven

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Pros

• Fast and powerful
• Preheats quickly
• Easy to program
• Cooks evenly
• Includes many accessories and cooking options

Cons

• Strong fan and extra heating element may be too powerful for delicate foods
• Timer dial isn't precise
• Not dishwasher safe

Functions	Toast, Broil, Bake, Warm, Air Fry, Grill, Convection Bake, Convection Broil
Capacity	.6 cubic foot (brand claims large enough for 6 slices of bread, a 12 inch pizza, as well at up to 3 pounds of wings)
Accessories	Oven rack, baking pan, air fryer basket and grill tray
Dimensions	12.25" x 15.75" x 13.75"

The Cuisinart TOA-70 air fryer toaster oven can toast, bake and warm — the same functions as standard toaster ovens. It can also grill, air-fry, broil, convection bake and convection broil. What makes this air fryer toaster oven different from others is that it's structured like a standalone air fryer. The large, powerful fan and additional heating element (which are both located at the top), create the atmosphere needed in an air fryer. The combination creates heat from the top down and gets extremely hot, like an air fryer. Yet, it still has heating elements on the bottom, like a standard toaster — essential when baking and toasting.

Each toaster oven comes with an oven rack, baking sheet that doubles as a drip pan and crumb tray. You'll also find an included air-fry basket and grill plate, which doubles as a griddle plate when flipped. "Using the grill plate and grill setting, I made salmon filets that turned out flaky and moist," says Papantoniou. "The skin on the underside was nice and crisp while the top produced a beautiful golden color along the edges. The grill marks were very light but still visible."

Unlike comparable models of its size, and even the prior model from the brand (Cuisinart TOA-65), you'll find that the TOA-70 doesn't have any fancy screens or display pads, just dials (which we will take a deeper dive into in the what we like and what we don't section). At the very top of the oven, you can find the four dials where you can adjust the time, which goes up to 60 minutes with 10-minute intervals, temperature that goes up to 450°F, the function dial and finally the toast settings with the standard light, medium and dark options. Alongside the four dials, you'll see a button that controls the interior light, which is bright enough to help keep a clear eye on your meals while cooking.

What makes a toaster oven stand out from the rest is easy-to-wash, dishwasher-safe accessories. For this particular model from Cuisinart, that isn't the case. According to the brand, all accessories should be washed with hot water and dish soap. When hand washing the accessories, I found it tricky to clean the tray and air-fry basket depending on what was cooked. Some foods left little residue, like French fries, while other foods, like chicken wings, would sometimes stick to the basket, requiring additional scrubbing to release the debris.

I noticed that this oven can get dirty quickly, which could be attributed to its strength, causing splatter inside the oven, especially when air frying or cooking greasy foods. To prevent baked-on messes, we recommend giving the oven a wipe down with a wet cloth once it has cooled.

What we liked about the Cuisinart TOA-70 air fryer toaster oven

• Fast and powerful: Reheating and cooking goes by quickly with this model. The additional heading element allows the toaster oven to get hot quickly and cooks food faster than traditional toasters.
• Easy to program: For cooks who like simple dials and don't require fancy bells and whistles that most modern kitchen appliances feature like LED screen and app connectivity, this toaster is ideal for you. The knobs are easy to turn and the labels are clear to read — no muss, no fuss.
• Cooks evenly: When cooking meats specifically, I noticed that there was an even crisp and color. When making a whole three-pound chicken using convection bake, the meat was juicy and the skin was an even golden brown, though one small section that was closest to the heating element got slightly darker. When air frying chicken wings and fries, I was left with crisp and delicious results with a beautiful golden color.

• Too powerful for certain foods: While power is a good thing, it is best to keep an eye on your food when cooking, especially when using this model for the first time. Since it has an additional heating element inside, foods can cook much more quickly than anticipated. To combat the strength, try air frying at a slightly lower temperature than you’re used to and check on your dish a bit sooner than normal.
• Dials aren't precise: Since this model uses dials for controls instead of a digital display, getting a precise time and temperature can be tricky.
• Not dishwasher safe: The included accessories for this model have to be hand washed with water and soap, which can be difficult especially when cleaning the air-fry basket as food tends to get stuck.

If you're in need of a countertop appliance that can tackle multiple tasks and saves space in your kitchen, this one is worth it. The powerful toaster oven produces crisp air-fried foods that are comparable to deep frying. The grill pan allows you to get a nice crust when grilling, and the toasting function gives you evenly browned toast made to your liking.

It is priced at a little over $200, which isn't cheap, but compared to other models of similar size and function, you'll find value in this particular oven because of all its functions and versatility.

What I personally like most about this model is how simple it is to use; just turn the dials to your desired setting and your cooking has begun. While I love a cool tech-friendly kitchen gadget, the TOA-70 performs each function well and is straight to the point. Plus, it doesn't hurt that it makes wings that taste deep-fried without the oil and mess.

In our most recent round of toaster oven testing, experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab scored each oven on the following criteria:

• Toast the maximum amount of bread that can fit in each toaster oven using different settings to measure the evenness of browning and rate of timing
• Bake a yellow cake to measure how evenly it cooks on the top and underside as well as the cake texture
• Cook frozen pizza to evaluate the crusts texture and doneness, as well as the evenness of the cheese once melted
• Broil a strip steak to evaluate power and evenness of cooking
• Roast a whole three pound chicken to monitor cook time and how well it browns
• Air-fry fresh chicken wings and frozen French fries to see how well they crisp, evaluate browning and overall moistness.

Over the years we've tested many models including the Smart Oven Pro, a popular model from Breville that has similar functions which we did a full review on.

Additionally, we tested other models from Cuisinart that also performed well when it comes to air frying and toasting. The TOA-65 is an older model from Cuisinart that is comparable to the model that we most recently reviewed. It has 10 functions and features a display screen which is ideal for getting a precise temperature. The TOB-260-N1 Chef's Toaster Convection Oven from the brand is another that we've tested in the most recent round and love how easy it is to follow and use the functions, which is ideal for novice cooks.

Raena Loper is a freelancer writer and product analyst at Good Housekeeping. She has conducted tests for food storage containers, pressure cookers and more, all overseen by experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute. In the most recent test, she worked alongside Nicole Papantoniou conducting tests on 12 toaster ovens.

Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she's spent the last five years overseeing and testing for all kinds of kitchen gadgets, from ranges and grills to slow cookers. She is trained in classic culinary arts and before joining Good Housekeeping, she worked at kitchen appliance companies to create and test recipes made for popular air fryers and ranges.

Raena Loper

Contributing Writer and Analyst

Raena Loper (she/her) is a fashion journalist and product analyst based in New Jersey whose work has appeared in Forbes, Good Housekeeping and O, The Oprah Magazine. Raena is a graduate from Montclair State University where she earned a degree in fashion studies as well as gender, sexuality and women's studies. In her free time, she enjoys sewing, cooking BBQ and spending time with family. 

Reviewed byNicole Papantoniou

Kitchen Appliances Lab Director

Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.