The Best Breakfast Stations, According to Testing

The Nostalgia Retro 3-in-1 Family Size Electric Breakfast Station was the top-ranking breakfast station we tested. It gets extra points for its versatility — you can make coffee while browning bread or pastries in the toaster oven and frying bacon and eggs on the griddle. While this was the largest breakfast station we tested, it was also the most durable.

We loved that the griddle features grooves so grease doesn’t pool, allowing for eggs to get crispier than other models without this design element. This breakfast station also earned high marks for having multiple cooking modes, which makes it versatile. Added bonus: It comes with a reusable coffee filter, a baking tray for the toaster oven and a tempered glass lid to cover the griddle.

The GreenLife 3-in-1 Breakfast Station is small (it looks almost like a toy!) but mighty. Because of the station's petite size, bacon needs to be cut to fit on the surface, but it did crisp up nicely. And the griddle's nonstick properties exceeded our expectations as fried eggs were released smoothly. GreenLife claims the bread drawer can fit two slices, but we were only able to toast one at a time, so it took longer than anticipated to make a breakfast sandwich. (Together, the bacon and egg took only four minutes.)

This pick does have a few downsides: The cool-touch handles work well; however, the appliance itself registered a very hot 180°F during our testing. In addition, you cannot adjust the temperature, and the timer doesn’t go beyond five minutes.

For evenly browned toast, look no further than the Nostalgia Classic Retro 3-in-1 Breakfast Station, which has a two-slot toaster design perfect for slices of bread, bagels or waffles. This breakfast station also features a multifunctional system that allows users to boil eggs or cook them on a griddle with breakfast meats. It even comes with a silicone ring so you can fry up tidy, sandwich-size eggs or make little pancakes. In our tests, we followed the manufacturer's instructions to cook medium-boiled eggs and were pleased with the perfectly jammy yolks.

A couple notes of caution: We don’t recommend using the highest setting for toast (unless burnt bread is your thing), and we suggest cooking only one strip of bacon at a time on the griddle, ideally cut in half or thirds, as this part of the appliance is extremely small and causes fat to pool, which in turn limits crispiness.

If making breakfast sandwiches is your end game, the Hamilton Beach Dual Breakfast Sandwich Maker with Timer is the answer. There aren’t as many cooking options compared to other models we tested, but users can make a delicious, low-effort breakfast sandwich.

It works like this: Place the bottom of an English muffin on the bottom of the cooking device, then layer it with cheese, veggies or pre-cooked breakfast meat; add an egg to the “egg plate” cooking surface and, finally, add the muffin top. Four minutes later, your sandwich (or sandwiches — it can make two at a time!) is ready. There’s a timer so you don’t forget there’s something cooking during the morning rush.

While the West Bend 78500 2 Slice Breakfast Station doesn’t feature a griddle, it does have an impressive option for cooking eggs multiple ways. In our tests, we cooked medium-boiled eggs with consistently favorable results. It also comes with poaching cups, but while the eggs cooked nicely, they were difficult to remove.

The other side of the appliance is a toaster that includes seven browning levels. This breakfast station would be ideal for Airbnbs, giving guests a quick option to make toast and eggs at the same time.