The Cuisinart TOA-26 Compact Airfryer Toaster Oven Review 2023

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Cuisinart is manufacturing small kitchen appliances for more than 5 decades. And still, they are winning users’ hearts with dependable kitchen gadgets. From small cutlery to hefty countertop ovens, you can find everything from Cuisinart Brand.

But today we are not here to talk about any hefty oven but rather a compact one. Talking about the Cuisinart TOA-26 Compact Airfryer Toaster Oven. It is the smallest air fryer oven from the brand but big in tasks.

Yes, we admit because of its compact size it’s not meant for everyone. Especially if you have a large family to feed and want to make meals in large batches.

But if your current living position doesn’t support a large countertop oven, this cute little thing can be your best buddy. Besides, you can also use it as your secondary oven just for making snacks.

You can easily air fry 2.5 pounds of crispy fried food or fit 4 slices of bread in one go. And that is perfect for making a two-person dinner. But don’t just stop at air frying. Its six different cooking function such as Bake, Broil, AirFry, Toast, Pizza, and Warm allows you to do much more than that.

So if your aim is to buy a compact oven, let’s explore the benefits and drawbacks of the Cuisinart TOA-26 Air Fryer Oven, and find out if it’s really worth your money.

Pros of Cuisinart TOA-26 Oven

Impressive design
Affordable price
Compact footprint
6 different cooking functions
Able to AirFry up to 2.5 lb of food

Wide temperature range (up to 450F)
Toast shade selector timer
Sturdy construction
Nonstick Easy-Clean Interior
Limited 3-Year Warranty

Cons of Cuisinart TOA-26 Oven

Accessories are not dishwasher safe
Analog turn dial controls
You need to flip the food halfway through cooking for even results
It’s a compact air fryer toaster oven, therefore you can’t cook in large batches

Design of Cuisinart TOA-26 Oven

The first thing you will notice about Cuisinart TOA-26 Air Fryer Oven is its unique design. In fact, most Cuisinart Oven features the same matty silver color finish, making them stand out from the rest of the countertop ovens.

The oven looks super sleek and at the same time cute for its compact size. And no matter, what your kitchen decoration is, this beauty can blend into any modern kitchen decor perfectly.

Another distinguishing feature of the Cuisinart TOA-26 is its analog control panel with three different turn dials. Using the turn dials you can change cooking functions, temperature, and toast settings.

We know, digital control panels are much better than analog ones. However, this analog control panel makes operating the oven super simple and straightforward.

By the way, if you are not up for an analog control panel, you can check out the Cuisinart TOA-95 Large Air fryer Oven review.

Next, the Cuisinart TOA-26 model also features a cool-to-touch handle. Therefore, you won’t burn your hand ever. However, don’t forget to use oven mittens when taking out the food.

Better yet, when you open the oven door, the oven paused the cooking automatically and starts again after closing the door.

Altogether, the Cuisinart TOA-26 feels highly premium and state-of-the-art machine you can find.

Is Cuisinart TOA-26 Oven Easy to Use?

Because of the analog control panel, the Cuisinart TOA-26 may seem intimidating at first sight. But rest assured, it’s rather more straightforward than it looks. Even if you are a beginner, you will get used to it in no time

Cuisinart TOA-26 Air Fryer Toaster Oven has three turn dials for different functions. The first one is for selecting cooking programs. You can change between six different cooking functions with pre-set time and temperature.

But don’t worry you can also change the temperature settings using the second turn dial. Cuisinart TOA-26 has a wide temperature range (up to 450) to use different cooking functions.

Furthermore, the third turn dial allows you to select the toast settings ranging from Light, Med, and Dark. This function comes in really handy if your family members have different toast darkness preferences.

Here’s more, the Cuisinart TOA-26 has an efficient heating element. Therefore, it can crisp up your meals within a short time.

Now for cleaning, there’s bad news. Because the included accessories are not dishwasher safe. However, the accessories are also very compact, so it won’t be a hassle to clean them manually. But the interior of the oven is easy to clean and maintain.

What Can You Make with Cuisinart TOA-26 Oven?

The Cuisinart TOA-26 has six cooking functions to help you prepare the most delicious meals for your family. Here are the functions of this appliance:

AirFry
Cuisinart TOA-26 excels at any air frying recipes. You can try out any air fryer recipes using this oven up to 2.5lb. Air-fried food in this oven turns out wonderful with a crispy top and juicy inside. The most famous air-fried recipes are french fries, chicken wings or nuggets, or any other frozen snacks.

Convection Bake
The bake function uses convection heat to cook food. You can use this function for delicate recipes like cupcakes, cakes, or pastries. But don’t just stop there, because try out any baked recipes with this nice little oven.

Convection Broil
If you want a golden brown top on your casserole recipe or want to melt some cheese on your baked recipes, this function will come in handy.

Toast
This function is self-explanatory. You can toast bread or bagels with three different toast darkness levels.

Pizza
Homemade pizzas are nothing but a delight. That’s why the Cuisinart-26 oven comes with a separate pizza function.

Warm
After cooking any meal, you can keep it warm until you are ready to serve using this function.

*Video Courtesy Cuisinart

What are the Accessories of the Cuisinart TOA-26 Oven?

Cuisinart TOA-26 Air Fryer oven offers all the necessary attachments.

Along with the 1800 watts base unit, this appliance offers a basket,

baking pan, oven rack, and a drip tray.

All the attachments are made of durable stainless steel materials. Plus, they are easy to clean up manually. However, attachments are not dishwasher safe.

How to Clean Cuisinart TOA-26 Oven Properly?

As Cuisinart TOA-26 is a compact oven, maintaining this oven is relatively easy.

Here’s how it goes:

Firstly, ensure that the oven is unplugged from the power outlet and completely cool.

Then wipe the exterior with a clean, damp cloth and dry thoroughly. Next is cleaning the interior walls. Use a damp cloth and a mild liquid soap to wipe off any grease and food residue. Most of the food residue will be on the drip tray. So cleaning the interior wouldn’t be a hassle.

Lastly, wash the Air Fryer Basket and Baking tray. These aren’t dishwasher safe. Therefore, they should be hand washed with a soft soapy sponge. After that rinse them under running water thoroughly.

Now you are good to go for the next batch of cooking.

Is Cuisinart TOA-26 Oven Worth Buying?

The Cuisinart TOA-26 Oven is undoubtedly a fantastic choice for a compact countertop air fryer oven. It’s sturdy, easy to use, and most importantly it delivers top-notch performance. Plus, it’s quite affordable compared to its other large siblings.

But does it worth your money!? The answer solely depends on your need. If you want a great countertop oven without sacrificing space then yes, the Cuisinart TOA-26 Oven is the perfect appliance for you.