Black & Decker CTO6160 Toaster Oven with Convection Cooking

For some reason, toasters and toaster ovens have always been a big topic of conversation in my family.  Growing up, traditionally, my grandparents bought my parents a new toaster oven each year for Christmas, since we used it day in and day out and tended to wear them out rather quickly.  Now that my parents are empty-nesters they do not go through these appliances as quickly, but they do usually need a new one every other year or so.

My husband grew up with having only a toaster, and to this day, my mother in law cannot see any point in having a toaster oven in her kitchen.  If she wants to warm up one slice of pizza or a small amount of something, she just turns the regular oven on, if it is not something that can be put into the microwave.  Of course, sometimes the oversized New York bagels are a tight squeeze in her pop-up toaster, but she does not seem to mind.

For me, the toaster oven is an extension of my regular oven where I can bake a small batch of cookies, reheat something for dinner, and of course, make toast.  Right about the time my last toaster oven began showing signs that it might not make it too much longer, I saw the Black and Decker CT06160 Toaster Oven with Convection Cooking on sale for $49.99 and purchased it.

This toaster oven has a footprint of about 18" wide and 14" inches deep and stands about 12" tall and what I liked best about it is that it has two racks.  Each one slides in and out easily and has feet so that they can be turned upside down to be closer or further away from the heating element, or to allow for a taller cooking dish. 

This toaster oven has a "pizza bump", which is an oval indentation in the back of the oven which allows a 12" round pizza to fit inside.  In addition, it advertises that you can cook a whole chicken in this toaster oven, but I am very happy that I can toast up to twelve slices of regular sized bread at the same time by using both racks.  Each year, we have a few people over for a light Christmas morning breakfast, and this year, there was very little time wasted waiting for bagels to be toasted since six could be put in at one time.

Most of the toaster ovens that I have had in the past have had one knob for oven cooking and a separate button to press for toast.  However, to use any cooking method with this one, a combination of knobs has to be turned.  The top knob is for temperature control, the middle one is to choose the function and the bottom one is labeled "toast/timer".

To bake something, turn the temperature knob to the desired temperature, set the function knob to the one labeled "bake/conv bake" and then set the bottom knob to time your food up to an hour, or set it to "stay on". Just like baking with a standard oven, this one should be preheated for about eight minutes before putting food inside.

A button below all of three knobs can be pressed if you want to choose convection cooking for your food, which uses a fan to circulate heat inside of the oven consistently.  I generally use the convection option when I am cooking a lot of food so that the heat is distributed around more evenly.   It is suggested that you lower your temperature by twenty-five degrees if you are cooking with the convection oven option.

Broiling foods in this oven is easily done as well by turning the top two knobs to those that say broil and the bottom one to either "stay on" or to a specific amount of time.  A broil rack and drip tray/bake pan are included with this toaster oven.

To use the toast function, turn the top knob to "toast/broil", turn the middle knob to "toast" and the bottom knob to light, medium or dark.  This is a big change for my family, as all of our previous toaster ovens simply had an indicator for how dark to make the toast and a button to push to begin the toasting cycle.  It took us few days before we got the hang of making sure all three knobs were turned to the correct location to simply toast bread.

My only minor complaint about this toaster oven is that the indicator light is not very bright. A blue light on the control panel shines when it is on, but during the day, it can be difficult to see in my very sunny kitchen.  Whenever the timer is used to cook food or the toast cycle is chosen, a signal bell will ring when it is completed.

Cleaning this toaster oven is very easy.  Always unplug it first, and then the glass door can be cleaned with a sponge and sudsy water, and the instructions indicate that a glass cleaner should not be used.  The two racks are easily removed and can be washed in the dishwasher if you so choose, and although the instructions do not say the same for the bake pan and drip tray, I have always put mine in the dishwasher for all of my toaster ovens.   Close the door and simply pull out the crumb tray to dispose of any crumbs before wiping it down with a damp cloth.  Be sure all pieces are dry before replacing them in the toaster.  The outside of this appliance can be wiped down with a damp cloth or sponge.

We have been using this Black and Decker CT06160 Toaster Oven with Convection Cooking for a few months now and have had no problems with it.  It gets used daily to toast bagels and waffles for breakfast, reheat the previous evening's meal for lunch, and then to bake macaroni and cheese or make baked potatoes for dinner.  It even helped us on New Year's Eve by cooking some of our hot appetizers, while other food was in the oven.  I have quite an abundance of trays, since I always save them when throwing out a broken toaster oven, and two of the smaller trays will fit side by side, if turned lengthwise, to accommodate more food.

I have no complaints about this appliance, and even if I had to pay the full price of about seventy dollars, it would have been worth it for the larger capacity that it holds.  I have been purchasing Black and Decker toaster ovens for many years, and have always been pleased with them.  This one is no exception.