Cuisinart TOA-65 Digital AirFryer Toaster Oven

I have been using an Oster 1300W convection bake oven. I was very happy with its convection bake but wanted to replace it with an air fryer / oven unit. I purchased both the Ninja SP101 and this Cuisinart. I cooked the same items in all the ovens at once to perform a direct comparison. I Initially purchased just the Ninja but noticed a significant bake performance downgrade from the Oster it was replacing so added this Cuisinart to the competition. Convection bake: Frozen French bread pizza at 400F. The Cuisinart cooked it perfectly at 6 minutes. The Oster came in second with a perfect pizza after 13 minutes. The Ninja came in last with a disappointing bake after 16 minutes. Air fryer: Frozen chicken nuggets sprayed with olive oil at 400F The Cuisinart created a perfect crisp set of nuggets after 9 minutes. The Ninja created a very good crisp after 14 minutes. Both did an excellent job at air fry, but the Cuisinart crisp was slightly better and it cooked much quicker. So this Cuisinart oven wins by a mile. The Ninja is still a good air fryer if you never touch the Cuisinart. Notes: I ruled out the more expensive Breville due to its low quality air fry and unacceptably slow preheat time. I purchased the Ninja first since it is compact and has a fold up feature to free up some counter space when not in use. That feature is somewhat of a gimmick since you have to lift and move the entire unit to store it. The Cuisinart is significantly taller at 14” vs 8” for the Ninja and 12” for the Oster.

In the first few days I cooked toast, frozen waffles, and tacos. and used it to air fry french fries from scratch, breaded fish patties for sandwiches, chimichangas, and hard-boiled eggs. I had no previous experience with air frying, and I cannot believe how easy this to use, and how easy it is to clean. I keep a sheet of foil on the bottom of the pan, which helps to keep the pan clean, and most often even the foil wipes clean, and is good for many uses. Do not put foil or anything on the crumb tray though. It did take me 3 tries to get my toast the way I like, but it was easy to adjust the settings to make it right for me. It makes great toast, and everything else has cooked great on my first attempt. It is a powerful convection toaster oven, and air fryer with many options to choose from. Please read the manual! The Manual is very good, and you can also download it from the Cuisinart website. Like any new appliance, it takes several times of using the dials and buttons, before it starts to feel normal, and you understand how they all work. Then you can adjust settings to your liking with ease. This is a big improvement from the Breville Smart Oven that I bought. The fan in it went out after 7 years. It was one of the best toaster ovens available when I bought it, but after 7 years of newer technology, it had nowhere near the cooking potential, or quality of this Cuisinart. I don't know why this was so hard to find, as it is not in any of our local stores. Shame on them. However, the box is quite large, and would require a lot of shelf space. I am very happy to have this in my kitchen. It is a very good cooking appliance of high quality. Keeping it clean should make it last for many years.

Love this AF- specifically model Toa-65. I researched for a super long time before purchasing my 1st AF. I’m going to start with cons first because that’s probably what you’re after. Do note, however, that the pros outweigh the cons :) Cons: - Could be bigger or have more racks. However, I do understand that even if it had more racks they wouldn’t all be able to airfry very well at once because in order to achieve the “fry”, the food needs to be very close to heating elements AND the main convection fan- which can really only happen on 1 shelf at a time. This is obviously why many airfryers only have 1 shelf or 1 basket. - It would be nice if the basket & tray could be bigger, but if they did that, the unit would be huge and it’s already big. Overall, this isn’t an issue and it holds more than I expected it to, as you can see from my photos. The roasted chicken was a fresh 2 pack of whole chickens from Costco, to give you an idea of bird size. - Cleaning. Overall, it’s not a big deal. Air fryers are going to be dirty and I accepted that immediately. I don’t fret over keeping it sparkling. You should know that you’ll need to unplug it and clean it once in a while. Bacon grease especially, gets stuck to the fan & ceiling, & over time it smells when it’s being used as a result. So unplug it, tip it & clean it once in a while. This is a bit of a job. - The knob and dial were not intuitive & threw me for a loop for about a day. Once I realized that 95% of the time, I just spin the wheel, push it, spin, push it, push it (push = select/enter) & hit “Start”, I was good to go. I almost always set the time & temp this way- by only using the knob and entering it manually. The pre set buttons are nice and we do use the “Air Fry” button, but generally just the wheel. You very quickly learn that most cooking is done at either 350 or 375 & for only a few minutes. Pros: - Stainless Steel!!! 👏🏻 I don’t want plastic or teflon in my food! This was super important to me because air fryers are HOT and no one needs more chemical carcinogenic junk in their food or air!! - fast. easy to use. After a day or 2 of getting used to it, it’s SO FAST to use. It’s made my cooking time in the kitchen LESS, easier, cooler, & simpler. Less work. Less clean up. No hot oven heating up the house!! - it’s plenty big and I’m super glad I didn’t buy a smaller one. I cook a lot and I almost always cook for leftovers. - Paleo/AIP/Whole30 Dream machine! - Cooks really well. You can bake, hard boil eggs, air fry, roast, dehydrate, proof bread, reheat, toast, bagels, brown, broil, pizza, warm & set a dual-cook. It’s an all-in-one! I’ve even made a poached egg in a ramekin!! (just for fun) - Doesn’t smoke. I am always reading about other AF’s (other brands, shapes, styles) smoking. I have not experienced that at all with this model. - Cooks hot & fast. This is a pro, but at first feels like a con because you have to WATCH CAREFULLY!! - This machine cooks hotter than expected. Turn it down 25° less than you want to, or less than a recipe calls for!! Most of the time I cook at 350-375. Rarely 400 and when that temp is used, it’s BRIEF- just to “finish” or “crunch”, or brown something. Most of the time 375 AF is sufficient. - I’ve heard customer service is excellent, which was also a selling point for me. I haven’t had to use it. - Join the Cuisinart TOA-65 Facebook group once you purchase it! Newbie Tip! * Start at 350 Air Fry. Set the timer for 3 minutes at a time. Turn on the light and check your food. Repeat until it’s desired doneness. Seems silly but this is how you will learn and you’ll catch on fast! If you want it more fried, turn the temp up to 375, 2 minutes. Watch. Repeat. Need more? Try 400, 2-3 minutes. * Buy a few cans of spray/spritz avocado oil. Costco now has a 2 pack, amazon has plenty, and all the health stores. I wouldn’t personally use coconut oil, I think it will be too heavy and smoky. Olive oil works, but isn’t great for you at high temps & doesn't brown as well as avocado. * Do NOT just toss some food in there and turn it to 375 or 400, 10 minutes your first time or IT WILL BURN and you will be disappointed. Invest the time to babysit it and get a good feel for the temps & settings. * Toast- We like our Canyon GF toast on “Toast- Shade 7- 1-2 slices”. You can also air fry toast! Put butter on it first- yum! * Fresh cut french fries- best if you soak them in salt water ahead of time, strain, rinse, and dry well. THEN toss in a bowl w/ spritz’s of avocado oil & seasonings. Wet fresh sliced potatoes don’t make good french fries, regardless of what appliance you use. - Make some sweet potato hashbrowns and thank me later! Overall, LOVE IT. It’s a bit more expensive but totally worth it!!

For a small appliance that costs almost as much as an inexpensive full-size stove, I have to say this has pretty much replaced our oven. With only two of us to cook for, this is the perfect size. This replaces a $100 air fryer. That thing frustrated us because it was too small. It might have sufficed for a single person, but two or more people need more space. As an air fryer it is excellent. If we had a full-size convection oven, we wouldn’t need this. We are planning to use this in our camper. Between this, a stovetop, and a microwave we are pretty much set.

Replacement for smaller model. This one is digital. A bit trickier to program but same results.

Una maravilla de aparato. Ya tenia experiencia previa con una freidora de aire promedio así que ya se como quedan los alimentos en estos aparatos, pero algo nuevo con este horno, sospecho que el control de temperatura y la velocidad del ventilador al igual que el espacio disponible dentro influye mucho en que los alimentos quedan mucho mejor que en una freidora de aire convencional. Observaciones: - Hay que considerar muy bien el espacio, requiere una repisa espaciosa porque viene con "patas" traseras que obligan a guardar la distancia mínima contra la pared para el correcto flujo de aire. - El exterior de la freidora si se calienta mucho, incluso la perilla de control cuando se usan las funciones de horneado (o que encienden las resistencias), hay que tener precaución, el aparato técnicamente debe estar libre de objetos a su alrededores. - He leído comentarios diciendo que es muy ruidosa, siendo sincero he usado una freidora de aire betterware y esa parece que tengo un extractor grande en la cocina por el ruido, comparado este horno es muy silencioso, tanto en su etapa de trabajo como en su etapa de enfriado. - Me preocupa un poco en su diseño el cable eléctrico, no cuenta con la tercera línea a tierra y el calibre del cable lo considero muy delgado, por si les interesa el detallado de mi comentario, el horno (sin muchas especificaciones técnicas en su manual) dice que su potencia máxima nominal es de 1800Watts a 120 volts, significa que consume (120/1800=) 15 amperes, el calibre de su cable de alimentación es de 16 que según especificaciones generales tiene capacidad para 13 amperes , lo que coincide con mi observación al usar el horneado encuentro que el cable de calienta un poco. Como el consumo de 15 amperes nominales en teoría no es constante si no en periodos sospecho que el fabricante quiso aprovechar el umbral entre la resistencia del cable de este calibre para no gastar en instalar un calibre 14 que soporta hasta 18 amperes si los 15 no los estaría consumiendo todo el tiempo, pero presenta mucho riesgo sobre todo si la instalación eléctrica de la que se alimenta tiene problemas. Compare el diseño con una freidora betterware, la cual alcanza los 200 °C con 976Watts y 7.96 amperes, con un cable de alimentación calibre 18 que soporta 10 amperes y cuenta con un forro para proteger el aislamiento, contra este horno de 1800watts que alcanza los 232 °C con 15 amps y un cable calibre 16 que soporta 13 amperes. Lo anterior me llama la atención desde el punto de vista técnico, pero dado que paso las normas de construcción y tiene muy buenos comentarios debe tener algún comportamiento de consumo en especial que le permita trabajar con estas características. Dicho lo anterior, importante que el contacto donde se conecte sea reforzado, pueden comprarlo en cualquier tienda de material eléctrico y tiene la característica de resistir mejor el calor generado por el consumo excesivo, también tomen en cuenta que un contacto tiene como estándar los 15 amperes de capacidad máxima, adicional también les recomiendo con el apoyo de un técnico verificar que los cables estén bien aislados y ajustados, si el cable no esta bien sujeto disminuye el contacto entre superficies y provoca resistencia que se traduce en calor que puede provocar accidentes o dañar su aparato. - Cuando compren accesorios como bandejas, parrillas, etc, validen que soporten mas de 200 °C , compre unas bandejas extra y me di cuenta que al programar 425 °F (218 °C) se doblo el material por la expansión del material, aclaro, esto con bandejas de otra marca, las que vienen con el horno no dan problema. Si recomiendo comprar accesorios, a veces solo necesitamos una parrilla/bandeja pequeña para porciones pequeñas que hacen poco viable ensuciar las bandejas grandes que vienen con el horno. - Si quieren saber si cuenta con algún aislante que haga sello al cerrar la puerta del horno, si lo tiene sobre el mismo marco del horno no sobre la puerta, es un hule gris que debe soportar altas temperaturas, entonces no verán vapor o calor saliendo entre la puerta, solo el aire de su escape trasero. -Importante leer el manual, influye mucho la posición de la parrilla y la función usada con la cocción. -Esto ya es decisión personal, compro la garantía extendida en aparatos que considero que seria costoso si la garantía de fabricante no lo repara o caduca antes de que llegue a fallar, así que por su precio definitivamente prefiero hacer ese gasto extra como precaución extra. Espero les sea de ayuda mis observaciones, en mi opinión el horno es estupendo pero apenas voy conociéndolo pues me falta aprender a usar mas de la mitad de sus funciones.

roasted a chicken in 40 minutes and it was perfect. Keep checking the cook times for frozen items as I've found they cooked in half or less the time suggested.

Es más pequeño de lo que esperaba (pero eso ya es cosa mía, no dimensione bien). Como llego en la tarde solo lo estrene calentando cuernos con la función de bagel. Es muy bonito, incluye sus charolas y al tener varios modos con tiempo programado es "facil" de usar. Quite una estrella porque el panel digital viene en inglés, al menos hubiesen puesto etiquetas en español o la traducción en la guía rápida. Puse una rebanada de queso amarillo para escala.