Toaster ovens that stay cool on the outside are essential kitchen appliances for any home, especially homes with little kids or accident-prone adults. Having a toaster oven for cooking is a benefit for any kitchen, and the best toaster oven is one that won’t burn its user.
Toaster ovens get hot when they’re in use, so it’s easy to imagine that the outside might also radiate some of that internal heat. The cooking function in an oven should not lead it to get so hot on the outside that it could cook a meal on its own.
Finding a good toaster oven that stays cool on the outside will make the little countertop oven an even better addition to a home appliance set.
Should the outside of a toaster oven get hot? The simple answer is no. Generally speaking, a toaster oven should not get hot on the outside.
Sometimes, users may notice a little warmth radiating off the toaster oven. However, the outside casing of the toaster oven should never be hot. If it’s hot, there’s likely something wrong with the toaster oven.
There are some different types of toaster ovens out there that are not insulated. A lack of insulation will result in a toaster oven that gets hot on the outside. The door handle will typically stay cool, but the outside of an uninsulated toaster oven may warm up quite a bit during use.
Toaster ovens have a temperature range that’s similar to the standard oven. A toaster oven only warms up to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit on the low end. A toaster oven can get as hot as 500 degrees Fahrenheit on the high end.
Toaster Ovens Can Reach Temperatures of 500 Degrees Fahrenheit or More - Making the Outside of Your Toaster Oven Extremely Hot
With so much heat radiating inside the appliance, it’s no wonder uninsulated toaster ovens also experience some of that heat outside. While it’s not common in all toaster ovens, it sometimes occurs.
The outside of the toaster oven should not usually get hot. Generally, the outer casing of a toaster oven should stay reasonably cool to the touch.
Certain appliances are explicitly made to stay cool on the outside, a vital marketing feature for moving products.
If a toaster oven is not insulated, it may warm up on the outside.
The back of the toaster oven may get warm as well. During use, a significant amount of heating is circulating through the appliance. It’s not uncommon to appear in places like the sides, the top, and the back.
If the plug or the electrical cord on a toaster oven gets hot, users should turn the oven off immediately and unplug it from the outlet. It’s usually a sign that something more serious is wrong with the toaster oven when this happens.
If it’s common for toaster ovens to get hot on the outside, is it challenging to find toaster ovens that stay cool on the outside? Or do all toaster ovens suffer from radiating heat that makes them impossible to touch?
Fortunately, there are plenty of options for toaster ovens that stay cool to the touch. Certain toaster ovens are designed with the outside temperature specifically in mind.
Since appliances that get hot on the outside can pose the potential for injury, especially if young children are around, it’s essential to find a good toaster oven that won’t be a hazard in the home.
A few popular oven brands warn users of how hot the outside of their appliances gets during use. It is always a good idea to be donning oven mitts when using a hot oven or hot toaster oven.
The Breville Smart Oven is one good example. These Smart ovens are incredibly efficient, but the outside and the oven door can get very hot during use.
The Breville marketing team plays no games with the safety of their customers. They make it clear that their toaster ovens are hot to the touch during use.
The Oster toaster oven is another famous oven brand that warns customers of how hot their appliances get on the outside.
We found two cool touch toaster ovens on the market - both by Calphalon - that eliminate the problem of outer casings that heat up and become impossible to touch.
The toaster oven from Calphalon is an expensive toaster oven for some self-explanatory reasons. The team at Calphalon claims their toaster oven will stay up to 75% cooler during use than any other toaster oven.
The only downside of the cool touch oven from Calphalon is that the outer material coating makes it a more significant appliance than usual. That means the toaster oven eats up more counter space.
Using the Calphalon Performance Cool Touch Oven
The Calphalon Cool Touch Air Fry Toaster Oven is another product by Calphalon which also is said to remain much cooler than other toaster ovens. In addition to the normal bake functionality, this air fryer toaster oven combo provides convection oven cooking within the minimal footprint of a small toaster oven. When air frying, a fan circulates the air ensuring even heating reducing overall cooking time.
Not only can it brown your toast more quickly than a regular toaster oven, convection baking also promotes browning and crispier food, making it a great option for cooking food like pizza.
Some homeowners might not realize how handy it is to have a toaster oven around, primarily if the home already benefits from a nice oven. Do people need a toaster oven sitting on the counter when they can just use the big oven option?
Toaster ovens play a different sort of role in the life of a kitchen, which is why it’s so important to find one that stays cool on the outside.
Toaster ovens have many of the same features but on a smaller scale. They’re primarily loved for the convenience they provide. The toaster oven gives great freedom and flexibility to any cook who doesn’t want to go through the hassle of cooking something in the big oven.
You can bake much more quickly than you can in a regular oven because the toaster oven doesn’t take as long to heat up. Your toaster oven will also use less energy when baking smaller meals like a personal frozen pizza.
Toaster ovens have a variety of uses. They cook food just like a traditional oven and typically have various unique features that make them more enjoyable to use.
A kitchen might not need a toaster oven to be considered fully stocked. However, if there’s a toaster oven on the counter, it should stay cool on the outside.
If a toaster oven isn’t staying cool to the touch on the outside, it could indicate something going wrong inside. A malfunctioning toaster oven could lead to more significant issues, like housefires.
The toaster oven is not alone in the world of convenient home cooking. Different toaster oven variations are worth discussing before moving on.
A convection toaster oven operates similarly to a convection oven: using a fan and an exhaust system, the convection oven constantly circulates air around its food to heat the food more evenly. A nice side effect is that convection ovens typically bake food faster than a conventional oven.
The best convection toaster oven has all the features and benefits of a regular convection oven but in a smaller and more contained space. Like an average toaster oven, the convection toaster should not feel hot to the touch on the outside.
One of the key features of most convection toaster ovens is the ability to act as an air fryer. Since it can air fry, a convection toaster oven can replace a traditional convection oven in many respects.
This article deals with toaster ovens and which ones stay cool on the outside, so it’s important to remember the difference between a toaster oven and a standard toaster.
It’s important to differentiate between a toaster oven and a standard toaster. The two- or four-slice toaster that turns bland bread into delicious, crispy breakfast food is a different kitchen appliance.
Standard toasters are more likely to get hot on the outside, or at least warm. They don’t usually stay as cool to the touch as a toaster oven, primarily because they are not enclosed in the same way.
The coils in a standard toaster can heat up to over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. With so much heat coming out of the machine, it’s no wonder that the sides might get a little warm.
Why would anyone want one in their home if a toaster oven could be dangerous? And is it that common for toaster ovens to cause problems in the house?
Any electric appliance in the kitchen poses a slight risk, whether from fire or other potential hazards. So it’s crucial to weigh the benefits of an item before adding it to one’s house.
There are plenty of good reasons to have a toaster oven in the house. Toaster ovens are convenient, easy to use, and even easier to clean.
Cleaning a big oven often requires getting down on hands and knees and scrubbing for hours.
That’s not the case with a toaster oven. The appliance is easy to access and usually makes less of a mess than a big oven.
Finally, toaster ovens typically come with many fun and exciting settings. Toasting, broiling, and air frying are just a few of the many options available.
Any kitchen appliance is going to have notable downsides as well as positives. Some of the negatives of owning a toaster oven include:
It’s essential to pay close attention to kitchen appliances. Even cool-touch toaster ovens can have things go wrong, making them more hazardous to use. Knowing the warning signs of when a toaster oven is failing is vital for safety in the kitchen and the home.
A toaster oven that exhibits these symptoms might need some work:
Almost all toaster ovens will get hot on top, but it depends on the specific model and design. Most toaster ovens have two heating elements, one to generate heat from the bottom, and the other on the top which is used to broil and brown food to make it crispy.
If you’re conducting searches for “cool touch” toaster ovens in the United States at big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot, bear in mind that when you search for “cool touch” toaster ovens, it may only apply to the handle. One would expect that the handles on almost all toaster ovens would be cool to the touch, so this feature is less than inspiring. If you’re looking for a toaster oven with an exterior that doesn’t get hot, Calphalon’s Performance Cool Touch Oven is the only one that we could find on the market.
