Black+Decker TO1303SB Toaster Oven Review

The Black+Decker TO1303SB Toaster oven is a budget option that will still meet your cooking requirements. With a weight of only 7.5 lbs and outside dimensions of 14.5″ x 8.8″ x 10.8″, it is a compact design that is perfect to place on your countertop with its stylish black and stainless steel exterior.

If you need to quickly cook something in a hurry, there is no need to heat up your conventional oven. This 1200W toaster oven has a temperature scale from 200º (F) to 450º (F), so once you turn your toaster oven on and the ready indicator light is showing, you are ready to cook a wide range of different meals and snacks.

Even for such a small toaster oven, it is efficiently designed. It can fit up to 4 slices of toast, and with it’s curved interior, it can easily fit a 9″ pizza as well. It has four functions, being baking, broiling, toasting, plus a warm function, which will meet just about all your cooking needs.

It also has a manual 30 minute timer dial, but also includes a stay-on function that lets you bake for as long as you need. The door size is 6″ x 11″, with a large glass window, so you can keep an eye on what you’re cooking and ensure it’s made to perfection.

The toaster oven has two heating elements, one on the top and one on the bottom. Black+Decker boast that it includes “EvenToast” technology, where the interior has been specially designed to toast 4 slices evenly at the same time.

Accessories

To keep your toaster oven clean and minimise any leftover food debris burning, it has a removable crumb tray. It also comes with a bake pan and broil rack that fits perfectly and securely inside the toaster oven interior for optimal cooking.

When you do need to clean the racks/pans, be aware that only the slide rack is dishwasher-safe. You will need to wash the crumb tray and bake pan by hand in warm, soapy water. To minimize scratching, it is best to use a polyester or nylon pad.

If needed, you can also purchase replacement parts for the various selector knobs, crumb tray, bake pan/drip tray and the slide/broil rack.

Important Things To Remember When Using The TO1303SB Toaster Oven

AS with all cooking appliances that can reach high temperatures, it is important to use your toaster oven as per the manufacturer’s instructions.

For the Black+Decker TO1303SB toaster oven, be sure that any food or baking dishes placed inside do not come within 1 ½ inches of the top heating element.

Once the slide rack has been inserted, the internal dimensions of the toaster oven will be approximately 10.5″ wide, 8.5″ deep, and 3″ high. Therefore the height of the dishes you can use will be limited by this.

Also, food should not extend beyond the edges of the bake pan / drip tray to avoid drippings from falling onto the bottom heating element.

To allow for adequate air circulation around the toaster oven, it is important that you keep a minimum distance of at least 4 inches of space on all sides. This will also help prevent any possible damage and reduce the risk of a fire from occurring.

Never place the toaster oven on a cloth-covered surface or touching any flammable materials. Keep it simple and always keep the area around your toaster oven clear and make sure it is located on a stable and heat resistant surface while turned on.

The instructions advise that the Timer selector knob needs to be turned all the way to at least the 10 minute setting, and then adjust it by turning the dial to the desired setting. This is important as it preloads the timer knob and ensures there is enough tension on the knob for the toaster oven to properly shut off at the end of the toasting cycle.

Although you don’t need to preheat the toaster oven for general toasting, it is recommended to preheat it for 10 minutes if you intend to use it for baking or broiling.

Negatives Of The TO1303SB

Unfortunately, customer reviews of the TO1303SB seem to be either really positive or really negative. Those who have bought it and had no problems rate it highly, especially due to it’s great price. However, some of the negative reviews include some of the following issues:

• It doesn’t include a Bagel mode, which more feature rich toaster ovens are including nowadays.
• A bad burning smell when using it. Just remember that it is common to experience a bad smell when using a new electric appliance for the first couple of times as the heat burns off any residues left over from the manufacturing process.
• Some have gotten so hot that it the handle has melted and come off. We are unsure if this is due to misuse or leaving the toaster on it for too long at really high temperatures.
• The stay on option is located just after the off location on the bottom dial. This can pose a possible safety concern if you go to turn the timer off before it finishes manually and you accidentally turn the dial too far and activate the stay on setting.
• It may not be a good option for those who are elderly and need to ensure that there is no risk of the toaster oven being left on.

Black+Decker Warranty

Black+Decker provides a two year limited warranty for the TO1303SB toaster oven, though it only applies within the United States and Canada. The warranty covers the usual type of things, such as any defects in material or workmanship, and doesn’t include things some as damage from misuse, abuse or neglect. The warranty lasts for two years from the date of purchase, so you will need to make sure you keep a copy of your receipt.

Black+Decker TO1303SB Recommendation

For a toaster oven under $50, it’s to be expected that it won’t have every feature available that the top end models will have. For the price though, it has the essential mode of toasting, baking, broiling and warming. It is a compact toaster oven, but due to its simple but effective internal design, you will easily be able to cook a variety of foods right on your countertop.