COMFEE Toaster Oven (CFO-BB101) In-depth Review
Overall Verdict
The Comfee CFO-BB101 Small Toaster Oven is, at most, an average extra small, budget countertop toaster oven compared to the best picks. It can be a choice for someone who just wants a unit that serves its functions, doesn’t use a lot of energy, and saves space on the kitchen counter.
The quartz heating elements, combined with the power output of 1000 W, minimize energy consumption. However, saving energy may affect foods that require a high temperature.
The detachable crumb tray is a nice touch that makes cleaning the oven easier. Be careful though, as the control knobs can be quite tricky to adjust.
Things We Like
- Extra-small size
- Energy-saving
- Quartz heating elements have safeguards
- Cool-touch door handle
- Stay-on feature
- Detachable crumb tray
Things We Don’t Like
- No convection fan
- No internal lighting
- No safety mechanism for the door
The COMFEE CFO-BB101 Toaster Oven looks very eye-catching with its polished white stainless steel. At $44.99 (at the time of writing) however, it’s even cheaper than most other small toaster ovens and we’ve got to wonder if it’s gonna perform well.
5.9 Performance
The Comfee CFO-BB101 has only two heating elements, and this often resulted in uneven coloring on our test dishes. Our speculation was that the low power output hinders the oven’s performance in test dishes that require a high temperature (> 400°F), including pizza and fries.
In addition, it was hard to input an exact temperature and time due to the limited settings on the control knob, especially for making toast. A small unit that doesn’t have temperature and control problems is the Breville Mini Smart Oven.
4.5 Toast
It was difficult to perform our Toast test on the Comfee as we couldn’t input the exact cooking time or toast level. This was because the timer for toast was a countdown from 10 minutes without any level or minute indicator.
Our first attempt was 4m 10s, but the toast turned too dark, especially on the bottom side. Then we tried 2m 45s, but it barely acquired any color and we figured out that 3m 30s was possibly the best choice.
However, after many attempts, we couldn’t set the timer exactly as mentioned above and had to evaluate the result of 3m 50s. This strongly affected the oven’s toast score, resulting in a 4.6/10.
After setting it at 3m 50s, the Comfee produced four slices of toast with a golden brown color on the top. However, most of the bottom surface had no color but also just a few dark areas, so it got a 6/10.
The first batch, which was slightly crispy, was passable and our head chef Tuyet Pham gave it a 5.5/10 for taste.
The fact that we couldn’t set an exact timer only worsened the results for the second batch. The top had a large burnt area, the bottom had almost no color, and the toast didn’t become crispy at all. This result made the Comfee fail the consecutive usability section of our toast test and got a 2/10.
6.6 Pizza
The Comfee wasn’t suitable for baking a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza at 450°F and ended up with a score of 6.6/10. It took 11 minutes compared to the recommended 10 minutes on the packaging and scored a 7/10 for cooking time.
The crust attained just a light golden color and was very soft, so it got a 6/10. Since the whole thing wasn’t hot enough and with how moist the crust was, there were some small bits stuck to the baking pan, but they weren’t hard to get rid of.
The toppings had uneven caramelization and were a bit dry throughout, so they scored a 6.5/10. The cheese was slightly melty, but some areas darkened a lot. Our chef couldn’t give the pizza any higher than a 6/10 for taste.
7.6 Roasted Chicken Wings
The Comfee actually did well enough in our Roasted Chicken Wings test and managed to score a 7.6/10.
The oven cooked 10 middle-joint wings at 400°F in 50 minutes, which was actually fast enough for an 8/10. The skin developed an acceptable color but it wasn’t crispy, scoring a 7/10.
For some reason however, the wings’ internal temperature was quite high, reaching around 209°F. So even though it’s safe to eat according to the USDA guidelines, the meat became slightly dry and could only get an 8/10 for doneness.
With that, our chef tasted the wings and gave them a 7.5/10.
5.7 Baked French Fries
Baking 12 oz of frozen fries wasn’t a favorable task for the Comfee; it ended up with a 5.7/10.
Even after 35 minutes, the Comfee wasn’t able to produce a notable change in the texture and color of the fries. Thus, we decided to stop as to not let the cooking time fall below 5/10.
The fries lacked color, so they got a 6/10. The oven basically thawed the fries without really baking them resulting in soggy fries with a score of 5.5/10. Our chef could only give the fries a 6/10 for taste.
One solution could be to crank the temperature to max for fries but that wouldn't work for pizza which already used 450°F.
5.7 Design
While being compact, the Comfee CFO-BB101 has a good capacity compared to the similar-sized Hamilton Beach 31401. Moreover, it still has all the standard exterior features, plus a neat detachable crumb tray.
However, it’s very lacking in terms of the interior even though it uses quartz heating elements. Its overall construction also leaves a lot to be desired.
In the Box
- Model: CFO-BB101
- Warranty: 1-year limited (US only)
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
The packaging has two foam pads to keep the oven firmly in place. However, the two accessories are simply wrapped in plastic and duct-taped to the oven. Comfee also provides a user manual with some simple recipes.
7.0 Exterior
The oven’s casing is painted white but also polished, so you won’t have to worry about it getting dirty easily (+3). Besides the two back buffers that keep the oven from being pushed too close to the wall, the Comfee also features carrying handles on the sides (+3).
What stands out to make an impression is the detachable crumb tray, similar to the Mueller MT-175 (+1). You can open it by tilting the unit slightly backward and pushing the dial on the tray towards the rear of the unit.
Our measurements of the oven’s footprint were 13.85" x 11.18" x 8" which only had marginal differences from the manufacturer's 14.6" x 11.4" x 8".
Control Panel
The Comfee simply has two control knobs: one for temperature and the other for time. Even though the timer is set only from 1 minute to 30 minutes, it has a stay-on position.
Cooking Functions
- Toast
- Bake
- Broil
If you know your way around the kitchen, the bake and broil functions will be all you need.
6.0 Interior
The CFO-BB101 uses 2 quartz heating elements which use infrared light to cook. Each one has its own safety guard to prevent direct contact with baking pans and trays.
Compared to the more common nichrome heating elements, the quartz heating elements produce more heat and cool down faster. They’re also easier to clean and more energy-efficient. However, they are not as durable and will suffer from permanent stains if grease splashes onto them while cooking.
Similar to most same-sized units, the oven doesn’t have internal lighting or a convection system and it only has two tray levels. In addition, while it’s common for units this size to have two heating elements, we usually found a less even heat distribution compared to units with four or more heating elements.
Capacity
Although compact, the Comfee has enough capacity for 4 slices of toast, a 9-inch pizza, and barely enough for a 3 lb chicken. We measured the cooking chamber’s volume to be around 11 liters which was slightly different from the manufacturer’s provided 10 liters. However, it could just be a difference in measuring standards.
5.0 Build Quality
Being a compact product, it’s understandable that the Comfee doesn’t have as many design features as bigger toaster ovens (+3). Even though the price of this product is very reasonable, it doesn’t have a highly sturdy build (+3). In addition, the door can open if you tilt the oven (-1).
Power Cord
The power cord is roughly 26.37"—enough length for household use. However, the back buffers aren’t designed to wrap the cord around, unlike many other toaster ovens.
Accessories: Baking Rack
The rack fits perfectly with the guide, which helps prevent accidents when placing your food in the oven.
Accessories: Baking Pan
The baking pan has ridges and grooves which can give your food attractive roasting marks and catch the dripping better. However, its coating isn’t completely non-stick, so it may be prone to some stubborn stains after a hefty roast.
5.0 Usability
The Comfee CFO-BB101 doesn’t have anything strong going for it in terms of usability. The simple control has some drawbacks and doesn’t provide much convenience. However, a detachable crumb tray makes it easier to clean the oven, especially if the oven is of this size.
5.0 User Control
Even though the Comfee has only two simple control knobs for time and temperature (+5), there are a few things to keep in mind. For the timer knob, when setting it to less than 5 minutes, always rotate past 5 minutes (Med) and then rotate back to the desired time.
For the temperature knob, both the heating elements function when the oven is set from 150°F to 450°F. On Bake, only the bottom element functions, and the oven’s internal temperature is maintained at approximately 400°F-425°F. On Broil, only the top element functions, and the temperature stays steady at approximately 425°F-450°F.
The other problem relates to time and temperature, both of which cannot be adjusted precisely. Nonetheless, you can get used to adjusting time and temperature on this oven after a few times. You can also use an oven thermometer and an external timer to help with this.
5.0 Ease of Use
With two control knobs, it’s very simple to adjust time and temperature during cooking (+2). When the timer runs out, a bell will sound and the oven will shut off (+1). The oven does not have a digital display, so you can freely leave it plugged in and not worry about power consumption (+1).
It’s easy to keep the door partially open to let food cool down, but keep in mind that this doesn’t stop the cooking (+12. Also, be careful as the oven’s exterior gets hot to the touch quite quickly (-1).
5.0 Cleanability
We cleaned the Comfee following our toaster oven cleaning guide without much problem (+3). Thanks to the detachable crumb tray, not only were we able to remove the crumbs, we also had better access to clean the oven’s interior (+3).
However, some of the crumbs got stuck inside the bottom heating element’s guard. As for the baking pan, without a good coating, it got a slight discoloration after our Whole Roasted Chicken test (-1).