Cuisinart Air Fryer TOA-70 Toaster Oven Review

The Cuisinart TOA-70 Air Fryer Toaster Oven is the upgraded successor to our reliable Cuisinart TOA-60 — a staple in our test kitchen. When we saw it reaching number one in toaster ovens on Amazon with thousands of positive ratings, we knew we had to test it out.

After around $210 (at the time of writing) — surprisingly less than when we acquired the TOA-60 — and months of testing, we’re ready to share our experience with the oven. Hopefully, it retains all the strengths of its predecessor while enhancing some areas.

9.2 Performance

The Cuisinart TOA-70 Air Fryer Toaster Oven ranks in the top tier of our performance data, with pizza and chicken coming in at number one. Its steady and stable temperature really shines, delivering consistently excellent test dishes. Even without a rotisserie kit for whole roasts, it performed splendidly just by air frying.

8.7 Toast

Scoring Components ↓

Having full confidence in the Cuisinart TOA-70, we went straight for the Medium setting for the toast shade and got exactly what we wanted with a score of 8.7/10 for our Toast test. For reference, we also tested the Light setting, which is around 2 minutes 30 seconds on the timer — too short a time for the toast to have any color, and the Dark setting — 7 minutes 30 seconds — was simply too long.

The Medium setting on the Toast shade dial is exactly 5 minutes, toasting the first 4 slices of bread to a beautiful golden brown color on top. Unfortunately, the bottoms have blotches of darker and lighter areas, possibly indicating hot and cold spots in the oven.

In all honesty, we expected this outcome since quartz heating elements work by heating up the food’s surface directly while nichrome heating elements heat up the air around the food. Nonetheless, although the evenness could have been better with the deployment of the convection fan like in the Cuisinart TOA-60, it was still worthy of a 9/10.

This first batch was crispy on the outside while maintaining the right level of softness inside, scoring an excellent 9/10 for taste. Our head chef Tuyet Pham determined they would be excellent for dishes of all consistency, including sandwiches, omelet, eggs benedict, and even soup.

Right after taking out the first batch, we placed another 4 slices inside the oven and used the same toast shade since this analog oven doesn’t automatically reduce the timer like digital ones. Surprisingly, even with the same 5 minutes, the toast didn’t burn at all like many other analog toaster ovens, possibly thanks to the principle behind quartz heating elements.

The slices were much more brown and had increased crispiness compared to the first batch. The darker spots were also more apparent but more than made up for that were the ideal golden brown hue instead of the lighter areas in the first batch, so the oven got a 8/10 for consecutive usability. If you want the second batch to be the same as the first, remember to only dial to Light.

9.8 Pizza

Scoring Components ↓

Speaking from experience, air frying is always the best way to cook savory dishes in an oven. With that in mind, we used the Air Fry function along with the basket, deployed the maximum temperature of 450°F for our test of baking a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza, and the best score out of our oven line-up — 9.8/10.

Sharing the strengths of the Cuisinart TOA-60, the TOA-70 also took only 3 minutes 30 seconds to finish cooking the pizza, 10/10 for time. The crust was perfectly golden brown around the edges with a nice slight crunch which extended to the bottom thanks to the basket, deserving a 9.5/10.

The meat and veggies were evenly charred, same goes for the caramelization of the cheese, resulting in a 9.8/10 for toppings. All things considered, our chef gave the pizza a 9.8/10 after tasting it.

If you’re planning on baking a fresh homemade pizza, try using the ceramic-coated griddle for that extra preheated surface.

9.4 Whole Roasted Chicken

Scoring Components ↓

For our 3-lb Whole Roasted Chicken test, we applied the same cooking process as the Pizza test, but at 350°F and got a final score of 9.4/10 — our best score to date, even better than ovens with a rotisserie kit like the Instant Omni Plus 18L. We did try out the grill plate at first, but the skin didn’t crisp up to our desire.

With careful observation, we decided to flip the chicken from its belly-up position after 20 minutes to ensure even roasting. Another 20 minutes for the backside and the chicken was done, a perfect 10/10 for cooking time.

Thanks to the convection fan, the whole bird was evenly golden and the skin was super crispy around the thighs and wings, so much that part of it flaked off when we tried to grab the chicken with a tong to assess it throughout, no doubt a 9/10.

To add to that, the Cuisinart’s excellent heating allowed the chicken to reach a near perfect doneness of 191-193°F in the thickest parts of the thighs with no pink spots even near the bone, scoring a 9/10.

The meat was very tender and juicy, combined with the skin for a 9.5/10 for taste from our chef.

9.0 Baked French Fries

Scoring Components ↓

Our 12-oz of frozen french fries test made the last use of the air fryer function and basket at 400°F to garner a score of 9/10.

After the first 10 minutes, we give the fries a toss to make sure they brown evenly. Another 5 minutes was where we deemed the fries as good as they can get, first scoring a 9/10 for cooking time.

While not the fastest, we found throughout our testing with all kinds of recipes that 15 minutes is the ideal amount of time if the oven in question is powerful enough. The fries were evenly golden brown with some having darker but insignificant tips, 9/10 for color.

The oven’s top-mounted fan helped dry out the surface of the fries and allowed them to crisp up without the need of added oil, another 9/10 for texture. We found that the nichrome heating elements of the Cuisinart TOA-60 was better for convection heating than the quartz ones of the TOA-70.

After munching on a few fries, our chef settled on a 9/10 for taste.

9.5 Design

The Cuisinart TOA-70 Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a testament to the brand’s customer oriented approach. It improved on the features that were unsatisfactory while maintaining its simplistic but well-built design.

The oven boasts a powerful top-mounted convection fan and six quartz heating elements, all running on 1800 W. These features are key to the oven’s outstanding performance.

In the Box

• Model: TOA-70
• Warranty: 3 years (US and Canada only)
• User Manual
• Baking Rack
• Baking Pan
• Air Fryer Basket
• Griddle

The user manual includes detailed recipes to help you get familiar with using the oven when it comes to cooking functions, temperatures, and times. Plus, when you open the package, you'll find easy instructions to register your Cuisinart. By doing this, you get access to premium customer service, special offers, and more good stuff. And during the warranty period, the manufacturer has a satisfaction guarantee policy to keep you covered.

9.5 Exterior

The polished stainless steel exterior of the Cuisinart TOA-70 features air vents on the sides, back, and bottom to support its convection system, which is a nice touch (+2) Its simple design really highlights the slide-out crumb tray (+1).

For safety, there's a cool-touch door handle, and the side handles make it super easy to carry around (+4). Plus, the oven has two buffers on the back to keep it from sitting too close to the wall (+2). Different from the TOA-60, the back buffers are now part of the base, adding sturdiness and shape for easier cord wrapping (+0.5).

Our measurements of the oven’s footprint to be 16.3" x 16.1" x 13.8", a bit different in terms of length from the manufacturer’s provided 12.25" x 15.75" x 13.75", possibly due to us taking the door handle and back buffers into account.

Control Panel

The control panel includes four dials for Time, Temperature, Functions, and Toast Shade and one light toggle button.

Cooking Functions

• Warm (200°F)
• Broil with low / high convection
• Toast (Light - Medium - Dark)
• Bake with low / high convection
• Air fry
• Grill

Practicality-wise, the bake and broil functions with low or high convection are all you need. The air fry and grill functions just make it easier to choose the cooking method that your recipes require.

9.5 Interior

The Cuisinart TOA-70's convection fan is mounted on top, unlike the usual side-mounted design, which seems to boost heat circulation as our testing suggested (+3). It does make the oven a bit taller compared to others of the same size but their overall footprints are basically the same.

With four quartz heating elements at the top and two at the bottom, it offers really even heat distribution (+3). These differ from the TOA-60’s nichrome ones in that they directly heats up the food more and the air around it less, helping cook the food faster without raising the internal temperature as much.

However, they may not be as durable and can be very difficult to clean if grease splashes onto them. That’s why they can really use their own guards, which the oven does a good job of adding. 

Although the oven only has two tray levels, you can adjust the rack up and down for more flexibility (+0.5). The interior is polished to offer some level of non-toxic non-stick property, making it easier to clean up the mess after hefty roasts (+1). There's also an interior light you can switch on and off (+2).

Capacity

We measured the cooking chamber’s volume to be roughly 12 liters. True to the manufacturer’s claim, the TOA-70 can fit a 12-inch pizza or a 3-lb whole chicken and six slices of toast even though just barely. We’ve seen many that claim to fit 6 even though they can only do four.

Power Cord

The 2-prong flat power cord is roughly 27.6", enough for household use. It also comes with a reusable cable tie for better cord management.

Accessories: Oven 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 is great for catching meat juices and drippings from the air fryer basket. This helps keep things tidy and prevents any fire hazards from dirty heating elements. It has a coating that's not fully non-stick, so you might see some stains after cooking a big roast.

Accessories: Air Fryer Basket

The air fryer basket’s decent elevation really helps to circulate heat around the bottom of the food.

Accessories: Griddle

The cast iron griddle has a PTFE and PFOA-free ceramic coating which is one of the best non-toxic options you can get, similar to some electric skillets. It’s also thoughtfully designed at an angle to let the grease drain out towards the holes on one side.

9.5 Build Quality

The Cuisinart TOA-70 continues to impress with its simple and durable design, incorporating some great quality-of-life upgrades mentioned in the exterior and interior sections (+5).

Such a thick and resilient casing somehow also is lighter than the previous model (+2.5). Plus, it features a handy safety switch that turns the oven off when you open the door (+2).

8.2 Usability

Due to its simplistic approach, the Cuisinart TOA-70 Air Fryer Toaster Oven doesn’t offer many convenient features. You won’t get the cooking status, audio reminders, or automatic timer adjustment feature commonly seen in digital models.

However, it also doesn’t pose any problems while bringing food in and out, and even excel in cleanability — an aspect that cannot be automatic anyway.

8.0 User Control

All four of the Cuisinart’s dials are smooth-turning and precise (+3). To start cooking, simply turn to your desired cooking function, then the temperature dial, and finally the time dial (+3). To observe the food being cooked in the oven, don’t forget to turn on the light. Any time you want to save energy, just press the button to turn it off (+1).

For Toast, turn the function dial to Toast and then just the Toast shade dial — the fourth one to the right. The Light, Medium, and Dark setting corresponds to 2 minutes 30 seconds, 5 minutes, and 6 minutes 50 seconds respectively. Having a separate dial makes adjusting Toast timer much easier compared to other analog models, e.g. the Hamilton Beach 31127D or the Mueller MT-175 (+1).

8.0 Ease of Use

With the entire Cuisinart being analog, it’s really straightforward to adjust the settings before, during, and after cooking is done (+2). The brief instructions can come in handy if you ever forget the temperature and time for your recipes.

The quartz heating elements and sufficient ventilation allow the casing to not get burning hot for quite some time cooking at high temperatures (+1). The fan is quieter than most, an improvement after receiving some customer feedback on the TOA-60 (+1).

On the upper tray level, there’s a safety hook that allows you to partially slide out the baking rack or tray to reposition the food during cooking (+1). Opening the oven door stops it from cooking while also turning off the light but doesn’t stop the timer (+1). A very clear ding will let you know that the oven has finished cooking (+1). Having no digital display, you can freely leave this oven plugged in and not worry about power consumption (+1).

9.0 Cleanability

Following our toaster oven cleaning guide, we started with the exterior before making it to the interior. Thanks to both being polished stainless steel, everything was a breeze, including bits in the nooks and crannies (+2).

Fat splashed inside when we were roasting the chicken but it could be simply wiped away (+2). Nothing made it inside the heating element guards or the cooking chamber’s roof as well (+2).

Cleaning up the crumbs was extremely easy thanks to the slide-out crumb tray — we noticed that it fit the oven better than the previous model (+1). The fishnet design of the air fryer basket didn’t hold onto any caramelized bits of food not to mention the griddle and same goes for the rest of the accessories (+2).

Buying Options