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Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice Review

Its small size limits it to snacks, side dishes, or re-heating leftovers, but it's affordable and performs well
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Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice Review (The Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice is a great budget-friendly option.)
The Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice is a great budget-friendly option.
Credit: Abriah Wofford
Price:  $60 List
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Manufacturer:   Hamilton Beach
By AnnaMarie Houlis ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Sep 25, 2024
72
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#5 of 10
  • Cooking Performance - 30% 6.5
  • Toasting Performance - 25% 7.5
  • Ease Of Use - 25% 6.2
  • Temperature Accuracy - 20% 9.0

Our Verdict

It certainly doesn't check all the boxes that some higher-end ovens do, but the Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice is a budget-friendly toaster oven that does only a few things but does them very well. This compact model earned consistently decent scores on everything from temperature accuracy to toasting, making it one of the best-value compact toaster ovens in our test. The Easy Reach is quite small and can only cook smaller portions compared to some of the larger ovens we tested, and lacks extra functions. However, it still holds its own when it comes to simple baking, cooking, toasting, and temperature accuracy. If you just need the basics, you'll be happy with this model. To see how it compares to other top models we tested, check out our full toaster oven review.
REASONS TO BUY
Inexpensive
Easy to clean
Small footprint
Consistent performance
Great temperature accuracy
REASONS TO AVOID
Small size limits portions
Uneven cooking
Editor's Note: We updated this review on September 24, 2024, after testing a new fleet of toaster ovens.

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards Best Buy Award
Best Bang for the Buck
Editors' Choice Award
Best Toaster Oven for Most People
 Best Buy Award
Best Value for a Large Oven
 
Price $60 List
$59.99 at Amazon
$220 List
$149.99 at Amazon
$100 List
$99.99 at Amazon
$110 List
$99.99 at Amazon
$60 List
$49.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line Compact, consistent, and budget-friendly are the defining characteristics of this easy-to-use ovenA top-notch oven that adds air frying and dehydrating functions as wellThis dual-function toaster oven features both a toaster slot and an oven, offering versatile cooking options in one applianceThis toaster oven is simple to use, but temperature inaccuracies make it a poor choice for precision cookingWhile this toaster oven provides the basic functions you'd want in a toaster oven, we have concerns about its temperature accuracy and consistency in cooking performance
Rating Categories Hamilton Beach Easy... Ninja Foodi Digital... Hamilton Beach 2-in... Black+Decker Extra... Black+Decker 4-Slic...
Cooking Performance (30%)
6.5
8.5
6.4
6.8
4.5
Toasting Performance (25%)
7.5
7.8
8.0
5.8
6.5
Ease Of Use (25%)
6.2
7.1
6.4
8.4
6.0
Temperature Accuracy (20%)
9.0
9.5
8.0
6.5
6.5
Specs Hamilton Beach Easy... Ninja Foodi Digital... Hamilton Beach 2-in... Black+Decker Extra... Black+Decker 4-Slic...
Max number of toast slices 4 9 2 8 4
Max Pizza Size 9" 13" 9" 11" 9"
Toast Time on Medium 4.1 min 3.8 min 3.3 min 4.0 min 5.3 min
Included Accessories Baking Pan Baking Pan
Air Fry Basket
Baking Pan Baking Pan
Air Frying Tray
Baking Pan
Dedicated Bagel Setting No Yes No No No
Toast Shade Settings 4 6 5 6 6
Heating to 350 F 2.4 min 1.8 min 2.8 min 2.6 min 2.3 min
Accuracy 98.6% 98.0% 96.3% 91.4% 91.7%
Average Temperature Deviation from 350 F -5.1 7.3 -13.5 -30.3 -28.7

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice is able to do most basic cooking tasks well and does so at a great price. You can't fit huge portions in this compact oven, but what does fit inside will be cooked or baked consistently better than what you'd expect from such an inexpensive oven. In fact, it received higher scores than some bigger, fancier models with double or triple the price tag.

Performance Comprison


The Hamilton Beach Easy Reach performed quite well in our toasting tests.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Cooking Performance


Plan on using a bit more cook time than the directions call for when baking with the Easy Reach toaster oven. Our cookies were all a bit undercooked when the recommended baking time was up. In fact, they required nearly double the recommended time. Despite the extra baking times, the end product was generally very pleasing — slightly darker than we desired but still very moist and tasty. Most of the frozen items we heated came out a little undercooked after the recommended cooking time, as well. The tater tots we cooked in the Easy Reach had a hard, crispy exterior, and soft exterior that was too dry for our liking.


The pizza we cooked with the Easy Reach was bubbly with good color on the crust. Due to its compact size, this toaster oven barely accommodates a 9-inch pizza, while many other ovens we tested could fit a standard-size 12-inch pizza. If tater tots are your thing, this oven will struggle to fit half a bag's worth. On the bright side, once we learned the subtleties of this oven, we were consistently able to produce frozen meals that were acceptably cooked. We simply had to wait a little longer than the directions suggested.

hamilton beach easy reach 4-slice - our cookies were all a bit undercooked in the hamilton beach easy...
Our cookies were all a bit undercooked in the Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice.
Credit: Lesley Robinson

Toasting Performance


As its name denotes, it can toast four slices of bread at once. Most of the toasting was uniformly golden brown. However, the back left side of the oven routinely toasted a little lighter than the rest of the oven. While the shade settings are somewhat unclear on the dial, the toast still came out a good medium to dark golden brown with a lighter center and a somewhat squishy texture.


We found the same heating map inconsistency when toasting bagels. The oven is only big enough to toast two full bagels at a time. The half-bagel slices in the front toasted perfectly, while those in the rear of the oven were paler and less crispy. Overall, the Easy Reach earned slightly above-average marks for toasting and we feel it does an acceptable job with this metric.

hamilton beach easy reach 4-slice - the hamilton beach easy reach 4-slice, as the name suggests, fits...
The Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice, as the name suggests, fits four slices of toast.
Credit: Lesley Robinson

Ease of Use


We found the Easy Reach fairly simple to use and quite easy to clean. The feature we liked the most was the oven's roll-top opening, which not only frees up counter space but also gives the Easy Reach its name. Most toaster ovens either swing open to the side, like a microwave, or swing down, like a conventional oven. The Easy Reach's door rolls up and over the oven. This exposes more than two-thirds of the interior oven, much like an outdoor BBQ grill.


The roll-top feature allows the user to access items by reaching down to them, making it much easier to adjust or remove food without bumping into the oven or burning your hands. Many toaster ovens have very little space between the racks and the interior sides of the oven, making it challenging to adjust or remove food. We liked the fact that the Easy Reach's door is completely clear, which allowed us to monitor all of our food in one glance. We also love that the entire door can be removed for easy cleaning.

hamilton beach easy reach 4-slice - a hallmark feature of this oven is its roll-top opening, which takes...
A hallmark feature of this oven is its roll-top opening, which takes up less counter space and allows easy access to food.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

For this metric, we gave the Easy Reach its highest marks for ease of cleaning. Its crumb tray is very functional and easy to use. Likewise, cleaning out the oven's interior is a breeze — another benefit of the roll-top door. When open, the oven is completely accessible, both visually and spatially, which allows fingers, rags or scrubbers to easily find their way into every corner.

However, the Easy Reach didn't score as well on the ease of its interface. Although consisting of only two simple knobs, the oven's operation isn't overly intuitive or as simple to use as it appears. It was hard to tell which shade you are selecting for toasting. That said, it's not overly complicated, but a few peeks at the owner's manual helps. As for accessories, this oven comes with a baking pan, oven rack, and slide-out crumb tray.

hamilton beach easy reach 4-slice - the easy reach comes with a baking pan and oven rack.
The Easy Reach comes with a baking pan and oven rack.
Credit: Abriah Wofford

Temperature Accuracy


During our tests, we strategically placed calibrated thermometers inside the oven. After setting the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, we allowed the oven to preheat and then checked the temperature at timed intervals. The Easy Reach was very consistent in these tests, showing an average of 5.1 degrees under the set temp of 350F — one of the most accurate models we tested.


This toaster oven took an average of 2.4 minutes to preheat to 350F in our tests, which was about average in our test lineup.

We tested the Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice's temperature accuracy and cooking abilities.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

The results of our temperature accuracy testing corresponded closely to our overall experiences in baking and cooking. In general, we found the Easy Reach undercooked items, which required additional cooking time to be added. However, there's a small upside: We feel it's better for things to be undercooked than overcooked. Even though we had to wait a little longer for our pizzas or cookies, we were happy to find that most items were eventually cooked to very acceptable standards with little or no burned areas.

The Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice scored well in our temperature accuracy test with very consistent temperatures.
Credit: Natalie Kafader

Should You Buy the Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice?


Cooking large dishes or gourmet meals will never happen with the Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice. Its compact design lends itself to one-and-done, single-serving dishes. You should buy this toaster if you're looking to save money and don't need a large, multi-function oven. This toaster is designed to toast, bake simple snacks, reheat leftovers, or cook small, pre-made frozen meals. It's great for after-school goodies and would also be perfect for a college student or someone living the studio apartment life.

We also see a place for the Easy Reach in an adventure van or other type of RV. It takes up little space and is lightweight, simple to use and to clean. Most appealing about this oven is its lower price tag. When we combine its lower price with its ability to compete with higher-priced models, we feel the Easy Reach is a great buy.

What Other Toaster Oven Should You Consider?


If you're looking for more functionality and larger cooking capacity, the Easy Reach simply wouldn't be a wise choice for you. For toaster ovens that perform more like an actual conventional oven, we suggest the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro or the Ninja Foodi Digital Oven, which both have varying prices but similar features and test performance results.

AnnaMarie Houlis