The Hamilton Beach 31143 is a small, simple toaster oven. It lacks a fan for air frying, but has the basic modes you might expect from a toaster oven, including Broil, Bagel, Bake, Warm, and Toast. This model comes with a wire rack and a baking tray.
Our Verdict
The Hamilton Beach 31143 toaster oven isn't good for mixed use. It's small and won't fit the average frozen pizza or baking sheet. This model doesn't maintain a stable temperature, so your food is more likely to burn or dry out before it's properly cooked when baking. It's not meant for air frying. That said, it preheats quickly and works well for reheating leftovers. While it doesn't make the most even toast, it can make four slices of golden-brown bread quickly.
-
Makes decent toast.
-
Preheats quickly.
-
Small capacity.
-
Doesn't maintain a very stable temperature.
-
No fan or air fry mode.
The Hamilton Beach 31143 toaster oven is great for reheating. It's a small oven but can accommodate dinner plates and bowls, so it's not a bad option for heating a quick snack or a plate of leftovers. It preheats fast, so you won't have to wait forever for a snack. However, it tends to overshoot your selected temperature setting, especially when preheating.
-
Preheats quickly.
-
Small capacity.
-
Doesn't maintain a very stable temperature.
The Hamilton Beach 31143 toaster oven is just okay for baking. It tends to overshoot your selected temperature setting when preheating, and while it cools down afterward, it doesn't maintain a stable temperature. This makes its performance less predictable, especially when baking and reheating. However, the temperature in the oven is uniform, so you won't notice major hot or cold spots.
-
Temperature in cooking chamber is uniform.
-
Doesn't maintain a very stable temperature.
-
Overshoots temperature setting when preheating.
The Hamilton Beach 31143 has no fan or an air fry mode. If you use it for food that benefits from quick cooking with high heat, like French fries or chicken wings, it takes much longer than most toaster ovens equipped with a fan. Only a small proportion of your food is crispy and golden brown by the time it's done.
-
No fan or air fry mode.
The Hamilton Beach 31143 toaster oven is decent at toasting. It can fit four slices and doesn't take long to make satisfactory golden-brown toast. That said, it doesn't toast the bread as evenly as some slot toasters, and you may find that the corners of your bread don't get toasted enough.
-
Makes decent toast.
-
Toasts quickly.
-
Only fits four slices.
The Hamilton Beach 31143 is a small option with a small capacity. It can fit four slices of bread and the average bowl or dinner plate but isn't big enough to accommodate the average frozen pizza.
-
Small capacity.
- 5.4 Mixed Usage
- 8.0 Leftovers
Performance Usages
- 6.5 Baking
- 2.6 Air Frying
- 7.4 Toasting
- 5.7 Cooking Capacity
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Hamilton Beach 31143 toaster oven only comes in 'Silver.' Here's a picture of our unit's label.
If you encounter another variant, let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Toaster Ovens
The Hamilton Beach 31134 is a small, simple toaster oven. It has a small capacity and lacks a fan, so it's not as versatile as bigger, more feature-packed models. However, unlike other small toaster ovens like the Black+Decker Natural Convection 4-Slice TO1756SB and Panasonic FlashXpress NB-G110P, it has two possible tray positions, which allows you to use a lower position for bigger dishes and a higher one for quicker broiling. It's well-suited for toasting, but if you want a small toaster oven for baking, both the Panasonic and Black+Decker offer much better temperature stability and are better for baking small batches of cookies or a mini pizza.
Test Results
The Hamilton Beach 31143 toaster oven is a small option that can fit on a small shelf or corner of your counter.
This compact toaster oven has a small capacity. It won't fit the average frozen pizza or casserole dish. However, unlike other small ovens like the Black+Decker Natural Convection 4-Slice TO1756SB, there are two possible tray positions. You can use a lower position for heating food in bigger containers and a higher one for faster broiling.
- 8.1" x 10.5" wire rack (20.6 cm x 26.6 cm)
- 7.6" x 8.9" baking tray (19.4 cm x 22.5 cm)
- User guides
This basic toaster oven has five modes: Broil, Bagel, Bake, Warm, and Toast. There's no fan, so you don't have the option of convection baking or air frying. Its upper elements aren't as powerful as those of many bigger ovens, which slows down broiling. However, while you can only set its timer for up to 30 minutes, it has a 'Stay On' function, which isn't the case for all ovens.
It's decently easy to clean. Neither the baking tray nor the cooking chamber's interior has any non-stick coating, making it more difficult to scrub clean. Small ovens are also harder to maneuver your hand around inside while cleaning. That said, there aren't any difficult-to-reach nooks and crannies inside this oven. There's only one element on top and one element on the bottom of the cooking chamber, and it's not difficult to clean under or around their guards. The element guards are somewhat sharp and could cut you if you're not careful.
This small toaster oven can only fit four slices of bread but makes decent toast at full capacity. However, it tends to leave the corners of your bread undercooked.
It's not intended for air frying. If you use it for commonly air-fried foods like French fries, chicken wings, or sides like broccoli or cauliflower, it takes much longer than an air fryer, and only a small proportion of your food will end up crispy and golden brown. Most drawer-style air fryers or toaster oven/air fryer combos do a better job.
It preheats quickly, which is normal for such a small oven.
It has passable temperature stability. It vastly overshoots your selected temperature setting when preheating, and while it cools down during cooking, the temperature bounces around quite a bit. This makes its performance less predictable and can lead to your food burning or drying out. On the plus side, the temperature is uniform throughout the cooking chamber.
