I bought one of these 6 years ago, primarily because it was the perfect size. I've used it at least once a day to toast something, and also use the oven function once or twice a week.

There's a lot to like about this small but mighty appliance. The toast timer is in 30-second increments, so you can easily control the "toastiness", and it remembers the last setting. When you open the door, the tray slides forward, so you don't have to reach inside. The oven doesn't need to be preheated, so you can get your food faster. It's easy to clean, too. The rack can be removed completely making quick work of cleaning up the inevitable crumbs.

So why did I wait so long to write this review? Because after 6 years of use, the bottom heating element stopped working. I needed a replacement, so I bought a Black & Decker one at half the price. It looked nice, and sounded like it would suit my needs. I tried to make toast twice. I'll post a separate review of that one, but suffice it to say that I'm returning that one.

Instead, I bought another Panasonic because it served me well, providing me years' of perfect toast and baked items. I got my money's worth from the first one, so I'll still give it 5 stars. I highly recommend this toaster oven.

I wanted a toaster oven to avoid using our big oven for small items . Searching for one that fit into our crowded counter space, this one was one of the smallest and not that expensive. I read all the manufacturer's information, watched their videos, and read many of the 1 and 2 star reviews before I decided to get one 6 weeks ago. Pluses: small foot print, no preheat, simple controls, and speedy toasting. When it came I read all the instructions and info on cooking various things in it. Then I kept a record of my experiments. No cookbook included, just cooking guides. Looked online for recipes for this oven, found a few and printed them out.

After using it a while I learned a lot. Watch carefully as your food browns, it will go very fast once browning starts. Be prepared to experiment: making a personal 7" or smaller pizza is easy. Roasting peppers is easy too. If the food is not cooked enough, put it back in and heat it some more. Line the oven tray with non-stick aluminum foil. Do not put anything that will drip onto the grid, use the oven tray or heat resistant cookware (metal or ceramic). I collected recipes and took notes.

One recipe for roasted party potatoes takes 40 to 50 minutes in the big range oven. In this oven it took 25 minutes, saving a lot of power and heating up the kitchen. Controls are very simple to use. Bread toasts perfectly. Whole wheat bread takes the #4 setting. White bread the middle #3. Easy to try again if not as dark as you want, just be prepared to hit the power button to turn it off as soon as you have what you want.

One reviewer did not like this oven because the door does not seal!!! Look at the door, it is made to have a gap so it will vent. ALL OVENS VENT. Your large kitchen oven vents, probably through one of the burners. They have to vent or they will fill with steam and vapors and odors.

Super easy to remove the grid to clean it off, read the directions. Crumb tray easy to remove to clean off. After using this oven for a week I did what I should have done at the start -- I looked online for reviews. I found a number of sites that rated this as the #1 toaster oven of 2020. Many rated it in the top 5 or top 10 of all toaster ovens rated.

Con: you cannot cook food that oils or greases come out of, like steaks or bacon, unless it is wrapped in foil. The infrared lamps might ignite the hot oil that collects on the tray. You cannot use anything flammable like parchment paper (unless it is trimmed so the paper is not exposed to the radiant heat. I prepared a recipe for frozen home fries that is intended to be cooked in a skillet. They cooked crisp like French fries and took as long as it did in a skilled. Frozen French fries are great cooked in this oven. Corn tortilla chips should not be heated, they might ignite as they are dry and thin. Toasting biscuits or similar items is a snap. Bagels, flat breads, pizza crusts.

Note: I wanted to use a small Pyrex dish I have in this oven, but the cautions on the package cautioned against toaster ovens. Called Corning about this IR lamp oven, they do not recommend using Pyrex in it as they have no experience with this type oven. Note: Since around 2000, Pyrex glassware is no longer heat resistant anymore. It is not the original borosilicate glass that Pyrex has been made from for the last century. Pyres is now soda lime glass, like regular common glassware, and not meant for hot ovens. I bought some small vintage Corning Visions cookware that fit in the oven. I can also use my vintage Corning Pyroceram cookware.

I love this toaster oven, it is perfect for our needs. Quick and simple. Keep notes on the temperature and time settings you use until you get a good feel for different recipes. I prepare my 7" pizza crusts with pizza sauce, toppings (putting soft or cooked things first, then raw veggies & mushrooms on top. Cook at 425F for 5 minutes. Remove tray and top with cheese. Then cook at 425F for 4 to 5 more minutes. Mozzarella melts beautifully and starts to get toasty brown. Just don't leave during the last several minutes - watch carefully and be ready to hit the power button.

One of the best purchases I've ever made. Love this oven. Oh, don't put your hand in the oven while the flash lamps ore on - the radiant infrared will burn you instantly. I know this from working with infrared lamps in an R&D lab. Turn off the oven before you reach inside.

I don't usually write reviews, but I wanted to offer a review of this little oven because it works so well. I bought this oven primarily to make toast. I have been cycling through numerous toasters that have been extremely disappointing in terms of toast quality - the toast is uneven and patchy, often one side isn't even toasted, English muffins need to be flipped and toasted twice, and so on. So, I searched the internet for reviews of toasters and found an excellent article in a trusted newspaper in which they reviewed toasters and toaster ovens. Long story short, the article recommended this little oven as the best oven for making great toast, so I took a chance. Overall, this oven is outstanding both as a toaster and for warming/cooking food. As mentioned above, I mostly use it for toast (I cook larger items in my air fryer oven). What do I love about this toaster? First, it's small in size so it doesn't take up much more room than my 4-slice toaster did. Second, and most important, it makes GREAT toast and is twice as fast as any toaster I've ever used. Truly, the toast is made in lighting speed due to the double radiant lights. Third, I love that the toaster lights up inside (bright) while toasting so that I can see the toast get darker and can stop it a few seconds earlier if needed. I also like the small "ding" when the toast is finished (there is also a timer that shows how long the item will take). Fourth, it's super easy to use, push the ON button, push the TOAST button, and (if desired) push a button to increase or decrease darkness. The toast comes out gorgeous - evenly brown, crispy, and toasted well on BOTH sides!! Finally, I love that the oven will fit 4 small standard pieces of bread or two very large/long slices (sourdough, corn rye). The toast shown in the photos is an over-sized slice of rye bread that used to stick out of the top of my old toaster (and needed to be flipped to fully toast). Amazing!! Other items cook equally well and fast - reheated pizza slices and frozen snacks (this is what I've tried so far). Bottom line, I highly recommend this little oven even if you only use it for toast!

It seems to me that Panasonic began selling this (or similar) model about ten years ago. Since then, I've had three of them including the one I now use daily. Two were purchased from Amazon, one of those as a gift to me, and one was inherited from a family member. When I first had one I thought it was definitely the world's best toaster-oven, especially for a person who lives alone and can afford a little extra. Once you got the hang of it the toasting and cooking was wonderfully adjustable and even. Yes, the little tin cube looked kinda funny, but I'd tell anyone who would listen that this thing "was designed by engineers, not the marketing department."

I still believe that, but there is something important you should know. If you were ever flush enough to own, lets say a BMW, Jaguar or other European wonder car, you may already know this.

The first cube I had lasted (with daily use) for three to four years. About that time its ON/OFF switch failed. At that point I was pretty mellow about it because it was beautiful to use and "nothing lasts forever." I made a half-hearted attempt to see if I could repair it. But when I saw the electronics inside I figured, time to move on.

I then dallied for a couple of years with a low-priced, big box, take up your counter, stainless steel thing that worked, never failed but was sort of the Yugo Plus of cooking tools. Lucky for me, I then inherited my second cube in almost new condition. I used it for about a year and a half, when, J&M&J, the ON/OFF switch failed.

Since usually I try to fix things--and since I knew this must be a year or two out of warranty--I thrashed around to see how to fix it. Long looking for parts led me to understand that the ON/OFF switch was soldered into the motherboard. Further, that the motherboard cost approximately the same as a new cube.

Simultaneously ( Finagle's Corollary) someone gave me a new Panasonic from Amazon and I discovered from checking such die-hards as those at iFixit.com that failure of the ON/OFF switch on the Panasonic Cube was remarkably non-rare. Several handy folks there figured out how to repair the switch by replacing it, but that required soldering skills that were far beyond mine. In addition, these hackers in some ways opined that this was still the best toaster oven in the world but that Panasonic had unfortunately bought quite a few sub-standard ON/OFF switches.

So, as coward's never prosper, I just opened my new gift and have hoped for the best for about two years now. I've enjoyed the toast immensely, the warmed up Costco pizza slices, the baked potatoes-for-one, the toasted chickpeas, and all the rest of it.

But the funny thing is that my third cube has developed what I like to think of as the "Omega Variant."

The ON/OFF switch still works perfectly, but the TOAST switch has failed. I've found workarounds of course, like using "HASH BROWNS" instead of toast with some Yugo-like consequences. But, I think Omega might be my last of these.

In case, you've never taken your BMW or Mercedes in for a routine service, you might not realize that, truly, it is better to be rich and healthy on the Autobahn than poor and sick in Scranton.

I have an Elite long slot pop-up toaster and a Gourmia 8 qt basket style air fryer. Those two have worked well and I've been happy with this setup. Still, I've always intrigued by the idea of a small super fast toaster oven.

Counter space being limited I put the Elite pop-up toaster (crazy toaster, bread flies out of it) on the kitchen counter and my Gourmia air fryer in a back room. Both are always at the ready. Then I saw this deal and everyone raved so much I figured why not join the cult? I could get rid of the pop-up toaster and possibly the air fryer. Not so fast!

Toasting: First impressions of the Panasonic, not overly impressed. The controls are a little wonky, but everyone knows this. It toasts more evenly than my pop-up toaster, but not incredibly so. Interestingly, my popup toaster is just as fast as the FlashExpress and easier to operate. There's no real toasting speed advantage (both take about 2 1/2 minutes) with the Panasonic over a regular pop-up toaster, it just makes better toast.

Space: I thought the FlashExpress would fit on my counter, but you need 4 inches clearance at the back, whereas the pop-up toaster is a cool touch and sits neatly up against the wall. Sure the FlashExpress is small for a toaster oven, but the pop-up toaster takes up much less space. I ended up putting the Flash in the back room next to my air fryer and countertop pizza oven.

Reheating: The Gourmia 8 qt air fryer is a better toaster oven for reheating certain items. It's just as fast if not faster and cooks more evenly and thoroughly. It's also more flexible as you can put just about anything in it and cleanup is a breeze. For anything saucy/messy I use foil pans/sheets. (Pro tip: Buy some of those grill mats and cut them to the size you need, instant durable non-stick mat for your toaster oven or air fryer). 9 inch foil pans and foil sheets fit in both. Cleaning the Panasonic could be difficult and you have to watch those infrared rods (cheese or other dripping items).

For leftover pizza, cold or frozen, I use the air fryer. I put the slice on a foil sheet and hit start. It goes into pre-heat, but that's my cooking/re-heat cycle. When the sound goes off to add food the pizza is done and frequently over-done. I did the same with the Panasonic and selected 5 minutes. It was done in about 4 1/2 minutes. The air fryer was done in about the same, but I preferred the flavor and taste of the air fryer reheated slice. That said re-heating food is very good and easy in the Flash/Express.

Cooking Time: It's fast for toast, but what about frozen items? You can do a small 9 inch frozen pizza in the Panasonic in 12 - 14 minutes. I have a Wisco pizza oven that cooks up to a 14 inch pizza in 14 minutes. Again, Panasonic's speed claims are based on comparisons to "toaster ovens". In my early tests the FlashExpress is not much faster than a pop-up toaster or an air fryer, but I still like it.

Warnings: There are many standard typical warnings, but here's two that caught my eye

The FlashExpress Owners Manual instructs not to "bake bread with butter or jam. There is a chance the bread will catch fire". It's an odd warning that your bread might catch on fire.

How about this? "After use: Turn off the unit by pressing the power button, The lamp goes out. Remove the power plug." Are you kidding? Every time you use it??? That's just not happening. I'm not going to do that and I imagine most people don't either. It's probably a liability issue or maybe somebody's oven caught fire just plugged in EEK!

What I like:

I do like that the toasting rack comes out when you open the door. It operates slickly and your food is easy to grab. Also, it does a really nice job toasting Mestemacher Vollkornbrot too. It's that weird, flat, dense, super healthy German bread that is IMO only good toasted. Pop-up toasters are not very good for this type of bread because it can fall apart or get stuck in the toaster. With the FlashExpress you can carefully top your flat bread with whatever you like and toast for about 4 - 5 minutes. It's outstanding for that. Also, the bright lights allow you to see your food so well it's the perfect "melt" machine, you can get that tuna melt just right. Add cheese a half minute before being done toasting and it will melt to perfection. Reheating items is excellent too because this toaster oven gives you such a good view of what you're cooking that you can stop it before overcooking.

What I don't like: It's missing one feature. This toaster would be perfect if it had a broil or "bagel" function. Sometimes you want to toast only one side of bread or just melt with the top element. Sadly, you can't do it as there's no ability to cook with only the top element. You could use the pan to block the lower elements but it would be better if it had the controls to just shut it off.

The lights are super bright and it is odd when they cycle and turn on and off over and over. When using the presets for toasting they stay on, but if you to a timed "bake" selecting temperature and time they cycle on and off. It's like there's a scientific experiment being performed. The manufacturer warns not to stare at the light rods, they say it's bad for the eyes. I'll defer to them on this one.

In summary, it generally does what they say it does, and it has a very good track record. If you're in the market for a small speedy toaster oven this is it (or the Breville Mini). I caught this deal and paid $84. I wouldn't pay the $119 price. The FlashExpress is not replacement for an air fryer but some people don't need an air fryer. I've been testing all kinds of food in it and I'm definitely keeping it. It's interesting and a lot different than any other toaster oven I've used. It's actually fun to use, something I would have never thought I'd say about a small appliance.

The Panasonic NB-G100P Flash Express Infared Toaster is the most exciting creation for the kitchen since the microwave oven or the Drip Coffee Maker! I cannot express how much I LOVE this toaster! Who would think that actually making toast or warming a Pop Tart could bring so much excitement?

I had heard about these types of toaster ovens many years ago, but never gave it much thought as I had never seen one. Well, a few months ago my old toaster oven finally died and went to toaster oven Heaven, so I decided to look on Amazon for my options. As a "guy" I do not spend much time in department stores looking at kitchen appliances so I figured I would just order something really quick on Amazon to meet my "toasting" needs. During my searching process I was astounded at how many kinds, types, colors and sizes were actually out there for the weary consumer trying to make what one would think was a quick and simple purchase. I knew I was limited by the size as I have a small area on my counter top for it to reside. Everything looked so BIG and had just about every "bell and whistle" immagineable to attract my attention. "Come on, I just want to make toast dammit", I thought!

Well, finally I ran across the Panasonic Flash Express! The price of the unit caught my attention first as it seemed somewhat more expensive as compared to the competition, but who knows, perhaps this one made popcorn too? To satsify my curiousity I clicked on the lisitng and am glad I did! In reading the item description I realized I was looking at what I had heard about before a long time ago .... a Flash Express toaster oven that cooks with Infared light, not a standard element!

I did not care how much it cost as this time around I was going to get one ~ and am so happy I did! It makes toast to perfection with just a click of a button. The toast is evenly cooked everytime in a fraction of the time! The buttons are easy to understand and heating time is cut in half on whatever you decide to put in this wonderful unit!

Although it does look somewhat "commercial" in nature with it's boxy-like appearance, it is not ugly by any means as a kitchen appliance. But who knows what a guy's opinion means to the "perfectionist" woman who has to make everything match and "flow" in her kitchen? Regardless, I know whoever purchases this unit will NOT be unhappy with their decision! Sure, the price-tag may seem high to some of you out there, but, isn't it time you spoiled yourself on something new and fun in this age of technology that you can actually understand? It is EASY to use and FUN to use! I love mine and am certain you will too! Perhaps Panasonic will come out with a white model someday which would be nice, but in the meantime, who gives a darn about the color? Silver fits perfectly in any decor ~ in my opinion! This unit is FANTASTIC! I cannot think of any cons at this point.

I have been using mine now for about 3 weeks with no problems. I will update in a couple months as well to let everyone know how it is going for me! Happy toasting!

I used to love Panasonic. But not any more. I may stay in Panasonic for a while because I still have so many ‘Eneloop’ batteries from Panasonic (Sanyo used to make these batteries, but now they belong to Panasonic.)

As many other customer, I purchased this toaster based on reviews.

But, I realized that most of reviews are short-term reviews. I should have read reviews which were written by long terms users. Like many of you, I thought I was a smart shopper. But, not really..

Anyway, here is my experience with this oven.

I used this oven two or three rounds of toasts about 5 times a week. Sometimes just one round. One round means 3 or 4 slices of bread. I used a medium preset, which worked fine from the beginning. After about a year, the toaster burned more for pieces placed in the deep part of the oven. So, I moved to lighter setting (out of 5, the second one from the left). It didn’t take long to move to lightest setting (the very left button). Now, even with this setting toasts started to burn.

In the mean time, I noticed that the clear heating element (top and deep inside, ABA86-17500U) changed the color, from clear to dark.

Panasonic’s part are notoriously expensive. This element is about $46, but not available any more (their part store said in a month, but the available date changes every day, means eternal one month!).

I just wanted to confirm that the symptom (the deep part burns more and the heating element changed its color) is from the heating element ABA86-17500U.

I contacted Panasonic to ask about. No one really can help. They gave me numbers of local service stores but local stores don’t handle this product. Finally they give me direct number for Panasonic Customer Service Center at Texas.

At this point, you know what’s going to happen. Yes, I need to pay $100 + shipping for $120 product brand new!

I’m a kind of handy man with lots of experience of fixing things with physics and electronics background.

I’m not an active environmentalist, but I always feel guilty when I have to throw away thing that can be fixed and used.

I wanted to fix this or replace parts if I had known some information and if I had been able to purchase a part. Even if it costs me $50-60!

It’s unfortunate that most of toasters are like this. If you are extremely lucky, you get to use it for 3-4 years. If not, trash it and buy a new one.

I need to start shopping around for a toaster again. But, I’m not sure which product has parts easily acquired so that I can use for a long time.

My review may not affect overall reviews of this product. Panasonic may not care, but at least I would like to throw a stone into the lake. When lots of people throw rocks together, who knows whether Panasonic would realize?

Update: January 20, 2017

Most people post reviews before they use for some time to see if the product is reliable for a longer period.

Anyway, I was wrong about their part availability date. It was not forever '30 days'. It kept on changing.

But I'm not sure if they are reasonably accurate. Several days ago, their web site said '63 days' but this morning '20 day'.

I'm kind of doubtful, but I may as well order and see what will happen.

After I wrote the first review, I took a part the oven and disconnected a wire from the Clear Heater (ABA86-17500U) so that this heat doesn't get any current. I wrapped around the heat wire with an electrical tape in a secure way, not touch the metal housing and far from the heat source. After assemble, I tested. The heater gives out the heat as well as the light. The toast oven didn't not burn a few slices of bread but toasted lightly due to the lack of extra heater. I decided to use this way until I find out what I want to do. I just increase the cooking time to make the bread a litter darker. Of course, the top and bottom of the toast are not similar, again due to the lack of upper heater.

What I was mad about Panasonic Support is that they didn't or refused to tell me what is wrong. I wanted to know what would be the possible solution so that I can decide if I have to trash or replace a certain part. All they said is that since the warranty period is over, I need to send it back to them and the cost is about $100 without shipping.

They should do better than this. They should really try to understand customers and help them in a sincere way.

I will update again when I receive the new heater.

I had the "old model" of this oven for around 5-years or so. I broke one of the infrared bulbs (while cleaning it) last week. Fortunately I found out that they have started to make this oven again. They had stopped (or at least stopped importing them) when I checked a couple of years ago for a friend of mine who wanted one. But this "new model" is exactly the same as my "old" one except the name on a couple of buttons has changed, and also it's now silver instead of white.

Frist, let me just say what this toaster oven is NOT. . .It is NOT a replacement for a "traditional" oven. If you're looking for something of that sort, then I highly recommend you check out one of the Breville or Black & Decker models. This Panasonic toaster oven will NOT cook a chicken. . or bake an 8" pie.. . or bake a cake. But what it does. . .it does VERY well.

This oven works by infrared light. You can Google to find out exactly how this works, if you want the specifics. Because of this, there is no pre-heating required. The lights will turn on-and-off while the oven is in operation. This can be a little "confusing" when you start to use it, but you'll get used to it.

This oven works WONDERFULLY for the following items:

* Toast - using whatever bread you like. . . however thick you like

* Toasting bagels or English muffins

* Heating pastries or croissants

* Baking biscuits (Pillsbury frozen buttermilk biscuits are my favorite)

* Heating frozen appetizers such as breaded cheese sticks, chicken fingers, etc.

* Pizza - reheating or baking. Either a small whole pizza or a slice of a large pizza

* Frozen garlic bread

* Cookies

Though the guide says that you can bake cakes and pies in it. . . I've tried, and it didn't work for me. If you're baking small tarts which are perhaps a half-inch thick. . .or a cake where it's no more than ½ inch thick.. .then perhaps you could get it to work. . but again. . . this is not like a "traditional" oven, so I think if you're going to bake such things, then you would be much better off using a "traditional" oven.

It's wonderful that there is no pre-heating. I put frozen biscuits in, and 20-minutes later they are just perfect.

The oven has some preset buttons on the front where you can also choose from "light" (shorter cooking time) to "dark" (longer cooking time). . . or. . . you can choose the temperature and length of cooking you would like, up to 25-minutes.

The pan that comes with the oven is 9-inches square. This is certainly the maximum size for the oven.

You will learn by trial-and-error what works best with this oven. But after having one for around 5-years, I can HIGHLY recommend it. I have never seen a toaster oven which works like this. . .which has pre-set buttons. . .which doesn't require pre-heating. . . . and does such a fantastic job.

It's hard to believe that I get so excited about such an item. . .but this is one of those rare occasions where something just works well. . . REALLY REALLY well.

P.S. If you are not using the preset buttons, this toaster oven has a timer up to 25-minutes. If you press the "up" arrow to increase the time, it goes in 30-second intervals up to ten-minutes, and then it goes by 1-min intervals. If you want to bake something on the "higher-end" of the timer, then use the "down arrow" to start with and it will go from 25-minutes backwards.

Je viens de recevoir l'appareil. Je le trouvais assez dispendieux à 179 $ malgré le rabais de 20 $ mais les différents sites d'avis placent cet appareil dans le top 5 malgré qu'il n'a pas changé depuis des années donc ça m'a rassuré. L'appareil a un format idéal sur le comptoir et a un très beau look malgré le fait qu'il est sorti sur le marché il y a plusieurs années. J'ai bien aimé la fonction toast et le fait que les rôties sont prêtes en 2 minutes et parfaitement cuites. On peut y mettre 4 tranches de pain mais si les tranches sont trop grandes, ça sera serré. L'intérieur de l'appareil n'est pas très grand. Les lumières infrarouges cuisent beaucoup plus rapidement et de manière égale comparé aux éléments. C'est un excellent petit four pour réchauffer ou faire cuire de petites portions sans se soucier d'un problème de cuisson inégale. La plaque de miettes sous l'appareil est une très bonne idée. Oui la plaque est mince mais son seul but est de ramasser les miettes ou les morceaux qui tombent durant la cuisson donc ce n'est pas important. J'ai détecté un petit défaut de confection. La fenêtre de la porte a un cadre par dessus à l'intérieur donc les miettes ou détritus y restent pris lorsque vous sortez vos aliments puisque la grille qui est attachée à la porte embarque par dessus lorsque vous tirez la poignée. Le nettoyage de cette portion de l'appareil est plus difficile. Du côté des positifs, lors de la cuisson, l'appareil est complètement silencieux comparé aux mini fours conventionnels et la chaleur est immédiate avec l'infrarouge donc aucune pré cuisson nécessaire. Bref, je recommande cet appareil pour une personne seule ou un couple pour une utilisation de tous les jours.

It’s my first air fryer! I’ve used it everyday and it looks really well. I like the design and it looks nice in my kitchen! Go get yourself one! See what you think!

Es un horno tostador excelente por su tamaño, tecnología y funcionalidad. Es además estético y muy completo: funciones predeterminadas, conversión visible de grados F/C , luz y un tamaño excelente. Estoy muy satisfecha de la compra.

Tengos 3 anos que lo compre y toda via funciona como nuevo. Lo compré durante la pandemia cuando comencé a hacer nuestros propios productos horneados. Hoy lo usamos, por menos, una vez por dia y tambien para tostar, calientar y hornar. Yo horneo vegetales, nueces, Yo horneo vegetales, nueces, y cualquier otra cosa que pueda caber dentro. Solo es trabajoso limpiarlo.

I absolutely love this little toaster oven. We moved to a home with limited counter space, and I have celiac disease so I can't share a toaster with the gluten-eaters. If we had kept the microwave and separate toasters there would be no room left on the counter to make food! This little toaster oven does the job of all three and in half the space of a microwave, and I haven't had to use the regular large oven that guzzles electricity. It gets used at least twice a day, sometimes three or four times for reheating and cooking meals.

Pros:

- no preheating

- small and compact, takes up very little counter space compared to a microwave

- easy to use controls, the membrane buttons are easy to wipe clean

- multiple preset heating options plus custom heat and timer settings mean it's very flexible

- removable crumb tray makes it easy to clean up the crumbs

Cons:

- it does heat up quite a bit on the top and sides, but as long as you keep thin plastics away from it and teach kids not to touch it's not a huge problem

- the light that turns on and off while heating is quite bright, but you get used to it

- it won't fit anything larger than a 9-inch frozen pizza or anything tall, but the interior size is impressive given how small it is overall

- no broiler setting; I've successfully made nachos using the toast setting, however, so I don't miss it.

- it takes a long time (10+ minutes) to reheat things like soup

So far we've used this little toaster oven to make toast, nachos, grilled cheese, frozen pizzas, hash browns, and roasted tomatoes; it's also been used to reheat leftovers from takeout pizza to rice to pancakes, and I've even made s'mores in it. I haven't tried it for baking yet but if I do I'll update my review. You have to use it differently to reheat some foods compared to a microwave, but adding a tad extra liquid and stirring halfway through works just fine for reheating foods without burning the top or drying them out. I does take a bit longer than a microwave, but for foods like leftover pizza and french fries the crispiness this toaster oven gives is completely worth it.

I've heavily used the tray that came with the toaster oven, and it's become severely discoloured from oils and I can't get it looking clean any more even with vinegar soaks or a baking soda scrub — however, that's an aesthetic issue and not a function issue. If I got another one I'd line it with tinfoil just to keep it from getting stained so quickly. The rack is stainless steel and much easier to clean, even when it's covered in baked-on cheese from pizzas.

As far as using this toaster oven for both gluten-free and non-gluten-free foods, the rack is removable but it's a little bit fiddly, and it's too hard to clean well enough to just clean before every use; instead I use the included tray for my gluten-free bread, and save putting food directly on the rack for the gluten-containing foods (a silicone mat might work as well, if there are any made in the right size). When using the tray instead of the rack I have to flip my bread to get both sides evenly toasted, but it works out okay; ideally I'd get a second rack to have one for only gluten-free use and just switch back and forth, but I haven't been able to find anywhere I can get just the rack on its own.