The Hamilton Beach 31156 is the best toaster-first pick: a clever 2-in-1 that puts a long-slot pop-up toaster on top of a small bake/broil oven. Consumer Reports called it the only model to earn top-notch scores in all its toast tests, and it toasts up to 40% faster than a typical toaster oven. The oven cavity is small and there's no convection or air fry, but for fast toast plus occasional light baking under $100, nothing matches its form factor.
Full review
Real-World Cooking Performance
The Hamilton Beach 31156 solves a problem the other four picks don't: oven-style toasting is slow and uneven, so the 31156 puts an actual long-slot pop-up toaster on top of a small bake/broil oven. The result, per Consumer Reports, is the best toast in the category — it was "the only model in our ratings to receive top-notch scores in all of our tests for toast," with excellent full-batch and toasting-time results. Hamilton Beach claims it toasts up to 40% faster than a typical toaster oven, and the pop-up slots deliver more consistent browning than radiant oven elements.
The oven half handles light baking and broiling. HGTV's long-term reviewer, replacing a beloved 13-year-old Hamilton Beach combo, reported the 31156 "lives up to its predecessor" and noted "the oven can fit a 9-inch pizza, yet the overall size of the entire unit is not that much bigger." It is a quick-toast-plus-occasional-bake machine, and within that lane it's excellent.
The 2-in-1 Design
The defining feature is the dual form factor: a two-slice long-slot toaster with a five-shade selector sits above a 16.5-liter oven, and a slide lever switches which one is active. BestChoice describes it as "a space-saving combination of a long-slot toaster and a countertop oven that bakes, broils, and toasts in one compact unit." For a small kitchen that wants both appliances without two separate boxes, this is genuinely clever.
Controls are simple analog dials plus the mode lever, with a 60-minute timer and auto shutoff on the oven side. There's no learning curve and no digital menus — a deliberate contrast to the preset-driven Breville and Ninja.
Build Quality and Value
At around $80 the 31156 is the cheapest pick here, and the stainless finish looks tidier than its price. It is a 1450-watt unit with a one-year warranty, standard for the segment. The value proposition is narrow but real: you get class-leading toast plus a usable small oven for less than a third of what the Breville costs. For a dorm, a small apartment, or a household that toasts daily and bakes only occasionally, that's a strong deal.
Where It Falls Short
The 31156's limits are versatility and oven evenness. The oven cavity is small — a 9-inch pizza is the ceiling — and there's no convection, no air fry, and no digital presets, so it can't roast a chicken or crisp fries the way the other four can. Some owners report toast occasionally sticking in the pop-up slots, requiring a nudge, and a few note the bottom of oven-baked items can overcook before the top browns. These are the trade-offs of a budget toast-first design, not deal-breakers for its intended use.
How It Compares to Alternatives
The 31156 is the odd one out — a toast specialist among multi-function ovens. It makes better, faster toast than the oven-only browning of the Breville Smart Oven Compact BOV670, Cuisinart TOA-60, Ninja Foodi SP101, or Toshiba AC25CEW, but it's far less capable for everything else: no air fry, no convection, no rotisserie, and the smallest oven. If toast is your priority and baking is occasional, it wins; if you want a true do-everything countertop oven, any of the higher-ranked picks is a better fit.
Who It's Best For
Buy the 31156 if you toast every day and want pop-up-toaster speed and consistency plus a small oven for the occasional pizza or melt, all for under $100 and in a compact footprint. It's ideal for small households, dorms, and anyone who finds oven-style toasting too slow. Skip it if you want air fry (the Cuisinart TOA-60 or Ninja SP101), even multi-rack baking and roasting (the Breville BOV670 or Toshiba AC25CEW), or the capacity to cook a whole chicken — this is a toast-first machine and proudly so.
Strengths
- +Unique 2-in-1: a long-slot pop-up toaster on top plus a real bake/broil oven below
- +Consumer Reports' only model to earn top-notch scores in all toast tests
- +Toasts up to 40% faster than a typical toaster oven
- +Compact footprint with a slide-lever to switch between toaster and oven
- +Around $80 — the cheapest pick here
Watch-outs
- −Oven cavity is small — fits only a 9-inch pizza
- −No convection, air fry, or digital presets
- −Some users report toast sticking in the pop-up slots
- −Bottom of oven-baked items can overcook before the top
How it compares
The toast specialist: its pop-up long-slot toaster makes faster, more consistent toast than the oven-only browning of the Breville Smart Oven Compact BOV670, Cuisinart TOA-60, Ninja Foodi SP101, or Toshiba AC25CEW — but its small oven cavity and lack of convection or air fry leave it the least versatile of the five.
Who this is for
At a glance: small households who mostly want fast, reliable toast with the convenience of a small oven for occasional light baking.
Why you’d buy the Hamilton Beach 31156 2-in-1 Oven and Toaster
- Unique 2-in-1: a long-slot pop-up toaster on top plus a real bake/broil oven below.
- Consumer Reports' only model to earn top-notch scores in all toast tests.
- Toasts up to 40% faster than a typical toaster oven.
Why you’d skip it
- Oven cavity is small — fits only a 9-inch pizza.
- No convection, air fry, or digital presets.
- Some users report toast sticking in the pop-up slots.
Rating sources
“The only model in our ratings to receive top-notch scores in all of our tests for toast, with excellent full-batch and toasting-time performance.”
“Hamilton Beach's newest toaster and oven combo lives up to its predecessor — the oven can fit a 9-inch pizza, yet the overall size of the entire unit is not that much bigger.”
“A space-saving combination of a long-slot toaster and a countertop oven that bakes, broils, and toasts in one compact unit.”
Our 4.1 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
