Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven with Grill Review: The Ultimate Countertop Powerhouse Tested

1. Introduction: The Rise of the All-In-One Countertop Beast

Appliance fatigue is a real problem in the modern kitchen. You have a slot toaster taking up space near the sink, a basket air fryer sitting on the island, and an indoor George Foreman-style grill hiding in the pantry. Kitchen real estate is expensive, and consumer demand has aggressively shifted toward consolidation. We want appliances that can do it all, without sacrificing performance in any single category.

Enter our subject for this exhaustive Cuisinart air fryer toaster oven grill review. Officially known as the Cuisinart TOA-70, this machine makes a very bold promise: it claims to master eight distinct cooking functions, including a heavy-duty grill plate that promises to deliver outdoor-quality sear marks without the smoke alarm going off.

But does combining a 1800W convection oven with a cast-aluminum grill plate actually yield good results, or is it just a jack-of-all-trades and master of none? In this comprehensive review, we dive deep into the searing capabilities, air frying speeds, baking consistency, and the controversial analog control dials to determine if this Cuisinart hybrid deserves a permanent spot on your countertop.

2. Unboxing and Design: A Stainless Steel Statement Piece

Right out of the box, the Cuisinart TOA-70 makes an imposing impression. Unlike the plastic, bulbous aesthetic of traditional basket air fryers, this unit is constructed almost entirely of brushed stainless steel. It looks like a piece of professional, commercial-grade kitchen equipment.

The Footprint: It measures approximately 12.2 x 15.5 x 13.8 inches. It is relatively tall and boxy compared to a traditional, low-profile toaster oven. You will absolutely need to measure the clearance under your kitchen cabinets before purchasing, as it requires several inches of breathing room above it to vent heat.

Inside the box, you are met with a generous array of high-quality accessories: an oven rack, a baking pan, an air fryer basket, and the heavy, dual-sided grill/griddle plate that serves as the crown jewel of this specific model.

3. The Star of the Show: Testing the Reversible Grill/Griddle Plate

What separates the TOA-70 from its wildly popular predecessor (the TOA-60) is the inclusion of the grill function. The unit comes with a heavy-duty, cast-aluminum reversible plate. One side features raised grill grates; the other side is a flat griddle.

The Smoke Factor: Grilling meat indoors will always produce some smoke. However, because the cooking is contained within the glass door of the oven, the smoke is heavily mitigated compared to an open-faced countertop grill. Placing the unit under your stove’s exhaust hood ensures a completely smokeless kitchen.

4. Air Frying Performance: Speed and Crispiness

Despite being a toaster oven hybrid, the TOA-70 operates as an incredibly aggressive air fryer. The top of the interior features a massive, high-velocity fan that drives the 1800W of heat downward, blasting the food sitting in the large mesh basket.

When understanding how this works, it is helpful to look at the physics of air frying vs. baking airflow and heat density. Because the Cuisinart fan is so powerful, the heat density inside the small cavity is extreme.

5. Baking, Toasting, and Beyond: True Versatility

While the Grill and Air Fry functions steal the headlines, this appliance is a highly competent daily driver for standard kitchen tasks.

• Toasting: It features a dedicated toast shade dial (Light to Dark). Because it uses upper and lower quartz heating elements, it can uniformly toast up to 6 slices of bread at once. It outperforms almost any standard pop-up toaster.
• Baking & Broiling: The cavity is large enough to fit a 12-inch pizza or a standard 9×13 inch casserole dish without handles. The “Convection Bake” setting creates a gentle, circulating heat that is perfect for baking even batches of chocolate chip cookies or roasting a 4-pound whole chicken.
• Keep Warm: A highly underrated feature that allows you to hold side dishes at a safe, low temperature while you finish cooking the main course on your primary stove.

6. Analog Dials vs. Digital Precision: The User Experience

If you are exploring the broader market of digital toaster oven air fryers, the Cuisinart TOA-70 stands out as a stark contrast. It completely rejects digital screens and touch pads in favor of four chunky, retro analog dials: Time, Temperature, Function, and Toast Shade.

The Appeal: The analog dials are incredibly intuitive. There are no menus to navigate, no digital beeps, and no convoluted software. You simply twist the dial to “Air Fry”, twist the temp to “350”, and twist the timer to “15”. It is satisfyingly tactile and essentially bulletproof regarding electronic failure.

The Drawback: Analog dials lack precise accuracy. The temperature dial moves in 50-degree increments. If a recipe calls for exactly 360°F, you have to guess and set the dial slightly past the 350 mark. Furthermore, the mechanical timer ticks down audibly (like an egg timer), which some users find charming, but others find slightly annoying.

7. Cleaning and Maintenance: Taming the Grease

Cooking high-fat items like burgers and steaks inside a closed metal box presents a distinct cleaning challenge. The interior of the Cuisinart TOA-70 features a non-stick coating, which makes wiping down the walls relatively easy if you do it while the machine is still slightly warm.

However, the upper heating elements and the powerful fan guard can accumulate grease splatters over time. To ensure your machine doesn’t start smoking during future cooks, you must stay on top of the cleaning. We highly recommend reviewing our guide on how to clean air fryer fans and elements without causing damage.

Pro Tip: Line the slide-out crumb tray at the very bottom of the unit with heavy-duty aluminum foil. When it fills with grease and crumbs, simply throw the foil away and replace it.

8. Competitor Comparison: Cuisinart vs. Kalorik vs. Ninja

How does the Cuisinart hold up against other massive, all-in-one toaster oven air fryers?

If you have the counter space and want to cook massive rotisserie chickens, you might lean toward exploring the Kalorik MAXX 26qt. However, if your primary goal is searing meats, grilling vegetables, and fast air frying without relying on digital menus, the Cuisinart is the clear winner.

9. Pros and Cons Summary