Black+Decker Extra Wide Crisp N' Bake Review

The Black+Decker Extra Wide Crisp N' Bake is a good budget toaster oven option for those looking for an easy and affordable way to make standard meals with a countertop kitchen appliance. However, anyone cooking more complex recipes with higher degrees of difficulty may be disappointed by its propensity for temperature inaccuracies.

Performance Comparison

Cooking Performance

The Extra Wide Crisp N' Bake provided good but not spectacular results in our cooking tests. Every item we pulled out of this oven tasted good but some had some minor imperfections.

The frozen pizzas we made consistently came out crispy on the top and slightly softer/doughy on the bottom. This is great for those who like a softer crust, but we found it difficult to get a crispy crust without overly browning the cheese. Frozen tater tots were similar, with some cooking faster than others. We got better results if we shook the tray a few times during cooking.

Overall, all of these items tasted good, but none elicited the “Oh my, I can't believe this was made in a toaster oven” response that some of the best toaster ovens garnered. We think most people will be more than pleased with the Extra Wide Crisp N' Bake's results. However, if you like to make minor changes to fine-tune recipes to maximize the results, this appliance may lack the consistency needed to make those efforts worthwhile. This is certainly a utilitarian tool rather than a gourmet one.

Toasting

The Extra Wide Crisp N' Bake produced quite consistent toast in our testing but displayed some cold spots around the edges of the cooking chamber you don't see with our favorite slot toasters. We were impressed with its toast in our single piece toast test, with both sides receiving even browning and taking on a nice texture. However, if you cram the toaster full of bread, the toast near the edges and the door come out considerably lighter than those in the center.

This appliance is large enough to fit eight slices of toast, and there are six shade settings to choose from. Toasting was achieved in just over four minutes. The toast came out a medium golden brown, but we found that it came out darker during our second test. The bread also seemed to stick to the rack during both toasting tests. We also found that this oven toasted smaller amounts of toast more evenly than a rack full.

Ease of Use

Using the Extra Wide Crisp N' Bake is quite straightforward. There are three knobs — one to select the cooking mode, one to set the temperature, and one to set the timer. However, these knobs are labeled with relatively small writing that can be hard to read, and there is no digital readout, meaning there is no way to verify that you've turned the knob to the exact temperature or time that you want. Additionally, the door will slam down onto the counter if you don't guide it down with your hand. While this is a minor thing, those who were used to ovens with spring-loaded doors got an unpleasant surprise every time we opened the door.

On the upside, we found it easy to clean the Extra Wide Crisp N' Bake. The oven compartment is roomy and doesn't have many places for grease and grime to hide, making it easy to wipe out. The crumb tray also fits snugly and slides in and out without much effort.

Temperature Accuracy

In our testing, the Extra Wide Crisp N' Bake never managed to nail a temperature setting, with the actual temperature always differing from the set temperature by a relatively wide margin. The average temperature (between five and 25 minutes over the three trials) was 320˚F, while the average offset temperature over the three trials was 30.3˚F.

Many models in our test had a higher level of accuracy than this. The saving grace is that this oven always ran low, so there's less of a chance of burning your food. You could somewhat counteract this by setting the temperature a bit higher.

Another portion of our temperature accuracy test was to time how long each toaster oven took to reach 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The Crisp N' Bake consistently took around 2.6 minutes to hit this mark.

The Extra Wide Crisp N' Bake also provides an air frying setting which is a unique feature for an oven in this price range. However, we weren't impressed with the setting. Air fry is meant to make things crispy and/or cook faster by quickly circulating very hot air. However, when we engaged this setting, it never seemed to get hot enough to achieve this task.

Should You Buy the Extra Wide Crisp N' Bake?

The Black+Decker Extra Wide Crisp N' Bake is one of the best low-cost toaster ovens we've tested, offering the basics most people want and need from a countertop oven for a below-average price. Just don't expect any gourmet miracles from this wallet-friendly machine. Though not a top-performing model, the Extra Wide Crisp N' Bake offers good all-around performance for a relatively low price, making it a great option for those shopping on a budget.

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