Honestly, walking into a kitchen appliance aisle feels like a trap lately. You’ve got gadgets that promise the world—ovens that connect to Wi-Fi for no reason and fryers that look like space pods but barely fit a single chicken wing. It’s a mess. But then there’s the Cuisinart convection oven and air fryer, specifically the TOA-60 and TOA-65 series, which have somehow become the "old reliable" in an era of flashy, disposable tech.
It isn't perfect. Let’s get that out of the way.
If you've spent any time on Reddit’s r/airfryer or checked out long-term reviews from the folks at America’s Test Kitchen, you know the knobs can be finicky and the heat is aggressive. It runs hot. Really hot. But despite the competition from brands like Ninja or Breville, this boxy, stainless steel workhorse remains the gold standard for people who actually cook. It doesn't try to be a computer. It tries to be an oven.
The Heat Problem Everyone Ignores
Most people buy a Cuisinart convection oven and air fryer and immediately burn their first three meals. It’s a rite of passage.
The engineering behind these units is surprisingly simple, which is both its strength and its curse. Unlike a standard wall oven that takes twenty minutes to preheat, this thing is ready to go in about sixty seconds. The heating elements are positioned close to the rack, and the fan—the "convection" part—is powerful.
When you see a recipe on a bag of frozen fries that says 400°F for twenty minutes, do not do that. You’ll end up with charcoal. Experienced users know the "Cuisinart Tax": you usually have to drop the temperature by 25 to 50 degrees and shave off a few minutes of cook time. It’s less of a "set it and forget it" machine and more of a "stay nearby and keep an eye on it" tool.
Is that a flaw? Maybe. But it’s also why the crust on a Cuisinart-air-fried chicken thigh is objectively better than what you get from a drawer-style fryer. The airflow is just superior.
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What Makes the Cuisinart Convection Oven and Air Fryer Different?
If you look at the TOA-70 or the digital TOA-65, they don't look like "air fryers." They look like toaster ovens from 1995. That’s intentional.
The horizontal layout is the secret sauce. Drawer fryers (like the popular Philips or Ninja models) force you to stack food. Stacking is the enemy of crispiness. When you stack potatoes, they steam each other. You get soggy bits. In the Cuisinart convection oven and air fryer, you have a wide mesh basket. You can lay out a pound of wings or a tray of Brussels sprouts in a single layer.
Everything hits the air at the same time. No shaking required—though a quick toss halfway through never hurts.
Beyond the Air Fryer Hype
We talk about air frying because it's the buzzword, but the "convection oven" part of the name is where the real value lives. It’s a legitimate secondary oven. During Thanksgiving or big dinner parties, having a machine that can actually roast a 4-pound chicken or bake a small tray of brownies while your main oven is occupied by a turkey is a lifesaver.
It handles toast better than most dedicated toasters. It has a specific setting for "Bagel" which, if you’re a purist, is essential because it toasts the cut side while just warming the back. Small details like that are why these units stay on counters for five or six years instead of being relegated to the garage.
The Mechanical vs. Digital Debate
Cuisinart offers two main paths: the analog knobs (TOA-60) and the digital screen (TOA-65).
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The knobs feel sturdy. They’re tactile. But they are imprecise. Setting a timer for exactly six minutes on a mechanical dial is basically a guessing game. If you're someone who gets annoyed by "close enough," the digital version is worth the extra thirty bucks. The digital model also tends to have a more consistent internal thermostat.
However, there's a certain charm to the analog version. Fewer circuit boards mean fewer things to fry if there’s a power surge. In the world of modern appliances, "dumb" tech often outlives "smart" tech.
Cleaning is the Real Test
Let’s be real. Nobody likes cleaning an air fryer.
The Cuisinart has a bit of a reputation here. Because the interior is galvanized steel (in older models) or non-stick (in newer ones), grease can bake onto the walls if you aren’t careful. The mesh basket is the worst offender. If you air fry something messy, like marinated wings, those little wire squares will hold onto chicken skin like their life depends on it.
The pro tip? Don't use the basket for everything. Use a piece of parchment paper or a small silicone mat when you can. And for the love of all things holy, wash the drip tray every single time. If you let grease sit in that tray and then run the oven at 450°F, you will set off your smoke detector.
Real-World Performance: The Toast Test
I've seen high-end Breville ovens that cost $400 struggle to get an even brown on a piece of sourdough. The Cuisinart handles it fine, but it’s fast.
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- Light Toast: 1.5 minutes.
- Medium Toast: 2.5 minutes.
- Burnt: 4 minutes.
It’s aggressive. But that’s the theme of this machine. It’s powerful. It’s the "muscle car" of kitchen appliances. It’s not subtle, and it doesn’t have a lot of fancy driver-assist features, but it gets the job done faster than anything else in its class.
Longevity and Reliability
There was a period around 2022 where some users reported the thermal fuse blowing on these units. Cuisinart seems to have addressed this in the more recent production runs (look for the "V2" or updated model numbers), but it’s a reminder that these are high-draw appliances.
You shouldn't run this on the same circuit as your coffee maker and your microwave at the same time. You'll trip a breaker. It’s pulling a lot of amps to get those heating elements that bright orange.
Making the Most of Your Investment
If you just bought a Cuisinart convection oven and air fryer, or you're about to, stop thinking of it as a microwave replacement. It’s a cooking tool.
- Invest in a small meat thermometer. Because the oven cooks so fast, the window between "perfectly juicy" and "dry as a bone" is small.
- Use the "Warm" setting. It’s surprisingly good at keeping pizza crispy or reviving leftovers without making them rubbery.
- Space is your friend. Don't crowd the basket. If you want that deep-fried crunch without the oil, the air needs to circulate around every single piece of food.
- Watch the height. The ceiling of the oven is low. If you’re baking a loaf of bread, it might rise too close to the top elements and burn the top. Tent it with foil.
Final Thoughts on the Countertop King
The Cuisinart convection oven and air fryer isn't for the person who wants a "smart home." It’s for the person who wants to roast vegetables in twelve minutes instead of forty. It’s for the person who wants a grilled cheese that’s actually crispy on both sides.
It’s a bulky, loud, incredibly hot box that happens to be one of the most versatile things you can put on your kitchen counter. It’s not trying to be your friend; it’s trying to cook your dinner. And in 2026, when every other appliance is trying to sell you a subscription service or track your data, there’s something deeply respectable about a machine that just gets hot and blows air.
Actionable Steps for Success
- Calibrate your expectations: Treat the temperature dial as a suggestion, not a law. Always start 25 degrees lower than what the box says.
- Deep clean monthly: Use a paste of baking soda and water on the interior walls to prevent grease buildup from becoming a fire hazard.
- Rotate your trays: Even with the fan, the back corners tend to be hotter than the front. Flip your tray 180 degrees halfway through baking.
- Check your clearance: Ensure you have at least 4-6 inches of space behind the unit. It vents a lot of heat out the back, and you don't want to melt your backsplash or heat up your cabinets unnecessarily.