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French door toaster ovens are becoming more and more popular by the day. When you are looking for a premium countertop electric oven with the capacity to feed a whole family, these are the units you turn to.
Best of all, they just look classy and high-end in your kitchen. I’m reviewing the best French door toaster ovens and why each may be the perfect fit for you.
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My Top Toaster Oven Reviews with French Doors
The best French door ovens will have the space and power to cook a Thanksgiving turkey or the perfect hot and fast pizza. Extra features and temperature controls are going to be a bonus for me.
If you don’t want to read my entire review, I recommend getting the Emeril Lagasse 26 QT Convection Toaster due to its large capacity and the fact that it can reach 500°F.
Emeril Lagasse 26 QT Convection Toaster
My top pick is the Emeril Lagasse 26 QT Convection Toaster with French doors. With a top-end temperature of 500°F and a massive 26-quart capacity, I know I have the space and power to cook just about anything.
One downside of the size is the footprint and height of the unit. The unit is about 20 inches tall, so you’ll just want to make sure you have cabinet clearance for this on your countertop. Compare that to the mere 15 inches needed by the Elite Gourmet unit and still manages to have 2 cooking racks to the Emeril’s one.
The Emeril Lagasse Convection Toaster features a digital display read-out and simple one-push programs for your most common meals. With the precise digital readout, you won’t have any guesswork regarding oven temperature.
The addition of a rotisserie and dehydrator makes this a real all-in-one unit. Because the low-temperature controls are so consistent, you can even use the Emeril Lagasse Convection Toaster to proof your dough!
The main downside with this toaster oven is that it doesn’t quite fit a Thanksgiving turkey, so you’ll still need your big oven for that one.
Pros
- Powerful 500°F max heat output
- Big 26 quart capacity
- Includes a rotisserie and dehydrator option
- Can cook a 12-inch pizza
- Precise cooking controls and programs
Cons
- It might be too tall to keep on your countertop if you have lower cabinets
- Can’t cook a turkey
LUBY Large Toaster Oven
The best traditional toaster oven on my list is the LUBY Large Toaster Oven. Large is an accurate word to describe this unit. With a massive cooking footprint for 14-inch pizzas or a 20-pound turkey, there isn’t too much you won’t be able to fit in the LUBY oven.
A maximum temperature of 450°F is respectable, but it’s not as hot as the Emeril Lagasse can get. Due to the temperature only being able to reach 450°F, it doesn’t quite cut it for searing steaks, so plan to keep an excellent cast iron on the stove for that.
One downside with the temperature controls on the LUBY is that they are on an analog dial, and there are no pre-programmed settings. There are no other settings at all, no broil, no-bake, or toast; it is simple in that it is just an on/off.
Unlike the Emeril Convection Toaster, you will need to do a bit of guesswork and estimation to set the temperature on the LUBY. There are large milestone temperatures such as 430°F or 450°F, but between these, you’ll need just to use your best judgment.
Pros
- Large enough to cook a 14-inch pizza or a 20-pound turkey
- Great value for the space and power
Cons
- No precise temperature controls
- No rotisserie or convection option like the Emeril Toaster Oven
Elite Gourmet ETO4510BMDouble French Door Toaster Oven
If you are looking for the best value and versatility in French door toaster ovens, it is the Elite Gourmet ETO04510BM. The Elite Gourmet is essentially a swiss army knife in the kitchen due to everything it can do. This toaster oven can bake, broil, toast, and rotisserie!
However, one of the best features has to be the double rack cooking. Pair this with the convection fans, and you can easily double the output of your standard toaster oven. Most of the other units are limited to a single 12-14 inch pizza; you can cook 2 pizzas simultaneously in the Elite Gourmet.
Like the LUBY Large Toaster Oven, the hottest temperature the Elite Gourmet can reach is 450°F. Since the Elite Gourmet has convection cooking, all the heat energy is distributed quickly and evenly throughout the entire unit.
For most people, the 450°F maximum temperature will be acceptable; however, if you’re hoping to get a nice sear on your food, you’ll want to use a toaster oven that can reach temperatures closer to 500°F.
Pros
- Convection oven
- It has a rotisserie setting
- 2 trays can cook twice as much food as the other toaster ovens on my list
- Can cook a 20-pound turkey
Cons
- The maximum temperature is 450°F
- No dedicated dehydration setting
Features to Consider for French Door Toaster Ovens
When purchasing a French door toaster oven, it is critical to look at the internal capacity and the maximum temperature. If your toaster can’t get hot enough to sear a steak or can’t fit that Thanksgiving turkey, then it won’t matter what other bells and whistles you have on there – it simply won’t work for you.
After you consider the space and the power, there are several other items to evaluate. Convection can make a big difference in your cooking and increase your speed and efficiency. The ability to dehydrate foods at low, consistent temperatures is also important. After you consider the space and the power, there are several other items to evaluate.
Take a look at these top features for a French door countertop oven and how they impact your user experience.
| Product | Max Temperature | Max Pizza Size | Convection? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emeril Lagasse Convection Toaster | 500°F | 12 inch | Yes |
| LUBY Large Toaster Oven | 450°F | 14 inch | No |
| Elite Gourmet Toaster Oven | 450°F | 14 inch | Yes |
Size
The main reason I use French door ovens is for the size capacity. French-style doors allow for more minor glass elements. By using the vertical hinges, the weight of the doors is in the hinge, not on you when opening and closing the doors (like a traditional oven).
Most manufacturers like comparing pizzas and turkey sizes regarding how much can fit in the toaster ovens. Pizza, as an example, is good since this is a constant diameter and represents the maximum footprint food can have in the toaster.
Turkeys are also used as a rough estimate of total volume since few things you will ever cook are fatter or larger than a turkey.
Both the LUBY Toaster Oven and the Elite Gourmet French Door Toaster Oven were the largest in size, both able to fit a 20-pound turkey.
Temperature
You can’t have a conversation about toaster ovens without talking about temperature. While many will see the maximum temperature, not all temperatures are created equal.
Electric ovens are notorious for their poor accuracy in temperature control. It takes a long time to heat and cool the heating element to maintain a constant temperature window.
While the maximum temperature a toaster oven can reach is essential for searing steaks or toasting food, this is not the only thing to consider. Other features like convection, multiple zone controls, or dehydration settings will all go a long way to getting you more out of every degree your toaster oven can generate.
All else being equal, you want an oven that can at least get to 400°F, 450°F and higher would be best, though.
Convection
You probably have heard the term “air-fryer.” Well, that is just what professionals have been calling convection for the past 100 years. Yes, every air-fryer is a convection oven at the end of the day.
But why is convection so important? Because air is a poor medium to transfer heat energy (think why blankets, poofy jackets, styrofoam, and your cooler all have air pockets in them to insulate).
By forcefully circulating air around in the oven, the air temperature stays even through the whole cook space rather than by the heating elements.
Both the Emeril Lagasse Toaster Oven and the Elite Gourmet Oven are convection, which can help in speeding up the overall cook process.
Dehydration
Dehydration settings often get overlooked, but they are a big deal! The hardest thing for an oven to do is maintaining a consistent low temperature for extremely long times (i.e., dehydration). In general, units in this setting need to have better overall temperature controls, quality electronics, and heating elements.
Accessories
Typically, I don’t write about the freebies and add-values that come with products, but they matter quite a bit in this case.
What is the point of having a convection air-frying toaster if you have no basket to use it with? Why have a rotisserie-enabled oven if you don’t have a spot to hang the meat off of?
When it comes to getting all the value out of your purchase, these accessories add up. Some of the top accessories to keep an eye out for are fry baskets and rotisserie spits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Advantage of a French Door Oven?
The main reason to get a French door oven is to reduce the footprint of your appliances. The main reason to produce French door ovens is to use smaller glass elements.
This trades off the tension stress points from a singular bottom hinge and door to more compression stressed doors and side hinges. This is why you will mostly only see French-style doors on larger-capacity appliances.
Does More Heat Escape with French Door Wall Ovens Compared to Single Door Ovens?
French doors limit the required surface area to be exposed compared to opening a large single door. That said, how much heat escapes will be dependent on the surface area being exposed to air, the direction of the heat current in relation to the opening, and how long the door needs to be open.
Conclusion
My favorite aspect of toaster ovens with French doors is the widespread inclusion of convection air-frying and rotisseries into these units. If you have a small family of 2-4, a countertop toaster oven like those above will be perfect for your everyday life. With so many options and add-values, it just may be time to kiss your traditional wall oven goodbye.
