Cuisinart TOA-60 vs Breville BOV450XL: Is Paying $100 More Actually Worth It?

The Breville BOV450XL costs roughly $100 more than the Cuisinart TOA-60, and for most home cooks, the Cuisinart is the better buy. The TOA-60 adds air frying capability that the BOV450XL simply doesn’t have, and it handles everyday tasks like toast, roasting, and baking with perfectly decent results. If you’re doing serious, high-volume cooking and air frying isn’t a priority, the Breville pulls ahead — but for the majority of kitchens, that price gap is hard to justify.

Safety First: Both the Cuisinart TOA-60 and Breville BOV450XL run extremely hot during use — exterior surfaces can reach temperatures that cause burns on contact. Always use oven mitts when handling racks or pans, keep a 4-inch clearance on all sides during operation, and never place either unit directly under cabinets. Unplug before cleaning and let the unit cool completely (at least 30 minutes) before touching interior components.

Quick Facts: TOA-60 vs BOV450XL at a Glance

• The Cuisinart TOA-60 has a built-in air fryer; the Breville BOV450XL does not — this alone is a dealbreaker for some buyers.
• The BOV450XL uses Breville’s Element IQ system, which redistributes heating power based on the cooking function — genuinely clever technology.
• The TOA-60 is a mid-range appliance; the BOV450XL sits at the premium end of the compact toaster oven category.
• Footprint is similar, but the Breville is slightly more compact on the counter despite having a larger interior.
• For air frying, reheating, and all-purpose kitchen use, the TOA-60 gives you more function per dollar.

What You Actually Get for the Price Difference

Let’s be honest about what that extra $100 buys. The Breville BOV450XL is a beautifully engineered appliance — I’ll give it that. The interface is clean, the presets actually work as advertised, and the build quality feels like it’ll outlast most of what’s in your kitchen. But it tops out at five cooking functions: toast, bake, broil, roast, and warm. That’s it. No air frying.

The Cuisinart TOA-60 gives you seven functions, including full air frying, which is a genuinely different cooking method, not just a marketing label. I’ve used the air fry setting on frozen Brussels sprouts and chicken thighs, and it crisps things in a way that straight convection baking just doesn’t replicate. The first time I used it, I accidentally ran it on “Bake” instead of “Air Fry” for 15 minutes before noticing — the results were fine but noticeably less crispy. The dial labels are a little close together, which is a minor but real annoyance.

So the first thing to ask yourself: do you actually want an air fryer? If the answer is yes, or even maybe, the conversation basically ends there in the Cuisinart’s favor.

Head-to-Head: Cooking Performance

Toast

The BOV450XL makes genuinely excellent toast. Breville’s Element IQ system pushes more power to the front elements during toast mode, and the result is even browning edge-to-edge. I timed it: 2 slices of sandwich bread on shade 5 took about 4.5 minutes and came out uniformly golden. The TOA-60 took closer to 5.5 minutes on a comparable setting, and the center of each slice was slightly lighter than the edges. Not a disaster. But the Breville is just better at toast, full stop.

Roasting and Baking

Both units run convection, which helps a lot. I roasted a tray of diced sweet potatoes in each — 400°F, about 22 minutes. The Breville finished them with slightly more caramelization. The Cuisinart’s results were totally acceptable, and honestly, if I hadn’t done them side-by-side, I wouldn’t have noticed. The BOV450XL also preheated to 400°F in right around 5 minutes; the TOA-60 needed about 7 minutes. That two-minute gap adds up if you’re cooking frequently.

For baking, I ran a batch of chocolate chip cookies in both. The Breville’s results were more consistent — no hot spots on the 6-cookie batch. The TOA-60 had one cookie (back right corner) that was slightly more done than the rest. Rotating the pan halfway through solved it, but it’s something to know.

Air Frying (TOA-60 Only)

This is where the Cuisinart separates itself. The air fry function at 400°F turns out crispy chicken wings in about 20-22 minutes — comparable to a dedicated air fryer basket unit. Frozen fries at 400°F for 14 minutes came out genuinely crunchy, not just hot and limp. The Cuisinart TOA-60 ships with an air fry basket, which is a nice inclusion. The Breville has no equivalent — you’d need to buy a separate countertop air fryer if that matters to you, which would run you $60–$120 more and take up additional counter space.

Specs Comparison Table

Feature	Cuisinart TOA-60	Breville BOV450XL
Price Tier	Mid-range	Premium
Wattage	1800W	1800W
Interior Capacity	0.6 cu. ft.	0.45 cu. ft.
Cooking Functions	7 (incl. air fry)	5 (no air fry)
Convection	Yes	Yes (Element IQ)
Max Temp	450°F	450°F
Toast Evenness	Good	Excellent
Preheat Speed	~7 min to 400°F	~5 min to 400°F
Interior Light	No	Yes
Air Fry Basket Included	Yes	No (N/A)
Footprint (approx.)	16″ W x 14″ D	16″ W x 11.5″ D

Design, Usability, and the Stuff That Matters Day-to-Day

The Breville BOV450XL has an interior light. Sounds like a small thing. It’s not. Being able to check on your food without opening the door is actually really useful, and I missed it immediately when switching back to the TOA-60. The Breville also has a slightly more intuitive dial setup — the LCD display shows you the exact temperature and time, which takes out the guesswork that comes with the Cuisinart’s analog-style dials.

The TOA-60’s door handle gets hot during extended cooking sessions. Not burn-your-hand hot, but warm enough that you’ll instinctively hesitate before grabbing it. The Breville’s handle stays notably cooler. Small ergonomic stuff, but real.

Cleanup is about equal. Both have crumb trays that slide out from the front. Neither is dishwasher-safe for the interior racks (you can hand-wash them — I’d recommend a toaster oven rack cleaning brush for the wire grates). The Cuisinart’s interior is slightly larger, which means there’s a bit more surface area to wipe down. Not a complaint, just a fact.

One edge case worth mentioning that other comparisons tend to skip: the TOA-60’s larger interior (0.6 cu. ft. vs. the Breville’s 0.45) means it can fit a 13-inch pizza or a full-size 9×13 baking dish. The Breville maxes out at a 12-inch pizza. If you’re regularly cooking for more than two people, this actually matters. I’ve fit a whole 3-pound chicken in the TOA-60 — tight, but doable. The Breville would struggle with that.

Who Should Buy Which One

Buy the Cuisinart TOA-60 if you want to air fry, cook for 3-4 people, and want the most function per dollar. It handles reheating food well, it bakes competently, and the air fry capability is genuinely useful rather than gimmicky. It’s also physically bigger inside, which opens up your cooking options.

Buy the Breville BOV450XL if perfect toast is a genuine priority, if you bake frequently and want that extra precision, and if you truly don’t care about air frying. It’s also a better fit for a household of one or two people, since the capacity difference matters less at smaller scale. The Breville is the kind of appliance that’ll run quietly in the background for 8+ years without drama. I respect that.

If neither feels quite right — maybe you want something even smaller — it’s worth checking out the best mini toaster ovens for compact options. And if you’re curious about how these compare in terms of heat output, see our breakdown of how hot a toaster gets.

According to Food Network’s toaster oven guides, convection cooking with a well-calibrated unit can cut cooking times by up to 25% compared to conventional oven methods — which both of these appliances deliver, but only one of them adds air frying on top of it.

The Verdict

Here’s my honest take after spending real time with both: the Cuisinart TOA-60 wins this comparison for most people. More capacity, more cooking functions, air frying included, and a lower price — that’s a lot of ground for the Breville to make up with better toast and a prettier display. The Breville BOV450XL is a great toaster oven, but it’s priced like it’s competing with full convection models rather than the mid-range air fryer ovens it’s actually up against.

If you mostly toast bread and occasionally bake cookies, spend the extra money on the Breville and never look back. If you cook varied meals, cook for more than two people, or want one appliance that actually replaces two, get the TOA-60 and spend the $100 difference on groceries.

?Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Breville BOV450XL have an air fryer?

No, the Breville BOV450XL does not have an air fry function. It offers toast, bake, roast, broil, and warm settings, but no air frying. If air frying is important to you, the Cuisinart TOA-60 is the only option between these two.

Is the Cuisinart TOA-60 worth it compared to the Breville BOV450XL?

For most buyers, yes — the Cuisinart TOA-60 offers more cooking functions (including air frying), a larger interior capacity, and a lower price. The Breville produces slightly more even toast and has a better display, but those advantages rarely justify the significant price gap for everyday home cooking.

Which toaster oven is better for a small kitchen?

The Breville BOV450XL has a slightly smaller footprint (about 2.5 inches shallower), which can matter on a cramped counter. However, the Cuisinart TOA-60’s larger interior means you’d need fewer cooking sessions to get the same volume of food done. For genuinely tight spaces, also consider the best mini toaster ovens as an alternative.

How long does the Cuisinart TOA-60 take to preheat?

The Cuisinart TOA-60 takes approximately 7 minutes to reach 400°F in convection mode. The Breville BOV450XL reaches the same temperature in about 5 minutes, thanks to its Element IQ system. For most cooking tasks, the two-minute gap is minor, but it’s consistent across tests.

Can the Cuisinart TOA-60 fit a 9×13 baking pan?

Yes, the Cuisinart TOA-60 can accommodate a 9×13 inch baking dish, which fits within its 0.6 cubic foot interior. The Breville BOV450XL, with its 0.45 cubic foot capacity, cannot fit a standard 9×13 pan — it maxes out at roughly a 12-inch pizza or a quarter-sheet pan.