The Hamilton Beach Toastation 24708 is a four-slice version of Hamilton Beach's popular two-slice Toastation (22708). It is arguably larger, but just as versatile and efficient as its predecessor.

This unit has two long (10.5-inch) toast slots at the top, plus a shallow (4.5x11-inch) glass door at the front. As a toaster, this unit operates in the traditional manner: by inserting bread slices into the slots and depressing the carriage lever. A firm push on the lever is required to lock it down and begin the toast cycle. The extra wide 1.5-inch slots accommodate thin bread slices as well as thick bagels or pastries.

We were actually very impressed with the toasting function, which delivered evenly browned toast, bagels and English muffins, in less than 3 minutes. The toast shade selector has numeric settings (1-6) to choose your preferred level of browning. Four oversize heating elements ensure fast, even toasting on both sides of the food.

What's unique about the Toastation is its ability to also function as a toaster oven. By simply sliding a lever, you can change modes from toaster to oven. In the oven mode the toast slots slide close at the top so the heat stays concentrated in the lower portion of the oven. A dial selector lets you choose from oven temperatures from 250 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some features we liked about the oven were the automatic advancing rack, the easy slide-out crumb tray and the fast, even heating. With the four toast elements above and two extra oven elements below, the baking area is enveloped in a blanket of heat. The only limitation we noticed was the available cooking space. Because of the half toaster/half oven design, the oven area is limited to 2 inches in height. The 10x11-inch baking sheet provides ample room in its surface; however, the height restriction limits you to foods such as cookies, pizza and other shallow items. We were somewhat successful baking a tray of cupcakes, which cooked surprisingly evenly, even though the batter rose just a little too high for the oven. This oven is perfect for heating toaster pastries, French fries, chicken nuggets and other convenience foods, which cannot be done in a regular toaster. The oven is large enough to accommodate frozen pizzas up to 9 inches in diameter.

One shortcoming with the toaster is that there is only one carriage lever, which activates both slots. That means even if you are only toasting two slices, both sides are operating. It's not really a problem unless you wish to obtain a different shade for two of the four slices or if you wish to toast two different foods (e.g., bread and English muffins) at the same time.

We liked the brushed chrome and black finish, which hides fingerprints. We also found the dimensions (15 inches wide by 13 inches deep by 8 inches tall) to be reasonably compact in comparison to some other toaster ovens. If you are looking for an appliance primarily for toasting, the Hamilton Beach Toastation gives you your money's worth and more.


Pros: Converts from toaster to oven, four-slice capacity
Cons: Oven space limited, cannot accommodate items more than 1.5 inches tall, toasting slots do not have separate controls

Warranty
1 year