GE Digital Air Fry 8-in-1 Toaster Oven

I just got my countertop oven today and between reading the manual, doing a little research (including reading reviews and Q&As), and taking a test drive, I’ve answered most of my own questions.

Regarding number of modes – the digital model has one more mode than the manual model: you can proof yeast dough in the digital model but not the manual one. Some people would never use that setting but since gas ovens don’t have pilot lights anymore, anyone who bakes with yeast might welcome that extra setting.

Regarding preheating – the digital model does display an indicator for when the oven is preheating. Annoyingly, the timer starts ticking down before the oven reaches temp, which shortens the selected cooking time. For example if you want to bake for 30 minutes and set the timer at 30, it will have timed down to something like 26 minutes before it reaches operating temp. You’ll have to set it back up to 30 when you put whatever you’re cooking in the oven. The manual model apparently doesn’t let you know when the selected temp has been reached.

I was puzzled by the fact that the manual control model was less expensive than the digital model, but today is see that the price of the manual model has been reduced such that it’s now less expensive than the digital model.

I haven’t actually used one of the manual control models but the toaster oven I’m replacing with the digital model had the same 3 knobs, and it was very intuitive. The digital model requires turning AND push-clicking two knobs, and there’s a separate start/stop button. So the digital model takes some getting used to, and it’s less than perfect, but it does provide some extra functionality, so I’m not sorry I got it.

This one’s pretty obvious, but based on comments, the manual model has a mechanical timer. If you find the ticking of the timer to be an annoyance, you might like the digital model with the (silent) electronic timer.

I’ve seen reviews where people said the ovens are too small and others that say they’re too big. I think the ovens are about right for a countertop appliance. The sides, front, and top are double-walled which makes the outside of the box much bigger than the inside, but saves energy and moderates surface temps (the back and bottom are single-wall but there are bumpers in the back to keep the appliance away from the kitchen wall). So it’s a very reasonable compromise, IMO.

Honestly, I think it was a mistake to list these two items as one. The item description, the Q&As and the ratings lump everything together so it’s nearly impossible to know what’s what. Even so, I think these ovens are versatile, well-designed, attractive, and fairly easy to use. There are pros and cons between the two variations but most people can’t go wrong with either one.

I wanted to like it but then I used it for baking purpose, the temp only goes up to 350-360 then it doesn’t hit higher than 360. I tried the convection mode, set up to 450 F, not even close. 367 was the highest it got. 🙁

Bought this to replace a beloved and still-functioning Cuisinart unit I bought in 1995. This GE unit is quite pretty and appears well made. Heats up fast, display is nice, and accessories seem appropriate. Size is very comfy for six slices.

Some early concerns mostly focus on usability:
— No Bagel option (to me, a critical miss!)
— Door seems to be designed to catch crumbs
— Beep is quite loud and there’s no way to silence it
— Forces you to set a cook time
— Main grate seems flimsy and cheap
— Crumb tray has a nice non-stick coating on it.

Overall, a decent appliance. Takes a little bit of time to preheat (or perhaps since it’s telling that’s what it’s doing I’m noticing it more). The door’s glass insert does have a tendency to trap crumbs, but it cleans quite easily with a damp paper towel. On the larger size, but is working well thus far.

Don’t understand the “cheaply made” 1-star review. Sounds more like whining, no real information presented, i.e. what aspects appear to be cheaply made? Did you even use the unit before giving it 1 star? That wasn’t a review, it was whining IMO.

I recommend, especially if you’re trying to get rid of a toaster, air fryer, or a little oven this is a great combination oven. Maybe you need something inexpensive and reasonably sized for your kitchen, this is perfect.

So far it works great.

Got this as a replacement for my second Cuisinart toaster oven. The elements in both of my Cuisinart ovens burnt out making temperature control impossible. I chose this model since it was also digitally controlled. This oven has cool down feature to protect the elements. It also has a front removable crumb tray that is easy to use and keep it clean. The air fryer is a great feature. The controls reset to a nominal setting after use which takes awhile to get used to. Very pleased with the purchase.

Unlike most toaster ovens this one can accommodate a 12 inch pizza. This is appealing if for no other reason than it means that during the summer heat the big oven is not needed when craving a pizza. Modes on this oven include broil, bake, toast, air fry, roast, warm, proof and convection. My last toaster oven had a convection setting but the fan was located at the back of the unit and air did not circulate as well as in this oven where a large fan is located at the top of the interior.

With a stainless steel housing the appearance is attractive and although it is quite deep the oven fits under my cabinets. Included are a rack, baking tray and air fry basket. The provided Owner’s Manual is brief but contains useful information on operation, maintenance, trouble shooting, etc. There are no recipes but included is a cooking guide for different types of foods. I prepared a few items to try out the oven and the results were impressive.

Foods cooked include a buttered flour tortilla on toast mode (shade 4), a stuffed chicken breast on bake mode (400 degrees for 34 minutes), frozen onion rings on air fry (14 minutes), garlic bread on convection (2 minutes) and a 12 inch thin crust frozen pizza also on convection (450 degrees for 8 minutes).

The garlic bread crust and top were crispy but the center of the bread was soft and warm–and the buttered flour tortilla was nicely toasted and chewy. The breading on the onion rings was crunchy while the interior onion texture was perfect as was the stuffed chicken breast. The convection setting for the pizza created a crispy instead of soggy crust.

Notes. After selecting settings some of the modes go into preheat mode so allow time for that—air fry and toast do not preheat. The oven beeps once when the set temperature is reached and beeps a couple of times when cooking time is complete. The operation of the oven is not complicated just turn the mode dial to cycle through settings and the second dial to set temperature and time, pressing once to set each and then press the start button. The digital model has a large lighted display so it is easy to see and the pull-out crumb tray at the bottom of the oven is easy to access and clean.

Like most toaster ovens all the sides of the unit heat up during cooking and the dials become warmer the longer the oven operates so keep little ones away. A cool cycle automatically starts when cooking is complete. To aid in deciding where to place the unit the manual states there should be at least 4 inches of clearance all the way around and above the oven when in use and the 3 foot long power cord has a three prong plug.

When using the air fry and convection modes the oven fan creates noticeable although not ears-splitting noise but the other basic oven functions run almost silently. A general quibble about toaster ovens is the lack of an interior light which makes it difficult to visually monitor cooking. Opening the door to check causes heat loss so as I did with my last oven I use a small flashlight to check cooking. Overall performance is excellent.

I have not used this product yet because I am waiting for the basket and pan replacement.
I soak the basket and the pan with warm soapy water after taking it out from the box but to my surprise the basket got rusty and the pan coating started peeling off when i was about to rinse it. The basket rims are not properly polished , they are rough so you could tell why it got rusty after a short period of time in the water. The pan looks like a coated aluminum material. In conclusion these parts are not stainless steel which was not included in the product description.
I got to Amazon product support chat room and was directed to GE costumer service. I went to the chat room while waiting for someone to pick up the call and was given a direct phone number by the chat person. I called the number and after giving her the needed information she ordered the parts to be shipped to me.
I will come back and add more reviews once the replacements will arrive.

This thing was supposed to be stainless steel on the inside. It is NOT! Merely brushed aluminum. It will not boil water set at 400 degrees for an hour. Top burner cycles on and off even when it is set to BAKE! I made biscuits in it today. 350 degrees for 15 minutes as per directions on the can. After 5 minutes it was still preheating. I turned it off, reset the time and temperature, put the biscuits in. It preheated for 7 minutes, 45 seconds, meanwhile the biscuits were cooking. They were done in 10 minutes, 15 seconds. To the point of almost being burned on top. While being so small inside, why does it need a preheat cycle and turn the top burner on? Do NOT buy this thing! I am going to move two of the top burners to the bottom connect them in series and unplug the remaining top burners. The only thing I may like about this thing is a large fan located in the top instead of the side. Time will tell,,, Well it was impossible to relocate the burners, but I found more defects in the product. It has a large gap at the bottom of the door an several more around the bottom. It does not look at the oven temperature senser but in only one mode, air fry. I am returning this item.

This is our 3rd air frying-type kitchen appliance in about 2 years…not because any have broken or we were disappointed with the performance…far from it. We’ve simply been moving up from one of the smaller, pull-out basket models to a larger model with more features, and finally to this MUCH larger, multi-function air fry/toaster oven. In most respects, the upgrade to the GE has been worth it, though there are a few caveats of note.

First and most importantly, as to the cooking performance, this one is definitely a winner. Air frying and convection cooking is lightning quick (compared to a traditional oven) with results that rival (in taste) pretty much anything you can do in the microwave. For example, taking a handful of 18 min fried shrimp took just 7 minutes in the air fryer basket and came out perfectly crispy on the outside without being overdone or dried out on one side as is often the case in our oven. We obtained similar results with sweet potato tots and onion rings–less than half the recommended cooking time of a regular oven without needing any unhealthy, deep frying grease or turning the food into leather or dried sponges in a touchy microwave. Traditional oven cooking settings also behaved just as they should. For instance, the baked ziti in the picture (70 mins at 370 degrees) came out exactly as it has in the past from our larger, room-heating oven unit. Only the toasting setting produced some slightly unexpected results. There are seven browning (“shade”) levels, but the slices of toast in the picture I’ve attached were still white (though they WERE toasted/crunchy) even at setting 4–it wasn’t until I amped the toasting level up to 6 that some serious browning started to occur (also pictured), so it may take some time to master the toasting settings if you vary your routine between toast, bagels, muffins, etc.

The oven unit includes a baking pan, a wire rack, an air frying basket, and a handy pull-out crumb tray that covers the entire bottom of the unit. The rack and pan fit perfectly in the guide slots along the sides of the oven to let you adjust their position higher or lower in the oven, and the handy cooking guide included with the unit even indicates which rack/accessory and at what level (top, middle, bottom) should be used for maximum effectiveness. However, the air frying basket is too small to reach the guide slots so it won’t hang freely inside the unit on its own–you have to put the basket on top of the wire rack…it’s a little awkward as they don’t interlock neatly, but it’s just a minor inconvenience relative to the outstanding air frying results we obtained. I was surprised by how much we ended up liking the clean, modern styling; in fact, the first thing my wife said when I unboxed it was that it looked really nice (though obviously style and decor matching is a very personal matter, so YMMV). The digital display is big and easy to read and the large menu knobs easily rotate and depress for navigating and selecting items through the cooking mode, time, and temperature settings. Other than the fact that the unit will only turn off on its own after a few minutes sitting idly on the counter, there wasn’t really anything challenging or puzzling about the interface or working of the controls–GE definitely gets high marks in the usability department.

A few things to be aware of before you go diving in with a blind-buy:
1) This unit is BIG, much bigger than we expected when we placed the order online, plus you need to find a spot that has 4″ of additional clearance on the back and sides for the heat exhaust…all of which may eat up a bit more countertop real estate than you bargained for.
2) The top gets pretty hot (not just warm) to the touch during and after use–which is not something we’ve seen in the smaller units we’ve used in the past. It’s not hot enough to burn your hand, but it’s hot enough to be uncomfortable, and enough that you probably wouldn’t want to keep anything sitting on top of the oven long-term.
3) The built-in timer notification is a bit “tame,” to say the least–if you’re not in the same room when the timer goes off, you may well not hear it at all.
4) Temperature settings only adjust in increments of 10…if your directions call for heating a dish at 375 degrees, you’ll have to wing it a little to hit the right combination of cooking time and temperatures that run a bit higher or lower than recommended.
5) The slide-out crumb try does work well to keep the interior relatively clean, but the deep windowed door panel also manages to catch a LOT of crumbs when you open the door to remove your food. Those crumbs end up sticking to the glass and into the deep corners/edges of the window frame making them a pain to clean–I had to go back more than once to snag another errant particle that I didn’t see until the door was closed again and it dropped down from the top.
6) Finally, while I wouldn’t call the build-quality “cheap,” it does feel…thin, at least around the outer shell and sidewalls. Granted, the door is reassuringly solid and the controls feel substantial enough that I don’t think you’ll be tearing off the knobs any time soon, but the whole unit is a bit lighter and feels a bit more “hollow” than an appliance of its size might suggest it should be

Still, most of our observations about the drawbacks of this unit are relatively minor in the final analysis–the size and versatility of this toaster/convection/air fryer oven make it hard to beat for small to medium-sized family meals. Air frying and convection cooking in particular take a bit of practice and getting used to before you can fly solo without a manual or cook book, but once you’ve enjoyed the convenience, taste, and healthier results this oven can produce for your meals, you might be hard-pressed to go back to a full-sized oven!