Review: The Toshiba 4-In-1 Air Fryer Microwave Oven Mostly Hits Its Mark, Except For One Miss

Microwaves are pretty essential to any functioning kitchen, but finding the right one can be a challenge with so many on the market. Various brands boast a plethora of microwaves, from countertop models to over-the-range, convection, grill, even drawer ones. Also, long gone are the days of a microwave being a mere microwave and nothing more — many options on the market offer multiple functions, making for a sort of all-in-one appliance that fits tidily on your counter.

Enter the Toshiba 4-in-1 Air Fryer Microwave Oven, an unassuming appliance that certainly just looks like any old microwave on the surface. As its name suggests, however, the Toshiba 4-in-1 has four main functions to it: a microwave function, an air fryer function, a convection function, and a combination microwave-convection function. I tried out this appliance in my very own kitchen, testing all of the functions to see if they work and if they work well. After setting up the microwave, I cooked various foods to specifically test each function, paying attention to the overall functionality of the appliance and how easy it was to use.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

As mentioned, there are virtually countess microwaves on the market, each offering distinct features, functionality, or styles. The Toshiba 4-in-1 Air Fryer Microwave Oven boasts four distinct features that set it apart from many other microwaves on the market. This stainless steel microwave is specifically for countertops, meaning it's not meant to be mounted over a stove and would become damaged if you were to do so. The microwave comes with certain accessories to aid in its various functions, like a tall grill rack, short grill rack, and grill tray. Of course, it also comes with the classic microwave turntable.

As for functions, there is, of course, the classic microwave function. Then there's an air fryer function. Think of the best uses for an air fryer, such as reheating leftovers, getting the crispiest french fries, or even cooking meat — this microwave is meant to replicate that without the need for an additional appliance. Next is a convection function, which operates more like an oven, meaning that food items typically limited to ovens (like baked goods) could come to life in this unit. Finally, there's a convection-microwave combination, which is supposedly ideal for those food items that you want to cook through on the inside and stay crispy on the outside.

Most of us are familiar with what foods one might typically cook in the microwave: frozen meals, leftovers, sauces, baked potatoes, or perhaps scrambled eggs. Technically, you could cook (or at least attempt to cook) just about anything in one, keeping in mind that there are some items that you should never put in the microwave. That's where the Toshiba's four-function capacity becomes especially intriguing, expanding the list of foods that one might successfully cook in a microwave pretty significantly.

Since this microwave has an air fryer function, that means that anything one might cook in an air fryer becomes fair game. Foods that you want to be especially crispy, like fries, chips, or chicken wings could feasibly be air-fried in this microwave. And, thanks to the microwave's convection setting, those foods typically reserved for the oven also become fair game. Baked goods really come into play with this function, so common treats like cakes, brownies, or cookies could all work with the convection setting. Meanwhile, the convection-microwave combination function might enable one to cook something like a pizza or chicken, ideally maintaining a crispy exterior on the outside of these foods while ensuring that the insides are heated sufficiently.

Toshiba offers many different types of microwaves; the 4-in-1's model number is ML-EC42P(SS). Though this exact model isn't currently available on Toshiba's website, there are other places you can purchase it, should you be interested in its features and general functionality.

The first option for purchasing this microwave is Lowe's, though it's more expensive there than at other retailers, coming in at $254.99. However, Lowe's allows you to select the microwave in either classic stainless steel or black stainless steel. Another option is Walmart, with this model currently retailing online for $219.99. Another major retailer that currently has this microwave model stocked is Amazon, which also offers both the stainless steel and black stainless steel options. Whichever color you choose, both are retailing at $219.99.

The first step to operating the Toshiba 4-in-1 Air Fryer Microwave Oven is getting it out of the box and setting it up on a stable countertop. All of the accessories — the turntable, grill pan, and racks — were inside the microwave itself, along with a bunch of cardboard packaging that needed to be cleared out. The instruction manual was also inside the microwave, and it provided clear details about how to set the appliance up. Like most microwaves, all you really need to do to get this model going is to put the turntable inside — it should stay in the microwave regardless of what feature you use.

The instruction manual is clear about how to set each function and which accessories can or cannot be used depending on the function. The buttons on the microwave are also pretty straightforward, with the functions all having a designated button and the numbers, "Stop," and "Start" buttons all being typical of any microwave.

Ultimately, I found the setup and operation for this appliance to be very intuitive. Any questions about how to operate this microwave are covered in the instruction manual, so as I went about testing the 4-in-1's features, I wasn't left with any lingering questions or concerns.

Before hopping into any of this microwave's more exciting functions, I knew I had to test the most basic of them all, which would be the microwave function. Yes, it can almost be assumed that a microwave will successfully microwave your food, but it's still a function that needs to be tested nonetheless. So, to test this most basic of operations, I kept things super simple and heated up a microwave staple: a frozen meal.

To heat up this Lean Cuisine Salisbury steak meal, I simply followed the instructions on the packaging. I cut a slit in the meal, microwaved it for an initial five minutes, and then flipped the steak and stirred the mac and cheese before heating for another two minutes. After the time was up, the meal was indeed cooked through and piping hot, without any lingering frozen spots or a cold middle.

So, yes, the Toshiba 4-in-1 Air Fryer Microwave can indeed microwave food successfully. Though this may seem like an obvious function for a microwave to get right, it's still important to ensure that an appliance (and a big purchase) is going to actually operate correctly and deliver results, even for the simple stuff.

One of my absolute favorite things to cook in an air fryer is french fries, be they homemade ones or frozen ones. Naturally, when testing out this microwave's air fryer function, fries were the most obvious test subject to come to mind.

The instructions for using the air fryer function were pretty clear, and an included air fryer cookbook even provided a recipe for fries. I opted to simply test frozen french fries; to do so required the tall grill rack and the grill tray. I scattered frozen fries onto the tray, set the microwave to its air fryer function (which was just a matter of pushing the "Air Fry" button, confirming the temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and then going with the preset time of 25 minutes), and let the appliance do its thing.

I checked in on the fries periodically, and I kept waiting for them to get crispy. Alas, even after the initial 25 minutes (and an additional five after that), these fries never really crisped up. They definitely heated up and tasted good, but they didn't ever get to that crispy status that air fryers are so good at accomplishing. It is possible that upping the temperature could have helped, but after 30 minutes, it seemed like the fries should have gotten a lot crispier. So, while the air fryer function did work in terms of heating up the fries, it didn't exactly yield the results that I was hoping for in terms of crispiness.

To test out the Toshiba 4-in-1's convection function, I opted to try making cake. Like with the fries, there's an included recipe for chocolate cake in the cookbook, one that also details the accessories you're supposed to use (the low rack and grill tray). To keep things simple for myself, I just used boxed cake mix instead, putting the batter into ramekins and setting them up per the cookbook's instructions. To turn on the convection feature, I pressed the "Conv." button on the microwave, pressed "Start" to confirm a temp of 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and then pressed "Start" again to begin preheating. (You can also use the convection function without preheating.)

After the microwave was done preheating, I let the cakes bake for an initial 18 minutes, which was not nearly enough time. I added an extra 10 minutes, then another five after that — by the time the cakes were done, they'd baked for around 35 minutes.

Though it took quite a while for these little cakes to bake, I was extremely impressed with the results. The function definitely worked, baking these single-serve cakes to absolute perfection. The inside of each cake was incredibly fluffy and moist, and other than the time it took, I would call the convection function an absolute success based on the cake test.

To test the last of the main four features of this microwave, the combination convection-microwave function, I opted for a miniature frozen pizza. Ideally, this function would help ensure a crisp crust while heating the pizza all the way through. The instruction manual specifies that none of the accessories are safe to use while using a microwave function, so I opted to place the pizza on a microwave-safe plate instead. To set the combination function, I pressed the "Combi." button on the microwave panel and pressed "Start" to confirm a temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then I set the time for eight minutes and pressed "Start" again to begin cooking.

After the time was up, the pizza was indeed heated all the way through and ready to eat. Though the very outside of the crust did get crispy, the bottom of the pizza remained pretty soft. I do think that putting the pizza on a surface that could allow air to enter from underneath would likely yield a crispier crust, but since the grill racks aren't supposed to be used in microwave functions, I wasn't sure what the next best alternative would be aside from a plate. I do think this function was a success, as it did heat the pizza pretty well and yield a tasty result, but I would be more inclined to try the convection-only function when heating a pizza in the future, so I can use the grill rack and tray to get some air flow beneath the pizza as well.

After testing out the Toshiba 4-in-1 Air Fryer Microwave Oven, I would mostly recommend this product, though it ultimately depends on what you're in the market for. A powerful appliance that is easy to use, straightforward, and multifunctional, this microwave is a good option for those who really want their unit to have functions outside of regular microwaving. It's also a good option for those who are limited in kitchen space and need a single appliance that can do several jobs. It's not a good option for those who simply need a microwave and nothing more, because you can find one that works just as well in that regard for much cheaper.

The biggest draw of this appliance, in my opinion, is the convection function. The capacity to use a microwave as an oven is significant, and though I only baked a single-serve dessert inside, I don't see why you couldn't bake a whole cake or batch of cookies or even roast a whole chicken in this microwave (as long as it fits, of course). You could also roast vegetables, fish, or other types of meat using the convection function.

The biggest drawback, based on my testing, is the air fryer function. Though it did work, it definitely didn't work as well as my stand-alone Ninja air fryer, so I certainly wouldn't see myself using this microwave's air fryer function over the Ninja. However, it might be a useful function for those who don't want to have a separate air fryer in their kitchen but still want the option to use one from time to time.