Toaster ovens offer efficient cooking without the need for overheating the kitchen, or using excess energy required by your full-size appliance. But there are many options available, and the choice can be a difficult one.
Here’s one option that many toast-lovers and frozen-pizza eaters enjoy using in their own kitchens.
From renowned electronics and electrical appliance maker Panasonic, we have the Flash Xpress toaster oven. With near and far infrared light, it’s a fast and efficient option that claims to cook food up to 40 percent faster than traditional models, and offers a convenient design and energy savings.
Panasonic NB-G110P Flash Xpress Toaster Oven in Silver available from Amazon
With the double infrared power, there’s no need for preheating – just turn the unit on, and the superbly efficient quartz and ceramic elements heat instantly. These heating elements are located in the front and back to thoroughly cook foods – the front element cooks the outside, while the rear element penetrates the interior of foods for evenly cooked results every time.
The control settings are conveniently located on a stay cool panel for simple operation, and it features 6 preset options and 5 browning levels. Great for snacks, the Flash Xpress automatically calculates toasting times and browning levels for toast, waffles, rolls, pizza, frozen food, and reheating.
For appetizers, side dishes, sandwiches, and so on, the manual temperature settings are controlled with a simple touch-button sensor. Left and right arrow icons allow you to set and maintain precision temperatures in eight incremental settings that range from 250-500°F, and displays in both Fahrenheit and Celsius.
The timer is equally easy to use, with up and down arrow icons that can be set for up to 25 minutes – and the cooking time is shown on a large and bright digital display.
When finished, an electronic beep announces when your food is ready to be enjoyed.
A handy see-through door is connected to the baking rack. When the door is opened, the rack extends towards you to easily tend food, providing greater safety. And when the door is closed, the rack slides smoothly back into the oven.
Double hinges on the drop-down door provide effortless opening and closing. And in the open position, the door rests flat to give maximum access to the interior.
Another nice touch on the Xpress is the handy interior light that makes it easy to check on foods as they cook. Just press the lightbulb icon once to turn the light on, and press again to turn it off.
A square 9 x 9-inch rack that will accommodate four slices of bread or a 9-inch pizza is included, along with a baking tray and a removable crumb tray for easy cleaning.
The Flash Xpress has a compact footprint with measurements of approximately 13 x 12 x 10.25 inches, and weighs 7.5 pounds. Please note that the measurements and weight come from the Panasonic website, which differ somewhat from the dimensions listed on Amazon.com.
It has a 3-foot cord with a 2-prong plug and uses 1300 watts of power, with a painted silver finish. Or, if you prefer, it’s also available in white.
Panasonic PAN-NB-G110PW Flash Xpress Toaster Oven in White
Panasonic provides a limited one-year warranty for parts and labor. Made in China.
Specifications
| Specification Critieria | For This Model |
|---|---|
| Model Number | NB-G110P / NB-G110PW |
| Color | Silver / White |
| Inner Cooking Tray(s) | Square, 9" Diameter |
| Heating Element | Double Infrared (Near/Far) |
| Pre-set Programming | 6 Pre-set Cooking Modes |
| Light | Yes |
| Drip Rack / Baking Tray | Yes |
| Crumb Tray | Removeable |
| Crust Control | Light / Medium / Dark |
| Temperature Setting | 250°F - 500°F |
| Digital Timer | Yes, Up to 25 Minutes |
| Reminder Beep | Yes |
| Electric | 120V AC, 60 Hz (USA) |
| W x D x H (in.) | 13 x 12 x 10-1/4 |
| Unit Weight | 7.5 lbs |
Our Findings
The Panasonic Flash Xpress receives top grades for its fast heating, even cooking, and its compact size.
Pros
Tailor made for breads, individual pizzas, leftovers, and frozen foods, the infrared elements heat instantly and efficiently with no preheating required, and deliver they fast results.
The pre-set button controls are intuitive and easy to use, and yield efficient operation and precision cooking.
And when in use, the unit radiates very little heat into the kitchen, making it a good choice for warm-weather cooking.
It also cooks fairly evenly – toast in particular comes out evenly browned from edges to center, on both sides. And it’s a great option for toasting oversized slices of homemade bread that don’t fit into a pop-up toaster.
Small batch baking is another bonus, with muffins, cookies, and biscuits all coming out evenly cooked, with golden exteriors and fully baked interiors.
The removable crumb tray is convenient and easy to use, and overall cleaning is quick and simple. And the interior light is noted as another handy feature that simplifies the cooking process.
The small countertop footprint also receives several favorable mentions, making it a good option for small kitchens and portioned meals for one or two people.
Cons
Some users on Amazon have noted that the power button (and others) fail after some use. Several reviewers report they need to repeatedly push, continuously hold down, or wiggle and jiggle the buttons to get them engaged.
The next most common complaint regards the infrared elements, or “bulbs,” burning out and/or breaking – sometimes after only a few months of use, and often just as the warranty expires. And as the infrared elements can’t be replaced at home, the Xpress has to be shipped to the manufacturer in Texas for repairs.
This leads to another complaint about Panasonic customer service. Although the number of complaints is considerably lower than the positive reviews by verified purchasers on Amazon at the time of this writing, a good number have written about company reps who are unfamiliar with the product and manual, a convoluted process to ask simple questions, and general resistance to provide answers or solutions.
Foodal’s Rating
- Baking Performance
- Toasting Performance
- Features
- Construction
- Warranty
Summary
Although model may have a low rating due to our evaluation criteria, that doesn't necessarily make it bad and my be perfect for your household. See what others are saying about it on Amazon now.
The Final Say
The Panasonic Flash Xpress toaster oven meets its claims to deliver fast and even cooking, with the infrared elements providing instant, efficient heat. You won’t be able to broil a steak or roast a chicken in the Xpress, but it isn’t designed for those purposes (check out the larger Breville Smart Ovens for a “do it all” appliance).
Compact in size and methodically laid out for easy use, it’s ideal for small batch cooking and baking, preparing side dishes, processing frozen foods, and reheating tasks. And of course, making toast!
However, like all electronics, it is susceptible to failure and will need to be shipped to Texas for any necessary repairs – on your coin. Coupled with its high end price tag, this can make it an expensive choice.
Still, with plenty of online fans who feel it’s a top performer, it remains a popular option for small kitchens and households of one or two people.
Read more customer reviews on Amazon now!
What are your thoughts, readers? Do you have any insights on efficient, high-value toaster ovens? Let us know in the comments below!
And don’t forget to check out all of our toaster oven reviews as well as our in depth buying guide.
About Lorna Kring
Recently retired as a costume specialist in the TV and film industry, Lorna now enjoys blogging on contemporary lifestyle themes. A bit daft about the garden, she’s particularly obsessed with organic tomatoes and herbs, and delights in breaking bread with family and friends.
Your Foodal’s ratings give two stars for broiling efficiency on this unit, but it does not broil at all, there is no function for this. I checked this out wth Best Buy who confirmed it….why the rating? I recently bought it foolishly thinking an oven could broil meat but it cannot.
Thank you for bringing this error to our attention, Marcia. Unfortunately the mention of broiling in the introduction to the review as well as the 2-star broil rating were added to this piece in error. As the reviewer states, “You won’t be able to broil a steak or roast a chicken in the Xpress, but it isn’t designed for those purposes.” I apologize – the article has been updated.