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The Best Breakfast Stations of 2024
Are you ready to prepare a big breakfast but you're short on time or don't feel like pulling out multiple appliances? Your morning meals are about to get hassle-free thanks to breakfast stations! Breakfast stations are delightful
setups for creating a variety of delectables, from eggs and bacon and even coffee, all in one convenient appliance! In this guide, we'll explore the best breakfast stations of 2024 that are versatile and durable. The Nostalgia 3-in-1 Breakfast Station delivers breakfast bliss as it brews coffee and bakes, toasts, and grills up your favorites with efficiency. Read on for more!Our Top Picks For Breakfast Stations
View all ContentsThe Best Breakfast Stations
Best Overall
This 3-in-1 breakfast station has three functions — baking or toasting, grilling, and coffee making. Its large capacity is ideal for making meals for a small family of four. At its top, there is a non-stick griddle with enough room to cook different food items, ranging from crispy bacon to sunny-side-up eggs. You can cover the griddle with a tempered glass lid to trap heat and moisture. This breakfast station also has a medium-sized toaster oven that can fit four bread slices, a small pizza, or several English muffins at once. It also doubles as a regular oven so that you can prepare delicious cookies, biscuits, and so on. The coffee maker can prepare three cups of coffee and comes with a reusable coffee ground filter.
This product is easy to use due to its regulator knob on the control panel that allows you to switch between different functions like the grill, toast/bake, oven off, and warm/heat. With the 30-minute timer control, you can set the appropriate time as per your requirements. You can also adjust the crispiness of different food items with the three browning levels. For cleaning the crumb tray, wire rack, baking tray, and griddle, simply remove them carefully and wash them in the dishwasher.
Pros
- Doesn’t cause a mess in the kitchen due to the crumb tray
- Includes safety features, such as an indicator light when operational
Cons
- Comes at a high price that might not be affordable for some users
Best Design
This breakfast station has a small and compact design that occupies very little space on your kitchen countertop. It is divided into two parts, including an egg cooker and a toaster. In the egg cooker, there is a rectangular tray with eight holes for cooking soft-boiled or hard-boiled eggs. It also comes with another tray featuring two circular slots where you can poach or scramble eggs for breakfast. To make sure that cooking can be completed within four minutes, the egg cooker is equipped with a tempered glass cover.
The two wide toaster slots allow you to toast thick bread slices, bagels, and even croissants. The toaster has seven browning levels so that you can have the desired shade and crispiness on each piece of bread. You can stop the toasting function at any time using the cancel button. The high-toast lift lever will help you remove the toasted slices of bread or bagels easily without burning your fingers. This breakfast station is also equipped with a meat tray for heating pre-cooked food items like meat, vegetables, and more to help you make the perfect breakfast sandwiches.
Pros
- Can be operated in three different modes — toast only, egg only, or both toast/egg
- Allows you to make the perfect breakfast sandwich
Cons
- Can’t be used to grill or fry any food items
Best Value
This is one of the most affordable breakfast stations with three functions in one unit — grilling/frying, toasting, and coffee making. It has a top griddle plate featuring a surface area large enough to allow you to cook many food items at once, including bacon, eggs, ham, and more. The glass cover also reduces cooking time and prevents oil splashes. You can remove the griddle and wash it once the cooking is over. The toaster oven includes a pan on which you can toast pieces of bread, croissants, bagels, muffins, and more. You can reheat any pre-cooked food without having to use any extra appliances as well.
Another integral feature of the breakfast station is the coffee maker that comes with a glass carafe and reusable filter for brewing up to four cups of coffee. It features a Pause ‘N’ Serve anti-drip function that allows you to take out the carafe at any time and pour the beverage with ease. At the bottom of the appliance, there is a control panel with a regulator switch. This will help you change the mode between griddle and oven, griddle only, and oven only. You can also set a particular time (15 minutes maximum) with the regulator knob. The indicator light glows once the toasting or warming operation is completed.
Pros
- Has a compact size for fitting on your kitchen countertop with ease
- Made from alloy steel material to improve both the durability and longevity
Cons
- Cannot bake food items inside the toaster oven
Finding Your Next Breakfast Station: A Buyer’s Guide
Since there is a range of breakfast stations available on the market, picking the most suitable model can be overwhelming. For this reason, we crafted a detailed buying guide that will help you pick the best product for your needs and get the most out of your investment.
It’s important to know how a breakfast station, with a toaster, griddle, coffee, pot, and egg cooker, is different from a breakfast sandwich maker. Both are practical, but a station will give you more cooking varieties, and they often add to the decor of your kitchen!
Different Cooking Modes in a Breakfast Station
The cooking modes available with a breakfast station vary from one model to another. Below, we briefly discuss these modes.
- Toast Only: This will allow you to operate the breakfast station as a toaster. You can toast bread slices, bagels, and other food items.
- Egg Cooker Only: If your breakfast station has a separate egg cooker, this will help you cook eggs while the toaster or any other function is inactive.
- Grill Only: If you set the breakfast station in this mode, you can use the griddle only to prepare pancakes, meats, and more, while all other operations will be put at a halt.
- Grill/Toast: This is a dual operation that allows you to grill food items on the griddle while also toasting bread slices, muffins, or bagels inside the toaster oven.
- Toast/Egg: In this mode, the breakfast station will toast foods and boil or poach eggs simultaneously.
- Coffee: If you want to brew coffee, just switch on this function, and the breakfast station will start preparing the hot beverage.
Key Factors To Consider When Choosing a Breakfast Station
Griddle size
If your chosen breakfast station has a griddle, make sure to check the size of its cooking surface. A medium-sized griddle allows you to grill two to three different food items at once, making it ideal for a small family. If you have a large family, choose a product with a large griddle that allows you to grill and fry multiple items without running out of space.
Toaster oven capacity
Different breakfast stations come with toaster ovens of varying sizes. A smaller oven allows you to toast two bread slices, one bagel cut in half, or a couple of small croissants. On the contrary, a larger oven can easily fit four bread slices, two bagels, English muffins cut in half, and four regular-sized croissants. You should determine the optimal toaster oven size based on your family’s needs.
Toaster slots
If the breakfast station has a regular toaster, make sure there are two or more slots so that you can toast multiple bread slices or bagels at a time. It’s best to look for a product with wide toast slots as they can fit thick bread slices, muffins, and other food items easily.
Egg cooker trays
In some breakfast stations, you will have an egg cooker where you can make boiled eggs, poached eggs, or scrambled eggs. Usually, these breakfast stations come with two trays. One tray has small circular holes for boiling eggs, and the other comes with two large circular molds for poaching or scrambling eggs.
Cooking time
The performance of a breakfast station depends on its cooking time. As these appliances run on electricity, they are equipped with a heating element. Therefore, if you want to cook quickly, choose a product with a powerful heating element that can produce a high amount of heat for rapid cooking.
Material
Breakfast stations have either a plastic or alloy steel body, while their doors and lids are made from tempered glass or polymer. Products made from plastic are light and can be carried easily to different places. They are also resistant to any chemical and can last for a long time. However, the material cannot resist the formation of scratches or structural damage if mishandled.
On the other hand, models made of alloy steel are much stronger and can withstand mechanical wear and tear for a long time. They are the most durable and can easily retain their structural integrity. The door and lid are usually made from tempered glass instead of regular glass because the former can withstand a high amount of heat.
Coffee maker
If your chosen breakfast station has a coffee maker, you must check its capacity. Most products come with a glass carafe that can hold water for three to four cups of coffee at once. Also, ensure that the pack has reusable filters so that you can use them repeatedly after throwing the coffee grounds; this is an affordable and environmentally friendly feature.
Browning levels
Different breakfast stations are equipped with different browning levels for the toaster that can vary from three to seven. If you like only a light toast on your bread, but other family members prefer medium-dark shades or crispy loaves of bread, it would be best to choose a model with seven browning levels.
Timer
The timer regulator in a breakfast station helps you set a particular time for the toaster oven. Usually, most ovens have a timing range between 15 and 30 minutes based on the functions they can perform. For example, if it is programmed to only toast the bread slices or reheat any pre-cooked food item, the breakfast station will have a 15-minute timer. On the contrary, a toaster oven with a 30-minute timer option is ideal for baking breakfast foods.
Special Features of a Breakfast Station
There are a few features that are unique to breakfast stations and are very useful. Below, we listed some of them to help you make the best decision.
- A crumb tray collects all the small food particles and prevents any kind of mess
- In some products, the griddle comes with a tempered glass lid which can speed up the cooking process and keep you safe from injuries
- Indicator lights glow once cooking is complete
- Non-stick griddles cook food items with almost no grease and are easy to clean
- A high-lift lever press can help you easily and safely remove toast
- Toasting slots will be accompanied by a cancel button to stop the process early
Average Cost of a Breakfast Station
Breakfast stations cost between $50 and $100 based on the type of appliance you have chosen. For example, if the toaster oven can double as a baking unit, the product’s cost will be higher. Similarly, a breakfast station with a separate egg cooking unit will cost less than a product with a griddle, coffee maker, and toaster oven.
People Also Asked
Where can I store my breakfast station?
As most breakfast stations boast a compact size, you can easily keep them on the kitchen countertop or store them inside the cabinet when not in use.
Can I cook other foods besides breakfast items in a breakfast station?
Absolutely! While breakfast stations are commonly associated with morning fare like eggs, pancakes, and bacon, you can easily adapt them to cook other foods throughout the day. With a versatile setup and a bit of creativity, your breakfast station can become a multi-functional culinary hub, perfect for whipping up anything from gourmet sandwiches to sizzling stir-fries.
How should I clean the griddle of my breakfast station?
To clean the griddle on your breakfast station, start by allowing it to cool down. Then, use a scraper or spatula to remove any excess food particles, followed by wiping it down with a damp cloth or sponge. If needed, you can use mild dish soap and warm water for a deeper clean, making sure to dry it thoroughly afterward.
