Betty Crocker Countertop Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
This Product Betty Crocker Countertop | |||||
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Awards | Best Bang for Your Buck | Best Overall Value | |||
Price | $54 List $42.99 at Amazon | $350 List $329.99 at Amazon | $320 List $239.99 at Amazon | $130 List $129.95 at Amazon | $130 List $129.00 at Amazon |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | Affordability and convenience aside, there are much better options for easy pizza-making | A well-designed oven capable of producing beautiful pizzas, whose main detractor is an expensive price tag | This price point pizza oven performs well above its weight class in terms of power and performance | An affordable, but impressive indoor option for those not interested in investing in a new appliance | This steel is perfectly suited to create NY-style pizzas, just don't expect it to produce a Neapolitan-style pie in your oven |
Rating Categories | Betty Crocker Count... | Solo Stove Pi | BakerStone Original | NerdChef 3/8" Steel... | The Original Baking... |
Cooking Performance (30%) | |||||
Output Power (30%) | |||||
Control (25%) | |||||
Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
Specs | Betty Crocker Count... | Solo Stove Pi | BakerStone Original | NerdChef 3/8" Steel... | The Original Baking... |
Fuel Type | Electric | Propane | Gas | N/A | N/A |
Maximum Pizza Diameter | 12" | 12" | 13" | 14" | 14" |
Average Pizza Cook Times | 19 min | 2.6 min | 4 min | 3.1 min | 5.6 min |
Average Stone Temperature | 212 °F | 776 °F | 732 °F | 686 °F | 479 °F |
Average Oven Temperature | 208 °F | 800 °F | 780 °F | 637 °F | 497 °F |
Size of Firebox | N/A | 128 cu. in. | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Power Output | 1440 W | 15,000 BTU | 25,000 BTU | N/A | N/A |
Footprint | 219 sq. in. | 637 sq. in. | 345 sq. in. | 228 sq. in. | 228 sq. in. |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Betty Crocker Countertop is an electric, hot-plate-style pizza maker with convenience at the forefront. The non-stick surface can bake 12-inch pies, and the 5-inch inset even allows you to bake deep-dish pizzas. Although the footprint is relatively large — which isn't great for small kitchens — the compact, turtle-shell design does help with storage.
Performance Comparison
Cooking Performance
The Betty Crocker pizza maker is more of a baking appliance capable of baking fresh pizzas in your kitchen than a true pizza oven. It operates like a hot plate, and a preset “power-on” indicator light tells you exactly when to load and when it is finished. It is certainly versatile and could easily double as a panini press or quesadilla maker. It simply lacks the performance we hope for to produce pizzas with any semblance of quality.
We tested this pizza maker side-by-side with a high-end outdoor oven, using the same dough recipe and process for the fresh pizza. While the outcome of the other oven was a respectable pizza from any angle, the Betty Crocker oven managed to reduce that same pie to something akin to a subpar frozen pizza. The convenience of this oven is undeniable, but one of the joys of baking pizza at home comes from producing a pie you're proud of, and that simply isn't the case with this pizza maker.
Output Power
Power is not exactly the word of choice to describe the output of the Betty Crocker pizza maker. It's tough to judge against other comparable options because everything is run on a single preset — even the other hot-plate style pizza maker we tested can be slightly adjusted. We regularly had to bake pies for a bit longer than the allotted 15-minute timer. The oven could be hotter and may even benefit from the decreased cook times by improving the quality of a fresh crust.
Control
Control, or the lack thereof, is the most frustrating part about this preset pizza maker. We find great joy in having a hand in the baking process — from making dough through tweaking the temperature of an oven to baking the crust and toppings exactly to our liking. Due to the preset nature of this oven — and a single preset, at that — all of that joy is eliminated. We would trade a bit of convenience back for some of that joy any day.
Ease of Use
Despite any other hesitancy in recommending this electric oven, we can admit it is easy to use. As long as it is packed away clean, all you have to do is pull it out, plug it in, allow it to preheat, and bake until the indicator light lets you know it's finished.
Clearing this appliance is the one point of contention. Instructions explicitly state that you shouldn't immerse in any liquid, making scrubbing awkward. Although bulky, its compact design makes it easy to store in places like the drawer underneath an oven. However, if you have an oven, we highly recommend considering a pizza steel for a much more satisfying experience.
Should You Buy the Betty Crocker Countertop?
If affordability is your primary concern, with the secondary caveat of a lack of an oven, then the Betty Crocker pizza maker may find a place in your kitchen. But despite its undeniable user-friendliness, the complete lack of performance across the rest of the board makes it difficult to recommend this appliance.
What Other Pizza Ovens Should You Consider?
If your kitchen, or lack of kitchen, dictates buying an electric pizza maker, even the Presto Pizzazz Plus is an improvement over the Betty Crocker Countertop. But if you do have an oven and can step up to that next price point, then you should consider investing in a pizza steel like the NerdChef 3/8" Steel Stone or slightly more affordable Original Baking Steel. These steels can produce high-quality pies on par with the high-end outdoor ovens.