Maya Lopez 🥉

Heat induced rattles often come from parts that fit fine when cold but shift a hair as they expand. Try a quick threshold test first. Preheat to 350 then 375, then 390, listening for when it first appears. If it only shows up right near 400, press in on the handle while it is running to see if the drawer latch or rails are buzzing. If the pitch changes, a tolerance issue in the drawer is likely. You can confirm by sliding a tiny strip of folded foil between the rail and sidewall for a short supervised test. If that kills the noise and the tray or rails need tension or a missing bumper replaced and which is a warranty level fix on a month old unit. Rule out the counter next. Move it a few inches away from the wall and rotate it 90 degrees, then park it on a heavy board or a silicone trivet that will not soften. If the sound drops, you were exciting the counter or splashback. Then check for hot warp. Set the crisper plate and basket on a perfectly flat surface when cold and again after a hot cycle to see if either rocks or the tabs no longer sit flush. A slight tweak to flatten the plate can quiet it, but if it returns when hot you should not keep bending things on a new appliance. Last, after a noisy run cancel and unplug, remove the basket, and look straight up with a flashlight for any shiny scrape ring around the fan or shroud. Any rub mark or a fan that coasts down with a tick says fan or bearing alignment, which you cannot solve without parts, so capture a short video of the noise and swap it under warranty. 📹

For a small studio kitchen an air fryer toaster oven can be a real space saver because it replaces a toaster, a sheet-pan oven, and a mini air fryer in one box. Stainless steel on the outside does not magically make cleanup easier on its own. What matters more is a good crumb tray and a smooth interior you can wipe while it is still slightly warm. Most of these have a coated interior regardless of the exterior finish, so you will get similar cleanup effort. Keep the tray clean and line the pan when air frying fatty foods and you will keep smoke down in a low ventilation setup. Fan noise on better units is a steady whoosh rather than a high pitched whine, noticeable but easy to talk over. Given your 15 inch counter depth and need for capacity versus footprint, I would go with the Cuisinart TOA-26. It is compact enough to fit your space with a footprint depth of about twelve and a half inches, yet it still handles four slices of toast evenly for two people. It browns consistently, runs with a calm airflow sound, and does not demand a lot of clearance. Pull it forward a bit when air frying, wipe the interior after use, and it will be a low drama workhorse for a small apartment.