Though often considered one of the most important meals of the day, making a healthy breakfast takes a lot of work before and after you eat the food. That is why we put together a list of the 10 best 3-in-1 breakfast stations, highlighting what each one does best as well as providing a helpful buyer’s guide.
Buyer’s Guide
Stations
Given the “3-in-1” nature of the breakfast station, the specific type of stations included tend to be important, though there are some common threads. For starters, every 3-in-1 breakfast station includes some form of a griddle, though the specific griddle plates can shift depending on flat, grilled, or waffled surfaces.
After the griddle plates, the next most common cooking station included in 3-in-1 breakfast stations is a toaster, though you can technically use a griddle for this purpose. One area that might be a deal-breaker and the one most often left off of 3-in-1 breakfast stations is the coffee maker, though this tends to be rather small.
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Cooking Power
This is one of the more important factors to consider when choosing a 3-in-1 breakfast station as it impacts how quickly and often how evenly you can cook the food. It is also worth noting that some of the 3-in-1 breakfast stations distinguish between the amount of power used by the different cooking stations.
One thing to consider is that larger 3-in-1 breakfast stations tend to use more power than smaller models, though reduced power to accommodate a smaller profile reduces its effectiveness. While not necessarily related to overall cooking power, it is also important to note that some 3-in-1 breakfast stations tie their heating elements together.
Capacity
The importance of this quality depends more based on how many people you need to cook breakfast for and requires a give-and-take with countertop space. Basically, the more food a 3-in-1 breakfast station can make at once, the larger it will be and the more countertop space it occupies.
However, different cooking stations often employ different conventions in terms of space allotment with griddles generally getting the lion’s share of the cooking surface. The one area where capacity diverges the most with 3-in-1 breakfast stations is the toaster which can see anywhere from 1 to 4 pieces toasted at once.
The Best 3 in 1 Breakfast Station: The Reviews
Nostalgia BSET300 3-in-1 Family Size Breakfast Station
Despite its name, Nostalgia is actually one of the newer and least experienced companies on our list, specializing more on an aesthetic than a type of product. However, the Nostalgia BSET300RETRORED 3-in-1 Family Size Breakfast Station offers one of the better all-round options on the market in most capacities.
For starters, this 3-in-1 breakfast station provides one of the most powerful options we encountered, able to generate an impressive 1500 watts of cooking power. However, you will need every watt of power as the Nostalgia 3-in-1 Breakfast Station is also one of the largest options reviewed too.
For one, this 3-in-1 breakfast station’s griddle comes in at a large 10” x 8”, labeled as “family-size, but it backs that griddle up with a 4-piece toaster. The only downside to this arrangement is that the Nostalgia 3-in-1 Breakfast Station’s griddle and top oven element are connected and operate simultaneously regardless of which function you want to use.
Another benefit of this 3-in-1 breakfast station is its cleanliness whether you need to clean the non-stick griddle or the oven with its crumb tray. Unfortunately, you do not get all of these features without having to pay a price, and the Nostalgia 3-in-1 Breakfast Station is an expensive model.
Maxi-Matic EBK-200BL Retro 3-in-1 Breakfast Station
While not the oldest company on our list, Maxi-Matic still has plenty of experience nearing 4 decades and, at least, focuses on food preparation- if not breakfast stations. Still, the Maxi-Matic is one of the more capable of the “compact” entries.
To get it out of the way, this 3-in-1 breakfast station does not provide the same capacity as some of its competitors which is arguably most notable with the 2-piece toaster. While the Maxi-Matic’s griddle is smaller, at 6” it is more than enough for a single breakfast.
It also does not hurt that this 3-in-1 breakfast station is fairly easy to clean thanks to a non-stick griddle, a washable coffee filter, and a sliding crumb tray. Unfortunately, the size is not the only downside to the Maxi-Matic Breakfast Station as its 500-watt power increases its cooking time and overall capability.
Thankfully, you do not have to worry about paying for superior features found with other options as this 3-in-1 breakfast station is at least relatively inexpensive. Though small in capacity, it is also worth noting that the Maxi-Matic is large enough to bake plenty of different types of food outside of just toast.
Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Electric Indoor Grill + Griddle
Out of all the companies on our list, none of them can boast the amount of experience that Hamilton Beach can, though the company is more of an “appliance” maker more than a food preparation specialist. Still, the Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Electric Indoor Grill + Griddle provides options that you will not readily find with competitors.
Arguably the biggest advantage this 3-in-1 breakfast station affords is its sheer capacity with up to 180 sq in of cooking space- easily the most that we reviewed. To ensure that you do not have to worry about all of that space cooking unevenly, the Hamilton Beach also uses 1400 watts to achieve a maximum temperature of 425 F.
In terms of cleanliness, this 3-in-1 breakfast station is a bit of a mixed bag as its plates are non-stick, and it comes with a drip tray. However, the drainage valve sits at the edge of the tray which often leads to the Hamilton Beach leaking grease and other drippings onto the surface that holds the product.
Another notable issue with this 3-in-1 breakfast station is the absence of a coffee maker, though the waffle plate at least affords you additional breakfast food options. What is even more surprising about the Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Electric Indoor Grill + Griddle is its low price considering its overall quality and performance.
BLACK+DECKER G48TD 3-in-1 Waffle Maker
BLACK+DECKER is another company with over a century of experience behind it, though this brand is far better known for power tools than kitchen appliances. That said, the BLACK+DECKER G48TD 3-in-1 Waffle Maker might be the best breakfast station for those who also want to make brunch.
A big part of why this 3-in-1 breakfast station works so well for brunch is that it is the only model reviewed that can fold in on itself to make a pressed sandwich. Also, like other similar entries, the BLACK+DECKER G48TD 3-in-1 Waffle Maker provides a waffle plate- though it sacrifices the coffee maker in the process.
However, the waffle plate is not the only advantage this 3-in-1 breakfast station affords to that end as it also comes with a griddle and grill plate. Though it does not offer the absolute largest cooking surface on our list, the BLACK+DECKER G48TD 3-in-1 Waffle Maker still makes a good showing with 128 sq in of cooking space.
While not the most expensive option, this 3-in-1 breakfast station is somewhat expensive when you consider it does not offer the best specs for any category outside of its pressing ability. This lack of superiority extends to the power, though the BLACK+DECKER G48TD 3-in-1 Waffle Maker still produces a solid 900 watts.
Nostalgia BSET100BC Retro 3-in-1 Breakfast Station
Nostalgia makes another appearance on our list, but this time, instead of trying to feed the whole family, it focuses a bit more on the single person. While you lose out on some of the broad capacity of its larger brother, the Nostalgia BSET100BC Retro 3-in-1 Breakfast Station still achieves the fairly high standards you expect from the brand.
Much like with its larger counterpart, this 3-in-1 breakfast station blows most of the competition out of the water with an impressive 1450 watts of power which is even more impressive for its size. Of course, there is no getting around the fact that the Nostalgia BSET100BC 3-in-1 Breakfast Station is smaller than its partner but still larger than most “compact” options.
The one area where this 3-in-1 breakfast station falls far short of Nostalgia’s exceptionalism is with the coffee maker which tends to leak and does not strain coffee grounds all that well. To make matters worse, the Nostalgia BSET100BC 3-in-1 Breakfast Station is also a bit on the expensive side- especially compared to other “compact” breakfast stations.
Thankfully, this 3-in-1 breakfast station still meets most Nostalgia standards like being easier to clean due to the non-stick griddle, included crumb tray, and washable filter. As if that were not enough, the Nostalgia BSET100BC 3-in-1 Breakfast Station can still bake plenty in the toaster, even if it can only toast 2 pieces of bread.
Gourmia GBF370 3 in 1 Breakfast Station Center
Gourmia is one of the least experienced companies on our list having been founded around half a decade ago, though it specializes in food preparation products. That said, the Gourmia GBF370 3 in 1 Breakfast Station Center takes a slightly different approach than most of the other models reviewed.
This 3-in-1 breakfast station goes the route of offering more and healthier food preparation options but does so at the expense of its coffee maker. That said, if you want to steam food, which is especially useful for nutritious vegetables, then the Gourmia GBF370 3 in 1 Breakfast Station is the only game in town.
However, this 3-in-1 breakfast station does not rest on just steaming food, it also allows you to make a wider variety of egg recipes as well, including poached eggs. Granted, providing all of these options pushes the Gourmia GBF370 3 in 1 Breakfast Station’s price up, but it is also fairly powerful at 1450 watts.
Courant CBH-4601R 3-in-1 Multifunction Breakfast Hub
Courant is another fairly new company with a little over half a decade of experience under its belt but with a specialization in food preparation products. That said, the Courant CBH-4601R 3-in-1 Multifunction Breakfast Hub comes with some issues that you would not expect to see on a model of this type.
Specifically, this 3-in-1 breakfast station is larger than most with a large, family-size griddle plate that measures a list-leading 10” x 8”. While that kind of capacity is awesome, it is undercut by the fact that the Courant CBH-4601R 3-in-1 Breakfast Hub is one of the weaker options that we reviewed.
Still, this 3-in-1 breakfast station’s capacity shows through in other respects like with the 4-piece toaster that also comes with a baking tray. As if that were not enough, the Courant CBH-4601R 3-in-1 Breakfast Hub is easy to clean thanks to a non-stick griddle plate, a crumb tray, and a washable coffee filter.
Maxi-Matic Elite Gourmet EBK-1782R 3-in-1 Deluxe Breakfast Station
Maxi-Matic Elite Gourmet makes another appearance on our list, but whereas the prior entry focused on a compact profile, the EBK-1782R 3-in-1 Deluxe Breakfast Station competes with the best models we found. Of course, this entry also suffers from some of the same issues that those exceptionally performing options do.
Still, this 3-in-1 breakfast station provides plenty of power to cook whatever you want with up to 1500 watts pushed through its heating elements. The only real downside to this is that the Maxi-Matic Elite Gourmet EBK-1782R 3-in-1 Deluxe Breakfast Station connects the griddle and top toaster element.
Still, if you want to cook plenty of food for a large group, this 3-in-1 breakfast station accommodates with a large 10” x 8” griddle and a 4-piece toaster. To keep things nice and simple, the Maxi-Matic Elite Gourmet EBK-1782R 3-in-1 Deluxe Breakfast Station with a non-stick griddle plate, crumb tray, and washable filter for easy cleanup.
SUNPENTOWN SPT BM-1118 Stainless Steel 3-in-1 Breakfast Maker
Though you may not have heard of it, SUNPENTOWN has been around for almost 3 decades but is another company offering a broad range of consumer appliances instead of focusing on food preparation. That said, this might be one of the better “compact” 3-in-1 breakfast stations we came across.
A big part about what sets the SUNPENTOWN SPT BM-1118 Stainless Steel 3-in-1 Breakfast Maker apart from its competitors is its 1450 watts. While that might be what you expect for larger, family-size models, it is surprising that this “compact” 3-in-1 breakfast station offers that much power.
Though, that means that the SUNPENTOWN SPT BM-1118 Stainless Steel 3-in-1 Breakfast Maker is not the largest option on our list too. Still, when you consider that this 3-in-1 breakfast station is more durable thanks to the use of stainless steel, employs distinct heating elements, and is inexpensive, it is hard to pass up.
LavoHome 3 in 1 Breakfast Maker Station
LavoHome is another recent company without as much experience nor does it specialize in anything in particular, let alone food preparation products. That being the case, it should come as little surprise that the LavoHome 3 in 1 Breakfast Maker Station is an adequate, if unspectacular, option.
Arguably the best thing about this 3-in-1 breakfast station is that it is an inexpensive model without sacrificing too much to lower its price. Unfortunately, one of the main sacrifices the LavoHome 3 in 1 Breakfast Maker Station makes to achieve this low price is with its power with is only 500 watts- tied for the lowest reviewed.
Though, this only makes sense given that this 3-in1 breakfast station is one of the more “compact” models that can only toast a single piece of bread at one time. Thankfully, the 6” non-stick griddle can handle enough food for a single person while the whole model is easier to clean to make up for it.
Conclusion
In the end, the best 3-in-1 breakfast station will depend on what you want to cook, how much countertop space you have, and how many people you plan to cook for. If you need an option that can handle cooking for a whole family, the Nostalgia BSET300RETRORED 3-in-1 Family Size Breakfast Station is a great option.
Of course, if you want a 3-in-1 breakfast station for a single person in a quaint apartment, the SUNPENTOWN SPT BM-1118 Stainless Steel 3-in-1 Breakfast Maker is excellent. For those who want a 3-in-1 breakfast station that can make healthier options, the Gourmia GBF370 3 in 1 Breakfast Station Center has you covered.
If you want a 3-in-1 breakfast station that can pull double-duty for brunch, you should check out the BLACK+DECKER G48TD 3-in-1 Waffle Maker. Finally, if you have an extremely large group to feed and require the maximum amount of cooking space available, look to the Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Electric Indoor Grill + Griddle.
