Do you use a toaster oven for more than toast?

[gollygee]

It takes so long for my regular oven (gas) to heat up that I just bought a toaster oven to use for smaller jobs to hopefully save energy.

Does anyone use a toster oven very often for more than toast?

I think toast will be one thing my toaster oven won't be used for because my husband swears toast from a toaster oven isn't as good as toast from a toaster.

[LaurenG]

1. If I had a toaster oven I would use it for more things than toast

But since I only have a regular toaster that's all I use it for. Oh and my husband loves these organic pop tart thing-y's. We toast those in it. :-)

[gollygee]

5. I'm not a fan of pop tarts

My daughter likes frozen waffles though.

[philosophie_en_rose]

2. Toast from a toaster oven is dry.

The oven's features will determine what it's good for. If you can set the temperature or it has different settings (mine has "bake," "broil," "crisp," and "brown."), you could probably bake things in it. Mine is really good with frozen pizza.

However, your husband is right about toast. Toaster ovens are good for garlic bread, but regular toast is just too dry.

[gollygee]

4. Thank you for explaining!

He says, "It just isn't the same" without more detail, and I'm thinking :crazy:

It has different temperatures and those options. I figured if I wanted one for stuff *other than* toast it had better have a few options.

I mainly hate using the big oven in the summer because it heats the house up and the AC has to work harder. Double waste of energy.

[yvr girl]

3. I use mine all the time when I'm in a cooking phase

Chicken is really good.

[gollygee]

6. The box it came in

showed it cooking a chicken. The idea that it could do that serious a job is what made me think it was the right toaster oven for me.

Though we have a rotisserie cooker. I love a chicken cooked in that.

I have a thing for kitchen gadgets. If only I had more counter space! I moved the rotisserie cooker to a bottom cupboard to make space for the toaster oven.

[SOteric]

7. Oh heck yeah.

I have a combination toaster/convection oven. I use it all the time. I live alone (well, with a cat, but he doesn't care much for toast) and it really does use less energy thereby saving me some buckages. I can even do a small roast in the oven far more economically, or whip together a short batch of muffins for the convection oven.

[gollygee]

8. There are three of us

but it still seems like most of the time when I cook in the oven it's something small enough that I feel like I've been wasteful. We love pizza and often reheat a few slices. I can't see heating up that big oven to reheat a few slices of pizza. I also love baked potatoes but I feel stupid to heat that whole oven. How big is a potato?

[DinahMoeHum]

9. I used to have one, for melting cheese as well as toasting. . .

But I've burned it out a week ago, so now I'm shopping for a microwave oven. Nothing fancy, just a small, simple one for re-heating leftovers, melting cheese for parmagiana or nachos, making popcorn, etc.

BTW, if you want a stand-alone toaster, the Proctor-Silex Cool Touch 2-slice or 4-slice is fantastic. I bought the 2-slicer for less than $15 at a K-Mart. Consumer Reports gives it a "Best Buy" rating.

:bounce:

[gollygee]

10. That's exactly the toaster we have!

The four-slice one because my husband is Australian and he and our daughter live off toast with vegemite.

I like toast with cheese melted on it so that will probably be one of the things I'll use the toaster oven for.

[AlCzervik]

11. all the time, i hate heating up my gas oven for 2 pieces of chicken

my husband is away all the time on business so it's usually just my daughter and i so i tend to cook many things in the toaster oven.

[gollygee]

14. Yeah that's just what I was thinking

I'm tired of heating up the whole oven for a small amount of food!

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. I don't own one...

Although I always wanted to. MrG says I can't have another "small appliance". :(

[gollygee]

13. My MrG said the same thing

:D

Oh well for MrG

LOL

[lpbk2713]

15. I bought one and have never used it.

:shrug:

I thought it would be good to grill a steak in. Then after I got it home I thought it would be a lot of work to clean it up afterwards.


Go figure.

[gollygee]

16. I love kitchen gadgets

and I have a George Foreman grill for steaks.

LOL

I guess this has a broiler so I could broil steaks. And it comes with a broiling pan so I'd just have to clean the pan. But I like steaks on the Foreman grill so I'll probably keep using that.

[politicat]

17. We use it for french fries, etc.

Basically, any frozen food that would normally go in the oven goes in the toaster oven during the summers.

It works pretty well - we have to increase either the time or temp, but we tend to get a better crust.

During the winters, I want the oven on for warmth!

[gollygee]

18. In the winter it isn't as big a deal

to heat up the big oven for sure because at least the ambient heat has a use.

[politicat]

27. Exactly!

Ours is a summer use thing, too!

[CottonBear]

19. I cook all sorts of food in my Black & Decker mount under the cabinet oven

Toast, frozen waffles, muffins (small or 1/2 size pan, cornbread (loaf pan fits in toaster oven), baked sweet potatos, baked potatoes, veggies, pork chops, chicken and casseroles. Mmm! I love my toaster oven!

[gollygee]

20. Mine would fit a loaf pan

how does the cornbread turn out? Would regular bread work in a toaster oven too? I suppose so!

[CottonBear]

21. It's excellent! You can cook almost anything in a toaster oven.

I love ours. It mounts under the cabinet in my tiny ( and I mean extra tiny) conco kitchen! Black & Decker makes special cookware for the toaster oven. :)

[hfojvt]

22. what I do with toaster ovens in the privacy of my own home

is my own personal business.

[gollygee]

24. .

:rofl:

[bigwillq]

23. YES!

Warming up pizza, chicken wings, fries....lots of stuff! :)

[gollygee]

25. Chicken wings!

my daughter LOVES chicken wings. I'll have to do some research on that now :D

[bigwillq]

26. I just warm them up in there

I use the "boil" option and then put the temperature at like 300 degrees. 10-12 minutes and they're nice and hot and crispy! Enjoy! :hi: