Toaster Ovens - Convection or Not? (burgers, freeze, pizzas, coffee)
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We are just a household of two, and in our prior homes, we had one of those Maytag slide in stoves that had the full size oven on the bottom and the smaller full function oven on the top. I loved that thing, especially since we usually cook smaller items and I have a long time habit of heating the plates. So we used the small oven probably 80% of the time.
New house, this time with double convection ovens in the wall. So I've lost my little oven. Now I find that I'm heating up one of this big ovens for cooking a small pizza, roasting potatoes, wings or just heating plates. Clearly, it's a waste of energy, and it heats up the entire kitchen more than necessary.
So I'm thinking of getting a toaster oven. Never owned one before. It will need to go under a cabinet, so it needs to be well insulated so the heat coming off the toaster oven doesn't melt the under cabinet lights.
Is the convection toaster oven THAT much better than a regular toaster oven? Any brand recommendations? I've been reading that the Breville brand is well made, insulated and comes in a smaller size.
I do like having a toaster oven, especially in the summer when I don't want to heat up the whole house to roast some beets or bake a couple cookies. I'm also a big fan of Breville, have their coffee maker and slow cooker. When my old dinky Black and Decker toaster oven dies I do plan on the picking up the Breville, but I think the smaller one is not a convection oven. For me I do prefer the way convection cooks, it's just a better end result for evenness.
Why NOT convection? I've got the cuisinart model. I use it almost daily, and have had it for at least 3-4 years now. It's very hot in summer here, so I avoid using the big oven almost entirely about 8 months a year. We are also a family of two.
Why NOT convection? I've got the cuisinart model. I use it almost daily, and have had it for at least 3-4 years now. It's very hot in summer here, so I avoid using the big oven almost entirely about 8 months a year. We are also a family of two.
I have the same one too but I don't use it in place of my oven unless I am cooking something small. I mainly use it to toast breads, bagels, waffles.
I bought the Breville Smart Oven about 6 months ago. It's a convection toaster oven, and while it was significantly more expensive than a generic toaster oven, I absolutely do not regret this purchase. I've even talked 2 relatives into buying one. (This is also the model they have in the break rooms at my office. They definitely last, I know the ones at work get some pretty heavy use!).
The convection toaster ovens generally have a bigger footprint than a 'normal' toaster oven, which is the only downside, other than price.
I use mine all the time -- I live alone, and I find that I use it instead of my big oven all the time. It's especially nice in the summer when I don't want to heat up the entire kitchen just to cook something.
I certainly use it for normal toaster stuff - making toast, bagels, english muffins, etc. But I also use it to make dinner 3-4 nights a week, as well as for baking small batches of cookies or muffins. Since it's just me and I don't have a big family to cook for, it's nice to scale down recipes and make just 6 muffins.
it's also useful when I'm having company over for dinner, to give me that additional oven for cooking, especially if I have a few things that require a different temperature.
Here's some of the stuff I cook in my Breville:
- hot dogs & bratwurst (broil function, almost as good as cooked on a grill)
- small pizzas
- veggie burgers
- homemade single-serving casserole dishes of lasagna
- single serving dishes of creamed spinach (I make a huge batch and freeze individual portions)
It's also awesome for reheating leftovers.
If you're only planning to use a toaster oven to toast bread or bagels, you'd probably be okay with just a normal toaster oven. But if you want the flexibility to actually cook with it, go ahead and get the convection.
Because it costs a good bit more, and seems to take up more space on the countertop. But reading the above is quickly convincing me to spend the money!
I didn't even realize these things had a broil option.
Most toaster ovens are just glorified toasters and are only good for melting bread bags stored on top of them - they don't even toast bread well. However, a convection oven is an entirely different beast and is well worth the extra investment.
Any other brands that are smallish in size and well insulated that I should consider besides the Breville Smart Oven that IS a convection? At $249, it's pricey.
And now that I'm reading more about these things, do they ALL get hot on the outside? Especially concerned about the heat from the top of the unit.
Last edited by Jkgourmet; 07-08-2013 at 04:14 PM..
One last tip: I got mine from Amazon - it's a refurbished unit, and instead of $249, I think I paid less than $200.
I've also heard good things about the Cuisinart & Calphalon's version, so you might want to do a bit of research and read reviews on those. One of the main reasons I went with the Breville was because I already knew how to use it since it's what we have at work, and I knew that cooking times/temps would be consistent between work and home.
Mine is big enough for a Pyrex 9x9 to slide in easily, so I think about 11 inches wide.
Ooh and I've had it longer than I thought... Since 2006!
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