Toasters

When you need half the task of a conventional oven, toaster ovens perfectly fit the bill for low-volume oven needs like toasting, baking, heating, browning, broiling and even cooking. A toaster oven is a versatile ally for toasting bagels, ready-to-bake cookies, bread slices, and other food items you prefer eating toasted.

Toaster ovens should not be confused with regular toasters or ovens, because each function differently. Most toaster ovens have control knobs with automatic timers that lets you select (in minutes) how long toasting should be. Some special features may include temperature range that is between 200-500 degrees, warming option, controls for baking and toasting functions, crumb trays, a toasting rack, broiling pan, baking tray, and removable adjustable doors.

The main benefit of these mini ovens is they preheat quickly and is more energy efficient compared to conventional ovens. Practically, this is a perfect combination.

Oven toasters come in a number of sizes, although almost all models can be mounted on counter tops. A mountable toaster oven may be small enough in which only 2-4 bread slices can fit or large versions with 2 racks for baking. However, a large toaster oven may also fit as an under counter toaster oven, depending on the available space in your kitchen.

Keeping the toasters clean may require regular checking for breadcrumbs accumulation on the bottom especially when it is frequently used to toast bread. This should not be a problem as most units have crumb trays that you can easily dump and wash regularly. Cleaning the interior of the oven only requires scrubbing with soap and water, but remove the bottom panel first so your hand can move freely. An all-purpose spray can be used to clean the outside.

The popularity of these smaller semi-ovens rests on their versatility and relatively affordable price. For something that costs around $50 to $200, and provides unsurpassed convenience, it's something worth investing on. More expensive toaster ovens even have defrost and slow-cook options where low wattage constantly circulates inside the oven to cook some foods. These units also come with self-cleaning functionality, as well as some features of a convection oven in which heat is circulated evenly.

Look for these important features when shopping for ovens: capacity (measured according to the number of regular toasts), adjustable and movable rack, keep warm option, broiler element, crumb tray, automatic shut off when door opens, continuous clean interior, defrost feature, thermostat to achieve a variety of cooking options, interior light, top brown option, self-cleaning function, and timer with alarm.

When choosing ovens, you may or may not consider the size but this should be according to the household's needs. A bigger family may need a larger capacity oven to toast more slices of bread than a family of four. In order to upsell their products, some manufacturers would go as far as putting appealing designs that obviously has nothing to do with the unit's functions. A pragmatic approach would be to stick to the trusted brands in the market, which you may have familiarity with.

Should you be in doubt whether to purchase this mini oven or not, assess the many benefits it provides. Since it uses lesser energy, you'll be toasting hotdogs in a few minutes or heating soups without the worry of destroyed nutrients as what happens when using microwaves. The end results are you'll be saving energy and your precious time.

Oven toasters indeed speak for the adage, "small but terrible", but don't overestimate this appliance, whose functions should not be mistaken with conventional ovens. Remember that their primary uses are for "low volume tasks". Nonetheless, toaster ovens are powerful devices that easily meet your daily kitchen necessities.