Let’s say you went to your friends last weekend, and saw them doing baked potato in toaster oven. Now you are thinking how easy her kitchen life must be. Since then, you have been deciding to buy yourself a toaster oven. Previously, you thought that toaster oven only makes perfectly toasted bread? Well, that’s one of the things it is good at, other than that, it browns and crisps your food that a regular microwave cannot.
Also, a toaster oven is more energy efficient than your regular oven. From fresh cookies to kabobs, pizza to whole eggs in their shells – there’s a lot you can do with a toaster oven than just a toasted bread.
Uses of Toaster Oven
Now that you know a toaster oven is capable of doing a lot more. A question that must be drumming up your mind is what are the different uses of toaster oven. You may be thinking:
- Can you bake cookies in a toaster oven?
- How to cook kabobs in the oven?
- How to make baked potato in toaster oven?
Continue reading and you will get all your answers.
Bake cookies in toaster oven
A toaster oven will come in handy when it’s summers and the oven’s heat will keep you from baking cookies. There are a few things you want to keep in mind while baking cookies in a toaster oven: its heating elements are a lot closer to your food; it has a small scale; its temperature settings can be inaccurate in lower-end models. Using your regular recipe of cookies, keep the same temperature that you set in a regular oven. You can bake two full-sized cookies with a small pan of your toaster oven or 4 to 6 small-sized ones. Start with a test batch to see if your toaster needs to be heated more or the dial needs to be turned down.
Cook kabobs in oven
You don’t need to turn on your full-sized oven to cook kabobs. You can do this with your toaster oven as well. Make sure your kabob meat is dry as it will take lesser time to brown and have more flavor. Using your regular kabob recipe, take aluminum foil and place your kabobs over your toaster’s broiling tray. Slip the tray into the toaster oven and switch on the broiler’s grill. The position of your toaster oven’s rack should be in such a way that there is a gap of at least 3 inches between the meat and toaster’s heating element. Cook your kabobs until they reach your required doneness. The color should be somewhat golden brown. Allow kabobs to cool for about 3 minutes before serving.
Make baked potato in toaster oven
Whether it’s the scorching summer or the freezing winter, warm and overstuffed baked potato can always be on your dining table, much thanks to the toaster oven. The heat will move more evenly around potatoes if you are baking directly on toaster oven’s rack.
- Now start with placing a cooling rack inside your toaster oven.
- Keep your oven preheated at 400º F.
- Take potatoes depending on the size of your toaster oven.
- Wash and dry them.
- Stab each potato with a fork or knife just so that the steam can release from potatoes.
- Finally place them on a baking rack you prepared and slide it in the preheated toaster oven to bake at 400º F.
- You should check for doneness around 40 minutes.
The cooking time may vary between 45 minutes to 1 hours depending on the size of your potatoes. Baked potatoes will be done when a knife or fork can go in easily. The skin should be crisped to the touch and lightly browned.
Toaster Oven Recipes
As you now have a few questions answered; how about we dive into some toaster oven recipes. With these healthy toaster oven recipes, you can treat yourself without having to stand in kitchen for longer hours.
Do some online browsing and you will get hundreds of results for toaster oven recipes. We have compiled some of the most baked recipes using toaster ovens.
Baked Eggs
If you are in a hurry and want to prepare baked eggs, worry not because toaster oven will do it for you in 15-20 minutes max. You can use this time to take shower and dress up. Preheat your toaster at 350º F. Throw eggs, cheese, milk, salt and some cooked spinach in a ramekin. Beat it well and bake for 15-20 min. You have got yourself a comforting breakfast.
Chicken Quesadilla
Preheat your toaster oven at 425º F. Fill your whole-wheat-dillas with chicken, jalapeno, cilantro, cheese and green onions on one side and fold over the other half. Foil line your toaster oven tray and toast each side for 8-10 minutes or until they are golden brown and you can see cheese melting. Your tortillas are done, cut them in half, serve with a sour cream dollop and sprinkle some green onions.
Roasted Salmon
This is a fool-proof power packed salmon recipe that you can easily prepare with your toaster oven. Preheat your toaster oven at 450º F. Oil a 9’’ round or rectangular shaped baking dish. Place asparagus on one side of the dish, sprinkle oil, salt and black pepper on it. Place salmon on the other half, and bake until fish is cooked through and asparagus is tender. It will take about 13-16 minutes. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on your dish and serve it with mustard sauce.
If you’re a Breville Smart Oven user, then there’s a heaven of recipes and comfort waiting for you to try out. This Smart Oven is great for couples or someone living alone. It bakes, broils, toasts and reheats. It heats up super-fast and has enough space to cook large quantities and bigger meals. What’s more? It won’t heat up your kitchen unlike other regular toaster ovens. You can prepare some amazing Breville Smart Oven recipes using its nine pre-set functions, timer feature, bigger pan and tray and an easy to use crumb tray without creating a mess.
If you’re using a toaster oven for the first time, you may come up with a few basic questions which is only natural. The following section will help you know better on using a toaster oven.
FAQs About Toaster Ovens
Best Toaster Ovens Under $100
Looking for a cheap toaster oven is sensible for someone buying it for the first time. These are small yet practical appliances allowing home chefs to create a range of tasty meals and evening snacks. There’s no need to go for higher-end models if your market offers you the best toaster ovens under $100.
- BLACK+DECKER CTO6335S Convection Oven – accommodating a 12-inch pizza size, timer up to 120 min, has a convection bake with broil, toast and warm functions, has a digital display.
- Hamilton Beach 31105HB Countertop Oven – accommodating two 12-inch pizzas, timer up to 120 min, has a convection bake with broil, toast and warm functions, has a revolving rotisserie and comes in black color with a silver finish.
- Oster Large Capacity Convection Toaster Oven – has digital controls with interior light, has a removable external crumb and two rack positions, a 6 slice toaster oven, and extra-large interior holds 13 by 9 pan for whole chicken, ham and casseroles.
These stand out in the market as the best countertop ovens under $100, each with having peculiar features. Planning to bake pizzas and a load of pastry at a birthday party or a friends’ stayover sounds like a nice idea? While it sure is, just don’t do it in a single oven or you’ll be putting yourself in the face of torments. Use a countertop oven which is a life savior at such gatherings. It is as efficient as your regular oven but the better thing about countertop oven is that it is small and doesn’t occupy much space. Needless to mention, the oven you use at such occasions should be the best countertop oven that can save your time and effort.
Can You Put Foil in a Toaster Oven?
Yes, you definitely can but you would want to ensure safety while doing that. You can put foil in a toaster oven while cooking or reheating the leftovers or other food to save its surface from burning. The foil locks in heat and lets food heat quickly and evenly. You can also place it beneath items so that bubbling items don’t create a mess in your toaster oven. When using aluminum foil, you should avoid contact with sides or heating elements of the toaster oven as this can produce excessive heat and even catch fire.
Toaster Oven Settings
If you have just bought a toaster oven, you’ll be asking yourself or reading on the internet about toaster oven settings. Once you get a hold of toaster oven settings, you’ll probably end up calling it your best experience ever. There are two types of toaster ovens; the standard toaster oven and the convection one, both of which work differently. Most toaster ovens have settings including: convection, baking, toasting and broiling. You can select the shade you want and can also warm your food and toast. Again, settings also depend whether your toaster is high-end or entry level. High-models will come with additional features such as defrost and roast.
While you’re in the kitchen figuring out toaster oven settings or preparing to make Breville smart oven recipes, you can put on some music with Toaster Cast using an Android application. If not music, you can also stream YouTube or Vimeo via Toaster Cast and watch healthy toaster oven recipe videos to prepare your lunch or dinner.
