Toaster Ovens are a great appliance to have in the kitchen, particularly if you
prefer not using your oven every time you want to heat something up or make a small
meal. Some would claim you can do all that with a microwave, but advocates
of toaster ovens would argue that a microwave can not brown your food or give your frozen
pizza a crispy crust. Today's toaster ovens have gone beyond the toasting of a bagel.
They can bake, broil, and even convection cook everything from hamburgers, hot dogs
and French fries to a four pound chicken with little effort. Toaster ovens provide
an affordable and easy to use cooking alternative for today's busy homes.
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Toaster ovens come in an assortment of shapes and sizes and offer a variety of features.
What you want your toaster oven to do will drive your purchasing decision to a large
extent. Things to take into consideration when purchasing a toaster oven include:
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Ease of Use
Toaster oven settings can be controlled by the use of a standard dial timer or an
electronic key pad with pre-set functions. Often, consumers find the electronic
touch pads not only easier to use, but able to deliver a more precise setting
option. There is no second guessing when you set an electronic timer, unlike dial timers,
which often have people wondering if they actually set it for the correct
number of minutes.
Easy to Clean
Many toaster ovens also have self-cleaning features which can cut down on overall
maintenance. However, if you choose an oven without a self-cleaning feature, plan
on spending a little extra time wiping off the exterior and interior after use.
Consider ovens that have interior nonstick or porcelain surfaces which can make
clean up a lot easier.
How it Cooks
What do you want your toaster oven to do? Do you expect it to toast, bake, roast,
broil or convection cook? While toaster ovens can toast bread, most can not do so
efficiently. If you like evenly toasted bread, prepared quickly, a toaster may do
the job better. However, if you are looking for a toaster oven which you can use
more for cooking, determining what you need it to do will help you narrow down what
features you need.
If you are looking for an oven to use for baking or broiling, check out models that
cook using either a convection or infrared heating feature. Convection heating uses
a small fan to circulate hot air within the oven which helps brown food more evenly
and can speed up cooking time. Convections usually save you from having to flip
your food to get it brown on both sides. Ovens with infrared heating elements drastically
cut down on the need to pre-heat the oven. Infrared is also helpful in speeding
up the toasting process.
Counter Space & Capacity
Toaster ovens come in a selection of sizes ranging from as small as 10 x 10 to as
big as 20 x 16. If your kitchen is "space challenged", you may be able to purchase
a counter mounting kit for your toaster oven. Many models now have the kits available,
but not always included. This may require a special order from the manufacturer,
but worth the additional effort if it frees up your counter space.
Smaller toaster ovens which do the basics such as toast bagels and heat up leftovers
are generally smaller in both size and capacity. Models used more as ovens
which roast chickens and broil hamburgers are going to have a larger capacity and
probably demand more counter space.
Safety
Many toaster ovens come with an automatic shut off feature for the heating element.
However, all do not. Some timers will only ding and continue heating until you manually
turn it off. Unless you are always going to stand right over your food as it cooks,
you may want to ensure that your toaster oven includes an automatic shut off.
As mentioned, toaster ovens can come in an assortment of shapes and sizes and offer
several different features. A few popular and highly rated brands are listed below:
Manufacturer Proctor Silex prides itself on manufacturing durable products that
meet rigorous testing standards. Their space-saving
6 Slice Toaster Oven, which can fit a 12" pizza or 6 slices of toast, received
an "Economy Best Buy" rating in the October 2006 issue of Consumer Digest. If you
are looking for something a little larger with the ability to broil, the
Extra-Large Toaster Oven/Broiler may fit the ticket. This oven has an extra-large
interior which easily fits 4 slices, a 9 inch cake pan or 2 personal pizzas and
includes a handy broiler for cooking versatility and a removable crumb tray for
easy cleanup.
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Sanyo strives to create indispensable products that can create harmony between people
and their environment. If you are looking for a toaster oven that can put you in
harmony with your cooking needs, consider the
Space Saving 2 Level Toasty Oven. This unit takes up less counter space
than many toaster ovens, has an auto shut off feature, and can handle the basics
such as warming leftovers or making a frozen pizza pretty easily. This unit, however,
does not have a broiler feature or a thermostat, just four control settings. The
SK-VF7S
Toaster Oven is a digital convection oven that can cook, bake, toast and
reheat delicious results. Other features include digital controls, a 40-minute digital
dial timer with lighted countdown indicators, 5 temperature control settings, a
removable oven rack, a non-stick oven tray and crumb tray.
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Hamilton Beach, which also owns Proctor-Silex, is the country's number one distributor
of small kitchen appliances, selling over 35 million appliances every year. They
offer a wide range of toaster ovens from which to choose. If you are looking for
a workhorse of toaster ovens, consider the
Toastation Toaster & Oven. This compact 2-in-1 appliance has a traditional
two-slot toaster feature as well as an oven that can fit 16 slices of pizza or two
personal pizzas. Other features include a electronic toast shade feature, oven temperature
controls for consistency, a removable crumb tray and automatic toaster shut off.
For cooking convenience, the
Hamilton Beach 31160 Family Size Toaster Oven with Convection Cooking may
be hard to beat. This oven can cook everything from whole chickens, roasts, pies,
pizzas and toast, and is 85% larger than a traditional 4-slice toaster oven.
The well-known Black & Decker name is often associated with power, innovation and
quality. While recognized as the world’s largest producer of power tools and accessories,
their household products division is the U.S. leader and among global competitors
in the small household appliance industry. The compact
Toast-R-Oven Classic™ Countertop Oven/Broiler can bake, broil, toast, reheat,
and comes with a 2-position slide rack and bake pan. The
Toast-R-Oven Classic with Electronic Control Black is a large capacity unit
that not only bakes, broils, toasts, and browns, but defrosts as well. Other features
include a nonstick interior, easy-to-clean slide out crumb tray, bake pan and broil
rack.
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Panasonic prides itself on building products that last, and while often thought
of for their electronics, they do offer a wide range of household appliances, such
as toaster ovens. The
Flash XPress NB-G100P Counter Top Toaster Oven uses infrared heat instead
of a convection heating element. This feature drastically cuts down on pre-heating.
Other features include preset buttons that can automatically calculate the cooking
time for a variety of foods, a reminder buzzer, and removable crumb tray. It has
even received high consumer marks for actually being able to make great toast. That's
no
small accomplishment for a toaster oven! The
Panasonic NB-G100P 1300 Watts Toaster Oven with Convection Cooking also
features the Flash XPress technology for faster cooking. It has an auto cook menu
with six illustrated preset buttons to calculate the cooking time for a variety
of foods automatically and a digital timer and temperature keypad to allow for precise
cooking control.
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Favored by such cooking celebrities as Julia Child, Jacques Pépin and James Beard,
the Cuisinart name is often associated with innovative culinary tools. Their toaster
ovens are no exception. The
TOB175BC Brushed Chrome Convection Toaster Oven Broiler with Exact Heat™ Sensor
is often cited in reviews as being able to replace a full-size oven. The oven is
loaded with features galore including a broil function, heating sensor, digital
display, Always Even™ shade control, and a removable crumb tray for easy cleaning.
Another nice feature about this oven is that it comes with a three year warranty
whereas most manufacturers offer only a standard one year warranty on toaster ovens.
The oven, however, does not have an automatic shut off feature. On the other end
of the size spectrum is Cuisinart's
Retro 4 Slice Toaster Oven. This model takes up a little less space on the
counter, but still maintains a roomy .3 cu ft capacity. This brushed stainless steel
with smooth black panels has slide controls and has been engineered
to guarantee consistent temperatures for perfect results.
T-Fall, the non-stick cookware inventor, offers several affordable toaster oven
options. The
Avante Elite is a compact, but full-featured model. This oven has a 6-slice
capacity and fits an 11" oven dish (rack is larger than a regular 6-slice toaster
oven). It also has 9 electronic browning control settings for consistent toasting,
front access, and a CD-style crumb tray for maximum cleaning convenience. The T-FAL
Avante Elite Convection Digital Toaster Oven can perform convection and
conventional baking, broiling, warming, and 6-slice toasting. It also features an
easy-to-use digital control panel with custom settings, temperature control from
150 degrees to 500 degrees and a separate warming compartment for your food.
Most toaster oven manufacturers produce a selection of styles, finishes and models
to fit any price range and preference. Depending on the style and features chosen,
consumers can find a basic no-frills, get-the-job-done toaster oven starting at
around $30. The average price range for many top-rated products is $69 to $89. However,
higher-end, multi-feature toaster oven models can start at around $100 and climb
upwards of $500. But remember that a more expensive price tag doesn't necessarily
equate with a toaster oven's ability to get the job done better than another. There
are several mid-range toaster ovens that receive high marks and can fit the most
discerning budget.
In the past,
Consumer Reports has given high marks to several reasonably priced
models including the
Cusinart TOB175BC,
DeLonghi XR640,
Sanyo Digital Convection Toaster Oven SK-VF7S,
Panasonic FlashXpress NB-G100P, and the
T-Fal Avante Elite Convection Toaster Oven 5253. If you
are on a budget, but find a model that you may consider to be a little out
of your price range, consider the long-term savings from operating these energy efficient
appliances versus a regular oven. A toaster oven uses a third to half as much energy
as a full-sized oven. A toaster oven uses approximately 1,250 watts, and depending
on usage, can average between $.17 to $2.05 per month to operate. The monthly savings
you will see in your electric bill may make purchasing that slightly higher priced
model with the bake, broil and roasting options a more affordable option in the
long-run.