Is a Toaster Oven Worth Investing In?

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Are toaster ovens beneficial? Do they work as good as commercials and advertisements make them out to be? I'm thinking about getting one because my two older kids want to start baking more. I don't trust our stove, let alone our oven. It's been acting up and that's the last thing I want to worry about when my daughter puts in a tray of cookies.
 
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If you get one of the larger countertop ovens that goes up to 450 degrees, you can bake almost anything in it ,and it doesn't overheat the whole house.
I have an Oster countertop oven and I can roast a chicken in it or bake a cake. Don't get one of those little 2 slice toaster ovens that cost $20, get one of the more heavy duty ones that are $60 to $80 and can fit a medium sized pizza.
 
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I am new to toaster ovens but it was a great investment. I was shocked by how much you can do in them now, in addition to making frozen pizzas and other frozen food you can also make grilled cheese in some of them. I think the best thing is that since they are small and compact the clean up is so easy and convenient for people on the run.
 
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Some models are good for broiling and toasting because the heat mechanism is on top instead of below. It may be good to look into those that are ideal for baking dense or thick items like brownies. Otherwise, some items will need flipping for even cooking.:cool:
 
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At one point, I owned a toaster oven and was not impressed with it, but it was a cheap model. If you are going to invest in one, get a higher end model or you will not be able to do much with it.
 
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Go for the biggest one you can fit on your counter. The tiny ones are useless since they can barely fit anything, and what does fit in them is so close to the heating elements that it will burn easily. I've turned toast into charcoal twice with cheap small toaster ovens, which also smoked up my place really bad and permanently stained the exterior of the oven to the point where I had to junk them.

I had a larger Oster one as well, and loved it. The only reason I ended up getting rid of it, was because I started cooking too many meat dishes in it uncovered, and the walls inside became a mess with grease. Unlike traditional ovens, mine didn't have that enameled coating, just plain exposed metal (aluminum I think), so everything stuck to it, and oven cleaner wouldn't work. If anything the oven cleaner made it worse, because it discolored all the metal.

They are fantastic for baking stuff particularly when you are in a hurry and don't want to heat your place up with a large oven. They heat up a lot faster because of their compact size. Also, if you are trying to bake two different things that need to cook at very different temperatures, they come in handy for that too.

I would caution though that they do often cook unevenly though since the stuff at the edge of the pan is so close to the heat sources depending on how the unit is designed. So you may need to rotate stuff during the cooking process for better results.
 
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I've never used them for baking actually. I use them more for browning and reheating items instead. So instead of bothering with a toaster or using a microwave that's likely to make foods soggy...I use the toaster oven instead. I love it for those types of cooking, but can't vouch for the baked goods. Just make sure the temperature will go high enough for your needs.
 

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