Toaster Oven Cooking: Baking, Broiling, Roasting (not Toasting!). What Do You Do?

[fifi]

Here ya go. I actually have the older model with the knobs. My nephew has this one and we used it at the country place during the storm. I like mine better. But, looking at the dimensions versus my cheap but serviceable GE microwave, it isn't any bigger. I haven't been tempted to get the bigger one with the rotisserie since I am very unlikely to rotis anything myself.

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How long does it take to preheat for baking a pie? I strikes me that in this time of a potential doubling (or more) of nat'l gas prices, this oven might pay for itself for those of us living alone who make small amounts often. I find my GE Profile takes at least 30 minutes, per the oven thermometer, to come to temp even though it beeps ready at about 20.

. . . . .

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Uh . . . I might be doing something wrong but I don't preheat the DeLonghi at all. I put the stuff in and turn it on. Even doing that with "raw" pies doesn't seem to affect the result. You make a good point. For some stupid reason, I have never thought of preheating the DeLonghi as I would the range oven. I don't have a rational explanation but it seems to work. Of course, the DeLonghi doesn't have the mass to be heated up. I think that the working end is the blown hot air as in convection so heating up the walls is immaterial. This would help with energy consumption.

[MHarney]

It strikes me that in this time of a potential doubling (or more) of nat'l gas prices, this oven might pay for itself for those of us living alone who make small amounts often.

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You got that right -- I was thinking the same thing about the oven last night since my natural gas provider has just asked for a 17% increase and is expected to ask for about 70% over last year's rates by late fall. (Gee, aren't those energy think tanks sponsored by the energy companies so prescient with their pre-Rita predictions?) On the same topic, the prime reason for my trip to Costco yesterday was to get two fully automatic space heaters for the winter. My two automatic power saver air conditioners have both paid for themselves in lower electric bills in the first two years compared to my crusty old units, which used to boost my summertime electric bills almost to the level of wintertime baseboard electric heating in New England (gasp).

fifi has commented on the dehydrating already, and I'll post my comments as well once I've got the rack and have tried it. As to baking, I'll see how the oven does with the Molasses Crisps and Flying Biscuits I plan to make in the next week or so.

Like fifi, I don't usually preheat the DeLonghi, but FYI, the "I'm at temperature" beeps generally come within 3-10 minutes, depending on the temp. By the way, if you press the Temp button when the oven is on, that both tells you what the temp currently is inside and allows you to lower or boost your preset.

Pounce For anyone that has this kind of cooker how much venting does this unit have when you are doing a rotiserie chicken? Does it fill the house with chicken vapor?

No more than when I roast a chicken in the regular oven. The convection fan seems mainly to move the air inside the oven, not to force a lot more than usual to the outside.

[scubadoo97]

I've use mine for toasting bread but have done baked potatos when only doing a couple. It's great for roasting garlic. I cut oil and wrap garlic in foil and toss in the toaster oven. Great for little things.

My kitchen has just been ripped out for remodeling. It may get used a lot more now.

[ratgirlny]

I have some kind of Black & Decker toaster oven. The only thing I ever use it for is making tuna melts, and charring red peppers. The broiler in my big oven doesn't work right, and I don't have the patience for charring peppers over the burner flame (plus, it makes a mess).

I've never been much of a broiled food fan, which is probably why I have never bothered to get the broiler in the main oven fixed.

[mtigges]

We have a toaster oven at work. About eight months ago, a co-worker and I started having Tuesday lunch roasts. We started with a chicken. Compound butter under the skin, seasoned on top, and bacon all around ... yum. Then we moved to lamb rack. Simple rub on the outside oil / mustard / herbs / salt & pepper. We also roasted about half a butterflied beaf tenderloin which we stuffed with Foie Gras. No joke, it was awesome. We brought in one of those single gas burners to sear that one.

So, I've started this up again. I broiled a pork blade steak on monday. Today, I shared a rack of lamb with another coworker. But I'm looking for ideas. I want to try and find (or make, I'm a potter as a hobby) a rectangular lidded vessel for braising. What should I make in this thing next week?

It's just too good a lunch to microwave some frozen vege and roast off some nice protein. Cheaper (well except that beef one) and better than going out and getting some take-out.

Ideas?

[fifi]

Well . . . You could check out the Braising with Molly topic. I use my individual size La Chamba clay pots to reheat braises in my De Longhi all the time. They are 2 cup capacity. You can see one of them in my chicken recipe here. There are links in that recipe to the eGCI braising course as well.

[jasie]

We have a toaster oven at work. About eight months ago, a co-worker and I started having Tuesday lunch roasts.  We started with a chicken.  Compound butter under the skin, seasoned on top, and bacon all around ... yum.  Then we moved to lamb rack.  Simple rub on the outside oil / mustard / herbs / salt & pepper.  We also roasted about half a butterflied beaf tenderloin which we stuffed with Foie Gras.  No joke, it was awesome.  We brought in one of those single gas burners to sear that one.

So, I've started this up again.  I broiled a pork blade steak on monday.  Today, I shared a rack of lamb with another coworker.  But I'm looking for ideas.  I want to try and find (or make, I'm a potter as a hobby) a rectangular lidded vessel for braising.  What should I make in this thing next week?

It's just too good a lunch to microwave some frozen vege and roast off some nice protein.  Cheaper (well except that beef one) and better than going out and getting some take-out.

Ideas?

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maybe this might work! They look pretty nice too~

http://www.overstock.com/?page=proframe&prod_id=1623109

[dvs]

so, after reading numerous threads on how many here couldn't live without their toasted oven, i packed away the aweful red toaster my mom bought me for a wedding present and bought a toaster oven. just a simple b&d one, but it does have temp & broil settings.

so, i ask you... now what do i do?? what do you cook in your toaster oven that makes it so special?

besides toast that is

[Gifted Gourmet]

Here is an interesting article on toaster oven cooking from Sign On San Diego

[leviathan]

As a newbie, I'm just starting to learn how to cook and want to cook but a lot of recipes utilize the oven. However, I think my oven might be broken. I'm not sure since I've never used it and don't know how to use it even though I've been living here for awhile. So, is it possible to use a toaster oven instead of a oven for all those dishes where you're supposed to use a oven? What adjustments would I need to make if I were using a toaster oven instead of a regular oven? Since a toaster oven is much smaller than a regular oven, I'd imagine that I wouldn't need to take so long to preheat it but I'm not sure if I would need to adjust my temperature settings higher or lower than the recommended oven temp for a oven.

[beccaboo]

I used to use our toaster oven instead of the regular oven in the summer, so as not to heat up the kitchen, and I had pretty good luck. I had to make smaller versions of most of my recipes (1/2 or 1/3) so they'd fit well in my little oven, but things turned out surprisingly well. I only made things like cake, cornbread, and biscuits, but I'd imagine you could make little casseroles and things, too--you'd just have to get little pans that fit in your oven with room around the edges so the air can circulate.

Edited February 9, 2007 by beccaboo (log)

[Pontormo]

You're not alone, so please don't let embarrassment or uncertainty get in the way of learning new culinary skills. Lots of people just use burners on stove tops or microwave ovens and never bake.

I have no idea what your housing situation is, but you may have neighbors, a building manager or even a colleague at work who could give you instructions, the latter if you describe the type of stove you have. If your kitchen has a stove with an oven, you are entitled to one that works.

Edited February 9, 2007 by Pontormo (log)

[Kouign Aman]

One of the food blogs featured a toaster oven. linkie

My impression was that time and temp were the same, just the quantities of food had to be able to fit. And that has been my experience with them in preparing cookies, fish, chicken.

Im gonna go look for that blog now, and link it here if I find it. <see above>

The blog completely changed the way I looked at toaster ovens. I used to consider them as inefficient toasters, but it made me realize they truely are little ovens.

I just rescanned the blog. Its not that there's a lot of detail, its just day to day cooking, using the tiny oven instead of the big one. Nice.

Edited February 9, 2007 by Kouign Aman (log)

[tino27]

I have a regular oven, but I find that my toaster oven is an invaluable tool. I often use it as an extra tool -- for instance, if I need my regular oven for a casserole or rice dish, I will use my toaster oven to finish off baking the chicken breasts after searing them in a skillet. In general I have found that foods designed to work with toaster ovens come out the best. Foods that weren't designed for a toaster oven, but only need a little bit of time to cook (say, under 15 minutes) usually come out very well, too. Frozen things like burritos or fried chicken or such usually cook at the same temperature, but don't take as long as the instructions state. I usually keep a supply of the frozen cheese & bean burritos in my freezer - when I want one, I usually bake it for only about 15 minutes, even though the packaging says 20 minutes.

One of my favorite things is to do pita "pizzas". Preheat your oven to 450. Spread your favorite tomato sauce on a pita, top with some thinly sliced onion or mushrooms and some mozzarella cheese. Bake for between 7-8 minutes. Very tasty and no need to get your kitchen all heated up during the summertime. It also helps if you line the little metal tray that comes with it with some of that Reynolds non-stick aluminum foil. You can easily get 8-10 uses out of it before you need to replace it.

It also depends on how accurate the temperature gauge is in your oven, too. I have a cheapie Black & Decker ($39) which does a decent enough job, but I know it ain't the most accurate thing in the world.

[leviathan]

I suspect there might be a difference when you're using a toaster oven vs a standard oven.

I took some of the dishes that the Union Tribune used specifically for a toater oven, and compared recipes using a standard oven for the exact same dish. Specifcally, I was using the roasted asparagus recipe since it doesn't have a lot of components and would therefore isolate the differences between toaster oven and regular oven as much as possible. The Union Tribune's recipe called for you to preheat the oven, then bake the asparagus at 375 degrees for twenty minutes. No two recipes are going to be exactly alike. But, I found a recipe pretty similar to Union Tribune, where they preheated the oven, and used a temp of 350 degrees. But, for this version, they were baking it for only 10-15 minutes. So, it seems that you may have to adjust the recipes if you're using a toaster oven, at least, in terms of time. Too bad since this means I would have to go out and get a specific cookbook geared directly for toaster oven users.

You're not alone, so please don't let embarrassment or uncertainty get in the way of learning new culinary skills.  Lots of people just use burners on stove tops or microwave ovens and never bake.

I have no idea what your housing situation is, but you may have neighbors, a building manager or even a colleague at work who could give you instructions, the latter if you describe the type of stove you have.  If your kitchen has a stove with an oven, you are entitled to one that works.

If the house passed the home inspection, does this mean that the oven should work? So, in this case, I can't turn to a building manager or even neighbor for help. Its unlikely that neighbors have the same oven as I do; mine is one of those GE ovens, circa mid 80s, with a built in oven and microwave on top of each other. I haven't ever used it, so its not like it would have since broken down from overuse.

[Marlene]

I have a Cuisinart convection toaster oven. In the summer it lives in my RV and we use it constantly. In the winter, I use it as a third oven when my other two are full. I've done boneless prime ribs and pork roasts and roast chickens in it. I've roasted asparagus and potatoes, and baked brie in puff pasty. I've made muffins in it as well. Oh and of course, toast. I have pictures somewhere, but they must be on my other computer.

[Rover]

I have a Cuisinart convection toaster oven.  In the summer it lives in my RV and we use it constantly.  In the winter, I use it as a third oven when my other two are full.  I've done boneless prime ribs and pork roasts and roast chickens in it.  I've roasted asparagus and potatoes, and baked brie in puff pasty.  I've made muffins in it as well.  Oh and of course, toast.   I have pictures somewhere, but they must be on my other computer.

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This is so timely for me, Marlene. I have the Cuisinart Conv/toaster oven, too, but have used it only minimumly. When I first tried it for toast, I was vastly disappointed in the results and proceeded to ignore the oven for months. I've tended to view it merely as a fast-cook-heat-convenience rather than a useful appliance. I've cooked sides of tomatoes in it and reheated things, but I'm heartened by your post and am viewing it (nice design, by-the-way) with new eyes. As I primarily cook for one, this could be very interesting for me. I'm so pleased to see this thread re-emerge!

Thanks,

Rover

[Marlene]

I have to bump it up one setting from the factory pre set to get it to make decent toast. When I make my way to my desktop, I'll see if I can find some of the pics of the stuff I've made in it. And yes, it's purty.

[chromedome]

I currently have a low-end model by Proctor-Silex, the third in a longtime series. My parents bought the first one and used it for several years, giving it to my sister, who eventually passed it on to me. Then I used it for another 4-5 years! It was ugly but durable, and made great toast.

My second one lasted me for eight years, and was much the same as the earlier model. Simple and functional. My current one, OTOH, has been something of a disappointment. It is now microprocessor-controlled, beeps when the toast is done, and is frankly inept at a couple of core functions. The "toast" function, even when set on maximum, will not even begin to brown my home-made bread, and brings store-bought only to moderately golden. The "broil" function is similarly useless, as it will not give me any surface browning at all within a useful timeframe: I usually use the toaster function for broiling.

For the mid-range temperatures, it does work reasonably well. I use it regularly to make biscuits, and have made cakes and pies (mine will accommodate only 8" pans) in it, as well as small roasts (my kids loved a good feed of "toast beef"). It's also very good at baked or roasted potatoes, chicken pieces (mine's too small for a whole chicken, though I could do cornish hens or quail, I suppose), chops, etc. I will say that chicken tends to spatter the toaster with fat, making a lot of smelly smoke, but for those of you who only buy BSB's that shouldn't be a problem.

If you're using your toaster to bake or roast something originally intended for a full-size oven, you'll probably need to make a couple of adjustments. With the element being so much closer to the top of the food, you may find that it tends to brown more quickly than you'd like, especially in a "stripe" directly below the element. I deal with that by using square or round pans, where possible, and rotating them; also by covering things with foil or parchment as needed. If your oven will accomodate dishes with lids, that's even better for some purposes.

I'll usually reduce the temperature 25F from what the recipe calls for, and find that the baking time will be a bit shorter than in my main oven. This is without convection or any other fancy features, so I think it's just a function of the elements being so close (or maybe the small space, which would have less temperature fluctuation as the elements cycle on and off).

I'll throw out a question, though, for those of you who have higher-end units. I'll be opening the doors on my own restaurant in May, in a little boutique hotel in southern New Brunswick (just up the road from where fellow eGulletter Markian plies his trade). The kitchen is sharply limited, but I have space underneath the microwave for one more device of similar size. I've been thinking in terms of a broiler/convection/toaster oven, with or without rotisserie (price is a factor), to give myself a quick-and-dirty broiling option.

How do these units stack up? I've seen then priced at anywhere from $80CDN at Wal-Mart all the way up into the $5-600 range. It seems safe to assume that the low-end models are not especially capable, but I'm curious how much I'd have to spend to get a good one; and especially curious in how the higher-end models compare.

Upthread I see good things written about the Delonghi and Cuisinart...anyone using any of the others?

[Marlene]

For a restaurant, you might consider This instead, as you won't likely need a toaster oven for making toast. This has more room, has a rotisserie and acts like a regular convection oven, it just sits on your counter.

[jayt90]

For a restaurant, you might consider This instead, as you won't likely need a toaster oven for making toast.  This has more room, has a rotisserie and acts like a regular convection oven, it just sits on your counter.

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I got a Waring convection/rotisserie at Xmas and have used it weekly with good success. The convection fan does not work for broiling or rotisserie, but is great for roasts or baking. I like the controls, primitive timers and settings, with no microprocessor to get in the way. There are two models, I have the smaller one, but the bigger one is just that, a little bigger with no extra BTU's, but better for people with large roasts or small turkeys. It is $400 in Canada, and the smaller one is $300, regular pricing at Home Outfitters. The Cuisinart is a lot less, but there is no motor. If I was putting the Waring in a commercial kitchen, I would expect it to wear out or give problems in two or three years, much like a microwave in constant use. There is another commercial brand (forget the name) but it is twice the price, and I'm not sure about the rotisserie.

[Marlene]

True, but I would expect a home style toaster oven to wear out even faster in a restaurant setting.

[jayt90]

I'm comparing the Waring (fairly simple) to the two microwaves in my lunchroom, at work. They are typical $100. models, and they have to be on call every 10 minutes or so from 6AM to 8PM. They usually give out in about two years. We don't miss them when they are gone (unless they have nice, simple controls ) but they really give everything they have while on duty!

[chromedome]

I'm a pretty pragmatic person, where appliances are concerned.

At my current workplace, where we serve roughly 2000 people every weekday, we use both heavy-duty and domestic appliances as applicable. Our microwaves typically last about two years, although the one elderly Amana is still plugging away after God knows how long (it may be original with the store, for all anyone knows). We have even gotten four years out of a cheap-ass low cost StarFrit mandoline. Go figure.

I'm thinking that the smaller of those Warings would probably work well for what I intend (some broiling, the occasional rotisserie chicken for guests' picnic lunches). I'll also be picking up some low-cost Belgian waffle-makers, on the premise that at $30-40 for a domestic unit vs. $800-1500 for commercial ones, I can afford to throw away a lot of broken waffle irons and still come out ahead. Commercial units can wait for my kitchen reno (third year, hopefully) when I can make a proper spot for them. Life is filled with compromises, no?

[rotuts]

Im hoping this thread will not be a dupe but focus on the non-toast cooking benefits of the Modern Toast Oven:

Fuzzy Logic, Smart Tech, Turbo-charged.

I recently move up to the BV XL

both its larger size and turbo fan offer new features for me

My library system has 6 toaster oven cookbooks: Ill take a peek at three. The other three oddly

enough ( 50 % ) are in Chinese. a transliteration of one of these books in Chinese calls the TO:

"the Magic Box" who knew.

Title Xiao kao xiang liao li da mo fa = The magic box for perfect cuisine / [zuo zhe Pan Lingxuan]. 小烤箱料理大魔法 = The magic box for perfect cuisine / [作者 潘玲萱]. Author Pan, Lingxuan. 潘玲萱.

so what to you Bake, Broil, and Roast in your TO?

if you bake, how do you 'cut those Rx's' down to size?

and most importantly, what's your total 'clean up' like?

many thanks