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

[pbear]

Giving this a little more thought. I use my countertop convection oven a lot. Roasted veggies - all types, not just roots - is one of its best applications. Also, very good for browning meats after cooking low temp (sous vide). Use high heat (450ºF) and a short time (e.g., 10 minutes, flipping halfway through). Alternatively, it's a great braising tool. Take a conventional recipe. Saute the onions, etc. as usual. Don't bother to brown the meat. Build out sauce, add meat and bring just to a simmer on the stove. Move pan to the oven set at 250ºF. The oven will hold a high simmer without boiling (due to evaporation). More importantly, like cassoulet, the surface will develop rich Maillard reactions. Stir every half hour. When done, you'll have better results than if you had tried to brown the meat with the onions. Pretty amazing, actually. Other uses include cooking sausages (my preferred method, in fact), roasting chicken parts (especially thighs and drumsticks), slow cooking fish (use 250º and a probe thermometer; target temp is 145º), finishing quiches (cook the custard base till almost but not quite set with a bain marie) and baking polenta (or grits) per the Wolfert method.

There are other applications, but those are the one which come quickly to mind.

[saluki]

Giving this a little more thought. I use my countertop convection oven a lot. Roasted veggies - all types, not just roots - is one of its best applications. Also, very good for browning meats after cooking low temp (sous vide). Use high heat (450ºF) and a short time (e.g., 10 minutes, flipping halfway through). Alternatively, it's a great braising tool. Take a conventional recipe. Saute the onions, etc. as usual. Don't bother to brown the meat. Build out sauce, add meat and bring just to a simmer on the stove. Move pan to the oven set at 250ºF. The oven will hold a high simmer without boiling (due to evaporation). More importantly, like cassoulet, the surface will develop rich Maillard reactions. Stir every half hour. When done, you'll have better results than if you had tried to brown the meat with the onions. Pretty amazing, actually. Other uses include cooking sausages (my preferred method, in fact), roasting chicken parts (especially thighs and drumsticks), slow cooking fish (use 250º and a probe thermometer; target temp is 145º), finishing quiches (cook the custard base till almost but not quite set with a bain marie) and baking polenta (or grits) per the Wolfert method.

There are other applications, but those are the one which come quickly to mind.

Any suggestions as to what brand and size pots and pans you are using?

[Shel_B]

Another veggie roaster, here. It's amazing what the fan does for them.

What does the fan do for the veggies? What does it do that a non-fan oven can't do?

[Porthos]

What does the fan do for the veggies? What does it do that a non-fan oven can't do?

More even cooking. Also I perceive a bit quicker.

[Smithy]

What does the fan do for the veggies? What does it do that a non-fan oven can't do?

More even cooking. Also I perceive a bit quicker.

Perhaps because the convection dries the veggies' surface more quickly than in a non-fan oven?

[pbear]

Agree with Porthos. Both faster and more even. And agree with Smithy that faster drying probably is the reason. The countertop convection oven has become my primary method of preparing veggies, pretty much kicking saute to the curb. Oh, and when doing those sorts of veggies (e.g., zucchini and yellow squash), I toss every five minutes, so basically what I'm doing is a saute in the oven, but easier, requires less oil and produces more consistent results.

As for your question, saluki, the five pans I use most often are a 12-inch ceramic Calphalon everyday pan, a 10-1/2 inch (26 cm) Bialetti ceramic skillet with the handle removed, an 8 inch (20 cm) Bialettii, a 3 qt All Clad cassoulet (like a saucier, but with bail handles) (9-3/4 inches/25 cm wide), and a toaster oven broiling pan with a rack (mostly for sausages and roasting chiles). But other pans would work just as well (and, indeed, there are other pans I use). The main thing, of course, is that the pan must fit in the oven. I like ceramic for this use (not so much on the stove) as it's almost nonstick (easy to clean) and holds up better than PTFE (teflon). As for the All Clad pan, what I like there is the sloped side, which makes it easy to stir. In fact, I bought that pan specifically for convection braising. But, again, these are all personal preferences and there are plenty of other ways to do those things.

[Pete Fred]

Staff note: This post and responses to it have been moved from the Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – ) discussion, to maintain topic focus.

 

On 10/22/2023 at 5:29 PM, rotuts said:

maybe position the pan lower in the oven , for more heat on the bottom ?

 

consider starting lower , w a hight initial oven temp

 

My oven is just the small, tabletop toaster variety, so it's a constant battle of wills between me and it to get decent results. If you could come up with a theory of how I get a better one, that'd be great. 😉

 

[rotuts]

Ill keep that in mind  

 

....  

[Jim D.]

23 hours ago, Pete Fred said:

 

My oven is just the small, tabletop toaster variety, so it's a constant battle of wills between me and it to get decent results. If you could come up with a theory of how I get a better one, that'd be great. 😉

 

 

You make all the delectable treats you have been posting in a toaster oven?!  I am impressed; in fact, I am in awe.

[Pete Fred]

18 minutes ago, Jim D. said:

....in a toaster oven?!

 

Circumstance dictated that I start using one. Fifty bucks from Lidl...

 

 

Having never used one before, I thought it was gonna be rubbish. But I was wrong; it does the job admirably. You live and learn.

[rotuts]

@Pete Fred 

 

can you find a stone that fits it ?

[ElsieD]

That looks to be a good size.  What are the inner dimensions?

[Pete Fred]

23 minutes ago, rotuts said:

can you find a stone that fits it ?

 

I couldn't find one designed to fit a smaller oven, so I just took an angle grinder to a regular sized one...

 

 

But it wasn't particularly successful. The oven's not that powerful so the stone took an age to get hot, and with the current energy prices in Europe I couldn't justify the additional expense of preheating it.

[Pete Fred]

7 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

That looks to be a good size.  What are the inner dimensions?

 

It's about 33 (L) x 26 (W) cm (13" x 10"). I can only really do one thing at a time, otherwise the temperature drops too rapidly or the item is too close to the exposed elements for even cooking. So it's one tray of cookies or a 23 cm (9") cake, and no more. But despite its limitations, I'd heartily recommend one to anyone who thinks it might suit their needs.

[Tropicalsenior]

Yours looks almost exactly like my Hamilton Beach.

I use mine for everything except storing cast iron skillets and cookie sheets which is what I use my big oven for.

I found an 10x12 unglazed tile that I use to bake bread on. It doesn't take as long to heat and it has plenty of air flow around the tile.

 

[Pete Fred]

14 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Yours looks almost exactly like my Hamilton Beach.

 

I thought I was doing an OK job keeping mine clean(ish), but yours is spotless! 😮

[gfweb]

6 minutes ago, Pete Fred said:

 

I thought I was doing an OK job keeping mine clean(ish), but yours is spotless! 😮

There is no particular virtue in a spotless oven LOL

[Tropicalsenior]

42 minutes ago, Pete Fred said:

 

I thought I was doing an OK job keeping mine clean(ish), but yours is spotless! 😮

That picture was taken the day after I bought it. I am totally ashamed to take a picture today. Just isn't going to happen.

[gfweb]

44 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

That picture was taken the day after I bought it. I am totally ashamed to take a picture today. Just isn't going to happen.

a badge of honor!

[rotuts]

Patina 

 

that's what I call it.

[Tropicalsenior]

Thank you @rotuts. Instead of feeling guilt for not scouring all of that off, I will take pride in Remembering all the delicious meals that put it there.

[Maison Rustique]

I just bought my Black & Decker last year (Love it and cook anything that fits.) and it is not nearly that clean!!! Use it mostly in summer months when it is too hot to turn on the big oven.

[liuzhou]

Living in an oven-less culture, my only option is the toaster oven. I don't feel particularly restricted. OK, I can't roast a turkey, but I don't want to, anyway. Here are a few products from the toaster oven.

 

My Daily Bread

 

Olive Bread

 

Soda Bread

 

Banana Bread

 

Baked Potato (with stir fried shrimp and chayote shoots)

 

Roast Vegetables with Pork

 

Shepherd's Pie

 

Cheddar Cheese on Toast (with Chinese Artichokes)

 

Roast Quail

 

Broiled Skewers

 

... and more.