Do you own a toaster oven?

[Jenvenza]

We have moved into a rental house and the oven wasnt working, so we told the landlord we would get our own, since the other option he had was a gas oven from the 50's (not joking) and I didnt trust it. Then hurricane Ike hit and we have been short on cash, so we have been using our George Foreman to grill lots of food. Well, that broke today. And now I am thinking about getting a toaster oven until we can afford to get another real oven.

Anyone have and use their toaster oven a lot? What all can you cook in them? I would get another George Foreman, but I am thinking a toaster oven might be able to cook a lot more.

Help sell me on buying a toaster oven!!

 

[Hoodie]

I love mine. I'd forgo a microwave before I'd give up my toaster oven.

There's just two of us. We use it for everything. The only time I turn on the big oven is if I'm baking and that's because you can get full sized cookie sheets or cake pans into the toaster oven.

 

[npmommie]

I have a black and decker countertop oven, its like a toaster oven but its a bit bigger and you can do a lot with it.
it was on sale at linens and things for $25
i love it.
and it has come in handy because our stove just broke!!!!! the oven actually and we are getting a new one but in the meantime I am just using the countertop one.

 

[FuzzySulley]

I don't have one right now, but I wish I did. We always had one growing up, and the only thing stopping me from getting one right now is lack of money and space.

 

[Gina]

I my toaster oven!! It's a Black & Decker, white, and I cook all sorts of stuff for DS and I in there. Heck, my actual oven was broken for like two years and between the microwave and the toaster oven, I didn't miss it at all.

 

[Jenvenza]

That is so great to hear!

And Gina! I was wondering about you after Ike! How did you guys do? Everything okay there?

 

[merekc]

I know someone who has a large one and that is the only thing they use. They do not bake in their real oven at all.

I didn't grow up with a toaster oven, but got one after hearing several people talk about theirs. Mine is not huge, but I do use it a lot (expecially for my kids' food - chicken nuggets, fish sticks, etc). I also use it a lot to bake cornbread or rolls to go with dinner when I'm being lazy and don't want to use the real oven.

 

[shelly3girls]

We have a Black and Decker with a convection oven option. I can pretty much bake almost anything in it. We use it to reheat food and bake everything from fries to cookies.

 

[daisax]

I had one until my friend whose husband is a firefighter told me he refuses to have one in his home -- they cause more fires than anything else he sees, apparently. And they don't even have to be left on to do so.

 

[Gina]

And Gina! I was wondering about you after Ike! How did you guys do? Everything okay there?

You're so sweet! Everything is a mess still, but at least we have an intact roof! Many of our neighbors didn't fare so well, though. And we didn't get power back until the 27th!!!!! Two weeks without electricity in 90 degree weather is not for the faint-hearted. lol I will never take it for granted again. It's nice to not have to shower by flashlight!

Now if I could just hear from an actual TWIA adjustor, I'd be happy...

How did YOU do??


And back on topic, to daisax: I've never heard about fires being caused by toaster ovens. I'm not disputing it, I'm just curious why they would cause more fires than other kitchen appliances.

 

[Michelle67]

Funny you should ask this today...

I do have a toaster oven, I love it and use it a LOT...and it died this morning. I'm going to go out and buy another one this afternoon.

Mine is not an expensive one, but it is really handy. It is a Rival, and it has a curved glass door so that it accomodates larger things. It has multiple settings (broil, bake, warm, etc) and a regular temp control like an oven has, plus the timer so it shuts itself off. I can do a full size frozen pizza in it, and it came with a pizza pan. I use it almost every day. I can make three English muffins in it at a time, or toast four slices of deli-sized bread, or six frozen waffles (I love this, because I can make breakfast for both my kids at the same time). I make cinnamon rolls in it most weekends. The racks move up and down so I can put in deeper dishes, so I use it to make casseroles that are large enough for my family sometimes. It won't fit a 9X13 baking dish, but it fits a 10" or 12" round casserole dish. Already mentioned doing pizza in it. I also make home-made scones fairly often, and I can do a full batch in there. It is a lot handier than heating up the whole oven. I don't care for microwaved food, so I have some individual-sized corning ware casserole dishes and I use the toaster oven to heat up leftovers. Also use it for heating hot dips (artichoke dip, etc). Want me to go on? Really, I use it more than anything in my kitchen. Love the thing.

I have also heard that they can be a fire hazard, as another poster mentioned, but I know the same thing applies to coffee makers. A friend of ours had TWO house fires that originated at the coffee maker. For that reason, we simply unplug all appliances when they are not in use.

*edited to add; reading back in other posts---yep, I use it for my kids' chicken nuggets and french fries often too! Also for egg rolls/ shu mai.

 

[lillygator]

nope.

 

[DisFlan]

I have a Black and Decker that I use maybe once a year. It mostly just takes up counter space. (It's never toasted all that well, and I prefer using my big oven for baking.) I was just thinking about giving it to a neighbor or putting it in a garage sale. I can use the space for the George Foreman grill which we use a LOT.

DisFlan

 

[Imzadi]

I have a kitchenette, so no oven AT ALL. I have a toaster oven. It was on clearance at Target for about $10. It has an electronic sensor so it bakes evenly. I love it. I use it to bake everything, but mostly to broil meats. I think my next oven will be a convection oven, if I can find one that broils well, too.

 

[Bren's Mom]

LOVE my toaster oven. DH and the kids bought it for my birthday a couple of years ago. It's white, I think it's a Black and Decker. Fairly large, can fit 6 slices of bread at one time. I hate microwaved pizza, leftover fried foods and other things that get mushy in the micro...so I use it ALL the time. I also keep homemade cookie batter frozen and will make 6-8 cookies whenever we need a treat. I even bought a $10 one at Black Friday one year to have at work to reheat lunches! LOL And my favorite 'accessory' for it is the small Pampered Chef stone bar pan that fits in there perfectly. Everything is nicely browned on the bottom and not burned. Easy clean up.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

I wish we had a toaster oven, I used mine all the time growing up. Its so much easier and faster than a big oven and everything tastes so much better than if it were microwaved.

 

[sha_lyn]

I have a Balck and Decker that is probably 11 yrs old. It is used very often and on 2 occasions was our only oven.
My mom has a countertop B&D convection oven that she uses probably 95% of the time.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Yup, Black & Decker. Had that thing forever and ever.

It comes in real handy, especially when I'm making leftover spaghetti and want to heat up some garlic bread. Microwaves are great for a lot of things, but they don't make crispy bread. And who wants to heat up the big oven for a little piece of bread?

 

[Jenvenza]

Okay - now I am getting excited about buying one! I called my husband up and told him I was buying one today!

 

[Imzadi]

Make sure you get an extra large size so you can actually fit dinner in. I think they are the 6 slice ovens.