will a toaster oven save money?

[britfish]

I was thinking of getting one but don't know much about them. I was thinking it must save money over using the big oven when I am just cooking a few baked potatoes or garlic bread. Do you like your toaster oven? think it saves $? What do I need to look for when purchasing one?

 

[My sister's princess]

I LOVE my toaster oven. (so much I think it is worth dancing bananas) DF worked overnights this summer, so I cooked for one often. I love to put Fish fillets and tater tots in there, also reheating pizza is much yummier in the toaster oven.
It is also great for garlic bread. I think what I love the most.... I bought a bag of the biscuit dough disks from Wal*Mart, and we pop a few in there when we want biscuits instead of heating up the whole house with the big oven.

Mine came from Wal*Mart, it wasn't a super expensive one, but it is Black and Decker I am pretty sure

 

[semo233]

Yes it does. And during the summer, I just move mine outside so that it doesn't warm up the house. I also have a $20 one and it works just fine. I like that it has a timer on it. The other day, I set it for 20 minutes and forgot about it. The oven automatically shuts off!

 

[semo233]

I also bought a small baking set that fits right into my toaster oven. The baking pan takes mixes made for an 8x8, so you can even bake brownies in your toaster oven (or other baked goods!) It included a roasting rack, a baking sheet and a baking pan.

 

[jkew]

We love our toaster oven. It is great because it doesn't heat up the house as much as the big oven. It is perfect for fixing frozen little snacks for the kiddos!

 

[sharonmickey]

What all do you cook in a toaster oven? Do you actually cook meals or just reheat?

 

[kwhite1022]

I love my toaster over. Here are just a few of things I make with mine:

Garlic bread
mock french bread pizza
warm up chicken nuggets for kids
melted turkey subs

 

[mom2brina]

We use ours almost daily. We do not have a toaster so all of the things you would normally put in the toaster goes in there: waffles, bagels, pop tarts, etc... The other things we use it for are chicken nuggets, pizzas, garlic bread, wings, "toasted" subs, fries, and lots more.

A couple of things that I like about the one we have are the size (it has a rounded back so that you can fit a 12" pizza in there), the timer, and the ability to set it on toast, broil, bake or warm.

 

[britfish]

wow, it sounds like I will be buying a toaster oven! Should I buy one that is a convection oven? Also, will it do an adequate job toasting toast (I mean, will I be able to get rid of the toaster??). Also, where can you purchase a baking set, I'd love to be able to make brownies in it. It has got to be cheaper than heating up the whole oven for one pan of brownies!

 

[XYSRUS]

Toaster ovens are the bomb! I have one that was about 70-80 dollars. Big enough for a full size pizza. I bake everything in it. Only use the big oven for holidays. Plus nuggets, toast, pizza, sandwiches, chicken, everything! Oh mine's a convection too. I heart my toaster oven!!!!!!!

 

[Jakesmom1]

I love my toaster oven I use it for everything. I broil steak, bake brownies, anything I can use my big oven for I use my toaster oven for. The only time I use my big oven is if I am roasting a chicken or making a roast. I dont use my regular toaster at all anymore.

 

[mum4jenn]

For the first couple of years I was married I cooked many many meals in the toaster oven. Our house was an older home with an OLD oven that we had a hard time finding the parts to fix it. So..I used a toaster oven most of the time.

 

[Chicago526]

DH says that our toaster oven makes lousy toast. So I still keep a cheap-o toaster around for the days he wants toast (only a few times a month). But I use my TO to reheat anything that doesn't do well in a microwave (ie I wan't it crispy not chewy). Frozen pancakes, tater tots, chicken fingers. Left over pizza works really well, you'd swear it was freshly baked. I use it for all sorts of things. I have just an average sized standard model, I'm sure I'd use it more if I had a larger one with more features.

 

[blanq]

I will likely be the lone dissenter. I hate toaster ovens. They hog up counter space and are a pain to clean. I have a duel oven (the top is a normal oven and the bottom is a teeny oven that also serves as a warming drawer and the bottom works great for smaller items like a pizza, garlic bread, etc.

 

[myfavvac]

Another for toaster ovens. We use ours on a daily basis to heat and cook up smaller portions. It's great for afterschool snacks. My regular oven/ stove broke about 6 months ago so I haven't had one since. Between the toaster oven, electirc skillet (which I also LOVE), the microwave and rotissere I haven't needed an regular oven for day to day meals. Not good for holiday cooking but other then that it's fine. I also invested in toaster oven sized pan.

 

[pezheadmeg]

I always grew up with one. I have never used a toaster. I find it odd that there are people that don't own a toaster oven.

If I'm only cooking for one, I don't see the point in turning on an oven. For toast, I just have to set the setting to darker and it comes out fine. Broiled veggies and sandwiches--they all go right in. And with the Black & Decker under the cabinet ones, there is no counter space issues.

 

[uk_wildcat]

I just bought one yesterday at Target! It was on sale for $49 and is a Black and Decker Convection Oven. I used it for frozen biscuits this morning and it worked great. My husband thinks I am crazy for buying it, but he loves frozen pizzas and my kids like chicken nuggets, so I figured it would be great for those things. It does take up a bit of space on the counter, so I took out the regular toaster and shifted some things around. I am thinking of making part of our dinner in it tonight also.

 

[Tink-n-MrIncredible]

Britfish- I also use my George Foreman alot to grill. I think it saves money instead of using the oven or broiler.

 

[mom2alix]

I have a Pampered Chef stone that is toaster oven size and I can't recommend it highly enough. It is the greatest for making french fries or chicken nuggets in the toaster oven. I also have some other baking pans that I got from Target. I have a small Black and Decker one that I think I actually had before we were married. I'm hoping to upgrade to one of those bigger ones that will fit a 12 inch pizza. Maybe for Christmas.

 

[squirrlygirl]

We had the Black and Decker one that fit the pizza. It didn't cook the pizza evenly. It made lousy toast. And then it died at the ripe old age of 2. I was SO happy to get rid of that thing. It took up way too much space, it got too hot on the outside, and I hated cleaning it.
(And I did NOT grow up with one, which is probably part of why I detest it)