Do any of y’all Dopers have a recommendation for a toaster oven? I’m researching them, but it’s a bit overwhelming. Any guidance would be appreciated, what to look for, etc.
I want a toaster oven that I can roast veggies in and broil a steak in. (Well, those are my first two goals.) I am single and live alone, and it seems ridiculous to heat up my regular big 'ole oven for one or two little things. Plus, it takes my oven a half an hour to heat up. I’m hoping a toaster oven will be more economical, faster, and more logical for my needs. Feel free to dash my hopes if I’m off the mark.
As to price point, I’d be willing to spend up to $200 for something that is reliable and of good quality that does what I want it to do. My impression is that you get what you pay for when it comes to cheapo toaster ovens, and I intend to do some real cooking in this thing, not just making toast and frozen pizza.
Thoughts?
I found that the thing sellers don’t talk about is the insulation i.e. how much heat is lost into the room. Suggest you find a few you like and then come on the boards with specific questions about insulation. I am not sure you are going to get a well insulated one for $200 but I may be mistaken.
Good tip. I wouldn’t have thought of that.
Consumer Reports reviewed toasters and toaster ovens in January. The top-rated toaster oven is the Breville Smart Oven BOV800XL, which is $233 at Amazon.com.
But you said that you thought a toaster oven would be more economical. I doubt that is true. I mean, how many hours would you have to use the toaster oven instead of the regular oven to recoup the cost?
Good question, and I honestly don’t know. In the end, it may not make sense from a cost-savings stand point. If pressed, I would say I’d rather not have to wait a half an hour for heat up. That’s, honestly, most important. I would also love not to heat up my whole kitchen just to roast asparagus.
Thought I saw a nifty toaster oven/pizza oven with a built-in indoor grill on the top, the other day, on QVC or one of those shopping channels…
Combo tioaster oiven and grill, looked nifty. Had a high enough temp for some decent grilling.
Specific Rec: I have a Hamilton Beach 31197 - toaster oven/convection/rotisserie. I have owned it for close to 6 years now. I love it. It’s big, but it has completely replaced my oven. If my house burnt down, I would replace it with the exact model. I am on my phone right now or I would give you a link.
In the house I rent out to my kids, I have an Avanti Mini Kitchen for the basement so the downstairs has it’s own kitchen. It works phenomenally well and has a rotisserie to boot. It works as either a convection or regular oven. The two burners on top help out when company is over and you need more burners. http://www.stacksandstacks.com/avanti-mini-kitchen-w-2-burners-and-bake-broil-rotisserie-convection-functions
I have a T-Fal Avante Elite convection Toaster oven. We don’t roast asparagus or cook steaks in it, but it does heat pretty evenly and got pretty good ratings. We bought it mostly because early on, the kids ate a lot of fish sticks and chicken nuggets, and heating them in the microwave left them soggy, and heating up the regular oven took too damn long (and, because it was gas, heated up the kitchen something fierce)