# What is a toaster oven good for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 15, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-toaster-oven-good-for/695574 "2014-08-15T01:59:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-toaster-oven-good-for/695574/41 "2014-08-16T01:18:29Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > I’ve always wanted a toaster oven. Never had one growing up. And the husband won’t let me get one. That makes me sad. > [@zoid](#): > > Wha?? > Go buy one, bring it home and plug it in. You’re a big girl. > If he gives you shit about it tell him to piss up a rope. And to add the practical element into this argument-to-be, they’re cheap, take up little space, and use less power than literally any other device you would use to perform the same task, other than plain toast. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_Ferguson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/97f17d/32.png) [@Harvey\_Ferguson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_Ferguson)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-toaster-oven-good-for/695574/42 "2014-08-17T18:23:09Z")
Bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-toaster-oven-good-for/695574/43 "2014-08-18T01:24:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > One thing I find ironic is that the toaster oven isn’t especially good at toasting. > > OK, let me explain. When I want something toasted, I want it toasted quickly. It seems to take longer in the toaster oven on the Toast setting, than it does in a toaster. Of course there are things that won’t fit into a toaster. (Bagels will, if you smash them.) I used to toast hamburger buns in the toaster oven. By the time the cut sides were toasted, the rest of the bun was dried out. So I use a cast iron frying pan for toasting hamburger buns. I find that the regular oven with the broiler on is better for making garlic French bread. ‘Toasting’ implies eating both sides of the bread. I should try just making toast in the toaster oven, but trying to toast just one side of something is better done in a regular oven or on the stovetop. Put the hamburger buns on the toaster tray and set it to toast.’ The uncut sides of mine stay perfect. Even better, if you are making cheeseburgers you can put the slice of Velveeta on the desired side, hit toast, and it melts nicely while toasting the other side. The tray is especially good there if the cheese drips. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-toaster-oven-good-for/695574/44 "2014-08-18T01:26:14Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > The other thing I do in my toaster oven - it has tray as well as the wire shelves, and I usually line the tray with foil and put whatever I’m cooking on the foil. Not only does it cook up quickly and easliy, cleanup is just a matter of crumpling up the foil! Easy-peasy! Yeah, the first time I figured out to do this while making nachos it was a :smack:moment. Why not before? And now we line our broiler pans with aluminum foil which takes about half the work out of cleaning up. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-toaster-oven-good-for/695574/45 "2014-08-18T02:09:23Z")
\*\*What is a toaster oven good for? \*\* Re-gifting. And anybody who would put a steak in a toaster oven is a _ **Blasphemer!** _ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-toaster-oven-good-for/695574/46 "2014-08-18T02:44:38Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Put the hamburger buns on the toaster tray and set it to toast.’ The uncut sides of mine stay perfect. Even better, if you are making cheeseburgers you can put the slice of Velveeta on the desired side, hit toast, and it melts nicely while toasting the other side. The tray is especially good there if the cheese drips. I did use the Toast setting. The buns still dried out. Better to use a cast-iron frying pan. Velveeta does not belong on a cheeseburger. American cheese (not the ‘food product’) is what goes on cheeseburgers. Velveeta is for dip or macaroni. I remember when dad was stationed in Daggett with the FAA. They had a toaster oven in the kitchen. He would butter two slices of Wonder bread. Between the unbuttered sides he’d put one of those Oscar Meyer ham steaks and two slices of Kraft American Cheese. He’d toast it on the rack. Sometimes he’d do the same thing, only with two slices of bologna and Miracle Whip on the inside of the bread slices. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-toaster-oven-good-for/695574/47 "2014-08-18T08:45:56Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I remember when dad was stationed in Daggett with the FAA. They had a toaster oven in the kitchen. He would butter two slices of Wonder bread. Between the unbuttered sides he’d put one of those Oscar Meyer ham steaks and two slices of Kraft American Cheese. He’d toast it on the rack. Sometimes he’d do the same thing, only with two slices of bologna and Miracle Whip on the inside of the bread slices. Well alrighty. Yikes. But that’s not the toaster oven’s fault. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-toaster-oven-good-for/695574/48 "2014-08-20T00:05:14Z")
Reheating pizza, toasting bagels, making nachos, and if you keep bread in the refrigerator, un-refrigerating bread. (Particularly refrigerated hot dog/hamburger rolls.) ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-toaster-oven-good-for/695574/49 "2014-08-20T21:40:20Z")
For me, it doesn’t replace an oven, it mostly replaces a microwave. Reheated food just plain comes out better. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-toaster-oven-good-for/695574/50 "2014-08-20T21:59:13Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > And anybody who would put a steak in a toaster oven is a _ **Blasphemer!** _ Why? It’s just being used as a broiler. Many well known and respected steakhouses use broilers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-toaster-oven-good-for/695574.md?page=2)