Lesbians, one would suppose.
After that episode of Ellen.
I’ve never watched the show.
My sister uses hers to re-heat a lot of restaurant leftovers that don’t re-heat well in microwaves.
We use ours pretty frequently, but not for toast - the toaster works better for that. Reheating leftovers, baking small items, pies, an 8x8 pan of brownies, etc.
It’s big enough for two-person entrees, and heats up faster than the oven. And yes, our main oven/stove is electric so that does make the little toaster oven much more efficient than the main oven. Plus, it’s a convection oven, where our main oven isn’t, so it usually cooks food faster.
I got a new, bigger toaster oven with the convection feature a few months ago and I love it! I’ve baked a whole chicken in that thang. Sunday it baked our meatloaf. As everyone has mentioned, it’s so fantastic for heating things up.
I haven’t been without one in years.
My memory of toaster ovens starts with my dad. After he retired from the Navy he joined the FAA. This wasn’t your typical ‘office job’. Flight Service Specialists worked on a rotating shift. 1600 - midnight, 1400-2200, 1200-2000, 0800-1600, 0530-1330, then back on at midnight. So meals were eaten at the station.
Dad liked to make grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. Buttered Wonder white bread, a slice of Oscar Meyer ham steak, and two slices of Kraft American Cheese. Cooked in the toaster oven, those things were good! Man, I can’t remember the last time I saw a package of Oscar Meyer ham steaks. I should look harder and taste some nostalgia.
I have a combination toaster oven/breadmaker. It gets lots of use, though I don’t use it quite as much as I used to now that I have a stove with two ovens in it. The ovens are gas, so I expect they use less energy, especially the small top one.
You need a proper baking dishto line the inside, but once you have that, you’re good to go. The link is to a Pampered Chef stoneware baking dish, which I think fits the toaster… The one I have fits mine, but I’m not at home to check the measurements.
Preheat (which is quick), and it works great for everything. Leftovers (especially takeout Chinese) reheat great. Remove it, to get to the wire racks for things like toast.
I’d love to get one since I’m a single gal, but don’t know how to shop for one. What should you look for in a toaster oven? Is it just a matter of price? What causes one to be more expensive than another? Which brand/model would you recommend? Is it a matter of, “The Oster for 29.99 will serve you fine, but man if money were no object I’d buy the TurboToaster for $200!”
Well, nibs, I didn’t shop a whole lot for mine, but I found a deal on a Cuisinart, and it wasn’t much more expensive than a cheapie Black and Decker thing ($70~ish?). I think I paid around $100 for it. I have several Cuisinart appliances and I like them all, so that sort of cinched it for me.
Perfect. That’s exactly what I’m needing to know. Thanks!
I was in college before consumer microwave ovens existed.
My daughter is in Germany this year, and her “dorm” has a kitchen with a stove, but no microwave. It really affects the way you cook.
I’ve got a single friend who uses his to make 3 or 4 cookies. He keeps a package of the premade cookie dough around and pops a few in the toaster oven. He also says that they work well to cook just a couple of cinnamon rolls, from one of the refrigerated tubes.
Oh! The BEST! My fave is to nuke a pizza for half the time suggested, then bake it for 3-5 in the toaster oven.
What’s really cool is, they’re pretty cheap. Easier to buy a new one than clean it. (!)
I would be totally lost without mine, and I’ve always had one. I hate a toaster cluttering up the counter. Don’t buy the cheap one; preheat; if it’s white, keep it clean every day or it will look shabby. Perfect for empty nesters, and finishing half-nuked food and a big serving of fries (though I always finish with ‘broil’, wathing likw a hawk.
As much as I cook, I do find the toaster oven to be my go-to device. I didn’t realize how much I used it until our old one lost its handle, I also didn’t realize how often I burned myself on it until we moved and got a new one. 
Bagels? perfect! Toast? Awesome! Nachos? Divine!
I wonder if Alton Brown sanctions the use of regular toasters. They are unitaskers, and that is a huge no-no. (Fire extinguishers excluded)
I have had only a toaster oven for at least 15 years. What I wanted it for originally was to be able to make biscuits and re-heat them with butter. I cut one open, butter both sides and toast it on a piece of metal foil. Yum.
Here’s what I’ve done with it:
Broiled steak
Baked pork chops and chicken with various recipes
Made cinnamon rolls (I have a baking pan that is a perfect fit for the toaster oven and holds a 5 ct can of cinnamon rolls perfectly)