You may think that you can only use your toaster oven for making toast or for cooking small amounts of food. However, that isn’t the case at all. This powerful appliance can toast bread and do so much more – all while using less energy than a full-size oven.
Did you know that you could make the following with your kitchen’s toaster oven?
- Dehydrated fruit
- Pumpkin, cranberry, potato, oat and other quick breads
- A full-size two layer cake – this may depend on the size of toaster oven you have
- Bacon
- Croutons
- Roasted nuts
- Side dishes – stuffing, sweet potatoes, casseroles and more
- Small batches of cookies, muffins, cupcakes, and other sweet treats
- Baked potatoes
Other common uses for a toaster oven
Many people also often choose to use their toaster oven for keeping plates warm before it’s time to serve a meal. Think how often you are about ready to serve dinner, but still waiting on the main entrée to finish cooking. Instead of letting other items on your plates get cold, use your toaster oven to keep them warm and ready for serving. This is much safer than trying to keep them warm with your full-size oven since most ovens only can go down to around 200 degrees Fahrenheit. That may be too warm for the type of plates you are using.
Additionally, your toaster oven can be used to reheat leftovers from yesterday’s lunch or dinner, and to defrost frozen items.
Toaster ovens heat up quickly, and can be a great alternative to using your full-size oven, but should always be used consistent with the appliance directions. This will help you to cut back on your energy use, even if you choose to only prepare one or two meals a week this way.