It’s a good thing to clean your toaster oven as often as you use it, and you should do it at least once a day if you use it daily.

Cleaning will keep your toaster oven free of smells, charred food and grease, which means none of that in your freshly toasted food too. It is a very simple task, once you know how to do it. Here’s how:

1. Make sure the toaster oven is turned off and unplugged. If you’ve just been using it, let it cool down completely first.

2. Take out the crumb tray and dispose of the crumbs. Actually the crumb tray should be emptied after each use, otherwise the crumbs will burn black and stick hard to the tray. Take out the racks too.

3. You can use soap, water and a non-abrasive sponge to scrub the tray and the racks clean.

4. Wipe out the insides of the toaster oven with the soapy sponge. Don’t put the toaster oven into water, you will drown it. If there is food buildup in there, use a synthetic scouring pad and warm water to remove it.

5. Rinse the sponge clean and repeat process until the walls are clean of soap residue.

6. Spray Formula 409 or vinegar solution on the exterior of the toaster oven and wipe it clean with a sponge or lint-free cloth. Do the same for the glass on the door.

7. Wipe everything dry and replace the racks and crumb tray.

8. Make sure your hands are dry before you plug in the toaster oven.

That’s it and you have a clean toaster oven again!

Go to my Best Toaster Oven blog for more tips and toaster oven reviews, or you can read my posts on How to Choose the Best Toaster Oven or What can You Use a Toaster Oven For.

Back to my main page:

• Best Toaster Oven – Main

Tags: Toaster Oven Guide by Shirley
No Comments »

Before I got my first toaster oven, I wondered whether I would ever use one, and what I would use it for. It didn’t occur to me then that a toaster oven is very useful for meals from breakfast, appetizers, desserts, and snacks, to regular lunch and even dinner parties.

Here are the foods that a toaster oven can help you prepare, categorized by cooking method:

Toasting

Toasting is associated with bread products. You can make plain toast, garlic bread, toast with toppings (open-faced sandwiches), toast bagels, English muffins, and more.

Heating

Heating or reheating your leftover food, or a slice of frozen pizza.

Defrosting

Some toasters have the defrost option for frozen food (e.g. meat, pizza, etc.).

Baking

A toaster oven can bake anything an oven can, in a smaller scale. I do everything from pizza, brownies, muffins, small cakes, cupcakes, cookies, potato-in-jacket, pot pies, and pasta like macaroni and lasagna.

I love baking small batches of stuff in my toaster oven because it saves electricity and I can have fresh snacks every time.

A tip for the cookie lovers, pipe out the cookie dough on the sheet and freeze them instead of baking them, then scrape off the frozen pieces of cookie dough and keep them in the freezer. When you want a few cookies, just take out as many frozen pieces as you want and bake them. Fresh cookies without the hassle!

Broiling

Broiling basically means grilling, except it’s done with heat only coming from the top. My toaster ovens have done ribs, chops, burger patties, steaks, fish, sausages, fillets and more.

Roasting

Roasted vegetables like bell pepper and asparagus are really nice for appetizers, or you can cut them up small, poke them through a stick with slices of chicken or beef and make kebab.

Sometimes I miss the campfire times and make my own s’mores with the toaster oven. It’s very easy, just sandwich a marshmallow and two squares of chocolate between graham crackers, then place them neatly on the tray and wait for the marshmallow to roast.

Rotisserie

Some larger convection toaster ovens lets you rotisserie the whole chicken. If you are wondering what rotisserie means, it means skewering the chicken with a metal rod and roasting it while it is rotated in the oven.

Want to know how to choose the best toaster oven? Read my guide post here.

Related Posts:

• Best Toaster Oven – Main
• How to Clean a Toaster Oven
• Best Toaster Oven – Introduction
• Breville BOV800XL – Best High End Convection Toaster Oven

Tags: Toaster Oven Guide by Shirley
No Comments »

The best toaster oven is an affordable, useful, and safe kitchen appliance that can make good meals out of simple ingredients, while a bad toaster oven is just a nuisance and takes up the kitchen space.

So how do you choose the best toaster oven then? Once you’ve seen a model you like, there are a few important things to consider:

Size

You will be placing the toaster oven on the kitchen counter near an electric outlet, so the first thing you want to do is measure the space on your kitchen countertop to make sure it can fit.

If you are looking for a space saving model, here’s a well-rated compact toaster oven: Sanyo Space Saving Toasty Oven. Isn’t that a cute name?

Capacity

On the other hand, you’d want to know how many servings the toaster oven can make at one time. If you’re buying a basic toaster oven for toasting and heating, there are four-slice and six-slice models.

If you intend to bake 12-inch pizzas or roast whole chickens, make sure the toaster oven has that capacity. Of course, you’ll have to compromise with your kitchen space like I said above.

Safety

Safety is a big issue with toaster ovens because they can get really hot and you’ll want a model that is designed with user-safety in mind.

Check with the reviews to see whether the toaster oven has a safe door and handle, automatic shut-off or timer shut off feature.

Important: Keep children away from the toaster oven at all times. Use an oven mitt and always be careful when taking food out of it.

Easy to clean

Look for non-stick interior because that will be a whole lot easier to wipe clean. The removable crumb tray is very handy but some toaster ovens have them slide out the back, the reason why I cannot fathom. Try to find one that slides out in front.

For tips on cleaning your toaster oven, read my post here.

Cooking method

If you’re buying the toaster oven for only toasting and heating, save your money and get a basic one.

For baking and broiling, get a toaster oven with convection, which circulates the hot air inside the oven to help even cooking and save cooking time.

Or you might want a toaster oven with rotisserie for roasting whole chicken. For more cooking suggestions, read my post on What can You Use a Toaster Oven For.

Bells and Whistles

There are controls in the form of dials and there are digital ones which show you the exact temperature you punch in yourself. Is the signal bell loud enough to hear out of the kitchen? Is there a warming function for you to keep your food warm till you want it?

Price range

Basic toaster ovens come around $50, convection toaster ovens $80 – $150, while high end convection toaster ovens can go above $200.

You might get a good deal online sometimes, like this Best Budget Toaster Oven: Black & Decker TRO480BS Toast-R-Oven 4-Slice Toaster Oven which is going for only $30 now.

Well, I hope that helps you find the best toaster oven. If you want to know what you can use a toaster oven for, read my guide post here.

Related Posts:

• Best Toaster Oven – Main
• Cuisinart TOB-195 – Best Convection Toaster Oven
• T-Fal OT8085002 Avante Elite – Best Budget Convection Toaster Oven
• Hamilton Beach 31197R Countertop Oven – Best Large Convection Toaster Oven

Tags: Toaster Oven Guide by Shirley
No Comments »