Toaster Oven Buying Guide

Size and usable space

A toaster oven’s appearance is far less important than its design. You’ll find toaster ovens in modern and retro styles, and in finishes of stainless steel, chrome, white and black, so matching your kitchen décor is a secondary consideration.

The first thing you should consider when shopping for a toaster oven is your available counter space. Toaster ovens can range in size from 10-inch cubes all the way up to counter-hogging 26-inch by 16-inch models. Some toaster ovens have back-mounted vents, and it’s necessary to keep these models away from the wall to safely vent the heat.

Look for a toaster oven with large windows for clear visibility when cooking. Toaster ovens typically come with one or two racks, but some models feature adjustable rack heights that maximize their capacity. To determine your capacity needs, think about the largest foods you’ll be cooking in your toaster oven. If you need a toaster oven primarily for frozen foods, fixed racks are fine. If you need your toaster oven to cook poultry pieces or even whole birds, look for adjustable or removable racks.

Heating

Traditional toaster ovens use a pair of coil heating elements that can brown or broil from the top or bake and roast using both the top and bottom elements. Convection toaster ovens add a fan that circulates the heat for quicker, more even cooking. Many consumers find that convection ovens make better toast than a typical toaster oven, because the air circulation browns both the bottom and top of the bread.

In general, you want a toaster oven that’s on the tall side. Shorter toaster ovens put the heating elements too close to the food, which results in scorching and uneven heating.

The newest innovation in toaster ovens is infrared cooking. These toaster ovens promise—and deliver—much faster cooking times with no preheating. Infrared toaster ovens fire invisible infrared light through foods, working in much the same way as a microwave.

Infrared toaster ovens are incredibly popular despite a few drawbacks. These toaster ovens cannot broil and only metal pans can be placed inside them—no paper, plastic or glass. You’ll need to make sure that foods can’t splatter, as this presents a fire hazard, and some infrared toaster ovens have extremely hot surfaces, though they cool almost as soon as they’re turned off. If you can live without the broiler, you may want to join the thousands who have embraced infrared toaster ovens.

Controls and settings

A toaster oven’s price determines the amount and style of controls you’ll get. Entry-level toaster ovens often feature dial controls that can sometimes be difficult to decipher and may not include a thermostat. These toaster ovens are a good choice for monitored toasting, frozen foods, and reheating leftovers, but they don’t offer enough control for cooking or baking.

The best toaster oven controls are digital. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, you’ll find toaster ovens with pre-programmed buttons for heat levels and digital timers. Check a toaster oven’s timer to determine if it alerts you to the completed cooking time or uses auto-shutoff to turn off the heating element. Without auto-shutoff, your food will continue to cook even after the timer goes off, resulting in food that’s too well done.

Additional features

Also useful is a broil setting that uses only the top heating element which is an effective way to brown foods in a toaster oven. If you intend to use your toaster oven to make toast, you’ll need to look for one that features real toast settings. If a toaster oven does not include separate toast settings, the default heat settings can result in unevenly heated or burned bread.

Paying extra for digital controls and extra features extends the use of your toaster oven to baking, roasting and browning. This lets your toaster oven work with your regular oven for family dinners or as a substitute for quick meals.

Infrared toaster ovens offer pre-programmed controls. Look for as many settings as you can afford, as the faster infrared cooking times can be tricky to master.

If you’re planning to bake in your toaster oven, make sure the model you’re considering comes with a baking sheet or the manufacturer has them available for separate purchase. Finding the right size may be nearly impossible otherwise. Consider warming racks or trays that allow you to keep bread, pastries or similar items warm until you’re ready.

Cleaning and Maintenance

One way your toaster oven can’t compete with your full-sized oven is true self-cleaning. Toaster ovens require some maintenance and can develop bad smells and a tendency to overheat or cook badly if not cleaned properly. Look for toaster ovens with nonstick or continuous-clean interiors. Continuous-clean finishes allow food buildup to break down over time, turning it to ash that can easily be swept out.

Aluminum interiors can be difficult to clean, so avoid them if you’ll be cooking meats or foods that spatter. Try to find a toaster oven with a removable crumb tray instead of a hinged crumb tray. Hinged crumb trays force you to pick up the entire toaster oven and shake it to clear the tray. Removable trays are much easier to manage and many are dishwasher safe.

Need to know more?

• The Best Toaster Oven for You
  http://www.chefscorner.com/PE-Links/articles/BestToasterOven_CNFannin.html
• Toaster Oven Reviews
  http://www.toaster-oven.net/
• Toaster Oven Recipes
  http://www.toaster-oven.net/List-Pages/toaster-oven-recipes.htm