Nowadays, ovens have become an absolute necessity in every kitchen. And why not? Having this simple appliance at home enables you to make various dishes at home, which is quite impossible to do with a regular stove. Especially during this pandemic, when it is not safe to dine outside or even get takeaway, a toaster oven can be an absolute savior if you are craving pizza or some baked potatoes.
We cannot stress enough about the benefits of having a toaster oven at home. Life is a lot easier, and meals are a lot more interesting. Even if you are a student living in a dorm, a toaster can save you from the bland food you get in the dorm and jazz up your meals.
If you don’t own a toaster oven yet, you will indeed plan to buy one by now.
So, we have listed everything you need to keep in mind while getting a toaster oven to ensure you get the best one according to your needs.
Type Of Oven
In case you don’t know already, toaster ovens have different types, and each specializes in a different category. It might sound a bit confusing, but you will easily choose the one you need after we break down the features one by one.
Counter Top Toaster Ovens
These ovens are the most basic kind of ovens. They are the ovens that our grandmas used to make our favorite sandwiches. They are best for warming up food and toasting or browning things like bread and bagels. You might also get away with some baked potatoes or some pizzas with some toaster ovens.
These ovens are relatively compact, so you will easily be able to fit these on your countertop. However, you can find larger options as well. Another good thing about these is that they are very affordable as well. You can check out these best toaster ovens under $50 for some ideas. So you can get one of these if warming up food, toasting, and baking in small batches is all you want to do. They are straightforward to use, so you should be able to get your work done pretty easily.
The only downside about these is that they are not as versatile as the other options. So your cooking options might get restricted if compared to the alternatives.
Convection oven
If you wish to do some baking, this is your best bet. Convection ovens are the most popular options. These ovens put a modern twist to the regular toaster ovens. All the other functions are just like toaster ovens, except they have convection fans built inside them. And this is why the best convection oven is very satisfying.
These fans help to circulate the hot air. As a result, the food cooks evenly. Just because of these fans, the food cooks a lot faster than toaster ovens, which makes it ideal for baking. Anything you want to bake, be it cakes, cookies, pizzas, or even some homemade bread, can be done with these ovens. They are the best option among all the ovens if you want to bake.
Especially if you want to bake a cake, it is imperative to cook it evenly and even fast in some cases because some cake batters tend to deflate with time and result in a chewy hard cake. The best way to ensure you get perfect results every time you bake is to use a convection oven. Baking is not the only thing you can do with these ovens. You can cook a variety of different dishes using these.
Because these ovens use a lot of advanced technologies, they are not as cheap as toaster ovens. However, that’s not a big deal because these ovens cook food a lot faster, which means you’ll save a lot of valuable time and energy. So, it might cost you more, but the convection technology is worth it!.
Rotisserie Oven
Last but certainly not least, we have a rotisserie oven. These have a particular purpose. That is to cook meat. They are certainly the best if you are looking for an oven to grill or cook meat. These ovens come with a rotating spit. You need to get the meat you want to cook on the spit, and as it cooks, the roasting spit will rotate. Two rods head up, and the heat from them cooks the meat.
However, the rotating motion will make sure the meat cooks perfectly even. The results are so even that you might think the cooking was done professionally. It forms a slightly crisp and golden layer outside and soft, juicy, and incredibly tender insides. Isn’t that an absolute dream? These ovens are the best when it comes to meat.
Most rotisserie ovens are big enough to fit a whole chicken. You can even fit a couple of them if you go for a bigger oven. The idea of getting an entire oven dedicated to meat will surely intrigue most of us, but it is not something that many of us will get. As mentioned earlier, you can fit one or multiple whole chickens in there, so it is not the most compact one. So you need to think about the counter space it will occupy. Moreover, cooking meat is not the only thing you want to do when you get a toaster oven.
Instead, if you get convection with a rotisserie attachment, you’ll be able to do it all with just one oven. You can toast bread, bake some cakes, and grill meat when you need. Rotisserie ovens are great only if you already have a toaster or convection oven.
Size
Size is an important feature to keep in mind. If you get this wrong, you will most probably get yourself in trouble while using it. When you are analyzing the options, you should analyze the sizes as well. It might be hard to figure out which size might be suitable for you if you don’t have previous experience. But here are the two things that will help you select.
First, think about the amount of food you might need to cook at a time. That will make it easier for you to narrow down the options. For instance, if you live alone or are two people at home, then the smallest option is most likely to be enough for you. You might also consider how many inches of pizza you generally need. Then you need to choose the oven that can fit that amount of food.
The next thing you need to consider is how much counter space you have. Because of course, you need to set the oven somewhere in your kitchen. Countertops are the best place to set them up, and we don’t have a lot of it. Moreover, appliances like ovens need a decent amount of clearance space. If you don’t know what that is, appliances that heat up need some space to be kept free around them to prevent any mishaps. This also ensures proper air circulation, and the appliance doesn’t heat up too much and get damaged.
So, space just enough to roughly fit an oven is not sufficient for a taster oven. You need at least five inches more on each side to keep it fully functional. Make sure to keep that in mind because you will be in big trouble if you buy an oven and later discover that you don’t have enough space to store it. So it’s better to be careful before rather than regretting later.
Special Features
When you are spending your hard-earned money, why not grab all the special features you can. Until now, we have talked only about necessities or the bare minimums of a toaster oven. Now let’s discuss the features that will make your operation even smoother.
Though a fan is a must in a convection oven, some ovens offer multiple fans to provide even more air circulation. Many ovens offer LCD screens nowadays. It brings an additional modern look to the oven. Even if you ignore the looks, it makes it easier to use and get a clear view of the temperature.
A non-stick interior is another thing you need to look for while choosing a toaster oven. It is extremely helpful. As you may know, the oven interior gets dirty pretty quickly. It gets a lot of spills and slaters. They are tough to get rid of because of all the grease and stubborn stains. However, if you have a non-stick interior, you can easily clean it with a towel, and the dirt should easily slide away. It is an absolute lifesaver.
To Sum Up
Hopefully, after reading this article, you have gathered all the information you need to get the right toaster oven for yourself. If you don’t have time then just go to the nearest sandwich shop in your area. So what are you waiting for? Get a toaster oven today to completely transform the way you cook. Good luck!