Do you "bake" in the toaster oven?

[Zyni]

I've tried cooking in one, for a number of things, and a toaster oven is pretty convenient. It helps keep the heat down during hot weather. If I can use it instead of the main oven, I'm all for it. I haven't done a whole lot of baking in mine, but my daughter uses hers for cupcakes, muffins, and small batches of cookies. Have your cake and eat it too... (baking without the extra heat from the main oven).

 

[cupcakechef]

I've never actually used it for baking! I honestly just use it for toasting bread! I'd have to probably learn a bit more about regulating the temperature in mine before I'd be game to try it for muffins or cookies or things like that - but it might be something for me to look into. I do think it would help with not making the whole house heat up!

 

[Corzhens]

I think I have posted this in another thread, about the childhood dream of my husband to bake an apple with raisins. He had seen the recipe on the box of Sun-Maid raisins when he was in grade school and that dream remained a dream until last Sunday. Since it was a sort of experiment and he was only baking 1 apple that he halved, he baked it in the oven toaster. When we make bread pizza, we also use the oven toaster when the volume is not a lot (we have to use the real oven for that).

Here is the pic of that baked apple with raisins as filling -

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

Like what @cupcakechef had said we are just using the oven toaster for heating or toasting the bread. But sometimes when I want to eat only a small serving of desiccated coconut macaroons I just make use of the oven toaster and it works out fine too when you bake it here. Besides it only requires short baking time and moderate temperature.

 

[gracer]

@Corzhens Thank you for sharing about your husband's toaster baked apple. I think I'm also going to try doing this. If you don't mind, how many minutes did he bake the apple? Did he put the apple and the raisins all at the same time in the toaster?

 

[Winterybella]

I guess I would have to say no. Mine is quite small and I honestly don't even know I understand how to use it fully although I have been using it for a while. I don't have my eyes on mine for much baking if any going forward. I too like @Cozhens picture.

 

[Corzhens]

@Corzhens Thank you for sharing about your husband's toaster baked apple. I think I'm also going to try doing this. If you don't mind, how many minutes did he bake the apple? Did he put the apple and the raisins all at the same time in the toaster?

It's like he cored the apple to make a hole for the raisins. He only cut it in half so it would fit in the oven toaster. But he said that if it would be baked in a real oven, it would be best to bake a whole apple that is cored. And he baked it in the oven toaster for 10 minutes or so. It looked easy to bake but to be honest, I don't have the taste buds for it although our housemaids said it was good.

 

[gracer]

Thank you so much for answering my questions @Corzhens . I really love fruits so I got so interested when I saw the picture you shared. I think it's a good way of eating an apple aside from the conventional way of eating it raw. I've always loved apple pies too so I think I'm going to love this recipe I have just learned from you.

 

[rz3300]

Oh yes, and probably more than the recommended amount, but sometimes it is just more convenient than using the big oven. The thing that I cook the most would have to be the little egg and cheese sandwiches, which have become a morning staple in my house. I love my little toaster over slash full time oven, which is what I see it as. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Zyni]

It's like he cored the apple to make a hole for the raisins. He only cut it in half so it would fit in the oven toaster. But he said that if it would be baked in a real oven, it would be best to bake a whole apple that is cored. And he baked it in the oven toaster for 10 minutes or so. It looked easy to bake but to be honest, I don't have the taste buds for it although our housemaids said it was good.

Thanks for sharing this. My daughter likes baked apples. I usually do them differently (I think I posted about it before), but this looks really good. I think I'll give it a try. This looks like a good snack for the kiddos.

 

[Lisa Davis]

A few years ago, I moved back to Ohio to be closer to my family. While I was looking for a place to stay, I moved in with my mom temporarily. We enjoyed each other's company so much, she convinced me to stay with her permanently. We lived together for the next two years. During this time, her oven actually broke. Her stove top still worked fine but the oven would not. She had been given a toaster oven the month before this happened for her birthday. The gift at the time was a huge disappointment to her. She new it was expensive, but she didn't really see the need for it, particularly because it was a very large one and (at the time) her oven could do everything it could. Well, when that oven broke, we drug it out of the box and fell in love. We literally baked cookies, pans of lasagna, and almost everything else you can think up. She waited an entire year before getting that oven fixed and she cooks at home from scratch at least 28 days out of the month.

 

[Diane Lane]

I don't have a toaster oven, but it seems they have come a long way from the ones that were mainly used for toasting bread and breakfast pastries. I have seen some really high end ones advertised, and am considering buying one in the future. I don't always like to heat up the whole house with the big oven, and the oven here is not in the greatest shape anyway. Since the newer toaster ovens do tend to be larger, i might ultimately go with one of them, and use that for my smaller meals.

 

[ChesterV]

I have had different toaster ovens over the years, and I have to say my favorite one was one I found at a garage sale for only $10.00. I don't remember the brand, but it was double the height and could be used for making rotisserie chicken, pizzas, breads, and anything else that would fit. It was also convection, and it had 4 racks in it. Basically it WAS a miniature oven. And it also had a place on top where you could heat something up while you were using the oven part.

I think it was a Magic Chef oven, but Im not sure....but this one looks a lot like what I had, except mine was probably an earlier model....

I sure miss that little oven.



This is what I have now....

This one is big enough to rotisserie a turkey!
This one works fine, but I'd like to have one with stronger convection.

 

[Diane Lane]

That looks familiar for some reason @ChesterV. I think having it taller would be helpful, and I'd also like a convection feature and warming tray on top. I won't be purchasing one for a while, but that will give me plenty of time to look around and decide what I want. It would be great to be able to use my full sized pans in it, but that may not be possible. Do they typically come with at least one tray to bake on?

 

[ChesterV]

That looks familiar for some reason @ChesterV. I think having it taller would be helpful, and I'd also like a convection feature and warming tray on top. I won't be purchasing one for a while, but that will give me plenty of time to look around and decide what I want. It would be great to be able to use my full sized pans in it, but that may not be possible. Do they typically come with at least one tray to bake on?

Yes, mine came with a tray (you can use for baking or for catching drips at the bottom of the oven) and four racks. What I loved about it was it was tall enough to have FOUR RACKS!! Up until I got that garage sale find, all I ever thought toaster ovens were, was one rack.

The one I have now is a Cooks brand, which is JC Penny. It is large, and has two racks.
I use dollar store cookie sheet pans for this one.

 

[Azuma]

Hi, everyone! I have tried baking brownies in our toaster oven several times and they have always turned out well. Actually, my very little experience in baking until now are all done in our toaster oven. I don't really use the oven. I haven't tried baking anything in large quantities or large servings yet since I fear I might mess something up. Maybe when I get the hang of baking would I start using the oven.

 

[rz3300]

I have had different toaster ovens over the years, and I have to say my favorite one was one I found at a garage sale for only $10.00. I don't remember the brand, but it was double the height and could be used for making rotisserie chicken, pizzas, breads, and anything else that would fit. It was also convection, and it had 4 racks in it. Basically it WAS a miniature oven. And it also had a place on top where you could heat something up while you were using the oven part.

I think it was a Magic Chef oven, but Im not sure....but this one looks a lot like what I had, except mine was probably an earlier model..

I am not sure I have ever had one that is that close to an oven, but now that I think about it it would be pretty easy to see going with one of these over having the conventional oven in the home. It kind of makes you wonder if that will start to be something that we do not see as much. Not sure, but interesting, so thanks for sharing.

 

[ChesterV]

I am not sure I have ever had one that is that close to an oven, but now that I think about it it would be pretty easy to see going with one of these over having the conventional oven in the home. It kind of makes you wonder if that will start to be something that we do not see as much. Not sure, but interesting, so thanks for sharing.

I've noticed over the years that "normal" ovens/stoves have gotten smaller and smaller every few years. At some point, there will be a combination of the sizes, resulting in the new standard size oven/stove.

I mean, really........unless you cook for a very large family or run a business out of your home.......body really needs a "normal" sized stove/oven. Most people only use the microwave anyway.

A "normal" stove/oven only needs to be two feet wide, two feet high, and two feet deep. Thats just big enough for two racks of casseroles in the oven or one turkey, and 4 pots on the stove.
Most people don't need all that wasted space that is currently in "normal" stove/oven sizes.

 

[Zyni]

Ugh, if most people only use the microwave anyway then what are they cooking and baking? I don't like the micro for the former and certainly not for the latter. I've tried those mug cakes and stuff, but I find the texture terrible. I tend to use mine for warming stuff.

The toaster oven, on the other hand, can do just about anything the oven can do. When I was without an oven for a time, it certainly came in handy.

 

[ashley0323]

Yes, sort of, anyways. My oven is broken on my regular stove, so I cant use it. Last thanksgiving, I bought a toaster oven that was for cooking turkeys in, though it can be used for a huge variety of things, and I cook EVERYTHING in it. I notice that cakes even come out softer and it never has burned edges even if I cook it a bit longer on accident.