About
Toaster Ovens

     A line of 5 deer ran across the road as I was meeting a car coming in the left lane. I couldn’t avoid the last deer and unfortunately it was killed instantly. I loaded it into my pickup and took it to the butcher. I had it ground and mixed half and half with beef. I really enjoy a meat loaf made of this mixture. My friendly bride likes to use the toaster oven for this because it heats up quickly and is easy to clean. She uses about a pound of lean beef/venison and mixes it with an egg, a chopped onion, 1/2 diced green pepper and a cup of italian bread crumbs.  Season with salt and pepper. Shape the meat loaf in a loaf pan and pour catsup on top.  Bake in the energy saving countertop toaster oven for approximately one hour at 350 degrees. This is an outstanding comfort food and perfect for those chilly fall days.

     One of the greatest treats of summer is eating sweet corn fresh out of the garden. The best way to prepare corn is to leave it in the husk and roast it in the toaster oven.  First remove the silk and soak the corn in the husk in cold water. Next roast it in the toaster oven.  After the sweet corn is roasted, take it out of the toaster oven using oven mitts.  Peel off the husks.

     Bi-colored sweet corn freshly roasted in a countertop toaster oven with a little butter and salt is the tastiest treat of the summer.

In America today, more and more people are living on a shoestring budget. That doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice quality food for junk, however. It can be tempting to take a wayward turn down the frozen food aisle, but there’s no need. It’s infinitely healthier – and practically as easy – to make a home-cooked meal from scratch.

The countertop oven provides a smart alternative to the old-fashioned microwave. For anyone renting an unfurnished apartment, it can save both space and money. Countertop ovens make for a sound investment, especially when compared to a new microwave and a bulky single-function toaster.

Until about a month ago, I recognized George Foreman for two things. Obviously he made his name as a heavyweight boxer, but his image has been just as widespread in popular culture thanks to his signature grill. It naturally follows that he would expand into the toaster oven market as well.

When my old toaster oven finally shorted out and went to the great appliance warehouse in the sky, I did some comparison shopping. I made it a top priority to find an oven that could handle a wide variety of cooking styles, and the George Foreman toaster oven fit the bill. With this grill, I cooked a rotisserie chicken one night for dinner and baked a sheet of cookies for my family the next.

   The combination of the easy use toaster oven and easy recipes involving maple syrup has apparently hit the maple flavored sweet tooth of desire in a big way.  The phenomenally cost effective use of a countertop toaster oven makes maple flavored cuisine the first choice of the family.

   One of my favorites is a maple flavored marinade used for fish.  This recipe was concocted by Lorraine Benedict of Benedict Family Maple LLC. She has kindly permitted us to publish it for the world to see.  Here is the recipe:

First defrost your favorite fish. To make the marinade use 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/4 to 1/3 cup Benedict maple syrup, 2 T olive oil, 1 Tablespoon vinegar (any kind), 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon garlic (powder or salt).  Stir mixture.  Marinate fish upto 1 day.  Place in your toaster oven pan and broil until fish is easily flaked.  Enjoy another toaster oven delight!

Although you don’t often hear culinary geniuses touting the benefits of a toaster oven, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t still some amazingly delicious (and easy) recipes for this piece of cooking equipment. To that end, one of the favorite concoctions made with a toaster oven is the toaster oven pizza. Whether you’re using a Rival toaster oven or some other highly regarded brand, all you have to do is purchase some English muffins, tomato sauce, and whatever toppings you’d like on your pizza.

Start by cutting the English muffins in half and buttering each half. Then add some tomato sauce to the top of the muffin. If you like a thicker sauce, mix with a bit of tomato paste. Follow with a thin layer of cheese and whatever other toppings you’d like. This can include pepperoni slices, pineapple, ham, olives, green peppers, or any other toppings you prefer. Depending on the quality of the ingredients, these can be as gourmet or as simple as you’d like. Pop in the toaster oven and heat until the cheese is bubbly and the English muffin is browned.

Everyone who has ever spent any significant amount of time in college dorm rooms knows that a toaster oven is the primary cooking tool of the student. With that in mind, consider giving the college bound person in your life a dorm warming gift of a Black & Decker toaster oven. They offer many benefits. One, they are small, so they definitely won’t take up too much room in their dorm or their small studio apartment.

Two, they are easy to use. Many college freshmen have never cooked a meal in their lives, and this is a good intermediate step. As they become increasingly independent and learn how to do everyday chores like cooking dinner, they will learn recipes outside the toaster oven. But for the time being, it’s a great way to make sure that they don’t simply survive off ramen noodles and some form of canned pasta.

     We found ourselves in the midst of the worst blizzard in years.  We were stranded in our cozy farm house in mid-Michigan.  Since we live far from the county seat on a dirt road, we didn’t expect to see a snow plow for 2-3 days.  While we were waiting, we turned to our economical and dependable toaster oven for easily prepared comfort food.

     One of our favorite easy fix treats to munch on as we watched the snow reach one foot, is cheesy hot biscuits. These are so simple to make even my husband can prepare them.  You start with refrigerated ready-made biscuit dough. Dip each biscuit into melted butter and then into grated cheese.  Put them on a greased pan and bake them in your toaster oven until nicely browned.

      We sure do love our handy dandy toaster oven.  If you don’t have one yet, visit our website at KitchenEconomies.com for a good selection of top of the line toaster ovens.

When it comes to toaster ovens, there’s not a whole lot of variation in style, but there are vast differences in quality amongst the different brands.  Most manufacturers of appliances now have a toaster oven, but the more reliable kitchen brands tend to be the best deal.  For whatever reason, toaster ovens that aren’t well made seem to burn out their electrical circuit, and become useless.  Some toaster ovens are also prone to damage from power surges; even just simple surges when the lights go out for a few seconds.  The best toaster oven brands include Rival, Hamilton Beach, and KitchenAid.  These brands are known for producing quality appliances that last a long time.  With whatever brand, it’s also a good idea to check for a warranty on the appliance.  Even a year warranty isn’t bad, and will probably be enough time to tell whether the toaster oven will last.

There is one variation in toaster ovens themselves, and that is convection versus non convection ovens.  Convection toaster ovens are like standard ovens that can cook food all over on all sides at the same time.  Standard toaster ovens only toast the top of the food and sometimes the bottom. 

It’s amazing how toasting a sandwich can make it taste much better than it would have tasted untoasted.  Whether it’s because the cheese melts into the other condiments or just the extra crunch of the bread, toasting a sandwich always makes it better.  The best method to toast a sandwich is to use a toaster oven.  While less common in the past, toaster ovens have become an essential cooking appliance on the countertops of millions of people around the world.  Toaster ovens, depending on their size, can also be used to cook pizza, chicken, and even cookies.  For aspiring cooks, a toaster oven provides an alternative to using the oven, which is great when it’s necessary to cook two different dishes at different temperatures.

Toaster ovens are also much easier to clean than a standard oven, and because of their versatility, many cooks prefer to use their toaster ovens over their conventional ovens for meals.  For all their benefits, toaster ovens do have one drawback, and that is it’s more important to be careful when taking hot plates out because of the narrower surface.  It’s possible to burn the top of your hand when taking food out of the toaster oven.