Toaster Ovens: 5 Quick Steps to Choosing the Best Toaster Ovennn

Current toaster ovens have gone past simply toasting bread or bagels. They can bake, broil, and even convection cook everything from pizzas, cakes and other baked goods to a four pound roast with ease. Toaster ovens are an economical and convenient cooking choice for today's busy households.nnToaster ovens come in scores of shapes and sizes and offer a large selection of features. Consider the following factors when deciding on the best toaster oven:

How Much Can You Spend for a Toaster Oven?

You can select a toaster oven to match any price range and preference. Basic no-frills countertop ovens start as low as $40 . Plenty of top-rated ovens are priced at less than $150. Upper-end multi-function toaster ovens usually cost from $150-$300.

Which Cooking Method Do You Want?

If you're just going to use your toaster oven for toasting and warming dishes, one of the simpler models will most likely suit your needs. If you are looking for a toaster oven to use for baking or broiling, check out ones that cook using either a convection or infrared (or infrawave) warming option.

Convection toaster ovens have a little fan to disperse hot air inside the oven. This helps brown food more evenly and can shorten cooking time by up to 30%. Convection toaster ovens are very popular - although they cost a tiny bit more, many cooks prefer the convenience and faster cooking time.

Toaster ovens with infrared (infrawave) heating features don't need pre-heating, which shortens cooking time. Infrared is also useful in speeding up the toasting process. Black & Decker is the only major toaster oven manufacturer that currently offers the infrared cooking option.

Toaster Oven Convenience Features

Toaster ovens are controlled by a dial timer or a digital key pad. Most cooks find the digital toaster ovens simpler to use. Digital toaster ovens provide a more accurate setting selection, and often feature pre-set buttons for commonly cooked foods.

Toaster ovens with non-stick interiors and continuous clean features make cleaning a snap. Be sure to consider a removable crumb tray - front-access crumb trays are much more user-friendly to use.

Don't Forget Safety

Numerous toaster ovens have an automatic shut off option, which will shut the oven off at the end of the cooking cycle. Some will simply ring a bell and continue to cook until you turn it off. The automatic shut off feature is highly recommended!

For homes with small kids, consider cool-touch sides. The toaster oven's sides should not get too hot during use.

What Size Toaster Oven Do You Need?

Toaster ovens are usually referred to as 6 slice or 4 slice toaster ovens, which refers to the number of slices of bread that will fit in the oven at once.nnToaster ovens can be found in sizes differing from as small as 10x10 inches to as large as 20x16 inches. Simple toaster ovens which are simply used for toasting or re-heating foods are generally smaller in both size and capacity.

If you're going to bake casseroles or roast larger cuts of meat in your countertop oven, you'll need a larger model.

No matter which size you choose, you should measure your counter space before purchasing your toaster oven!