How to Cook With a Toaster Oven

Personal pizzas cook well in toaster ovens

Toaster ovens are versatile, affordable appliances well-suited for those with small kitchens, those without an oven, and those who regularly cook. Appropriately named, toaster ovens act both as a toaster and as an oven. You can even broil in it. They heat quickly and keep foods like pizza and french fries crispy in all the right places, unlike a microwave. Cooking with a toaster oven can include defrosting food, cooking food, broiling food, or just keeping food warm.

Things You'll Need

• Toaster oven
• Toaster oven tray
• Food

Instructions

1. Use the tray provided with the oven and use the defrost option, if available, to defrost food. If "defrost" is not an option on your model, set the temperature very, very low and allow the frozen food to sit in there for a few minutes, keeping an eye on it so that it doesn't cook.

2. Use it like an oven to cook food by setting it to a particular temperature (350, for example), allowing it to heat up, and using the tray(s) provided to set the food on. Some models come with built-in timers that shut off the oven when the time is up. Small frozen foods like potpies and egg rolls cook well in toaster ovens.

3. Choose the broil option on your toaster oven to broil food. Use the tray provided to set your food (garlic bread, for example) on, and keep the door of the toaster oven open just a crack. Some models provide a tray with legs so that your food is closer to the broiler when put into the oven. Food does not take long to broil! Watch it closely.

4. Put the food in the toaster oven and set the temperature to 200 degrees or, if available, use the "warm" setting to keep food warm.

Tips & Warnings

• Every oven, even toast ovens, cooks a bit differently. Check on the progress of your food often until you get used to the appliance.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Consumer reviews of toaster ovens