Toaster Oven Recommendations?

All depends on what you want the toaster oven for.
It's been my experience that toasters ovens that are designed to do
things other than toast bread and other things may do the other things
just fine, but they do not function well as a toaster. And the reason
for this is that the elements are too far from the object being
toasted.

That being said, the smaller the toaster oven, the better it toasts.

Look for a toaster oven that is short. This will bring the heating
elements close enough to the bread to be efficient at making toast.

I have a rather large toaster oven but I don't like it because it just
takes too long to toast bread, english muffins, bagels, etc.

I think the fewer "bells and whistles" a simple appliance, the less
that can go wrong.

I have a DeLonghi, but it's HUGE and not terrific at making toast,
though it does bagels and english muffins reasonably well, and I can
make garlic bread in it, too.

Were mine to go tomorrow, I'd get a Toastmaster or GE. They are good
reliable brands...GE, under it's Black and Decker label 30 years ago,
invented the Toast-R-Oven.

aem said:

The old toaster oven has to be scrapped--won't reach higher temps,
won't hold any temp with consistency, takes too long to toast. What
brands or models should I go look for?

We don't need it to be particularly large or of heavy duty quality.
We do want it to be reliable and capable of holding an accurate
temperature. The old one, not expensive to begin with, lasted more
than ten years. Are there any "gotta have" new bells and whistles in
design now?

You've offered not the slightest bit of useful info for making
suggestions... you don't say what you will use it for or your price
range.

Toaster ovens are not for toasting bread (get a bread toaster), they
are more adept at light broiling, the more expensive ones at baking....
"toaster" is a misnomer, they are in fact a portable broiler-oven. I
don't own a toaster oven... my full size gas oven broils and bakes
wonderfully well, and cost of energy use is lower than any electric
toaster oven.... for toasting breads of all types I have a very nice
Kitchen Aid bread toaster.

Anytime someone hasn't a clue which small appliance to buy I strongly
suggest the very least expensive name brand one they can find... you
should be able to pick up a Black & Decker (or equivalent) in the
housewares aisle of your favorite stupidmarket for under $30.

"aem" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The old toaster oven has to be scrapped--won't reach higher temps,
won't hold any temp with consistency, takes too long to toast. What
brands or models should I go look for?

We don't need it to be particularly large or of heavy duty quality.
We do want it to be reliable and capable of holding an accurate
temperature. The old one, not expensive to begin with, lasted more
than ten years. Are there any "gotta have" new bells and whistles in
design now? Thanks for your suggestions.

-aem

I have a DeLonghi that has been going strong for over 15 years now. That is
with heavy usage too. For my money, I wouldn't have anything other than
DeLonghi. The one I have is the larger model. The temperature control is
outstanding. For about 5 years, it was the only oven I had. I have cooked
cakes, lasagne, and almost anything else needing baking. It broils very
well. I broil steaks, fish, kebabs, etc. with it. The only thing it doesn't
do very well is make toast. That's ok as my $9.00 Rival toaster does that
fine!

Charlie

at Mon, 07 Feb 2005 23:09:32 GMT in <1107817772.588675.238160
@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>, [email hidden] (Sheldon) wrote :

Quoted message said:

aem said:

The old toaster oven has to be scrapped...

We don't need it to be particularly large or of heavy duty quality.
We do want it to be reliable and capable of holding an accurate
temperature....

Toaster ovens are not for toasting bread (get a bread toaster),

I disagree - it is the bread toasters that are useless at toasting bread
because they won't accomodate anything other than a standard-size
commercial loaf slice (a-la-Wonder Bread). In other words, something small
and thin. If your loaves are taller, or if you cut thicker slices, toasters
aren't very useful. I've also *never* found a toaster with accurate control
over toasting level.

Quoted message said:

they
are more adept at light broiling, the more expensive ones at baking....

I think serious baking should be done in a real oven, although at light
broiling a toaster oven is reasonably good. However, where toaster ovens
really come into their own, apart from making good toast, is when you want
to reheat something that you don't want to have turn into a soggy, ruined
disaster when it would be prone to that behaviour if you microwaved it. For
instance : pizza slices, slices of pie, muffins, pastries (especially
turnovers and puff pastry) and the like. The other advantage of a toaster
oven in these applications is that it's not prone to making the resulting
item unpleasantly dry, such as tends to happen if you put it in a full-size
oven.

As for toaster ovens, I like Toastmaster, specifically the Model 342X (you
may have to inquire with them as to exact model numbers because they always
seem to change on a yearly basis) which has really rugged construction with
good, strong knobs and controls, not the flimsy plastic things so many
toaster ovens feature and whose overall construction is very solid. Avoid
toaster ovens with timers because at least as far as I can tell, they all
use those *insanely* irritating one-way timer knobs, so, if you set the
timer too long, or for whatever reason want to end the cycle early, you
can't. Furthermore every model I've ever seen with one-way timer knobs has
incredibly flimsy controls - the kind that one errant whack with a heavy
pot handle will snap off.

--
Alex Rast
[email hidden]
(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

"Sheldon" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

aem said:

The old toaster oven has to be scrapped--won't reach higher temps,
won't hold any temp with consistency, takes too long to toast. What
brands or models should I go look for?

We don't need it to be particularly large or of heavy duty quality.
We do want it to be reliable and capable of holding an accurate
temperature. The old one, not expensive to begin with, lasted more
than ten years. Are there any "gotta have" new bells and whistles in
design now?

You've offered not the slightest bit of useful info for making
suggestions... you don't say what you will use it for or your price
range.

Toaster ovens are not for toasting bread (get a bread toaster), they
are more adept at light broiling, the more expensive ones at baking....
"toaster" is a misnomer, they are in fact a portable broiler-oven. I
don't own a toaster oven... my full size gas oven broils and bakes
wonderfully well, and cost of energy use is lower than any electric
toaster oven.... for toasting breads of all types I have a very nice
Kitchen Aid bread toaster.

Anytime someone hasn't a clue which small appliance to buy I strongly
suggest the very least expensive name brand one they can find... you
should be able to pick up a Black & Decker (or equivalent) in the
housewares aisle of your favorite stupidmarket for under $30.

My toaster oven is a combo microwave/convection full sized counter top
job. It does whatever I need to do and allows me to have room for a real
toaster.

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic 1AC 5.6mmol or 101mg/dl
Continuing to be Manitoban

I would buy the cheapest Black and Decker Toaster Oven you could find.

One word of caution. Before using the oven for the first time
calibrate the temperature control to a good oven thermometer.
My B&D was 50 degrees too high.

PS.

I love making rack of lamb in my toaster oven,

Bruce

aem said:

The old toaster oven has to be scrapped--won't reach higher temps,
won't hold any temp with consistency, takes too long to toast. What
brands or models should I go look for?

We don't need it to be particularly large or of heavy duty quality.
We do want it to be reliable and capable of holding an accurate
temperature. The old one, not expensive to begin with, lasted more
than ten years. Are there any "gotta have" new bells and whistles in
design now? Thanks for your suggestions.

-aem

Alex Rast said:

PENMART01 wrote :

Quoted message said:

aem said:

The old toaster oven has to be scrapped...

We don't need it to be particularly large or of heavy duty

quality.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

We do want it to be reliable and capable of holding an accurate
temperature....

Toaster ovens are not for toasting bread (get a bread toaster),

I disagree - it is the bread toasters that are useless at toasting

bread

Quoted message said:

because they won't accomodate anything other than a standard-size
commercial loaf slice (a-la-Wonder Bread). In other words, something

small

Quoted message said:

and thin. If your loaves are taller, or if you cut thicker slices,

toasters

Quoted message said:

aren't very useful. I've also *never* found a toaster with accurate

control

Quoted message said:

over toasting level.

Um, you need to spend more than $10... and toaster ovens toast only one
side, they make the lousiest toast.

My single-slot Kitchenaid Ultra Power Plus does all anyone can ask of a
bread toaster and more and does it all exceptionally well... I have it
more than 3 years now, paid $69 at ChefsCatalog.com. Will accomodate
breads 1 1/2" thk X 6 1/2" hgt X 10 1/2" lgth, perfect for rustic
slices, although only a pinhead will toast good home made/rustic
bread... has a defrost n' toast cycle... will easily accomodate two
full sized bagels. I often have an abundance of bagels (visiters bring
me dozens) so I freeze some... but again, only a pinhead toasts a fresh
NY bagel.

http://tinyurl.com/3oxuk

Sheldon

Thanks for the input. As it happened, I was in Fry's for some other
things and checked out their kitchen appliances section. They had about
8 models and brands in prices from $30 to over $100, DeLonghi and
Cuisinart at the high end. (If anyone's curious, Fry's is a high
volume computers and consumer electronics chain on the west U.S. coast,
which carries a wide variety of other semi-related stuff. Sale prices
are okay, weekends feature big loss leaders, ordinary prices are --
ordinary.)

I rejected the convection combo and the combo oven and coffee maker
(!), and another for a timer, and another for being taller than it
needed to be (thus more problematical for toast). They didn't have
either Toastmaster (the worn-out-after-many-good-years one was a
Toastmaster) or Black & Decker. Ended up with a Hamilton Beach toward
the lower price range. It has a timer, but you don't have to use it:
there's a "Stay On" switch. If I hadn't needed to go to Fry's I
probably would have looked at the hardware store.

This looks like it will serve our needs. The regular oven is quite
large, gas, very old, so I use the small unit frequently for a wide
variety of things. In recent memory: a meatloaf, corn muffins, baked
chicken thighs, baked potatoes (which I pre-zap but then bake for
better skins); frozen french fries, re-heated pizza slices; toast,
bagels, English muffins.

Thanks again,

-aem

Thanks for the input. As it happened, I was in Fry's for some other
things and checked out their kitchen appliances section. They had about
8 models and brands in prices from $30 to over $100, DeLonghi and
Cuisinart at the high end. (If anyone's curious, Fry's is a high
volume computers and consumer electronics chain on the west U.S. coast,
which carries a wide variety of other semi-related stuff. Sale prices
are okay, weekends feature big loss leaders, ordinary prices are --
ordinary.)

I rejected the convection combo and the combo oven and coffee maker
(!), and another for a timer, and another for being taller than it
needed to be (thus more problematical for toast). They didn't have
either Toastmaster (the worn-out-after-many-good-years one was a
Toastmaster) or Black & Decker. Ended up with a Hamilton Beach toward
the lower price range. It has a timer, but you don't have to use it:
there's a "Stay On" switch. If I hadn't needed to go to Fry's I
probably would have looked at the hardware store.

This looks like it will serve our needs. The regular oven is quite
large, gas, very old, so I use the small unit frequently for a wide
variety of things. In recent memory: a meatloaf, corn muffins, baked
chicken thighs, baked potatoes (which I pre-zap but then bake for
better skins); frozen french fries, re-heated pizza slices; toast,
bagels, English muffins.

Thanks again,

-aem

Thanks for the input. As it happened, I was in Fry's for some other
things and checked out their kitchen appliances section. They had about
8 models and brands in prices from $30 to over $100, DeLonghi and
Cuisinart at the high end. (If anyone's curious, Fry's is a high
volume computers and consumer electronics chain on the west U.S. coast,
which carries a wide variety of other semi-related stuff. Sale prices
are okay, weekends feature big loss leaders, ordinary prices are --
ordinary.)

I rejected the convection combo and the combo oven and coffee maker
(!), and another for a timer, and another for being taller than it
needed to be (thus more problematical for toast). They didn't have
either Toastmaster (the worn-out-after-many-good-years one was a
Toastmaster) or Black & Decker. Ended up with a Hamilton Beach toward
the lower price range. It has a timer, but you don't have to use it:
there's a "Stay On" switch. If I hadn't needed to go to Fry's I
probably would have looked at the hardware store.

This looks like it will serve our needs. The regular oven is quite
large, gas, very old, so I use the small unit frequently for a wide
variety of things. In recent memory: a meatloaf, corn muffins, baked
chicken thighs, baked potatoes (which I pre-zap but then bake for
better skins); frozen french fries, re-heated pizza slices; toast,
bagels, English muffins.

Thanks again,

-aem