284791 Tue Apr 25 11:42:34 -0700 2006 24 31 Home Cooking 0 1523487 Hi All, With the impending 72% rate hike for electricity looming upon us in Maryland, and the price of gas going completely bonkers, I'm looking to save some energy by getting a toaster oven. There's only the two of us and it's stupid to heat up that whole big convection oven for something like baked taters. So, my question to you my fellow hounds, does anyone have any good recommendations on brands and models and what features you use or don't use. For the record, I generally buy high quality appliances (Bosch), is it worth spending extra $$ in this case? TIA Christine Tue Apr 25 11:42:34 -0700 2006 0 cbauer 1 1523495 I almost never use the "big oven", but use my toaster oven almost daily. I'm only cooking for two most of the time, so it just makes sense for us. I even bake things like cupcakes and muffins in it. You asked, " I generally buy high quality appliances (Bosch), is it worth spending extra $$ in this case?" My experience has been "no". The one I have right now is made by GE and cost about $30-35 2 or 3 years ago. I'm happy with it, although like most toaster ovens, it's not that great for toasting bread. In the past I've owned Toastmaster brand, and I think I liked them a bit better. I've never paid more than $40 for a toaster oven, but find they need to be replaced every 5 years or so. But like I said, I use mine almost daily. There are three things I would look for when shopping for a toaster-oven: 1. Are the controls easy to use? You'd be surprised at how complicated some companies have made these! 2. Be sure you can set to a specific temperature---say 350---instead of just "high" "medium" or "low". 3. Get the size you need. What do you plan to cook/bake/broil in it? Be sure your baking dishes will fit in it. My GE is considered (by GE) a "extra-large capacity"---it holds a 9x9 baking dish or a standard 6-cup muffin tin. Tue Apr 25 12:09:18 -0700 2006 1523487 0 Anne 2 1523501 Wow, that's a huge toaster oven for the price you paid. Can I ask where you got it? I'm in the market myself and have been seeing things in the $100 range. I doubt prices should have shot up like that in 2 years. Tue Apr 25 12:21:45 -0700 2006 1523495 0 nooodles 3 1523586 I really don't remember which store I got it in---probably KMart or the like. I do remember they had several on display and that I went the next isle over to "borrow" the proper sized baking pans to make sure they fit! Tue Apr 25 16:42:27 -0700 2006 1523501 0 Anne 2 1523515 I forgot to mention using it as a toaster. I do not own a toaster. The Krups convection toaster oven has a "toaster" button (actually no more buttons - they're all digital now) where you can go plus or minus several gradation choices for darker or lighter toast - it's easy and reliable. Like, I know for a bagel or something I don't want to get well done, I'll press one unit down on the little pad. I make open face grilled cheese sand. by taking a piece of bread or a tortilla out of the freezer (I keep all my bread in the freezer), laying on a piece of cheese and using the toaster function. Comes out perfect. Tue Apr 25 12:50:28 -0700 2006 1523495 0 Niki Rothman 1 1523500 I was a devoted Cuisinart convection/toaster oven lover but I replaced it with a larger double-rack Krups that I love even more (each rack can be inverted and so there are actually four rack placements available). Easy to find at Bed Bath & Beyond and other places. Tue Apr 25 12:21:36 -0700 2006 1523487 0 Karl S 2 1523508 Pardon my ignorance, but I keep seeing that feature on Amazon. What does inverting the rack do? And does your Krups have convection or is that an unnecessary frill for a toaster oven? Tue Apr 25 12:36:12 -0700 2006 1523500 0 nooodles 3 1523528 Well, the racks are shaped so that the sides rails are not at the same height as the rack proper. There are two rack levels, so depending on whether or not you invert the racks, you get four positions. And yes, it has convection. These features and the larger size managed to lure me away from my beloved Cuisinart, no mean feat. Tue Apr 25 13:29:30 -0700 2006 1523508 0 Karl S 2 1523545 I just went YAY!! For this post... I'm moving soon and the first upgrade will be my Toaster... We've been pricing them and looking at the options and am happy to see the Krups mentioned (I have a WS GC I need to use and it's currently the only one on their website!) Is this the one you talked about! http://ww1.williams-sonoma.com/cat/pip.cfm?src=pipceltovti%7Cge116%7Ck%7Cpceltovti%7Crshop%7Cs%2Fcatceltovti%7Cp1%7Crshop%2Fcatcelti%7Cp1%7Crshop%2Fhme&root=shop&pkey=celtovti&gids=e116&ftest=1&cmreferrer=http%253A%252F%252Fww1%252Ewilliams%252Dsonoma%252Ecom%252Fcat%252Findex%252Ecfm%253FCID%253Deltovti%2526src%253Dcatcelti%25257Cp1%25257Crshop%25252Fhme&flash=on Also, this maybe a silly question (Never used a convection oven before), do you cook in it the same way you would a conventional oven? Like are the recipes the same? --Dommy! Tue Apr 25 14:31:37 -0700 2006 1523500 0 Dommy! 3 1523546 1. Yes. 2. Normally, they recommend trying temps 25F lower in the convection oven. I find sometimes this is necessary, other times not. Tue Apr 25 14:33:58 -0700 2006 1523545 0 Karl S 3 1523547 It's too bad that you have to buy at WS, because it's about $50 less at Bed Bath and Beyond (and there are always those 20% off coupons). But if you have a certificate, that seems like a great investment. Tue Apr 25 14:39:10 -0700 2006 1523545 0 nooodles 2 1523650 Is it possible to bake bread in these? Thanks. Tue Apr 25 22:35:11 -0700 2006 1523500 0 Babette 3 1523688 Certainly low-rise loaves in loaf pans. Otherwise, I don't have any reason to experiment with that. The clearance is more than a usual toaster oven, but the kind of breads I'd make would be much taller in the pan or wider on the rack, and besides I always want to use a stone for making loaves. Wed Apr 26 07:03:51 -0700 2006 1523650 0 Karl S 4 1523801 Thanks for that. I'm looking for a counter top convection oven I can cook loaves of bread in (my recently developed whole wheat loaf rises a lot) and possibly something as large as a turkey. Is this possible? This would be to supplement the 1920's Chambers gas stove I've used for many years & love but can be frustrating with the lack of exact temp. control--plus the heat flips off with a thump after it reaches its supposed temperature, requires babysitting, relighting, etc. I saw an Avanti which sounded like a possibility--anyone have any experience with this kind? Wed Apr 26 16:46:19 -0700 2006 1523688 0 Babette 2 1523847 I'm def. a Krups toaster oven fan too! We've had our 4-slice toaster oven for almost 6 yrs. and it's still going strong. I use it ALOT, and I love how it heats up/cools down quickly. Great for roasting beets or other veg, toasting nuts, reheating pizza, baking a small pan of mac n' cheese or eggplant parmesan, or whathaveyou. We got ours from Crate & Barrel and they appear to have a couple of models in their current inventory. Wed Apr 26 21:11:12 -0700 2006 1523500 0 Carb Lover 1 1523511 Expensive or inexpensive - they get tired looking and break down in the same amount of time. So why waste money on an expensive one? You can probably get a standard brand toaster oven in your local chain store for about $40. Some are a bit bigger and some are convection. I would go for bigger and convection. Of the (dozen?) I must have owned I really like Krups. You get all the features of the expensive models but the price is really low. Also, another small point - I like a black one, rather than a white one, because they get seedy looking pretty quickly if you use them often, and I even have cleaners, and the black one will look better. I got mine at QVC.COM. They make mail order super easy. Even returning is easy. Due to my Luddite tendencies I've never owned a microwave, and i use my stove's gas oven maybe only once a week. But I use my toaster oven a couple of times a day. One of my cooking systems that simplify life in a good way involves the cooperation of the toaster oven. I make a lot of casserole type thingies, lasagna/spanakopita/mac n' cheese, in the big oven and then bag them into individual servings for the freezer. Then I have a lot of choices for interesting no-work entrees, many of which I heat up in the toaster oven. Once defrosted, I place the serving on foil and heat at 375 - 400 for about 12 - 15 min. I love my toaster oven! Tue Apr 25 12:37:41 -0700 2006 1523487 0 Niki Rothman 1 1523521 You guys are awesome! Thanks - this is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Keep the good advice coming! :) I guess I can stop being an appliance snob now! :) Tue Apr 25 13:09:20 -0700 2006 1523487 0 cbauer 1 1523522 I got a Hamilton Beach COnvection and Rotisserie oven for Christmas- to replace my old and grungy toaster oven. Works great. It has two racks, can broil and bake. I don't use it for baking bread or pizza- though I suppose you could. Also has a rotisserie- can cook a samll chicken. I use it all of the time. Make roasted potaotes - some family members like white potatoes, and some prefer sweet potatoes- make both with no problem. And it is less than $100.00:} Tue Apr 25 13:10:20 -0700 2006 1523487 0 macca 1 1523544 Nuke the potatoes for 6 minutes and then convect them in the big convection oven for another 6 to dry out the skins. Think of all the power you save by not driving to Bed, Bath and all the raw materials and energy used in production. Also it's fast. Tue Apr 25 14:29:15 -0700 2006 1523487 0 Curmudgeon 1 1523550 While I know others have said go on the cheap, I've done that and not been successful in my choices. I bought a DeLonghi Airstream Digital toaster/convection oven a few years ago and, while I don't use it everyday, I've had no issues with it. It toasts just the way I want; it bakes, it broils (not the best, but it works) and it does convection cooking. Don't think they make them anymore, but Amazon has factory-reconditioned ones. Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00064XSS6/qid=1145990263/sr=1-27/ref=sr_1_27/103-1350567-4739803?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=home-garden&v=glance&n=1055398 Tue Apr 25 14:45:54 -0700 2006 1523487 0 Linda W. 1 1523590 the big dog himself asked a variation of this question in January if it helps: Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/282781#1507870 Tue Apr 25 17:22:11 -0700 2006 1523487 0 toodie jane 1 1523626 I work in the energy field, and I think you are making a faulty assumption. Just because your gas oven is physically larger than a toaster oven doesn't mean that it uses more energy or is more expensive to use. You should compare the consumption (listed in BTUS for a gas-powered device or Watts for an electric device) of the gas oven and the toaster oven, to see which actually will cost you more. (You can find the per-unit cost of electricity and gas on your utility bill.) More detail for anyone who's interested: It is, in general, more energy efficient to use a natural gas-powered device to produce heat than it is to use an electric-powered device. Most electricity in the U.S. is produced from fossil fuels (mostly coal, but also natural gas and a small amount of petroleum). During the combustion process, about two-thirds of the energy is lost to heat, and the remaining one-third is converted to electricity. So, if you then use that electricity to produce heat, you're using 3 times as much energy to get the same amount of heat that you would have gotten from just burning the natural gas. So it almost always works out to be cheaper to use gas than electricity for heat. There are some exceptions -- Microwave ovens are pretty energy efficient, since they cook certain foods so much more rapidly than regular ovens, and electric space heaters can save money if your only alternative is centrally heating your entire house. Tue Apr 25 19:49:00 -0700 2006 1523487 0 Joy 2 1523690 Very interesting information - thanks! I only wish I had gas, unfortunately, my house is all electric. I'll check into this information further. Thanks again. Wed Apr 26 08:03:02 -0700 2006 1523626 0 cbauer 1 1523682 I received the Wolfgang Puck BISTRO rotisserie/convenction oven as a gift, and I love it.I think it is available on HSN. It is compact yet holds a regular size cookie sheet or roasting pan, and can roast a 10 lb turkey. Wed Apr 26 05:30:02 -0700 2006 1523487 0 Fleur 1 1523798 I am in love with our Cuisinart Toaster Oven. It's great. It does everything. We bake, broil, etc. It is easy to clean. We had a DeLonghi long ago, and it was quite good. When it finally gave out, we bought another one. Junk! And even though we had a warranty, the response was terrible. I feel that the Cuisinart was worth every penny. Just make sure of one thing - that there is a removable tray to clean. Many of the others have an attached tray - you have to turn the whole thing on it's end to clean it, and it never gets really clean. Good luck! Wed Apr 26 16:45:03 -0700 2006 1523487 0 Sylvia G