Convection Toaster Oven
Start thinking about a toaster oven as a substitute for your full size conventional oven rather than as a substitute for the four slice toaster. You want to choose a convection toaster oven. Convection ovens circulate heated air utilizing a temperature fan. Food heats faster in a convection oven because the fan blown air disturbs the thin layer of insulating air that otherwise surrounds the meals.
If Find more information live in an area of the united states where Summer means 24 x 7 air conditioning a convection toaster oven can save you both discomfort and money. Instead of turning on that monster oven to roast a chicken or bake a pie and heat up your entire kitchen along the way, go with a convection toaster oven. For a small family a digital convection toaster oven can meet all your household cooking and baking needs. You can use it to bake, broil, toast, dehydrate, and defrost. A .5 cubic foot model can roast a 5 pound chicken.
Even though better models can reach an interior temperature up to 500 degrees F convection toaster ovens can cook at a lower required temperature when compared to a full-size conventional oven and also cook the food more quickly. Another good thing about moving, heated air is that it heats the food surface more evenly eliminating "hot spots" on baked goods. Convection cooking produces superior results in around 1/3 less time than conventional ovens. Your toaster oven should come with a recipe book to make the time and temperature adjustments. There are also many specialized toaster over cook books at Amazon.com.
The models featured below are good choices but generally when searching for a toaster oven you want controls that let you select from bake, broil or toast, and an adjustable rack which might be removed for cleaning. You will find variation between brands and models but toaster ovens get hot to the touch. Some get hot enough to melt a plastic drinking cup left at the top. None present a fire hazard but the hot exterior is really a consideration if you can find small children inside your home.
Every toaster oven will darken bread. The Cuisinart Convection Toaster Oven Broiler and the DeLonghi EO1238 1/2-Cubic-Foot Toaster Oven can do a lot more. The Cuisinart gets slightly better marks with the experts because it has an automatic shut-off and a drip tray, which lack in the DeLonghi. The DeLonghi stays cooler to touch during use and may be indicative of better insulation and sealing. Both use a fan to circulate heat and truly can be used to bake and broil exactly like your conventional oven, with the size limitation of course. The T-Fal OT8085002 Avante Elite Convection Toaster Oven and Krups FBC4-12 6-Slice Convection Digital Toaster Oven with Preset Cooking Functions may also be highly regarded.