Are you planning to purchase a brand new toaster oven, or planning to replace your old one? We got you covered. In this article, we will discuss some of the things that you should consider when looking for a toaster oven. Meanwhile, if you are looking for similar articles about food, you can visit Foodieandtours. Without further ado, let’s start:
- The dimensions of the oven
Before going into the specifications and features of an oven, you should first look into the size of the oven. This is a factor that must be taken into consideration early, because if the toaster oven does not suit the location you plan to use it in, it’s not a good purchase regardless of its features or other advantages.
The reason for this is because toaster ovens have room or clearance requirements on its installation location. You should not install an oven too close to your walls, cabinets, etc. Before looking for a toaster oven, make sure that you are aware of the dimensions of the room that you want to place the oven in. This clearance requirement differs for every oven, and you can find what is the exact requirement by looking at the oven’s manual.
- The length of the cord
This should come as a no-brainer. The cord of the oven should be long enough to not require an extension cord, but short enough so that it is not a tripping hazard. After all, tripping on the cord of an oven is very unfortunate and often leads to accidents and injuries.
- The features of the oven
For some people, the features of the oven are the most important factor to consider when buying an oven toaster. There are digital displays, timers, reminder alarms, scheduling, and other fancy stuff that will certainly make your life easy. However, when stripped down to the bare essentials, there are really only three features in an oven toaster that you will need. They are bake, toast, and broil, which will be discussed below.
Bake
This function is the default configuration of a standard oven. With this setting, the heat is coming from the bottom of the oven. The
Toast
Toast is similar to bake, however there is one key difference – the heat is equally dispersed to the bottom and the top of the oven. This function does a great job of toasting bread, waffles, and other food on both sides. This function is also recommended for reheating pizza.
Broil
This function uses heat from the top of the oven, which makes it perfect for grilling meat and vegetables, melting cheese, and other food that you want to cook on the top.
- What you plan to cook with the oven
The food items that you plan to cook with the oven plays an important role in your oven selection process. If you are only planning to cook small items such as bread or cookies, there is no benefit to getting a large toaster oven. Additionally, the quantity of food you are cooking should also be considered. If you are planning to cook a large quantity of food in a single batch, it doesn’t matter how small the individual food items are. You will need a bigger oven that can accommodate a larger fan for the job.
Lastly, if you are not sure or you are planning to experiment with different types of foods and varying quantities, we recommend you to get a toaster oven with room for a bigger pan. This allows you to experiment on bigger items and greater quantities without worrying about whether they will fit on your oven toaster or not.
