For years—decades—I thought about getting a toaster oven. I liked the idea of a small, fully functioning oven. We didn’t keep a toaster out in our limited kitchen space.
I looked into combination toaster oven/microwave ovens. Such a hybrid does exist, but they are rare. And they are big.
The space allocation I had in mind was “about the size” of our small, ancient microwave. Hybrids toaster ovens were bigger. A lot bigger. Most microwaves and most ordinary toaster ovens were bigger. And while I don’t truly cook in the microwave very often, it was very handy for a lot of defrosting, warming and pre-cooking tasks. The microwave was, and still is, a faithful cooking companion. There was no way I could throw it over for a toaster oven.
A Good Excuse
A few months ago, I finally had a good excuse. Our big construction project would require the creation of a “temporary kitchen.” I prepared for the transition by purchasing a substantial work table and a pair of Ikea carts. We are adding an electric induction range in the new kitchen, so that justified the purchase of an induction “hotplate”—a single-element induction cooker. The little microwave would have its place. But what I really needed, I decided, was a toaster oven.
I did my research and settled on a high-end Breville unit. It was best rated by Wirecutter.com in 2023. (Now, Wirecutter recommends another, less expensive Cuisinart model. Bah. The perils of being an early adopter.)
There was a bit of a hunting trip involved in trying to find the little beast at the price the Wirecutter said I should pay. I was, in the end, successful. And after I bagged my prey, it sat unused in the basement for a few months while the Framing and weatherproofing of the addition were under way and we still had our old kitchen intact.
Then came the breakthrough—the day when the workers began tearing out the old kitchen. I assembled all the bits and bobs for the temporary kitchen and a new, even more stress-inducing phase of the project began
.
WOW!
This little appliance is amazing. It is better than I imagined. It is fantastic!
It hasonly three primary controls. There is a dial that chooses one of ten presets ranging from warming to broiling. There is a temperature button you can use to adjust the temp that comes up in the preset. And there’s a time button—turn it to adjust the length of time the unit will run at your chosen setting.
Air frying is a big deal these days. The unit offers convection and super-convection settings which makes it a capable air fryer.
It has a “frozen foods” button. (I’m not sure exactly what that one does.) There’s a button to switch the temperature readings from Fahrenheit to Centigrade.
And there is a light. (Very useful, the light.)
It is beautifully simple. Everything is easily adjustable by turning a dial. No wifi controls. No apps. (Ask me about sous vide cookery.)
Everything I have tried with it has worked out great. I love the fact that it can do low temperatures. It can warm plates, proof bread dough, and dehydrate. And it will get hot enough for everything I cook—up to 450 degrees F, and you can make that a blast furnace with super convection.
I have already planned out counter space for it in the new kitchen, and I have a feeling I will be using it frequently.
Of course, there is will one great test left to go. I have baked. I have reheated. I have air-fried. I have warmed. I have roasted.
But I still have not made a piece of toast.
Anon.
Ridge