A toaster oven is one of the most versatile kitchen appliances available today.
Toaster ovens are considered to be dual-purpose kitchen appliances because they function both as a toaster and as an oven.
They can prepare anything from a simple piece of toast to a full-on meal.
This versatility makes them a very popular addition to many household kitchens.
Toaster ovens are perfect for quickly preparing small meals or an easy dinner for one.
This makes them especially useful to busy singles and college students who tend to eat out more often.
Their compactness makes them attractive to those with smaller kitchens without a lot of countertop space.
Basic models you will find in most retail stores generally have several different heat settings for you to use depending on what you will be cooking.
Most standard toaster oven models also come equipped with a broiling tray as well.
Another standard feature is a heat indicator light which will let you know when the oven is preheated to the temperature you set.
A newer feature on many toaster ovens you will find is a digital control panel.
Older models only came equipped with a manual control that you would have to continually adjust to get the right heat setting for whatever you were cooking.
This new digital control option opens up a whole new world in terms of how you can use your oven to prepare food.
Beyond simple baking and toasting, newer ovens can brown, thaw, and defrost food as well.
They are quite effective compact broilers, and much more energy efficient than conventional ovens when it comes to broiling food.
In general, a toaster oven is more energy efficient than a conventional oven because it requires less energy to heat up and cook food as there is less open space to heat up.
Since a traditional oven has so much more space, it takes much longer to heat up.
Overall, a toaster oven is a very economical and convenient way to cook your food.
Since they are so versatile in the kitchen, they make for great wedding, holiday, and birthday gifts that will appeal to just about anyone.