I can't believe how large they make toaster ovens now! I just bought a Cuisinart one that's on the smaller side, and it's still much larger than my old B&D.

And it will sit out on my countertop - it's important enough to me that I'm allocating it a good chunk of my limited countertop space. It's just too big to try to store and take out when needed - and as owls4me points out, it's too hot to put away after each use.

So just buy a pretty one. :-)

I'll be putting it on my countertop and I don't have a lot of countertop. But I use it every single day.

I actually got one of the cheap Black & Deckers because they have a smaller footprint. My last one went ten years and did just fine.

I didn't like the looks of ours and didn't like the corner location by the range in our old house...but my family uses it for 2 meals a day and in between, making getting rid of it, or tucking it away out of the question. So I created a special counter space for it, where it can be hot and not be a problem, and it's not in my prep space. It is the anchor of the 'breakfast center' where we keep cereals, breads, etc. It was an important consideration in planning the kitchen. We also got one that didn't look so cheesy, and won't look stained, because it's black and stainless instead of white and chrome (Krups).

I too could not part with the toaster oven. We use it for toasting bagel and heating small items. I can't see going over to just toaster which would have solve the aesthetics problem. Mine is still the old 10-yr old white B&D that I like except for the color. I returned two toaster oven already. I bought another real cheap B&D in the so-called stainless steel - NOT. Plus they change the design of the crumb tray where you need to bring the whole oven to the sink to open up tray at the bottom of the oven to dump and clean. The second one was based on recommentations here and it is a HB Toastation. Again it is not a good stainless steel look. Off it goes back to the store. When I find the right SS looks, they are usually so huge and comes with features such as convection. I already got that in the dbl wall oven. Still looking for a basic SMALL compact toaster oven in stainless steel that won't break the bank.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Meant to say the new one we like, the black and stainless, is Krups. The old one, white and chrome, was Black and Decker. No complaints at all about capacity or its toasting performance, but it looked messy and stained, and the handle kept coming loose, etc.

I was reluctant to get a toaster oven for just that reason but DH really wanted one. I thought maybe I'd keep it in the garage but it really does get used quite a bit so on the counter it sits. Based on reccomendations here and reviews on Amazon, I bought the Cuisinart TOB-195. I like it so much that I bought one for my MIL for Christmas!

Here is a link that might be useful: Cuisinart TOB-195

Could someone share with me what they prepare in these toaster ovens? I had one years ago, but never liked its bulk and replaced it with a standard wide-slot toaster. Am I missing a great little appliance and don't know it.

You don't see toaster ovens in design catalogs because the kitchens in them are staged, not how people really live. They would remove a toaster oven before they took a picture. But in real life people USE their kitchens and many people like having a toaster oven.

rhome, you make me chuckle! You just described our B&D toaster oven and that's why it is NOT going in the new kitchen! Which Krups model do you have that you like?
mbarstow: tortilla, refried bean and cheese 'pizza' (2 at a time, toasted twice), Trader Joes prepared foods, LOTS of reheating of leftovers, toasted bagels, english muffins, etc. Okay, I confess we have a weakness for fries and tater tots too. Baked potatoes (again 2-3 at a time for lunch) Maybe you don't need one for your lifestyle?
We home school, live in a snowy, cold climate so warm lunches are at home most days.

I have never used a toaster oven..........I love my toaster though. Please tell me what I am missing out on. Really!! Does it work better than the oven? I have a new double oven (GE) that the top part heats super quickly- is that the draw? I need to be informed :-)

Hello,
I've had toaster ovens but they were very very slow to toast things, and whatever was in the oven seemed to get burned. I'd love to have one but don't know which one to buy that actually would cook well.

I'd like to cook baked potatoes, pizza, tuna melts, chicken nuggests, etc. and think it would be possible to do if I had a decent toaster oven.

Along the lines of the OP, what could you cook and what kind would you suggest to buy?

Thank you.

No wonder I liked the one "Daki" posted. It is a Krups, toaster/convection oven just like mine. We began using it during the remodel and decided that we really needed to keep it. It tucks into the corner and heats up in less than 5 minutes. Perfect for a few baked potatoes or quick toasting of garlic bread for bruschetta. Makes crappy toast, though, so we still have a toaster. We use it as a lot more than I ever imagined.

-Babka

Owls4me, I think we have the same Krups as Daki, too. I can't find the model number on the actual appliance, but I looked it up online and am pretty sure it's their FBC2.

As for what we use it for: We also homeschool, so it's used for lunches almost every day...toasted sandwiches and quesadillas, crisping things like burritos, tuna melts, reheating pizza, and on and on. It will toast bread, bagels, English muffins. I like it for homemade bread, which is usually all we use, because it tends to be odd sizes, odd thicknesses (cut by kids), and sometimes delicate, so it's nicer to be able to lay it flat rather than put it in a regular toaster.

I have this

We're definitely in the minority...we have one, use it probably 4 times a week, and put it away each time. It drives my husband nuts to do this, but I didn't want it cluttering up the counter. When we put in the new kitchen, I bought a Panasonic toaster oven, and it has been fine.

That Krups has worked great for us. I HATE the beeper sound, but it's a nice little oven. I originally planned to buy the Kitchenaid, but after looking at both in the store, this one felt like it was higher quality (The Cuisinart also gets great reviews). I also bought it when we remodeled :). It's a little larger than what some people may prefer, but I think the extra bit of vertical room helps food brown more evenly (especially rolls).

I make grilled cheese sandwiches in mine. Don't need to use butter - just lightly toast the bread, then lay the cheese on top and bake for a minute till it melts. Yum!

The thing I discovered when shopping for toaster ovens recently is that most of them now TICK while they're toasting. On my old one, I pushed a button to toast, and it pinged when it was done. The new ones, you turn a timer dial, and then it TICKS the entire time. TICK TICK TICK. Some loudly, some softer (though it's hard to tell in the store how loud it really is...). But loud or soft, I thought it was really ANNOYING.

The digital ones don't tick, but they're HUGE (and deep - my countertop will only be about 20" deep). There's a fairly small one, a Sanyo, on Amazon that's gotten great reviews, but it doesn't have a broiler. So I finally bought the Cuisinart TOB-50. Not digital, no convection, but it doesn't TICK. Working pretty well so far...

Our toaster oven is the workhorse of the kitchen! I use it every day, several times a day. We have a microwave cabinet next to our fridge. I have the toaster oven on the counter, under the microwave shelf. It fits perfectly.

My current favorite use for a small oven...
Make cookies (currently frosted Christmas cookies). Soft freeze.
Put 2 cookies in the oven at 350F. Turn off oven when the oven is warm. Leave cookies in the oven to thaw.
Make tea/coffee/hot chocolate.
Take cookies and drink-sink into a chair-enjoy!

Judy

I am similar to someone above. I have made a spot for it under our MW (toaster oven on counter, MW above in cabinet) in the "breakfast center." In my current house, we have it next to the double ovens on the counter. You can't see it when you walk in.

We also use it AT LEAST once a day. We toast bagels, cook Bagel Bites, soft pretzels, warm pizza, etc. I don't like to heat up my big oven for 4 Bagel Bites! We do not own a toaster. We toast all our stuff in the toaster oven. I wouldn't be without one.

Count me in as someone who has never owned a toaster oven, and imagine: I have been married almost 28 years and raised three kids (youngest is 20). Although I do have a regular toaster and oven; we don't eat tator tots and bagel bites and convenience foods. Leftover pizza, yes! Sometimes eat it cold, other times lightly wet the bottom of thin crust pizza and heat in a cast iron skillet!

It's become one of my pet peeves when people assume frozen, fatty 'convenience foods' when they hear toaster oven (or microwave, for that matter). ;-) We make almost all of our foods from scratch (for health and budget's sake), but still manage to use the toaster oven a LOT. It saves heating up a whole oven cavity, or turning things tough and soggy in the microwave.

I have used a toaster oven since I was small. I do not own a toaster. I have never been overweight nor are my husband and two physically fit young adult children. I use a toaster oven b/c it conserves energy when baking, broiling or reheating small portions. When I choose prepared foods I choose carefully with health, budget and time management in mind. My children grew up learning homemaking skills right along with 'academics'. One is a domestic diva and the other can take care of herself.

I, too, was a bit peeved by the assumptions that toaster ovens are for connivence foods and junk. I don't use any pre-packaged (canned, frozen or boxed) dinners nor do we eat snack/junk food or between meals. Oh well-I've no doubt ticked-off folks too. Prepare foods however you want, eat what you want and please share!

I have learned a lot about not only kitchen design, but also foods. And am so much richer because of my GW friends! The pleasure of this forum is in its diversity as well as similarities between and among us. :-D Happy Holidays, whatever you are celebrating. Judy

charlikin, I currently have a B&D that ticks. It's not as bad as it seems like it's going to be, and I've actually gotten to kind of like the ticking. I can walk past the kitchen if I'm not working in there and tell whether I missed the ping at the end or if something is still cooking. And when I'm in the kitchen I'm usually running water, chopping, using an appliance, all of which make enough noise to cover the ticking.

Like others here, it's my main baking appliance, since I'm here by myself so much of the time. Silly to heat the big oven to bake one serving of something.

I forgot to include a photo in my post. The original question is about where to put it. A corner works best for us.

-Babka

{{!gwi}}

Charlikin, do you have a picture of your non-convection Cuisinart toaster oven? I am getting encouraged. It'll help me :) and the OP to get a feel for the size/color of it. I'll miss the one-button push to toast. But if the size is small and mostly SS, then I can put up with the click, click, click!

Babka,
that is a mighty good looking toaster oven. does it work well? (sorry if that was covered in previous posts... didn't read through them all). our el-cheapo toaster oven by EuroPro works so well, I'll keep it until it dies, but the next go around it would be nice to have something a little more attractive (as long as it works well :)

Yes! It works very well, and we've had it for over 3 years. But as I said in my previous post, don't get it to make toast. Just consider it a small oven that can handle all those smaller things that you don't want to make in a large oven. Also, one of the reasons I got it was because of its looks, as I knew it would be out there on the countertop all the time. I think it was about $150.

-Babka

i don't "get" the toaster oven. i just use it now since we don't have a working oven in the temporary house. it died over a year ago. RIP. anyway, i bought a TO at the advice of a friend. it's one of the larger ones and it's too small for my tiniest casserole dish. even without a working oven i avoid using it. it's going in the dumpster as soon as we move in.

I would never even thought of putting a casserole dish in the toaster oven, but find it useful for so many other things. In fact, I really never use the convection feature on ours. We got the convection part, because the TO with the size, reputation, and quality I wanted had it included. We warm, reheat, crisp, and toast just using the toast function. It does save me from using the oven for those things, which would be major overkill and waste of energy, but I don't consider it an 'oven'...rather a whole different appliance with different things to offer.

I agree with others that the Krups' signal for when it finishes toasting is annoying. Even if you try to turn it off ahead, to avoid the noise, it goes off anyway. A minor aggravation.

Budgeteer, I'm linking to the toaster oven on the Macy's web site. Note that the measurements they show are wrong - it's about 16" wide by 13" deep. This isn't tiny (there's an inexpensive B&D that's much smaller), but it has a smaller footprint than some of the larger ones that are 18-20" wide and 18" deep. It's quite nice-looking, doesn't tick, and it is "press a button" to toast. :-)

I got a great buy on it, btw, by using a Macy's $25 off $100 coupons that I got in the mail. (I had one of the rare ones that didn't exclude electrics.) Of course the toaster oven was only $99.99, so I had to buy a chocolate bar to get it over $100. (Tough life.) Did a similar thing to buy a set of dishes from Bloomingdales.com - I needed $100 for free shipping and the dishes were only $89.99. Bought a can opener to make up the difference. 82 pounds of dishes plus a can opener, all shipped free. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Cuisinart TOB-50

Seems I hit a "nerve" with Rhome who assumes I don't use the toaster oven and perhaps stick up my nose at people who do because I assume that they only use them for 'high fat convenience foods. That is not what I said.

Being a diabetic since age 2 I can honestly say that I eat a very healthy diet. Not saying that all of you don't but th foods you have referenced over and over again are high carb foods. Here are some of the things posters wrote that they heated in their ovens right before I posted:

left over pizza, frozen bread rolls, frozen pot stickers, broiled garlic bread, tortillas, refried bean & cheese pizza, toasted bagels, english muffins, fries & tator tots, baked potatoes, chicken nuggets & burritos.....

So if you guys can eat that kind of food, fine! But don't assume that I am pointing the finger at frozen fatty convenience foods. Diabetes is all about limiting carbs. I still know many people that think it is about sugar, it's not. Now I can see why I haven't had the need for a toaster oven at home. I mostly eat vegetarian (salads) with chicken & broiled fish at home and that's how I feed my family too. No offense intended.

No, Neesie, I just meant that the reference to convenience foods, such as Tater Tots and chicken nuggets, which we don't eat either, comes up in every toaster oven thread, mostly from people who don't have toaster ovens, who are saying they don't need one, because they eat 'healthy' foods. Although I would never claim we eat perfectly, we eat lots of veggies and salads ourselves and our breads are made from grains I mill. Pizza (which I know you mentioned eating, but prefer to warm a different way) and sandwiches can actually be a well-balanced meal, including whole grains, protein, and plenty of veggies. I just want people to understand that TOs are not just for 'junk' food, and can help us provide warm, nutritious meals for our families, not just fatty snacks.

But back to the OP's question...Sorry we got off track, eks6426. :-)

LOVE this thread! I am writing down recommendations for toaster ovens from this thread. I will be looking for a smallish-one, in a (hopefully *real*!) SS finish.

We have an ooooold B&D that is *UG-LY!* but works great. I will be replacing it when the kitchen is done, and I will keep it on the counter, because we use it almost daily, too.

I wish I could take someone's great suggestion above and be sure to put an outlet by where the TO will sit, but my new design is soooo different from my old kitchen that honestly, I have NO idea where I will put ANYTHING!!!

Yes, this was THE sticky problem to end all sticky problems. I, too, use the toaster oven - not for junk food as I don't eat that either - but to make smaller portions rather than heating the big oven as well as to, *GASP*!, make toast! ;-)

I ended up getting an "open shelving" unit which sort of serves as our appliance technical center - espresso machine, microwave oven and toaster oven are all on this shelf (recent thing, don't have a picture of it yet). The bad thing about it is that toaster ovens are just so god awfully ugly! But, well, i have to keep repeating to myself: function-over-form, function-over-form. (One of these days, I'll make peace with that mantra re: the ugly TOs). I have the Cuisinart convection toaster-oven. It is a pretty good oven as it is good for toast, too.

I don't get Neesie's comment either. The oven portion of the "toaster oven" if any good, is just a small oven. IF you can make peace with an oven, I don't see whence the turning-up the nose at small ovens. Shucks, most of what one reads here regarding oven needs is cookie making! I don't eat cookies and seldom make them but I have plenty of need for a regular oven - as it would appear, do you.
If anything, I feel inclined to turn my nose up at you for not being one of the enlightened energy-conscious ;-). (just teasing!)
You mentioned chicken and fish. Now, I don't eat meat but I do eat fish - and when it is just fish that we're making in the oven, I use the toaster oven in convection oven mode rather than my main oven for this small quantity. Less energy consumed, faster to heat up etc. and the outcome is just as good. Also very good for hors d'oeuvres like bruschetta etc.

Of course, after your observations about carbohydrates being verboten, I imagine you has even less use for a toaster, than you do for the oven?

Actually, I think rhome expressed my sentiments above much more diplomatically than I ever did or could.

I saute fresh fish (halibut, salmon, swordfish)and finish it off in the toaster oven. It takes too long to preheat a big oven just for 10 minutes of cooking. Works well for chicken breasts too... As a matter of fact if you just remove the name "toaster" and think of it as a small oven, you can bake/broil all sorts of non carb things.

It is super for warming plates on a cold morning. Let it heat up for one cycle, turn it off, put in your plates. They will be nice and warm in just a few minutes. :-)

-Babka

I don't have a toaster oven but I have had a Sharp Microwave that also has a convection oven for about 10years now. I really love it because I can make small portions of food in the oven when I don't want to make large portions. I reheat pizza, meats and other items in the microwave without a problem. I also bake bread in it without a problem. I had a bad experience with a fire started by a toaster oven in our home when I was a child and I guess that soured me to them. I found another option that works well. I also have a separate toaster.

Good luck!

Charlikin, Thanks for the pic. Wish it has more SS and a little smaller. I do like the styling and the price!
I am a type 2 diabetic. I could not swore off carb completely and so uses the toaster oven for that 1/2 bagel in the morning and the left over pizza slices.
In the picture is a closer look of my old white B&D TO, formerly stained and dirty. I cleaned it up before putting it back on the new counter lol :). Seem I cannot find a product to my liking. Another GW thread discussed painting appliances such as refrigerator,range and DW. Now I'm thinking about spray painting the TO's white part to SS. Whaddaya think? Sorry for being so OT.
Also, you can see the TO is under the MW and uses the same plug. We were surprised one day when the circuit got tripped. Turned out it was because the MW and TO were in use at the same time. We did not know any better and did not plan the electric circuit design well in the remodel. So now have to use one appliance or the other , but not both at the same time.

I can't believe I logged off without wishing everybody Merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays to my GW friends!!!

Off to cook shrimp scampi in my new kitchen for the family get together.

I want to expand a tiny bit on a tangent on something that Homepro mentioned: fire. These small ovens are rarely insulated, and the exterior gets really REALLY HOT! Please think about that when figuring out a space for them. They need lots of room around them for proper cooling so they won't be a fire hazard. I ended up being the KD to a client whose remodel was prompted by a kitchen fire started by a toaster oven on a "pull out" shelf in their pantry. So, when planning for a spot for your small countertop oven, just remember to make it a SAFE spot!

Right now, our big oven is dead, so I'm using a B&D countertop oven (12-in. pizza capacity)for everything -- including Xmas dinner. It's not too big, not too ugly, and works great.

Only concern I have, and would probably apply to other countertop ovens, is the heat output. I placed it on counter with upper cabinets above, and I do wonder if it's drying out spices in cabinet above.

I've had one of those Cuisinart Convection Toaster Ovens in my basement for 3 years now and only used it a half dozen times. I had always heard how convenient they are, and thought I'd give it a try but could not get into the groove with it. I missed the available counter space it ate up more, so off to the basement it went. We're about to start a clean out project in our basement and I'm almost positive it will be in one of the many big boxes we plan on taking to the Salvation Army...
:c(

We don't use a toaster oven-- if I need to make toast, I generally use the broiler. When we redo the kitchen, though, I will have room to store the toaster in the same place where I intend to keep my rice cooker, ice-cream machine, and other appliances I use between 1-7 times/week.

rhome, I hope I didn't offend you when I went off about my "healthy diet". I guess I've been on the forum long enough to see these threads in relation to chicken nuggets and french fries too. Good to know that others are just using it as a mini-oven. Maybe the reason I don't have one is because of the Nesco oven I've had so long and use so much. Also, I'm too cheap to buy another appliance that does the same thing. Although it would be nice to use the smaller broiling element.

Budgeteer, I see you are type 2! We are not supposed to swear off all carbs, ya know, just limit them and understand how they make your blood sugar react. Good luck on the journey. As someone who has been living with the condition for over forty years it makes me sad when I hear of people "suffering" with diabetes. In fact, we learn to live with diabetes and we can become so much the healthier for it. Sorry to be OT, but I had to remark and wish you the best.

My small B&D toaster oven, a 4C coffee and 12 C coffee Mr. Coffee all sit in a row on my counter. I have to pull each item forward when in use as my upper cabs are only 15 inches above.

When my older B&D died, I purchased a newer one only to find the height issue others have mentioned, so back to the store with that one. Looked in my budget book for where I got the old one - Sears - and snatched it right up.

Placement is really about how you live and use your various small appliances. I use all 3 items daily so can't see putting them away. They are just a fact of life. Plus they are right by the refrigerator (for milk), breadbox (toast) cabinet that has coffee grinds, drawer for knives, spoons, and sink for water. It is a mini triangle.

When I tried having the refrig on the opposite wall, I hated it because of not having these essential items all within arms reach.

Everyone has their own concept and inner soul as to how they want their kitchen to 'look', even when it is just family.......I go for the practical for myself and everyone I know has a coffee pot and toaster oven on the counter.

Couldn't live without the toaster oven! The microwave is hidden in the pantry, but the toaster oven is like having a second oven. Instead of heating up the one in the range, I opt to use the TO. I roast veggies in it, bake casserole dishes, toast English muffins, etc.

I was sooooo sick of mine used during our year long remodel that I gave it to my son for his apartment. I have not missed it yet. But now there are only 2 of us as our three children live on on their own. I do a lot of cooktop cooking as well as grilling and have come to love my Cuisinart toaster hidden behind an appliance door with my kitchenaid

I have a toaster oven I love, the Panasonic NB-G100P-S Flash Express Infrared Toaster Oven, which toasts / bakes very evenly and at least 30-40% faster, so it definitely will live on our counter (along with our rice cooker).

(Aside: Amazon has >200 almost-all rave reviews. I'd recommend it highly, except that it's no longer made. Can be sometimes bought from Amazon merchants or on Ebay).

However I do wonder what is a SAFE spot, as emphasized by live_wire_oak. In our rental we have 18" to the upper cabinets, and the planned new kitchen will have 15", so I will need to check whether that'll be enough vertical clearance. .... Perhaps it is also another argument for installing an auxiliary under-cabinet exhaust fan I'd just posted a query about (for that rice cooker), and place the toaster near this exhaust. Or perhaps we should plan on 16"?