Food Talk  Discussion Forum

Hi,
I know that this is not the right question in the vegeterian food discussion section, but I thought that this section was the closest in relevance to post my question.

I am new to the U.S. and have recently got a toaster oven as a gift from a friend.

Can anyone tell me how useful would a toaster oven be for cooking etc? I know u can make waffles, heat up pizza, roast peanuts in the toaster oven.

Can anyone tell me what else can it be used for?
(I would like to know the usefulness of a toaster oven for both Indian and American cooking needs)

Thanks a lot!
Pavs replied. Hi
Stuffed capsicum really comes up great in toaster oven. Kevin replied. wow, hema, good question.

you may find the toaster oven to be a very useful item. i know i rely on mine quite a bit.

first off, like the name implies, it is excellent for toasting bread. americans toast their bread a lot for eating at breakfast. sometimes also for making sandwiches. that, i would say, is the main thing that my toaster oven is used for.

the second thing i use it for is for reheating things that the microwave would destroy the texture. an example of this is something that has a pie crust on it or phyllo dough or other type of breaded crust that the microwave would just turn to goo or rubber. the advantage of the toaster oven over the main oven is that it heats up faster, is more economical to use because it is smaller, does not heat up the kitchen nearly as much as the main oven (especially good in the summertime), and is just the right size for 1 to 2 servings of leftovers.

when you make toast in it, do not use the tray with the grate. when you heat up leftovers, do use the tray with the grate. i usually line the tray with aluminum foil for easier clean-ups. i sometimes cover the food w/aluminum foil, too, if i think it might splatter inside while cooking.

toaster ovens often come with little bread and cake recipes. i don't think that many people ever use them for those purposes. but they sure are handy to heat things that need to have a crisp texture.

good luck,
kevin