1. Toaster ovens are ideal for cooking small quantities of food. They preheat quickly and are capable of toasting both sides of a slice of bread simultaneously.
2. Toaster ovens are available in many colors and styles to coordinate with your kitchen. They tend to be relatively bulky, so make sure you have the counter space to spare.
3. Toaster ovens are useful as a second oven or in place of a large oven to reduce energy consumption. They are especially useful in office break rooms or dorms where regular ovens are not available.
4. A regular toaster oven is used for toast or warming bread or food. Convection toaster ovens are more energy efficient than conventional ovens, but are equally useful in baking smaller pieces of chicken, small pizzas, or even a small cake.
5. A good toaster oven should have a "keep warm" function. This is handy for keeping your food warm if you are unable to remove it when it's done.
6. Some toaster oven models provide two shelves for baking. Heat distribution may not be even between these shelves, so it's a good idea to keep an eye on cooking food.
7. Other toaster oven features may include a defrost cycle, reheat function, timer, toast shade settings, and auto shut-off when the oven door is opened.
8. Convection toaster ovens use a stream of power-driven air produced by a high-speed fan that swirls continuously over a standard heating element, resulting in uniform temperature throughout the oven.
9. The uniform heat of convection toaster ovens speeds cooking time, allowing foods to cook more quickly and at lower temperatures, saving up to 50% of the energy used by conventional ovens.
10. Most convection ovens have removable, dishwasher-safe components, or continuous clean interiors. Some models even offer both.
