I rarely cook a meal without using my toaster oven. No longer do I have do set the dials for a full size oven and wait, and wait for it to heat. The convenience and economy of using a toaster oven is impressive.
The toaster oven is wonderful for people on the go. You can pop in a sandwich or a frozen entrée and be eating in minutes. It is not as fast as a microwave oven but the results are so much better. You cannot get the crispiness from a microwave that you can get in the toaster oven.
I love to make casseroles as main dishes and the toaster oven is perfect for cooking them. So that when I come home from work at night I can prepare a casserole, add a salad and have a full meal, in less than an hour.
I love to bake desserts and that is also possible with the toaster oven. I can mix up a batch of brownies and have them ready to eat when I finish my casserole and salad. You can bake pies, cakes or cookies in your toaster oven
There are some differences in toaster ovens. Some are made with slots on the top to use as a traditional toaster. Or you can toast inside the baking compartment. Just select toast and set it dark or light whichever is your preference.
Toaster ovens will vary slightly in size, and some have a higher wattage, the higher the watt the faster it cooks, but it uses slightly more energy with the higher wattage. You can purchase toaster oven with 1200 watts up to 1800 watts.
The toaster oven will be the most convenient item on your counter and it is also possible to buy an under cabinet model which leaves your counter top free for other things.
This is one of my favorite recipes
Southwest Beef Casserole
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 med. onion, chopped
1 C. chopped tomatoes or
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/3 C. chile sauce
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
12 corn tortillas, cut into quarters.
1/2 C. red taco sauce
3 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 C. sour cream
2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped
spinach, thawed and well drained
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large pan brown the beef. Pour off any fat and remove beef; set aside.
Add oil to skillet and sauté the onion until limp and golden. Return beef to pan then add tomatoes, chili sauce, salt and pepper. Dip tortilla quarters into taco sauce, covering both sides. Cover bottom of a buttered 3-qt. casserole with half the tortilla pieces, slightly overlapping. Spread beef mixture over tortillas. Sprinkle beef with 1 1/2 C. of the cheese. Layer remaining tortilla pieces on top and spread with sour cream. Sprinkle on the spinach and top with remaining cheese. Bake, covered, for 30 min., uncovering for the last 15 min.
Thank you for visiting us. We have a large selection of toaster ovens for all your cooking needs. If you have any questions or suggestions for toaster oven recipes, let us know.
