Toaster ovens

[Imp]

Here's mine: http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BOV800XL-1800-Watt-Convection-Toaster/dp/B001L5TVGW

It was a wedding gift but after using it I wish I bought one much sooner.

I wanted that one but don't want the non-stick interior. Idea of baking Teflon at 450 F for 30+ minutes at a time doesn't seem right.

 

[JulesMaximus]

You guys and your useless kitchen devices... Guess none of you have a wife and kids.

 

[Muse]

I've known this for a a while, one of the nicest guys here and knows his stuff especially kitchen gadgets :thumbsup:

Here's the post that sold me on Kaido a couple weeks ago

 

[Muse]

You guys and your useless kitchen devices... Guess none of you have a wife and kids.

If you have a wife and kids and no kitchen devices it seems to me you are having some serious difficulties.

I wanted that one but don't want the non-stick interior. Idea of baking Teflon at 450 F for 30+ minutes at a time doesn't seem right.

I've had a stove-top griddle for many years. It has a non-stick coating, the nature of which isn't apparent when looking at the bottom any more. I've used this thing over a maximum gas flame very likely over 5000 times, sometimes accidently for a number of minutes with nothing on the pan. IOW, that non-stick coating has been given the trial-by-fire maximally, likely to temperatures over 700 F. I have detected no deterioration whatsoever and never smelled anything. Likely a non-stick coating inside a toaster oven is not going to deteriorate based on my experience.

 

[John Connor]

They're good for bagel dogs and cold pizza. I hate cold pizza!

 

[Muse]

They're good for bagel dogs and cold pizza. I hate cold pizza!

Ah, so there's an idea. I keep corn dogs in the freezer. I suppose I could defrost a corn dog (leave it out or MW it for 1/2 a minute), and finish it up in the toaster oven. I have just been MWing them...

 

[dullard]

The counter will have this configuration:

Toaster Oven//Bread maker//Toaster//Blender//Microwave//301CD player

Kick your life up a notch:
1) Bake your bread in the oven. Use the bread maker for kneeding it but actually bake it in the oven. You can make any shape, add decorative cuts, add butter / toppings, etc. None of those work in a bread machine with the wrong shaped loafs and a giant hole for the mixer.

2) Rip the 301 CDs to MP3s. Put them on a USB drive. And then use an MP3 player. Probably would take up 1/4th the room and be more convenient. Plus, you are then ready to listen to the 301 CDs in your car, on your phone, on your TV, or whatever you want wherever you are.

 

[Imp]

I've had a stove-top griddle for many years. It has a non-stick coating, the nature of which isn't apparent when looking at the bottom any more. I've used this thing over a maximum gas flame very likely over 5000 times, sometimes accidently for a number of minutes with nothing on the pan. IOW, that non-stick coating has been given the trial-by-fire maximally, likely to temperatures over 700 F. I have detected no deterioration whatsoever and never smelled anything. Likely a non-stick coating inside a toaster oven is not going to deteriorate based on my experience.

Very likely, it's been designed and tested to work and not deteriorate on a visually apparent level.

However, I'm trying to phase non-stick (plastic based) cookware out of my life. I still use non-stick for eggs on medium heat with a ventilation fan going, but that's it. Too many cases where I live with people turning on the wrong burner, leaving the room, and not noticing until there's a smell. That stuff may even be off-gassing toxic shit during normal use. The alternative is that I use stainless steel plus a bit of oil, so it's generally not a big deal.

And yes, I do worry too much!

 

[Muse]

Very likely, it's been designed and tested to work and not deteriorate on a visually apparent level.

However, I'm trying to phase non-stick (plastic based) cookware out of my life. I still use non-stick for eggs on medium heat with a ventilation fan going, but that's it. Too many cases where I live with people turning on the wrong burner, leaving the room, and not noticing until there's a smell. That stuff may even be off-gassing toxic shit during normal use. The alternative is that I use stainless steel plus a bit of oil, so it's generally not a big deal.

And yes, I do worry too much!

The only thing I use non-stick coating for is when I toast up a tortilla, usually for a burrito, occasionally for a tortilla-pizza:

To fry an egg and all other frying I use cast iron. I have a cast iron griddle that has a handle and 3 sizes of cast iron frying pans. They kind of self-season, I don't normally "wash" them. They don't get weird looking like "stainless" steel, don't require the work that stainless needs to keep looking nice and shiny. I do use stainless pans of many sizes, but not for frying.

Cast iron has wonderful heat retention/distribution properties because of the high heat capacity of a thick slab of iron. Takes longer to get hot but once hot, it doesn't cool as fast as a thin layer of stainless steel when in contact with whatever.

 

[Imp]

To fry an egg and all other frying I use cast iron. I have a cast iron griddle that has a handle and 3 sizes of cast iron frying pans. They kind of self-season, I don't normally "wash" them. They don't get weird looking like "stainless" steel, don't require the work that stainless needs to keep looking nice and shiny. I do use stainless pans of many sizes, but not for frying.

Cast iron has wonderful heat retention/distribution properties because of the high heat capacity of a thick slab of iron. Takes longer to get hot but once hot, it doesn't cool as fast as a thin layer of stainless steel when in contact with whatever.

I bought a cast iron a couple years ago but never really bothered to use it. Everyone tells me it's amazing for everything. I should take the time to try it.

Only thing that bugs me is that you're not supposed to wash it, just essentially wipe it down and brush it off -- we washed it each time we did use it. Cooking on top of old grease and bits of old food seems weird to me.

 

[Muse]

Kick your life up a notch:
1) Bake your bread in the oven. Use the bread maker for kneeding it but actually bake it in the oven. You can make any shape, add decorative cuts, add butter / toppings, etc. None of those work in a bread machine with the wrong shaped loafs and a giant hole for the mixer.

2) Rip the 301 CDs to MP3s. Put them on a USB drive. And then use an MP3 player. Probably would take up 1/4th the room and be more convenient. Plus, you are then ready to listen to the 301 CDs in your car, on your phone, on your TV, or whatever you want wherever you are.

I used to bake my bread in my gas oven. I haven't done that since I got a bread machine. I don't know that an oven does a better job. I don't really care about the shape. My loaves come out nice enough, I rarely make other than my rye-whole wheat bread, have it down to a science. I set a timer and pull out the paddle just before the last rise begins, the result is that the hole in the loaf is just from the paddle's spindle, and is a minor thing.

If I make pizza now, I prepare the dough in the bread machine then proceed as before, using the oven.

I am going to rip CDs, not sure what format, maybe to FLAC to begin with. There is a convenience factor, but not sure how that can pan out. With a CD player I can skip to any track in a second. My CDs and players support CD Text, so I can see track titles, artist, CD title. I don't know if I can get that convenience with digital files. Obviously, theoretically (and maybe practically), that's totally possible, but I don't know how to do it. There are all those tags, and I suppose each track on a CD can be a separate file and any kind of info can be accessed. Presumably, a software could aggregate the tracks of a CD by Album (and other things, such as Artist). This kind of stuff could obviously be supported by some software on a PC. It could be done on a portable device, too. Whether that stuff is available, how and at what price I have no idea!

 

[Muse]

I bought a cast iron a couple years ago but never really bothered to use it. Everyone tells me it's amazing for everything. I should take the time to try it.

Only thing that bugs me is that you're not supposed to wash it, just essentially wipe it down and brush it off -- we washed it each time we did use it. Cooking on top of old grease and bits of old food seems weird to me.

Eh, I just ignore it. I use my main frying pan, really, daily, so I'm not concerned about bacteria thriving on it at all. That pan is 12", edge to edge, it fell one day and the handle broke. Ouch! Well, I didn't throw it out, instead I fashioned a jury-rigged handle which is wrapped with an old bicycle inner tube! The result is that I don't have to use a pot holder when handling the pan during and immediately after use. I suppose a person could create a kind of permanent potholder/handle on a cast iron frying pan and achieve the same thing.

 

[sdifox]

Anyone mention Panasonic yet? :awe:

 

[John Connor]

Ah, so there's an idea. I keep corn dogs in the freezer. I suppose I could defrost a corn dog (leave it out or MW it for 1/2 a minute), and finish it up in the toaster oven. I have just been MWing them...

I love me a good corn dog! I've been into the State Fair brand lately. No fillers and all beef apparently. That's what I buy anymore. The only hot dog I'll eat is a Hebrew National.

Fun fact #411

My mom worked at a gourmet distributor in California that sold food to such places as Schatzi on Main owned by Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Academy Awards. Boy! Let me tell you that food is rich. One small sliver of chocolate cake is all you need! Anyway... she learned that apparently Hebrew National hot dogs are blessed. HAHAHA No shit!

 

[MongGrel]

Here's the post that sold me on Kaido a couple weeks ago

I've been stuck on 18 awhile now.

Hopefully that will change.

 

[Muse]

I love me a good corn dog! I've been into the State Fair brand lately. No fillers and all beef apparently. That's what I buy anymore. The only hot dog I'll eat is a Hebrew National.

Fun fact #411

My mom worked at a gourmet distributor in California that sold food to such places as Schatzi on Main owned by Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Academy Awards. Boy! Let me tell you that food is rich. One small sliver of chocolate cake is all you need! Anyway... she learned that apparently Hebrew National hot dogs are blessed. HAHAHA No shit!

Well, they're kosher, if that's what she means. I used to buy them (they do taste good!) but nowadays I won't because the fat content is something like 70%, IIRC, not really different from other hot dogs. Still, I allow myself one corn dog a week (on weekends after a workout, along with my killer potato salad and a banana-nut sundae). The corn dogs I've been getting are Foster Farms, made from chicken, they sell them at Costco. I like 'em. I was getting them at Foster Freeze but figured out they're probably selling the same Foster Farms corn dogs. Hey, it now occurs to me that they may be affiliated! Foster Freeze <--> Foster Farms, I hadn't made that connection, but I asked them and they told me they just take them out of the freezer there, they don't prepare them from batter, and they are chicken dogs.

Anyone mention Panasonic yet? :awe:

There is a link early on in this thread to a Panasonic for sale at Amazon.

 

[Muse]

Anyone mention Panasonic yet? :awe:

You guys have me thinking maybe I should put this one out on the curb where I found it and buy a (probably) Panasonic (recommendations?). This Philips lacks the pan/crumb collector/grease collector at the bottom. Also, it perplexedly doesn't turn on the top coil when toasting. It does turn on both when baking. Seems pretty ill-designed. The instructions' English is rather hacked and understated too, never a good sign.

Edit: I bought the Panasonic NB-G110PW FlashXpress Toaster Oven, White

 

[Muse]

I use my toaster oven a lot more than my main oven. It heats up faster than on oven. It heats up food better than microwave. It toasts better (although slower) than a standard toaster.

Received my new Panasonic NB-G110PW FlashXpress Toaster Oven a couple days ago, unpacked it yesterday and read the instructions and this morning turned it on for the first time, made a couple pieces of toast. Takes about the same time as my Philips toaster (a little over 3 minutes for my homemade whole wheat & rye bread).

Don't know how much I'm going to use this, not even sure I'll get rid of my current toaster, although it doesn't do a great job on toast, will see. I just don't reheat pizza, don't make a lot of the stuff a toaster oven is good for. I'll find uses for it for sure, though. But I use my microwave many times every day. I reheat a cup of coffee, leftovers, cook potatoes in it, heat up refrigerated soup, warm refrigerated fruit, the list goes on and on. Most of those things couldn't be done as well or nearly as fast in a toaster oven.

 

[sdifox]

There is a link early on in this thread to a Panasonic for sale at Amazon.

I guess you missed ":awe:" in my post.

 

[Kaido]

I've been stuck on 18 awhile now.

Hopefully that will change.

I just finished my Associate's Degree. It took me 14 years. The great thing about America is that late bloomers can still succeed :thumbsup:

 

[Kaido]

Received my new Panasonic NB-G110PW FlashXpress Toaster Oven a couple days ago, unpacked it yesterday and read the instructions and this morning turned it on for the first time, made a couple pieces of toast. Takes about the same time as my Philips toaster (a little over 3 minutes for my homemade whole wheat & rye bread).

Don't know how much I'm going to use this, not even sure I'll get rid of my current toaster, although it doesn't do a great job on toast, will see. I just don't reheat pizza, don't make a lot of the stuff a toaster oven is good for. I'll find uses for it for sure, though. But I use my microwave many times every day. I reheat a cup of coffee, leftovers, cook potatoes in it, heat up refrigerated soup, warm refrigerated fruit, the list goes on and on. Most of those things couldn't be done as well or nearly as fast in a toaster oven.

I use mine for Quiznos-style toasted sandwiches, especially for when you need to melt cheese. The microwave tends to make the bread rubbery. Quesadillas are pretty easy too. Hot food = happiness :wub:

 

[sdifox]

I use mine for Quiznos-style toasted sandwiches, especially for when you need to melt cheese. The microwave tends to make the bread rubbery. Quesadillas are pretty easy too. Hot food = happiness :wub:

nachos will be good in toaster oven. you can make light cheesecake in it as well.

 

[Kaido]

nachos will be good in toaster oven. you can make light cheesecake in it as well.

Dang, forgot about nachos!

 

[Muse]

I guess you missed ":awe:" in my post.

No, saw it, don't know what you think that adds to the info, obviously it's something other than what I figured. :\

 

[SlitheryDee]

I have a toaster oven somewhere, but I never use it. I'm not really sure what I would cook with it honestly. I see a lot of suggestions in this thread, but none of it is anything I typically eat.

My most used cooking appliance by far is a George Foreman rotisserie (this one) my mom gave me like 10 years ago. Nearly everything I would want to eat besides steak and hamburgers comes out better in that thing. I've probably cooked a metric ton of pork loin in it alone. It's not fast, but if I come home from work and throw something in it right then it's usually ready shortly after I finish working out anyway, so the timing is pretty good.