Toaster ovens are small electric kitchen appliances intended for heating and cooking food as well as for toasting bread. Newer models can also be used for defrosting and broiling certain food. And with the convection types, this could be done in a matter of minutes. This is because their fans circulate heated air within the oven thus evenly distributing heat, and eliminating the layer of air insulating the food.

Pizza and all types of pasta can be heated or reheated in toaster ovens. So can croissants, bagels, and French bread. Simple food preparations can be cooked in them, such as eggs and hotdogs. In contrast to microwaves, toasters are more suited for dry cooking. You can use them to bake, convection bake, or broil your food.

One advantage of toaster ovens over their full-sized brethren is that they are more energy-efficient, using only 25% of the latter’s energy consumption. However, if you plan on using it more often, you may need to get a new cook book for recipes well-suited to toaster ovens.

Among the more popular brands of this kind of ovens are the Cuisinart Convection Toaster Ovens. Cuisinart has at least two models of these, the TOB-195 and TOB-60. Both of these have a .60 cubic foot capacity.