Are you fed up with toast that doesn’t brown right or food that takes too long to heat up? When you want the best cooking tool, deciding between a toaster and a toaster oven can take time. The pros and cons of each are different.
Which one is best for you and your cooking style? Read our in-depth Toaster vs Toaster Oven review to help you make a decision that will solve your cooking gadget problem for good.
Key Takeaways
Toaster
- Size and Design: compact and slot-based design for bread slices.
- Functionality: Primarily toasts bread quickly and evenly.
- Cooking Versatility: Limited to toasting bread and bagels.
- Energy Efficiency: More energy-efficient for toasting bread due to shorter operation time.
- Toast Quality: Provides quick and consistent browning.
- Convenience and Space: Requires less counter space and is easier to store.
- Cleaning and Maintenance: Easier to clean with removable crumb trays.
- Cost: Generally less expensive.
Toaster Oven
- Size and Design: Larger with a mini-oven design, suitable for various food items.
- Functionality: Can toast, bake, broil, and sometimes air fry.
- Cooking Versatility: Capable of cooking a wider range of foods including pizzas, cookies, and reheating leftovers.
- Energy Efficiency: Uses more energy for toasting but is more efficient for small baking and cooking tasks compared to a full-sized oven.
- Toast Quality: Takes longer but can toast larger and thicker bread slices more evenly.
- Convenience and Space: Takes up more space but offers greater cooking flexibility.
- Cleaning and Maintenance: Requires more maintenance due to its larger size and multiple cooking functions.
- Cost: Higher initial cost but offers more cooking options.
What are the Differences Between Toaster and Toaster Oven?
A toaster is small and made to toast bread slices quickly and easily. It has slots for bread and usually has levels that can be changed to brown the bread. Because of its design, this machine always gives the same results and is excellent for kitchens with limited counter space. Toasters are great at their primary job: toasting bread. They do it quickly and easily without adding any extra features.
On the other hand, a toaster oven is more significant and can also be used as a mini-oven for more types of cooking. It has a door that opens to a baking area that can fit many foods that wouldn’t fit in a regular toaster. It’s more beneficial to have a toaster oven that can toast, bake, roast, and even air fry. Many types come with advanced features like air frying and convection cooking, making them more useful.
Because of this, toaster ovens are valuable additions to kitchens that need a device for many different kinds of cooking. A toaster is only suitable for quickly and easily toasting bread. On the other hand, a toaster oven can bake small batches of food and reheat leftovers, making it a more complete cooking appliance.
Best Toaster: GE 2 Slice Stainless Steel Toaster
- 7 SHADE SETTINGS: Enjoy a variety of toast options thanks to multiple shade adjustability that delivers 7 shades of doneness from lightest to darkest, satisfying everyone’s preferences
- EXTRA WIDE TOASTER SLOTS: Accommodate various types of breads, pastries, waffles and bagels with wide slots that measure 1.38″ x 5.50″
The GE 2-Slice Stainless Steel Toaster is an excellent choice for anyone wanting a reliable one. With dimensions of 6.88″D x 11.18″ W x 7.64″H, this tiny gadget will fit nicely on any counter without taking up too much room. Its sleek stainless steel design not only makes it look modern, but it also goes well with most kitchen tools.
One of its best features is that it has seven shade choices that you can change to get the toast done to your liking, ranging from light to dark. The toaster also has extra-wide slots (1.38″ x 5.50″) that can fit different kinds of bread, bagels, and waffles. Because it can be used in many ways, it’s great for various breakfast foods.
The GE toaster does a great job of toasting bread evenly because its heating element works well and gives regular results. It also has LED buttons that light up, making it easy to see and change settings. The crumb tray can be removed and cleaned easily, so your toaster stays clean and free of crumbs.
This toaster’s 850 watts make it strong enough to toast everything you need while being energy-efficient. Customer reviews praise how easy it is to use, how good it is for the money, and how well it controls the temperature. This toaster is an excellent purchase for anyone who wants to improve their kitchen with a reliable and valuable tool.
Best Toaster Oven: Hamilton Beach Easy Reach 4-Slice Countertop Toaster Oven
- EASY ACCESS TO FOOD AND COUNTERTOP: Easily access food in the toaster oven broiler and on your countertop with the Easy Reach roll-top door.
- FITS 4 SLICES OF TOAST OR A 9″ PIZZA: This Hamilton Beach toaster oven has room for cooking everything from snacks to side dishes.
If you need a machine that can do many things, it’s best to get the Hamilton Beach countertop toaster oven. It’s 16.12″W x 8.97″D x 11.93″H, so it should fit on most tables.
The Easy Reach roll-top door is one of the best parts. Getting to the food is easy because the door stays out of the way if something spills. The door is easy to clean because of how it’s made. You can take each part off and wash it on its own. It’s great for making quick meals and snacks because it can hold up to four slices of toast or a 9-inch pizza.
This toaster oven can bake, cook, or toast at 200°F to 450°F. It can also be used daily to toast bread, grill chicken, and heat leftovers. The ovens turn off themselves for safety and have a 30-minute timer with a “Stay On” setting.
This toaster oven cooks food quickly and evenly thanks to its 1200 watts of power. It’s great for the kitchen because it’s easy to clean, use, and keep.
Toaster vs Toaster Oven: Frequently Asked Questions
Which Appliance Toasts Bread Better: a Toaster or a Toaster Oven?
A classic toaster performs better than a toaster oven for speed and evenness. Designed especially for toasting bread, toasters offer consistent browning in a short time. The slots they utilize guarantee equal heat on both sides of the bread, so they produce consistent toasting. For this particular chore, their design increases their efficiency.
By contrast, toaster ovens might offer a different degree of evenness and toast bread more slowly. They are less specialized for toasting bread than conventional toasters are, even if they provide flexibility with other cooking purposes.
A classic toaster is the finest option for the best toast efficiency and quality.
Are Toaster Ovens Worth the Extra Counter Space?
Toaster ovens are well worth the additional counter space if you wish to be flexible in your cooking. Their several uses—baking, broiling, toasting, and reheating—make them more flexible than conventional toasters. This multifunctionality adds convenience and helps to save general kitchen space by substituting multiple appliances.
The extra functionalities of a toaster oven—cooking small meals or warming leftovers—can help small kitchens or those with limited counter space justify its bigger footprint. But if your primary purpose is to toast bread quickly, a classic toaster could be a more appropriate and space-saving choice. Analyze your cooking style and kitchen layout to see if the additional toaster oven capability fits your demands.
Is a Toaster Oven More Energy-Efficient than a Traditional Toaster?
A classic toaster uses less energy than a toaster oven for toasting bread. Toasters use less energy because they toast bread fast and have a smaller heating area. Their brief operation and low energy usage are a result of their design, especially for toasting.
Because of their bigger size and longer heating durations, toaster ovens consume more energy for toasting. Still, they are more energy-efficient for minor baking and reheating chores than full-sized ovens. A classic toaster is the most energy-efficient option for toasting bread alone. Though it uses more energy for toasting, a toaster oven provides more flexibility for various cooking jobs.
Does a Toaster Oven Replace a Toaster?
Though it depends on your requirements, a toaster oven can replace a toaster. Beyond only toasting bread, toaster ovens provide more flexibility with tasks, including baking, broiling, and reheating. They can handle thicker and bigger objects that might not fit in a standard toaster.
However, classic toasters shine in terms of speed and even bread toasting. Their design and concentrated usefulness help them be more effective for this particular work. A classic toaster is excellent if your primary requirement is consistent and quick toasting. If you require multifunctionality, a toaster oven provides more cooking choices than other appliances. Analyze your cooking demands to choose the appliance most appropriate for them.
Can a Toaster Oven Replace Other Kitchen Appliances?
A toaster oven can replace many kitchen appliances and offers flexibility for different culinary jobs. It can be a mini-oven that handles baking, broiling, and toasting. Many models also have air fryers and dehydrating features, so I suggest substituting another air fryer and dehydrator.
A toaster oven can substitute a full-sized oven for small meals and snacks, lowering cooking times and energy usage. It’s also more effective than a microwave in reheating leftovers. However, it might only partially replace appliances like a microwave for quick heating or a regular oven for big dinners.
A toaster oven can replace multiple kitchen appliances, increasing flexibility and efficiency for different cooking requirements. Analyze your particular needs to determine whether they fit your kitchen.
Is it Better to Have a Toaster or a Toaster Oven?
Your needs will determine whether you have a toaster or a toaster oven you need. A classic toaster is better if you need regular, rapid, effective toasting bread and bagels. This particular chore comes with less counter space and is more energy-efficient.
Still, a toaster oven gives more adaptability. It fits a greater spectrum of cooking chores since it can bake, broil, toast, and even air fry. A toaster oven option is available if you bake tiny goods, routinely reheat leftovers, or require another cooking tool.
Analyze your cooking style, current kitchen layout, and particular demands to choose which equipment best fits you. For specific toasting, pick a toaster. Choose a toaster oven for versatile cooking.
Can You Use a Toaster Oven Like a Toaster?
Yes, you could treat a toaster oven as such. You can effectively toast bread, bagels, and other products using a toaster oven. Its toasting feature lets you choose the browning amount and get effects similar to those of a conventional toaster.
Toaster ovens toast bread more slowly than standard toasters because of their greater size and longer preheating times. They benefit from toasting more oversized or irregularly shaped objects that might not fit a standard toaster. Although they have other cooking uses, they might need to be quicker and more effective for straightforward toasting chores than a conventional toaster.
A toaster oven is an excellent option for adaptability; nevertheless, a classic toaster is better for speed and efficiency in toasting.
