ovens

The oven that hides

Kitchens are a place of surprises. It is not uncommon to uncover an unfamiliar appliance or gadget and wonder exactly what it may be used for. Sometimes, however, it is even the familiar ones that leave us asking questions.

There is usually very little mystery surrounding the utility of the oven; even at its most basic level the concept is easy to grasp: turn it on, put food in, and take out cooked food. While how to cook food is a question worthy of asking, everyday equipment like an oven usually doesn't require much consideration. Assuming one can find … Read more

The little rotisserie that could

The area on the kitchen counter traditionally reserved for the toaster no longer has that reservation as it has been deservedly overtaken by more-productive toaster ovens. This is to be expected as heating up a slice of pizza in an upright toaster is clearly not a good idea. What is a good idea, though, is using the same area on the counter to cook rotisserie chicken.

Of course, trying to cook rotisserie chicken in a regular toaster oven isn't a very good idea either, but luckily there is a solution. The Wolfgang Puck Dual Convection Oven with Rotisserie & Baking Drawer … Read more

Frigidaire heats up with a toaster oven

The rapidity in which a toaster oven can provide a hot meal rivals that of a microwave oven. Considering that toaster ovens are much more versatile than microwave ovens, the countertop appliance may even have an edge in the convenience department. And it browns food, too, adding flavor where the microwave cannot.

The Frigidaire FPCO06D7MS Professional Convection Toaster Oven offers a quick-cooking option for fast and easy meal-making. Featuring four heating elements (two quartz and two halogen), the countertop appliance gives users control over how they prepare meals. An infrared heating feature allows for fast preheating and a reduction for … Read more

Countertop oven directs the heat

Firing up the oven in order to cook a meal isn't a particularly good way to beat the heat. However, along with resorting to cold meals on hot days, other methods of meal preparation have necessarily evolved. Sure, the microwave is a fast, go-to option for heating up a meal, but its limitations for developing flavor are well known. Since trying to brown food in the microwave isn't anywhere near effective, a more direct approach is needed. As in the direct heat supplied by a toaster oven.

Capable of so much more than toast, the Breville BOV450XL Mini … Read more

Toast in the blue

Blue enamel cookware is found in kitchen cabinets and camping gear everywhere. However, the distinctive style, while being common for cookware, is rarely seen in appliances. Blue being such an attractive color in the kitchen or otherwise, this oversight is finally being remedied in the form of a toaster oven.

The Viante CUC-04E True Blue Convection Toaster Oven dishes out with a blue enameled lining--and an interior light that stays on during the cooking process that may or may not make it appear as if you are heating up blue food. Rest assured, food cooked inside of the toaster oven … Read more

Let the oven remember the recipe

Learning how to cook requires a great deal of trial and error. Considering that our distant ancestors had to figure out what was even OK to eat, it's not too bad a deal. While an overcooked roast may not be the most delicious of meals, at least (chances are) it's not going to kill you. While all the heavy lifting may have been done long ago, on an individual basis it would be nice to be able to repeat successfully cooked meals. Practice makes perfect, as they say, but sometimes you get it right and don't know … Read more

A toaster oven with a new perspective

Kitchens can be finicky things. Certainly some recipes call for an exacting schedule of ingredients, but the environment in which they are made can also play a deciding factor. When it comes to getting the job done--and getting it done efficiently--there can be no better ally to have than counter space. But increasing your work area can require a creative approach.

The BrylaneHome 2-Tier Vertical Toaster Oven takes one of the most common kitchen appliances and orients it in a new direction. The double-decker toaster oven will not only turn bread into toast, but it is also capable of baking … Read more

Bisected oven does double duty

What would MacGyver do if he needed to bake a cake and slow-cook a roast at the same time? Well, one thing for sure is that it would involve some rubber bands and duct tape. Other than that, he would probably look to dividing up the oven cavity with some sort of makeshift contraption, allowing one half to heat at one temperature and the other half at another. The rubber bands and duct tape would come in when he realized that each cavity should have its own convection fan. Or, he could just use the Samsung FE710DRS Flex Oven, as … Read more

Cooking by touch screen

Every kitchen appliance manufacturer strives to make its products easy and convenient to use. On that note, hitting the European market this spring will be the iChef+ Oven Touch Control from Gorenje. The colorful touch-screen interface has multiple cooking modes designed to allow users to get the most out of their ovens.

From the main menu, users can select from a variety of different programs: SimpleBake, AutoBake, ProBake, MyBake, and Extra. Guided by colorful photographs, home cooks of every level can utilize the SimpleBake feature and choose their cooking time and temperature from a menu of photographs representing preprogrammed cooking … Read more

Toaster oven rolls into hot dog territory

Toaster ovens are fantastic machines that are capable of cooking practically anything. Like a magic box, food of all shapes and sizes gets put in to it, becoming fully cooked and ready to eat when removed. Recent years have seen toaster ovens advance into secondary oven territory, with new features and designs allowing for the countertop appliances to be used to cook everything from 12-inch pizzas to fried eggs. It is now entirely possible to bypass the large oven and create full homemade meals by using just the one appliance. Of course, when shopping for one it doesn't hurt … Read more