Can You Use Aluminum Foil in a Toaster Oven

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The Spruce Eats / Chloe Jeong

If you lot think toaster ovens are only good for heating more slices of staff of life than a pop-upwards toaster can handle, yous probably don't own a toaster oven–yet. Once you realize today's toaster ovens are versatile enough to give your big oven a run for its money, you may wonder how you ever managed without one.

"I would cull an electric fan countertop oven over a regular-size gas oven any day," says Rachel Khoo, chef, author, and host of the BBC's "The Little Paris Kitchen," in which she cooked using simply a countertop oven. "If you lot're brusque of infinite, it's well worth the investment."

Toaster ovens tin exist used for so much more than than just toast and to brownish bagels. They can also be used to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies, roast vegetables, heat frozen snacks, broil meat and seafood, broil a whole chicken, and melt cheese on mini pizzas or open-faced sandwiches.

Many toaster ovens now offering multiple cooking functions, like convection baking and air frying, and most are more energy-efficient than a standard oven, which can assist cut costs and keep the kitchen cooler during hot summer months. We've researched and reviewed acme models to compile our favorites with versatility and multi-functionality in heed.

Here are the best toaster ovens on the market.

Our Top Picks

The spacious interior can fit a nine 10 thirteen-inch casserole with cooking presets for bake, convection broil, broil, toast, pizza, defrost, and warm.

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If you have the space, this roomy air fryer toaster oven can fit upwards to six slices of toast, iii pounds of chicken wings, or a 12-inch pizza.

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This extra-roomy oven has thirteen cooking functions, including dehydrate and air-fry, and comes with several blistering pans and racks.

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This smart oven has several cooking functions and the capability to cook foods that demand different temperatures on the same tray.

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Our tester found this "scary smart" oven tin can tell the difference between an English language muffin and a burger bun.

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A budget-friendly oven with a meaty design, customers capeesh this model for existence intuitive and unproblematic to operate.

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This affordable convection model has an extra-deep oven designed to fit 12-inch pizzas, whole chickens, and goulash dishes.

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This model may exist meaty, merely its interior is spacious enough to concord four slices of toast, a 12-inch frozen pizza, or half-dozen-cup muffin pan.

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What We Like

• Spacious

• Diverse cooking options

• Built-in low-cal

What We Don't Similar

• Peak gets hot when in utilize

This oven will toast six slices of bread or cook a 12-inch frozen pizza, whole craven, or pan of brownies. There is only one rack, but there are two rack positions, and so you tin can fit taller foods or pans. While this is rated to concord a 9 x 13-inch pan, information technology has to be i without handles. A straight-sided metal blistering pan will fit no problem; your 9 10 13-inch Pyrex dish volition exist too long.

Many customers rave nearly the toaster oven'south versatility. Preset cooking functions include bake, convection bake, broil, toast, pizza, defrost, and warm. The functions offer a suggested fourth dimension and temperature, but you can accommodate both for your recipe. For the toast office, you can set it for light through nighttime toasting.

At that place'due south an internal calorie-free so you tin check the progress of the food as information technology cooks, which some customers say they've rarely establish in other toaster ovens.

Watts: 1300 | Capacity: Fits a 12-inch pizza or a straight-sided 9 x 13-inch pan | Dimensions: 12 x nineteen.5 x 13.five inches | Warranty: 1 twelvemonth

Expert Tip

It's always a adept thought to bank check the internal space of a toaster oven earlier buying, fifty-fifty if the footprint of the oven is generous. "It might look large from the outside, but sometimes the actual inside oven infinite tin be small," says Khoo. If the space is on the smaller side, be aware you might need specially sized trays, pans, and other bakeware.

What We Like

• Multi-functional

• Takes less counter space than a typical air fryer

• Cooks quickly

What Nosotros Don't Like

• Runs slightly hotter than prepare temperature

Air frying has become popular—in that location's no better way to cook mess-free crispy wings or murphy wedges—merely standalone air fryers take up valuable counter space. This air fryer toaster oven besides takes counter space, merely it does much more than than a typical air fryer, so it may merely be worthy of a permanent place in your kitchen.

This model is roomy plenty to handle upwardly to six slices of toast or air fry 3 pounds of chicken wings. When information technology's fourth dimension for dinner, there's fifty-fifty room for a standard frozen 12-inch pizza.

Most reviewers rank it highest for its versatility: It has settings for air fry, convection bake, convection broil, bake, bake, warm, and toast, so it's easy to broil muffins, cookies, or biscuits, or air fry chicken breasts for dinner.

You can find the Cuisinart in several finishes to match the rest of your kitchen appliances.

Watts: 1800 | Capacity: 0.half dozen cubic feet, fits a 12-inch pizza or 6 slices of bread | Dimensions: 15.5 x sixteen x 14 inches | Warranty: 3 years

What We Like

• Preheats and cooks apace

• Versatile

• Has dehydrate and air-fry functions

What We Don't Like

• Pricey

If you're looking for a toaster oven that tin can handle a lot at once, and you're willing to spend a little more, we recommend the Breville Smart Oven Air Convection Toaster Oven.

This glamorous appliance is chock-full of cutting-edge features, such as 13 different cooking functions (including a dehydrate function and air-fry function), two roomy oven racks, an enamel baking pan, a 13-inch nonstick pizza pan, and a broil rack.

You'll be able to fry, roast, bake, and toast all your nutrient to accented perfection with this appliance. It can toast upward to nine slices of staff of life or roast a xiv-pound turkey and can accommodate a 5-quart Dutch oven for slow-cooking a roast or batch of chili.

For gourmet chefs and serious foodies, this popular Breville toaster oven is certainly worth the splurge—online reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with hundreds of users reporting that this model "far exceeds" other toaster ovens.

Watts: 1800 | Capacity: 1 cubic foot, fits a thirteen-inch pizza or four slices of bread | Dimensions: 21.five ten 17.v ten 12.seven inches | Warranty: 2 years

What We Similar

• Cooks quickly

• Piece of cake to utilize

• Can cook diverse foods on same tray

What We Don't Like

• Requires a dedicated 20-amp circuit

The Brava Oven is a smart oven that tin can brand standard toast and also has programs to cook unlike types of food on one cooking tray. That makes it possible to melt foods together that would usually require different cooking times or temperatures.

The oven can also handle normal cooking tasks and has settings for sear, toast, reheat, bake, dehydrate, air fry, and keep warm.

I caveat is that this oven requires a defended xx-amp circuit, so information technology'due south wise to cheque the kitchen'due south electric capacity before purchase.

Customers who accept jobs that preclude them from having much fourth dimension to cook praise the oven for its simplicity and versatility, as well as how quickly it cooks food. Some recipes are available direct from the oven, while others are on the Brava app.

Watts: 1800 | Chapters: 0.6 cubic feet | Dimensions: 11.three x sixteen.4 x 17.32 inches | Warranty: 1 year

What We Like

• Recognizes a broad variety of foods

• App includes video recipes

• Users can create custom programs

What We Don't Like

• Expensive

Peachy for people who just tin can't become the knack of choosing the correct cooking time and temperature, for busy folks who desire to streamline cooking, and for creative cooks who desire to effort new methods and recipes, the June Oven is a smart oven—"scary smart," according to our tester—that does a lot more than only set a timer. It has an internal camera paired with recognition software and then information technology can tell the deviation between an English language muffin and a burger bun and count the number of tortillas yous pop in, and information technology adjusts its time and temperature for the perfect toasting.

Customers newer to cooking will also appreciate that the oven has programs for cooking a wide variety of foods, a recipe app that makes cooking a breeze, and easy-to-understand manual controls. Our tester establish the video recipes impressive and cooked perfect air-fried chicken parmesan with the app decision-making the oven temperature at every stage and prompting her to plough the chicken, add together the sauce and cheese, and have information technology out. This has settings for bake, roast, broil, toast, dehydrate, air fry, slow melt, reheat, and keep warm, so it does a whole lot more than toast.

We tested a Generation 2 June Oven, but the Generation iii is at present bachelor and information technology addresses ane of the just concerns of our reviewer. The updated June Oven has guard rails added to the pinnacle heating elements, helping to protect them from accidental breakage.

Watts: 1800 | Capacity: 1 cubic human foot | Dimensions: 12.75 x 19.six x nineteen inches | Warranty: 1 year

What Our Testers Say

"Inexperienced cooks volition love that it reduces cooking failures, and experienced cooks will love passing off bones tasks to the oven, experimenting with fun video recipes, and creating custom programs." — Donna Currie, Product Tester

What We Similar

• Compact

• Removable crumb tray

• Many options for a pocket-size toaster oven

What We Don't Similar

• Power cord is a bit short

If you're looking for a compact, budget-friendly toaster oven that tin can toast your staff of life and heat your pizza, only you don't need an oven-replacement, this one fits the bill. It can toast up to four slices of bread at a time and has space for a nine-inch pizza.

This has functions for baking, broiling, toasting, and keeping nutrient warm. For toasting, it has unlike toast settings so you lot'll get just the right level of brownness, and the xxx-minute timer lets yous melt foods longer.

Customers are happy with how uncomplicated the oven is to utilize, and those with cramped kitchens praise its compact build. The removable crumb tray makes it like shooting fish in a barrel to clean. It comes with a baking pan, broiling rack, and toasting rack.

Watts: 1150 | Chapters: Fits 9-inch pizza or 4 slices of staff of life | Dimensions: 11.18 ten 15.47 x eight.3 inches | Warranty: 2 years

Skilful Tip

Equally with full-size ovens, countertop ovens can as well have varying degrees of accuracy when information technology comes to temperatures. To remedy this, Khoo recommends investing in a small oven thermometer then that you tin monitor your cooking and see if at that place are any hotspots and arrange accordingly. This might hateful turning a block tin can or baking tray effectually to ensure even cooking.

What We Similar

• Quick to heat up

• Meaty and lightweight

• Comes with a baking tray

What We Don't Similar

• Door bound can become overstretched with time

Like other ovens, this 1 features a diversity of presets including cookies, pizza, frozen snacks, and potatoes. The functions include bake, broil, toast, and bagel, and the convection fan can be turned on or off. At that place's a large digital display that shows time and temperature, but it'southward not backlit, so sometimes it tin exist hard to read.

The oven can fit a 12-inch pizza thanks to a rounded crash-land-out on the back of the oven, and there are two positions for the rack. The 120-minute timer shuts the oven off automatically and announces itself with a single bong to let you know the time is up.

The crumb tray removes hands from the outside for easy cleaning and to keep crumbs from getting stuck in the door.

Some reviewers note that the oven should exist placed so that the door can rest on the counter when it's open, or the spring that holds it can become overstretched over fourth dimension.

Watts: 1500 | Capacity: Fits 12-inch pizza or 6 slices of bread | Dimensions: 13.39 10 22.83 x 15.55 inches | Warranty: two years

What Nosotros Like

• Small footprint

• Spacious for a meaty toaster oven

• Inside walls have nonstick coating

What We Don't Like

• May take time to go to set temperature

Breville is known for quality appliances, like this compact smart oven that takes up less space on the counter than the brand'due south heftier countertop ovens. While information technology's meaty, there'due south still space for a standard 12-inch frozen pizza or half-dozen-loving cup muffin pan. When it comes to toasting, it can handle four slices of bread at once.

This oven has cooking presets for eight different cooking functions: toast, bagel, bake, roast, broil, pizza, cookies, and reheat.

The within walls of the oven have a nonstick coating, then cleaning is easy, even after food has dripped or spattered during cooking.

Several reviewers rave nigh how simple the oven is to utilize, particularly in comparing with their regular oven. Some practise note, even so, that it could accept a scrap of time for the toaster oven to preheat to the set temperature.

Watts: 1800 | Chapters: Fits 12-inch pizza or iv slices of bread | Dimensions: 13.5 x 16.7 ten 11.five inches | Warranty: 1 year

Final Verdict

The Oster Large Capacity Digital Convection Toaster Oven (view at Amazon) earns our top spot due to its versatility and big capacity. Plus, it comes with an internal light so you can check on your food as information technology cooks. If you lot're on a upkeep, we propose the Blackness+Decker iv-Slice Toaster Oven (view at Amazon). Information technology'due south compact, easy to use, and quite spacious for a small oven.

What to Look for in a Toaster Oven

Capacity

Toaster ovens with smaller capacities have upwards less room overall, making them great options for small spaces, like dorm rooms. If you lot just want to make more than toast than a traditional 2-slice toaster can handle, capacity won't matter too much.

Ovens with more capacity eat up more counter space simply allow y'all to melt larger amounts. If you like to broil brownies, muffins, and cakes or heat up a lot of frozen pizza and snacks, you lot'll desire to make sure the toaster oven can fit standard baking pans and has the depth to accommodate larger pizzas. If you relish baking things that rise significantly (recall cakes or souffles), Khoo notes that you should ensure you'll have enough clearance from pinnacle to bottom.

Size

Measure your counter space before buying so you lot can compare the toaster oven's dimensions to your available space and know exactly how much room you lot can give to a new countertop oven. You'll also desire to make sure the location yous've chosen is close to an outlet and that the cord length can accomplish it.

Controls

Consider what sort of controls (and automation features) you like. Toaster ovens may be controlled with buttons, knobs, dials, or touchscreens.

Pay attention to what kind of notification the toaster oven gives y'all when the cooking time is upward and if the oven has automatic shut off. Also check to run into if y'all tin can plow on the oven calorie-free without opening the oven door to bank check on food without losing estrus.

Extra Functions

While the simplest toaster ovens can toast, broil, and broil with ease, others have cooking features that rival your full-size oven plus other kitchen appliances. If you want to bake a steak, make a rotisserie craven, air fry chicken wings, or dehydrate jerky, there are toaster ovens that can do all of that and then some. You'll also detect more toaster ovens with the ability to convection bake.

You'll also find ovens loaded with cooking presets for items like bagels, frozen pizza, cookies, proofing bread dough, and tiresome cooking. These settings assist accept the guesswork out of choosing cooking fourth dimension and temperature, only they're just useful if you'll actually use them.

Accessories

Most toaster ovens include a baking pan and a removable nibble tray to aid keep the interior of the oven clean. Not all toaster ovens include accessories beyond those basics, but it'due south nice a characteristic when you know you'll besides be receiving blistering trays, pans, and racks that all perfectly fit the toaster'due south interior. Some ovens include more unique accessories like rotisserie spits, pizza stones, and broiler trays.

FAQS

How do you use a toaster oven?

A toaster oven should be used in an area where information technology has plenty of clearance since the outside can get hot to the affect and requite off a good flake of rut. When y'all're gear up to cook, y'all'll either begin past preheating the oven or placing your food directly within. Not all toaster ovens require preheating so be sure to bank check your instruction manual.

Whether you preheat the oven or not depends on what you're cooking. The toaster oven should be preheated to the desired cooking temperature for traditional baked dishes like cake, cookies, and meat. Doing so allows the food to begin cooking every bit presently as it'south placed in the oven. Placing uncooked nutrient in a cold toaster oven will take longer to melt since the oven has to warm up. Preheating is optional for toasting a few slices of bread or warming a plate of leftovers, but be aware that these likewise may take a petty longer without preheating.

Y'all'll then place your food on the toaster oven baking rack or tray and set the cooking time co-ordinate to a recipe, cull a level of brownness for toasting, or select a cooking preset if your toaster oven has them.

Can you put aluminum foil in the toaster oven?

Most toaster ovens can be used with a small piece of aluminum foil, merely it depends on which toaster oven you take. To be absolutely certain it's safe to use foil, check your toaster oven's transmission. Foil should not touch on the heating chemical element, interior walls, or the crumb tray since it poses a fire risk. Lining the baking tray or tenting a dish with a small piece of aluminum foil without whatever overhang is unremarkably okay for most toaster ovens.

What tin can you cook in a toaster oven?

Almost foods that can be cooked in a standard oven can also be made in a toaster oven since it bakes, broils, roasts, and toasts. Some popular items include:

Toast: Toaster ovens can be used to toast sliced breadstuff, bagels, and English muffins. Instead of being limited to toasting but two or four slices at a time, toaster ovens tin can usually dark-brown vi slices of breadstuff or more at one time.

Grilled cheese: You can also apply the toaster oven to make grilled cheese sandwiches, open-faced melts, and quesadillas. To make grilled cheese, y'all'd just assemble a grilled cheese with staff of life, butter or mayo, and cheese every bit usual while your toaster oven preheats. So, place the sandwich on the baking tray, bake for a few minutes, then flip and bake on the other side for a few minutes more. It's best to go on a close eye on grilled cheese and melts in the toaster oven to make sure your cheese melts and your bread doesn't burn.

Baked goods: Traditional baked goods similar cookies, cakes, muffins, brownies, and quick breads can be baked in a toaster oven. The process, cooking temperature, and cooking time are no unlike than baking in a standard oven.

The just difference with baking might be the size pan you lot utilize, since total-size cake and loaf pans may exist besides large for a toaster oven. Yous can find mini cake and loaf pans that are just right for small-scale toaster oven blistering.

Leftovers: A plate of leftovers can be reheated in a toaster oven, too. Simply make sure to use an oven-rubber plate. You can even reheat leftover pizza. Yous should be able to fit 1 or 2 slices of pizza, depending on the size of the slices, and the melt time shouldn't take more than than a few minutes. Keep a close eye, since pizza chaff tin burn quickly. You'll know your leftover pizza is ready to consume when the cheese has melted.

Frozen snacks: Things like mozzarella sticks and french fries can besides be prepared according to package directions in a toaster oven. You'll just fit a smaller corporeality on the baking tray than you could on a full-size blistering canvas.

Meat: Proteins, similar chicken, steak, burgers, sausages, hot dogs, and fish fillets tin can be baked, baked, or roasted. Bacon slices tin exist bundled on a toaster oven pan and broiled for fool-proof perfectly cooked results.

Vegetables: Small baking pans of vegetables tin also exist roasted and a toaster oven is useful for roasting white potato wedges and archetype broiled potatoes.

How practice you clean a toaster oven?

"Like with any oven, information technology's good to clean it regularly," says Khoo. "Bonus with a smaller oven—there's less to clean." Prior to cleaning, brand sure the toaster oven has cooled completely. After each apply, remove the crumb/baste tray and brush abroad any crumbs that may have gotten trapped in cracks or virtually the oven door. Virtually crumb/drip trays tin be washed in warm, soapy water to remove any grease or splattered food residue. You'll besides want to remove and wash cooking racks and baking trays after each employ.

For a deep cleaning, the interior and outside of the toaster oven can be wiped with a clammy rag. If the oven interior is nonstick, make sure to employ a soft rag or sponge and avoid scouring pads or sharp bristled cleaning brushes, which can damage the coating.

Broiled on grease that won't wipe away with a damp rag tin can be tackled with a mix of baking soda and h2o. Add together enough water to blistering soda to make a paste, spread over the problem area, and allow sit for several hours or overnight. Then, wipe (you lot might have to apply some elbow grease) with a clean rag.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Donna Currie is a author and product tester for The Spruce Eats. Not only is she a bread-making expert (she wrote a volume nearly information technology!), but Donna has also written roundups on various kinds of ovens, including roaster and pizza, for the site. She'southward besides reviewed a diverse range of ovens for us—1 standout was the NutriChef Multi-Role Rotisserie Oven, which she loves making kebabs with.

This roundup was updated by Katrina Munichiello, a writer and editor who specializes in the tea and food industries. She currently focuses on small kitchen appliances for The Bandbox Eats.

Additional quotes and information were provided by Bernadette Machard de Gramont, who interviewed Rachel Khoo, chef, tv host of the BBC's The Niggling Paris Kitchen and writer of the cookbook of the aforementioned name. Khoo's prove and four cookbooks were developed while living in Paris, using just a unmarried burner hob and a countertop oven.

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Source: https://www.thespruceeats.com/best-toaster-ovens-4067673