Did you know you can use an oven toaster for baking?
This is especially relevant now that we find ourselves at home for extended periods of time. Not everyone has access to a regular oven, and buying one these days is even trickier.
This post tells you everything you need to know about creating amazing baked creations using just your oven toaster. We’ve got tips along with some simple, delicious, and filling recipes you can bake during and after the quarantine.
What kind of oven toaster is best for baking
First things first, you need to consider the power capacity and size of your oven toaster, which is not be confused with a regular toaster. If your toaster is the type that comes with slots to insert bread, then you can’t use it for baking.
Oven toasters that can be used for baking have one or two racks and allow you to control the thermostat. While there are oven toasters without temperature controls, we recommend using ones that have them so you have more control over the outcome of your baked goodies.
These are much larger than your average toaster, and some even come with a rotisserie spit for roasting chicken. If you haven’t already, now is a good time to go through the instruction manual.
Know Your Oven Toaster Settings
There are three basic oven toaster settings: toast, broil, and of course, bake.
1. Toast Setting
This setting uses both the top and bottom heating elements, so your bread gets even heating on both sides.
2. Broil Setting
High-end oven toasters usually come with a broil setting. It acts like a grill, except the heat comes from the top element. This is great if you’re cooking thin vegetable wedges, or melting cheese or butter on top of food. Some even use it for seafood and meat. An important thing to remember is to avoid using foil when using this setting as it’s a fire hazard.
3. Bake Setting
The heat from this setting comes mostly from the bottom, though it uses the top element as well. Oven toasters with a bake setting usually have temperature and time settings, which you need to set based on what your recipe calls for.
Digital oven toasters usually come with a pre-heating indicator. If you’re using a manual one, make sure to pre-heat it before popping your tray in.
Oven Toaster Baking Tips
1. Using a oven toaster means baking in smaller batches.
If you’re using an oven toaster instead of a regular one, you’ll need to bake your recipe in batches, simply because you have less space. When it comes to how much per batch, it’s best to be conservative in terms of amount and tray size. Remember that batter rises. Give your goodies enough room to bake and don’t crowd your oven toaster to avoid accidents.
2. Find your oven toaster’s hot spots.
Just like a regular oven, a oven toaster has its hot spots. As mentioned earlier, the bake setting uses the bottom heating element more than the top one. The heat from the top circulates in a smaller space, so it’s good practice to test your oven toaster for hot spots before you start baking.
First, pre-heat your oven toaster to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 177 degrees Celsius) for 10 minutes. Put in some bread slices (white is better so you can clearly see the burn marks) and bake. After 15 minutes or so, the marks on the bread will show you where your hot spots are. If your oven toaster has two trays, then you’ll know when you need to switch. Just one? Then, you’ll know when to rotate the pan.
No temperature settings? Then, no need to pre-heat. Check out our post on baking with an oven toaster.
3. Keep it clean.
Make sure your oven toaster gets a good cleaning every now and then. Not only does this stop the spread of bacteria, but it also keeps your appliance in good working order. Here’s how:
- First, check the instruction manual to see if there are specific cleaning instructions. This is very important. If there are none, proceed to the next step.
- Unplug the appliance and remove any crumbs or food bits.
- Remove the trays and wire racks where applicable. Clean with soapy water.
- Dip a rag or soft sponge in a mixture of vinegar, hot (but not boiling) water, and dish soap. Then, wipe the inside of your oven toaster clean. Do NOT clean the heating elements with liquid.
Yummy Recipes to Bake with Your Oven Toaster
Now that you know how to use and care for your oven toaster, it’s time to get baking! Here are some delish recipes from the NewGen Baker archive. These use Maya Kitchen Oven Toaster Mixes to make things even easier.
Maya Oven Toaster Mix Butter Cake – This finger-licking dessert uses Maya Oven Toaster Butter Cake Mix.
Flavored Puto – Colorful and delicious, our take on this Pinoy favorite uses Maya Oven Toaster Bibingka Mix.
Salted Caramel Tin Cake – An interesting combination of sweet and salty, this tin cake is sure to be a hit! Make sure to bake it in batches.
Cream Cheese Caramel Butter Bars – Extra easy but super yummy, these sweet and cheesy dessert bars will be gone in seconds.
Banana Cake Bites – Chock-full of fruity caramel goodness, these mini cakes are small in size but big on flavor.
We hope this post helps fills your day with easy toaster oven recipes to bake with the kids during quarantine. If you have more tips or want to share your baking experience, leave a comment below.
