Baking in a Toaster Oven (All You Need to Know)

When we speak of baking, we often see the oven as one of its key components. Thus, many people who can’t afford or don’t have an oven don’t even try to bake. Still, with a toaster oven, you can pretty much do anything you can with an oven. If you find yourself in such a situation, then read on.

This article is all about baking in a toaster oven, including everything you need to know about this matter. Below, you can see all the frequently asked questions, and we’ll answer each one so you can have an idea. 

By understanding how baking works in a toaster oven, you can also understand the whole process and prepare how to bake even if you only have a toaster oven. 

Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Can you use a toaster oven to bake?

Yes, you can use a toaster oven for baking. Toaster ovens these days come with settings to control the temperature and timers. Thus, you can use yours for every baking needs. 

The only downside of toaster ovens is their compact or small size. Now, while the size can be a downside for some, it can be beneficial if you’re baking a small amount.

Toaster ovens are energy efficient, and they generate lesser heat in your kitchen, unlike typical baking ovens.

In short, you can enjoy baking in your toaster ovens, especially if you are baking for your family only.

How to bake in a toaster oven?

Yes! Toaster ovens are helpful for almost everything, but I have found them particularly useful for baking. They really come in handy when you have unexpected guests. Thanks to their ability to heat up quickly, I can bake a small number of cookies to serve my guests in next to no time.

You can bake a dozen cookies in a toaster oven while it would take one to preheat their regular ovens. Besides the fact that they take less time to preheat, the actual baking duration is approximately two to four minutes shorter in a toaster oven.

Another hard-to-beat advantage of using a toaster oven for baking is the fact your meal will be heated evenly. In a regular oven, you’ll find 1 or 2 heating elements fit at the bottom.

Once the elements heat up, the heat rises from the bottom to the top of the oven, which implies it is not circulated evenly. How does this affect your baking experience? When using a regular oven, you may have discovered that you must rotate the pan to get your meals to bake evenly.

You might also have noticed that items placed on the lower rack get burned if you do not observe the oven. Thus, you do not need to worry about these downsides if you choose a toaster oven because the fan will evenly distribute the heat. As a result, your cake and cookies will be flawlessly golden without constantly rotating them.

What temperature is “bake” on a toaster oven?

These days, most toaster ovens have preset or basically a set of settings for a specific cooking process. For example, one of these settings is ‘bake.’ It usually comes at around 325 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit if you wonder about its temperature. 

These settings have a specific temperature, so you can know them either by looking at the user manual or searching it online on the manufacturer’s website. Lastly, these bake settings usually come with 30 minute-cycles.

Does it take longer to bake in a toaster oven?

It usually does not take long to bake in a toaster oven. In fact, you’ll find it quicker to bake in a toaster oven in most cases. 

For instance, you can preheat your toaster oven around 30% to 50% faster than traditional ovens because of its compact size. Thus, your baking time will also be quicker. 

For this reason, you’ll want to check on your baked goods for around 5-10 minutes earlier than the required time on your recipe.

What kind of bakeware can be used in a toaster oven?

If you’re baking with toaster ovens, you can use bakeware made of silicon, steel, stone, ceramic, and aluminum. Some manufacturers of glass bakewares say their products are toaster oven safe. However, make sure your toaster oven manufacturer also states the same. Otherwise, keep baking on the toaster-oven safe bakeware.

Do toaster ovens need to be preheated?

Toaster ovens often need to be preheated. However, most recipes require it, especially in baking. It allows the oven to heat up to a ready temperature for quick baking once the food is placed inside.

How do you preheat a toaster oven?

Preheating a toaster oven would depend on the temperature your recipe need. However, in most cases, it would be around 325 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When preheating, make sure the toaster oven is closed for 10-20 minutes. This time should be enough to preheat your oven to your desired temperature.

Can I use a toaster oven instead of a regular oven?

Yes, you can use a toaster oven instead of a regular oven. The toaster ovens work the same way as any regular oven. The only difference is that the former is more compact, limiting the amount of food you can bake inside.

Thus, for personal baking or cooking, a toaster oven would be enough. Now, if you’re making large batches of food, you can consume a lot more time in a toaster oven than a regular oven. 

Tips for baking in a toaster oven

When baking in a toaster oven instead of a regular oven, you need to make some adjustments and techniques to nail the perfect output. Thus, here are some tips that we deem helpful in your toaster oven baking tasks.

Test your toaster oven’s temperature.

The first thing you’ll want to do when baking in a toaster oven is checked if it gives the correct temperature according to the settings you set.

You can do this test by placing a cooking thermometer inside your oven. Since baking relies so much on the correct temperature, you’ll want to make sure your food is getting baked at the right temperature.

Keep an eye over your baked goods.

While you may have the same settings in a toaster oven, baking may vary since a toaster oven is more compact than a typical oven. 

For this reason, you may end up with burnt parts if you follow the exact instructions with an oven. To avoid such, you need to keep an eye on your baked goods. You should check for at least 10-15 minutes earlier than you would in a typical oven. This way, you can ensure that your baked goods are cooked while preventing them from burning.

Experiment with the settings.

Toaster ovens may vary in their heating process. Thus, you should keep on experimenting with the settings until you nail the right ones for your needs.

In short, you may fail in your baking tasks in a few tries. However, as you continue, you’ll understand how your oven works and adjust your settings according to it.

What can you bake in a toaster oven?

In general, you can bake almost anything in a toaster oven. Here are some of our favorite baked goods that you can also do with your handy toaster oven.

Cupcakes

You can bake cupcakes in a toaster oven. Toaster ovens are popular options when baking small cakes, and cupcakes fit the description perfectly. Another great thing is that cupcakes baked in toaster ovens are just as good as those baked in traditional ovens.

If you want to learn more about this topic, you can read our article about baking cupcakes in a toaster oven.

Cake

You can bake small cakes in a toaster oven. However, you’re limited to baking small cakes because the size of toaster ovens is smaller than regular ones.

Wanna learn more about cakes in a toaster oven?

Pies

You can make a pie in a toaster oven. Toaster ovens work the same way any ovens do, and the only difference is their size and temperature control. Other than these two, you can use toaster ovens as long as you understand how it works. 

Do you love pies? Read our article just about pies baked in a toaster oven!

Bread

You can bake bread in a toaster oven. This type of oven functions the same as any regular oven you use to bake bread. The only difference is its size and the heating time and flow. Thus, you can bake bread as long as you know how this oven works.

Homemade bread is the best thing in the world. Learn how to bake bread in a toaster oven.

Biscuits and Cookies

You can bake biscuits and cookies in a toaster oven. This type of oven works like any regular kitchen oven. Since toaster ovens are small, you can only make small batches of baked biscuits and cookies at a time. However, if you’re cooking for two, toaster ovens would save you a lot of energy costs and make baking easier for you.

If you want to know more about this topic, you can read more about baking biscuits and cookies in a toaster oven.

Brownies

You can make brownies in a toaster oven. However, there are a few advantages to baking with a toaster oven. For instance, the toaster oven heats up faster than a standard oven. Another advantage is that it does not heat the entire kitchen. As a result, this recipe is quite helpful throughout the summer!

Who doesn’t love brownies?! Learn more about baking brownies in a toaster oven and prepare a tasty surprise for your family!

Summary

In a nutshell, baking is a task that you can also do with a toaster oven. Although smaller or compact in size, toaster ovens are capable of most of your baking needs. Of course, you’re limited when it comes to the baking size, but you can always benefit from toaster ovens in decreasing power consumption, less heat in the kitchen, and simple and easy-to-use methods.

As long as you understand how toaster ovens work, you can basically make it your tool for all your baking needs.

Also Read: Toast vs. Bake Setting on Toaster Oven

Resources

Image credits – Canva