11 Foods To Cook In Your Toaster Oven And 4 To Skip

A toaster oven is a great appliance for those who have space constraints or live alone, as it's smaller than other ovens and can still be used to cook a variety of food items. However, most people who own one don't seem to know about the latter, so they only toast bread or heat up meals in it. If you're in the same boat and have been wanting to use your toaster oven more often, you've landed at the right place. 

While there are many foods you can cook in one of these surprisingly versatile appliances, they aren't quite flexible enough to cook every kind of food, mainly because of the way a toaster oven works and its size (one downside of a toaster oven is that it can take up a lot of space for its small size). It's important to know the items that you're better off not cooking in this appliance, as they can burn, dry out, and sometimes even be hazardous.

As an easier option than the stovetop, you should consider making grilled cheese in your toaster oven. It'ssimple and convenient because you can make more than one at a time, and you won't need to keep a close eye on them. You're also less likely to scorch the bread when using the appliance.

Start by preheating the oven to 375 F. Butter a few slices of bread, depending on how many sandwiches can fit in your oven. Top them with cheese, making sure the buttered sides are towards the outside. There are a few ways you can upgrade your grilled cheese sandwich at this point, by adding in crunchy elements, veggies, protein, or even sweet ingredients. Place the prepared sandwiches on a baking tray, lined with aluminum foil, bake them for around 5-8 minutes, then flip them and bake the other side for the same time. Keep in mind that you'll likely have to adjust the temperature and cooking time, based on the model and size of your toaster oven to get the desired finish.

You've been making a mistake if you haven't been using your toaster oven to roast potatoes and other vegetables. That's because you'll be able to cook small portions more easily while still getting the same amazing char and taste as you would from any other oven. 

To make roasted veggies, you'll first need to chop or dice some of your favorites, drizzle oil over them (with a sprinkle of herbs and spices if you'd like), and bake them until they look charred. Keep the temperature between 400-425 F, but the time can vary from 15-25 minutes depending on the veggie and how small you've cut it.

You can leave potatoes whole or dice them and toss them in oil and seasonings. Transfer them to a baking pan, but don't make the mistake of overcrowding it when roasting the potatoes, as that could impact their texture. Then, bake your potatoes at 400-450 F for 20-50 minutes, based on the type of potato and how you've prepped it.

Craving sausages but can't be bothered to set up the grill or cook them on the stovetop? Let your toaster oven take over, as it'll cook them just as well. Best of all, you can cook a variety of raw sausages in it, and also heat up cooked ones.

You'll need to lay out baking paper or foil on the toaster oven's baking tray and then place your favorite sausages on it. Alternatively, you can place them directly in a cast iron pan and put that in the oven (provided that it fits) — but do check your oven's manual first, to ensure that it's compatible with cast iron pans. You can cook veggies along with the links too, with peppers and onions being especially great options. Bake them at 400 F until they reach an internal temperature of 165 F. The cooking time can vary from 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the size and kind of links you've used.

Looking at the variety of foods you can cook in the toaster oven, you might consider popping rice or pasta into it. But stop right there, because cooking raw rice or pasta in this appliance is going to be pointless. That's because both need to be boiled, and a toaster oven simply can't do that. 

Even when you're reheating these things as leftovers, you should reconsider using your toaster oven. In most cases, the pasta might stay cold at some spots while getting too hot at others, whereas the rice at the base will get overly crunchy. Plus, if the pasta dish is too saucy, the sauce could splatter everywhere and mess up your oven. It's best to reheat these items in a microwave or saucepan, to ensure they heat up evenly and don't create a mess. With all that said, you can still reheat rice or pasta bakes in your toaster oven without worrying.

There's no better way to bake cookies for one than using a toaster oven. They'll turn out ooey-gooey with crispy edges, as they would when using a bigger oven, and they'll take less time to bake. Also, you'll be able to experiment with new recipes without needing to make a large batch.

Preheat the appliance first to 350 F, while you make your favorite cookie dough (or use store-bought cookie dough if you prefer). Lay a baking sheet on your toaster oven's tray, then place cookie dough balls on it. They'll spread while baking, so to prevent them from sticking to each other, make sure to leave some space between each of them. Place the tray on the middle rack of the toaster oven so that the cookies cook evenly, and bake them for 6-10 minutes, depending on the recipe. If you want to be safe and prevent accidental overbaking, start checking on them right after the 6-minute mark. Take them out of the oven as soon as the edges seem set.

Your toaster oven can be your best friend when you want to cook a few pieces of chicken without standing by the stovetop or heating up your large oven. Not only can you cook chicken breast and thighs separately in it, but you can also roast an entire bird if your oven's big enough.

If you're cooking thighs or breasts, preheat your oven to 350 F, and then prep them however you fancy. A drizzle of olive oil and your favorite seasonings works fine, but you can also go the extra mile and brush them with barbecue sauce halfway through cooking. Bake the pieces for 15-30 minutes, depending on their size, thickness, and how hot your toaster oven gets. If you're confused about the cooking time, start checking their doneness with a meat thermometer after 15 minutes. 

Each piece of chicken will be ready when the internal temperature reaches 165 F. Also, make sure you turn the pieces once so they bake evenly. Follow the same steps for a whole roasted chicken, with the only difference being that you'll need to bake it for over an hour. For best results, start at a high temperature and lower it towards the end.

Cooking bacon the usual way can be troublesome, because there's always a risk of its fat splattering, and sometimes, cleaning the pan you've cooked it in can also be a big task. Luckily, your toaster oven gives you a much easier (and less messy) way to cook your bacon, and do so more evenly, too.

There are two ways you can go about cooking bacon in this appliance. If you'd like most of its fat to drip off, lay the strips on the oven's wire rack and place that over a baking tray, then bake them. It's best to bake at 400 F, but the time can vary from 9 to 15 minutes, depending on how thick the bacon strips are, how crispy you'd like them to be, and how hot your oven gets. If you don't have a wire rack, you can just lay the strips on a tray lined with foil and bake them the same way. In this case, you'll need to flip the strips halfway through baking, to ensure they cook evenly. 

Whichever method you choose, you'll be left with some of the rendered fat in the baking tray. Don't toss that out — instead, use that leftover bacon grease to make some other delicious dishes.

It's best to pass on cooking loose kernels of popcorn in the toaster oven, because the results might not be ideal. Making microwave popcorn in this appliance is a similarly bad idea. Corn needs direct heat to pop, which a toaster oven just isn't able to give it. There's more that could go wrong with microwave popcorn, though — if the bag starts puffing up due to the heat, it could get too close to the heating element of the oven and catch on fire. In some cases, it might even burn before that.  

The only time you can use a toaster oven is for fully popped popcorn that's lost its crunch. To revive its texture, you can heat it up in the appliance for a couple of minutes.

You might not be making s'mores often, even if you're craving them, because you think they can only be made over an open fire or a grill. That's a misconception, though, as you can very easily prepare them indoors in your toaster oven. And, even better, they'll taste exactly like s'mores made the traditional way.

Lay out as many graham crackers as you'd like on the baking tray of your toaster oven and place a piece of chocolate and a marshmallow on top of them. You can also try adding some fun variations to your s'mores, with additions like Nutella, dulce de leche, caramel, or even bacon. Then, put the tray on the middle or lower rack, and bake them at 400 F, or broil them instead. The s'mores should be ready in about 3 minutes, but that can vary. If you don't want to heat the graham crackers, you can simply line the baking tray with a baking sheet or aluminum foil, then place marshmallows on it, then bake them the same way. If you do it this way, you'll need to be careful when lifting them off the tray, as they'll be very hot and gooey. Top a cracker with chocolate and one of these marshmallows, place another graham cracker over it, and your indoor s'mores are ready.

Looking for a healthier alternative to deep frying French fries but don't have an air fryer? Then consider using your toaster oven. They'll turn out crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, similar to how they would if you deep-fried them — you can cook all types of fresh and frozen fries this way.

To make any kind of fresh fries, cut potatoes as you'd like, drizzle oil and basic seasonings over them, and bake them at 425 F for 15-30 minutes, depending on their thickness. You can flip them halfway through baking, but it isn't necessary.

If you're cooking frozen fries, arrange them on a wire rack and place that over a baking tray, as this process will help them get crispy. Also, try using the convection setting if your toaster oven has it, because the hot air will further improve their overall texture.

Yes, you can cook various egg dishes in your toaster oven, including egg and cheese bakes, shirred eggs, and even sunny-side-up. This is especially worth trying out if you're always in a hurry when making breakfast, because a lot of the process will be hands-free.

For shirred eggs and bakes, you'll first need to grease up a baking dish or ramekins, and then mix eggs with cheese, heavy cream, simple seasonings, and veggies and meat if you'd like. You can also leave the eggs whole for shirred eggs. Bake these dishes at 350 F until they're cooked, which should take 12-25 minutes depending on the recipe. Remember to turn the pan midway through baking. 

To make eggs sunny-side-up, line a baking tray with aluminum foil, grease it generously, then crack eggs on it. Bake them for about 5 minutes, or a little longer, to cook the yolks all the way through.

Biting into dry pastries is one of the worst feelings ever. Well, that's what you'll get if you bake fresh ones in your toaster oven. It'll be worse if you use frozen ready-to-bake pastries, because they won't bake properly either. These issues are likely because many toaster ovens don't always maintain a steady temperature, and these treats, due to their delicate and sometimes flaky texture, can't handle fluctuations. In short, it's best not to bake frozen pastries or make fresh ones at home if you only have a toaster oven.

If you need to reheat pre-made pastries, we suggest popping them in the microwave, as that's a more reliable option. You can use your toaster oven as a last resort for reheating if you don't have a microwave, but you'll need to pack them individually in foil when you put them in, so that they stay moist.

It's time to stop relying on store-bought granola and make it at home in your toaster oven instead, because it will be fresher, tastier, and more affordable. Since you'll have to prepare small batches, this can also be the perfect chance to experiment and try unique flavor combinations.

To do this, you'll need to mix old-fashioned rolled oats with whatever you fancy, ensuring you use at least one type of oil and one sweet ingredient. Some options worth considering are coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, coconut sugar, and brown rice syrup. It's also a good idea to add in a few ingredients for texture and flavor, like cocoa powder, spices, any type of nut butter, sliced or chopped nuts, dried fruit, coconut flakes, and seeds. 

Once you've mixed everything up, transfer it to a greased baking pan. It's crucial not to set the oven temperature too high when baking granola — this is an easy mistake that will cause it to burn before you realize. Bake it at 325 F for 20-30 minutes until it's ready. Make sure you stir it once while it's baking, and let it cool down completely before you dig in, so it can crisp up.

A toaster oven is fantastic for making small batches of cupcakes and muffins, because they'll bake evenly and rise well. You'll just need to monitor them carefully during the process, as some toaster ovens can get too hot, and that can affect how they turn out. Also, use light colored pans because they'll give you better results (darker pans will make your muffins cook faster, with crispier edges).

Start by whipping up your favorite muffin or cupcake batter. If you want to bake various flavors at a time, prepare a simple base batter, divide it, and then add in whatever you fancy, like berries, chocolate, dried fruits, nuts, or spices. Pour the batter into the muffin cups and then place the pan on the middle rack in your oven. You can bake both muffins and cupcakes at 350 F for 15 minutes. To be on the safer side, check whether they're done with a toothpick after 12-13 minutes. 

You can also use pre-mixes instead of making the batter from scratch. Just remember to bake your muffins or cupcakes at a slightly lower temperature than suggested on the pack, as long as you don't go below 300 F.

Even though you can roast nuts and seeds in most types of ovens, it's a good idea to skip using the toaster oven, as they might end up burning before the timer goes off. This can happen because this appliance usually runs too hot, and being so tiny, nuts and seeds have a tendency to scorch fast when exposed to high heat.

Considering that, you might want to roast them in a pan on the stovetop if you don't have a large oven. To ensure they heat up evenly, you'll need to mix them up with a spoon or shake the pan frequently. In case you have no option other than your toaster oven, start with a small batch and check them often, so that you can take the nuts or seeds out at the right time. Also, keep the temperature very low if you want to be extra careful and further prevent the chances of burning.