finding the toaster oven of my dreams

I want a quick way to heat up leftovers and bake small servings that don't involve heating the big oven.  I'm thinking a toaster oven is the appliance for me.

A microwave is out of the question - they are not foolproof as anyone who has seen me use a microwave will testify to.  I am no longer allowed to use the microwave at work.  Don't even bother talking about microwaves.

But the last time I had a toaster oven, I noticed too much heat leaked out through the glass door.  I did an experiment and even though the big oven took more time and power to heat the food, the toaster oven heated the kitchen three degrees more.  

I want a toaster oven that heats the inside of the oven a lot, and the outside of the oven not-so-much.  I'm also on a budget.

What would I search for to find this magical oven?  

I'm looking forward to the answers you'll get.  We got a Breville toaster oven which was pricey but had all the bells and whistles (convection, big enough for our pizza stone, etc) but after about 4 years it's starting to have weird problems.  You have to hit the "run" button multiple times before it will start.  So far that's only an annoyance but I'm wondering how long it will last.

We have a gas range so that definitely heats up the kitchen more than the toaster oven.

I have one that is a convection oven.  I never use that function on this one.  I use it like a regular oven and it does not heat up the house.  The only heat I can feel are the sides.  It is like the rotisserie ovens.

I love it for pizza as it is big enough to hold the standard size pizza. I treat myself to a frozen pizza when we go to town, maybe every 3 or 4 weeks.

I cook a lot of oven fried chicken; clafoutis; biscuits; etc.

It is not a name brand oven.

My previous one is in storage and I loved the Convection function on it.

Mike Jay wrote: We got a Breville toaster oven which was pricey but had all the bells and whistles (convection, big enough for our pizza stone, etc) but after about 4 years it's starting to have weird problems.  You have to hit the "run" button multiple times before it will start.  So far that's only an annoyance but I'm wondering how long it will last.

Ours also has the same problems.

In this thread -- https://permies.com/t/91062/kitchen/Perfect-Kitchen -- in my Sept. 15th, 2018 entry I talked about the Cuisinart Air Fryer multipurpose oven.  We rarely use the main kitchen oven anymore since this little guy is fast and does most dishes in the size that we need.  May be of interest to you.....

I'm of no help, I went through something like 4 of them before buying one for 5.00 at a yard sale that is the best of the batch and still going strong. I have never figured out how to tell which are good. I watch with interest to see your answers.

I'd follow Pearl's lead and keep an eye out at thrift stores if you have some nearby. It seems the best appliances are the older ones, which seem better made than today. A boss of mine used to hoard food processors and such because she said the new ones are never as good. She was right

We just received a Breville oven two days ago, and it is still in the box... unboxing this weekend! (Breville Smart Oven Air)
We are hoping that it successfully replaces both our microwave oven and our toaster oven, and possibly the big oven? (we have always been dissatisfied with that oven and the range...old, electric, with the hotplate type "burners"...slow, poor heating, not responsive)
If it is good we're considering ditching the old range/oven for induction hotplates on the countertop, and gaining more lower cabinet space.

The new oven does these things:
13 preset functions: Toast, Bagel, Bake, Roast, Broil, Pizza, Cookies, Proof, Air-Fry, Dehydrate, Reheat, Warm, Slow Cook.

Once we've had a chance to try it out, I'll give it a review.

r ranson wrote:

But the last time I had a toaster oven, I noticed too much heat leaked out through the glass door.  I did an experiment and even though the big oven took more time and power to heat the food, the toaster oven heated the kitchen three degrees more.  

I want a toaster oven that heats the inside of the oven a lot, and the outside of the oven not-so-much.  I'm also on a budget.

I wonder if, by the time the thermal mass of the oven cooled down, it had actually put more BTUs of heat into the house? But over a longer period so that it was not immediately measurable..  More power over more time seems to imply that more heat went somewhere, somewhen, somehow.

I categorize the toaster ovens by size and whether they have manual switches and dials or an electronic screen with computer readout.   I prefer the manual old style as when the computer goes and or the screen begins to dim you are SOL.   I also personally do not like the little bitty toaster ovens as the minimum size I like to use will allow for a 13 x 9 inch oven tin or class casserole dish to fit.     Importantly I also do my grilling in the toaster oven when I put it on the broil setting.  Goodby charcoal grill etc.   They do a great job on chicken  pieces and pork loins sliced into  pork chops.    Wal Mart is a good place to visit and check out the different sizes and styles.  Be sure to  take your tape measure  with the height, depth and width that your kitchen will accomodate.

r ranson wrote:I want a quick way to heat up leftovers and bake small servings that don't involve heating the big oven.  I'm thinking a toaster oven is the appliance for me.

My grandmother routinely cooked on a wood fire stove, though in the summer heat it obviously made the whole household uncomfortable  So her kids purchased a large toaster oven to use instead - decades before microwaves were available. It worked fine, when she could be convinced to use it!

Alternatively, how about an electric fry pan? It won't toast/brown but it can do lots of other things.

Kenneth Elwell wrote:We just received a Breville oven two days ago, and it is still in the box... unboxing this weekend! (Breville Smart Oven Air)
We are hoping that it successfully replaces both our microwave oven and our toaster oven, and possibly the big oven? (we have always been dissatisfied with that oven and the range...old, electric, with the hotplate type "burners"...slow, poor heating, not responsive)
If it is good we're considering ditching the old range/oven for induction hotplates on the countertop, and gaining more lower cabinet space.

The new oven does these things:
13 preset functions: Toast, Bagel, Bake, Roast, Broil, Pizza, Cookies, Proof, Air-Fry, Dehydrate, Reheat, Warm, Slow Cook.

Once we've had a chance to try it out, I'll give it a review.

Well. Better late than never? A review...
We like this oven.
It seems to bake faster than most instructions state for a food/recipe. This might be the convection, or the small size? I dunno.
It takes a quarter sheet pan (vs. a half sheet in the big oven) so okay for a small batch of cookies, or a tray of brownies. NOT reasonable for "holiday baking" of dozens upon dozens of cookies.
Size seems small for roasting a whole head of cauliflower florets, so either we split it up since one sheet is enough for us both, or we use the big oven.
Pot pies and pizzas have turned out well. Reheating the leftover pot pie for 5mins. (after a brief 2min. microwaving) leaves the crust crisp, not soggy.
It toasts decently, evenly, two slices medium dark is 6 minutes. (only really one side though, but I'm okay with that) I feel like a pop-up toaster is faster, but haven't had one of those in years, so I can't really say.
Air frying French fries in the mesh shelves gets them crispier than in the big oven on a sheet pan. So that's good.
We dehydrated some pineapple, it took a long time (we only had the one mesh shelf at the time, now have 4) results were good. The slices I made were thin and turned out crispy, like chips, a chewier version would have taken less time.
The user interface is easy to use/figure out (I didn't read the whole manual... but setting functions, starting, stopping are all intuitive by turning knobs.)
The crumb tray us easy to access and smooth/featureless surface is easy to clean.
Clearances followed from the manual leave just enough space IN FRONT on a standard 24" deep counter for... a jar of spaghetti sauce? can of soda? (you can't open the door with those there... but ours is beside the fridge, so it IS a landing pad.)

We haven't proofed or baked any bread (not really our thing, but hey, maybe time to start under Corona virus lockdown?) I know that two loaf pans fit at once, since we cook our dog's special diet in them.

The old toaster oven is going away...this weekend...really...

Still need to see if our pizza stone fits.
I've got a salt block that will fit.
We'll be making pies next week...

My toaster oven died in the middle of the night while I slept last night. My wife however woke up to the persistent beeping and walked into the kitchen to find the toaster oven on and hot, repeatedly beeping, and the display spontaneously adding or removing time on the clock, so she unplugged it.

We're looking for an analog toaster oven. Does anyone here on Permies have one purchased somewhat recently like in the last year or two, and can anyone comment on their late-model analog toaster oven?

Edit: Raven, what did you settle on and purchase? Is it analog or digital and do you love it?

I thought I would come back with an update. We purchased a black & decker analog toaster oven shown in the picture below, complete with crumbs and something greasy on the glass because we use it several times a day, every day. We've had it for 18 months now, and so far it works as it should, without fail.