- People looking for a more energy-efficient toaster oven should purchase one that has a convection fan built in. The convection fan will blow heated air throughout the toaster oven on a continuous basis. This action reduces the amount of time it takes for the meal to heat and the temperature it has to be heated at. Lowering the cooking time and temperature will reduce the amount of energy being used by the unit itself.
- Toaster ovens should be used for reheating meals and cooking smaller meals. Larger meals can be cooked in a toaster oven, but it would be more energy efficient to cook larger meals in either a conventional oven or a crock pot. When cooking smaller meals or reheating food, it is not always necessary to preheat the toaster oven. Preheating the toaster oven will use more energy. If you opt to preheat, minimize the amount of time doing so. For food that only needs to be reheated for a short while, use a microwave instead. According to Treehugger.com, microwaves use an average of 750-1100 watts of energy while toaster ovens use an average of 1200-1700 watts of energy. Use a standard toaster for cooking toast in the morning instead of a toaster oven. Toasters are more energy efficient because they heat both sides of the bread at once. Toaster ovens heat one side at a time.
- According to a study conducted by the Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, toaster ovens are more energy efficient when cooking a casserole than electric ovens, electric convection ovens, gas ovens and electric frying pans. Only an electric crock pot and a microwave are more energy efficient. Using a toaster oven for 50 consecutive minutes at 425 degrees only uses .95 kWh of energy. An electric convection oven uses 1.39 kWh of energy when used for 45 minutes at 325 degrees.
- People shopping for a toaster oven should pay attention to the amount of watts it uses before purchasing. This information should be printed on the toaster oven box. Toaster ovens that use more watts don't necessarily heat food better. When using a toaster oven, always remember to set the timer. Opening and closing the toaster oven door to check the status of the food will reduce the temperature within, increasing the amount of time it takes to heat the food. If possible, use a glass or ceramic pan to cook meals within the toaster oven. These pans will retain more heat and allow you to reduce the cooking temperature.
previous post