I know there were a few raised eyebrows when, just after I moved in here, I had them come take my stove away.
The Decision To Have A Washer Instead Of A Stove:
I wanted a portable washer/dryer and there wasn’t space for both. I needed the washer to be close to the sink so the hose could reach the faucet.
This type of washer really doesn’t dry very well. But that’s okay.
I just hang up my clothing to dry, which is much better for your clothing anyway. And I layer the rest of my laundry around my apartment to dry.
Moving Big Appliances Around The Kitchen:
I switched my refrigerator over to where the stove was and ordered an LG washer. And then I put it where the refrigerator had been so the water attachment would reach a water source, the kitchen sink.
It has been over 6 years and I have not regretted my decision. I live alone and only need to cook for myself.
I immediately bought a convection toaster oven and, along with my microwave, I was ready to roll.
The New Convection Toaster Oven:
Recently I had to buy a new toaster oven. This time I did not go with the Breville that I had before.
I did a lot of research online and ultimately bought a Kitchen Aid.
It is taller and I can fit more food inside. Last week I cooked julienne potatoes along with cornbread and there was plenty of room for both to cook at the same time.
Often I cook everything at once on one pan and then there’s only one pan to clean!
Casa Ware Ceramic Coated Non-Stick Toaster Oven Baking Pans:
I also ordered various sizes of non-stick toaster oven baking pans created specifically for toaster oven cooking.
Nothing seems to stick to them and so it was love at first cooking session!
You’re not supposed to scrub this cookware or put it in the dishwasher. I wash my dishes in the kitchen sink since it’s just me.
Cooking Station:
I did have an electric skillet but after years of wear the coating was deeply scratched and I stopped using it. I’ve found I haven’t really missed it.
I arranged my new bake ware just above the microwave and toaster, which I refer to as my cooking station, which is very convenient.
Different Kitchen Configurations:
I have worked and worked on this kitchen. This configuration that Kendra and I DIYed this past spring is the version I like the best. Tried out various color schemes and decorations.
Clean and white and shiny. Just like I imagine a grandma’s kitchen should look!
I bought a new refrigerator as well this past spring, as most of you know.
Cooking In The New Toaster Oven:
I love cooking in my new Kitchen Aid convection toaster oven. It cooks fast and evenly.
The cornbread I cooked last week came out perfectly browned on top. As did the potatoes.
Here is what Amazon, which is where I ordered it, has to say about this Kitchen Aid appliance.
What This Toaster Oven Can Do:
- Cook for the entire family: This Kitchen Aid oven can bake 2 whole chickens (based on 3. 6 lbs weight) at a time.
- Versatile: 12 preset cooking functions including everything from bake, to cookie, pizza, and even dough proofing.
- Save time: Cook chicken up to 20% faster with dual convection bake.
- Easy to use: Digital display and an interior light for at-a-glance updates on cooking progress without disturbing your dish.
- Built-in temperature probe: Allows you to have more control during cooking process, giving you perfect results time after time.
- Non-stick interior: Quickly and easily clean up any spills.
- Sleek style: Streamlined profile and chrome knobs add style to your countertop.
What Comes With It:
Includes 1) Kitchen Aid countertop oven, (1) 9×13-inch baking pan with grill rack, (1) removable metal drip and crumb tray, (1) removable metal rack, (1) temperature probe.
Cooking For One:
I very rarely cook meat so I don’t know if I’ll use the temperature probe.
At times I cook frozen fish and sometimes I buy an already cooked rotisserie chicken at the grocery store and prepare meals with it. Like chicken tacos.
Then I divide the rest of the leftover chicken into plastic baggies and freeze them for later meals.
While vegetables are cooking I walk out onto my patio and gather cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.
Then I have a nutritious meal that is fast and delicious.
I love my kitchen. It doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles. But it has everything I need.
The convection toaster oven doesn’t heat up the whole apartment and it takes up less room than an actual stove. Perfect for small home living.
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Hello!
I just purchased a convection toaster oven since my long time toaster oven finally died. I am unsure when I should use convection vs just the bake function. If convection is so great, why is there a bake function too? Are there specific foods that should only be baked and not done with convection?
I love, love my counter top oven. I really thought about it for a long time as what do I need another appliance for with just us two now. BUT, the only time I use my larger oven is when all the family is home. I like that it heats up fast, too.
I definitely will buy another when this one goes bad. I don’t comment very often but had to share how I feel about my counter top oven.
I LOVE a toaster oven! I bought an air fryer a couple of years ago and I got rid on my toaster oven. The air fryer isn’t as versatile as a toaster but for right now it’s good. When it stops working I think I’ll try one of to the newer fancy multi-purpose cookers… oven, convection oven, air fryer and who knows what else these things like can do. They’re shaped like a regular toaster oven which is better for how I’d like to use it. I really like an air fryer… it gets things so crispy!!! (PS… I hardly ever use a regular oven)
I noticed that you didn’t have your Breville anymore and was going to ask you what kind of oven that was. I’m so glad I didn’t get that kind bc if it didn’t look clean that would of drove me nuts! Lol.
I’ve been wanting a smaller oven to bake or cook in when it’s so darn hot and muggy out. One that I could fit a 9 by 13 pan, pizza pan, and of course a bundt pan. This is perfect and I will have 2 ovens for the holidays! It might bug me with the light on constantly but it’s no biggie!
I’ve had a small kitchen aid mixer for yrs and a big one too, that I love. I always joke that it has lasted longer than my marriage. Lol. Stay safe everyone!
Brenda, you really have thought of everything to make your life easier and to fit into your small apartment. I am wondering about the washer, is it a washer and a dryer in one? I have heard of them but don’t know anyone that has one! Like you said, even if it doesn’t dry well you can hang your laundry around the apartment. You could also put up a line on your patio. The convection toaster oven is all you need and it is a good size !
Love your new convection oven you’ve got me thinking about getting one looks like it could do everything it’s too hot to heat the kitchen up like a stove does this Carolina heat and humidity is something else this summer it’s a heat wave take care!
We do most of our cooking in our tiny toaster oven, including this year I figured out that we do not need a toaster at all…just lay the bread on the oven shelf and bake it a bit…is perfectly done way better than the toaster ever did…and I have used the regular oven in this place just twice since we moved in now 15 months ago. I would have made the same choice you did in your kitchen. When we need to replace our toaster oven, yours looks like a great choice!!
We never had a toaster oven until about 5 years ago when Tim lived with us and he kept insisting that it was so much easier than heating up the oven, especially when you didn’t have a lot to cook/bake. So we got the Breville one and we’ve never looked back. We use it all the time and love it! Especially in the summer when it’s too hot to turn on the regular oven. What happened to your Breville one?
The Breville got so stained it was kind of disgusting and I couldn’t get it clean. So I wanted one that was tall and wide and wouldn’t catch so much yuck on it.
That sounds like a great addition to your kitchen. After my husband died I threw out the microwave. Some people were aghast. How do you live without it? Simply. I don’t miss it at all. I didn’t realize you could bake a chicken in it. That is awesome.
Yes, you can bake a chicken in the convection toaster oven. Two at a time.
Until they’ve tried it, people with two or more in the household sometimes don’t realize that it can be a challenge to only cook for one person. There is no such thing as home-cooked pot roast from scratch for one, for instance. The best plus is that there are usually left-overs enough for at least a couple of meals unless I pop a frozen Lean Cuisine in the microwave. Last night, for instance, I cooked up a batch of Alfredo Italian meatballs with fettuccine (definitely not low cal/low fat, LOL). It turned out to be enough for 4 meals, so I kept one left-over portion in the fridge for tonight and the other two are in the freezer for the future. With all the wonderful tools/appliances/equipment available today, we are able to live in a way that works the best for ourselves, and I’m all in on that.
Jan, sure there is! My mom lives on her own and only cooks homemade/from scratch for herself all the time. She doesn’t eat any prepared foods or frozen meals. When she makes something like a pot roast, she eats the one portion that night and saves another portion for the next night, then freezes the rest. 🙂
You can’t go wrong with Kitchen Aid. Your kitchen is beautiful. It is hard to make apartment kitchens cute but you certainly have done that. Looks like you have used every inch you could. Love it.