Cooking For One In A Convection Toaster Oven
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I’ve been cooking most of my meals in a convection toaster oven that I ordered from Amazon. I know there were a few raised eyebrows when I had the maintenance man come take my apartment stove away.
I wanted an all-in-one washer/dryer, and there wasn’t space for both. Pluw I needed the washer to be close to the sink so the hose could reach the faucet.
I moved my refrigerator to the stove location and ordered an LG all-in-one washer. I then placed the washer where the refrigerator had been, so the water attachment would reach the kitchen sink. This washer was purchased and delivered from Austin, Texas.
My Cooking Station:
This type of washer really doesn’t dry very well, but that’s okay. It certainly beats taking my laundry to a laundromat.
I just hung 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.
I have not regretted my decision, as I live alone and only need to cook for myself. Using the countertop convection oven alongside my microwave allows me to cook anything I want.
The New Convection Toaster Oven:
Recently, I had to buy a new toaster oven. This time, I did not go with the Breville brand that I purchased before.
I conducted extensive online research and ultimately purchased a KitchenAid. And I like it much better, actually.
It is taller, and I can fit more food inside. Last week, I cooked julienne potatoes alongside cornbread, and there was plenty of room for both to cook simultaneously.
I often cook everything in one pan, so there’s only one pan to clean.
CasaWare Ceramic Coated Non-Stick Toaster Oven Baking Pans:
I also ordered various sizes of nonstick toaster-oven baking pans designed for toaster-oven cooking.
Nothing seems to stick to this bakeware, so it was love at first cooking session!
Cooking Station:
I had an electric skillet, but after years of use, the coating was deeply scratched, so I stopped using it. I’ve found I haven’t really missed it.
I arranged my new bakeware just above the microwave and toaster, which is very convenient.
Different Kitchen Configurations:
I have worked to make this kitchen the best it can be on a budget. The configuration Kendra and I DIYed this past spring is my favorite since I moved in here. We tried out various color schemes and decor.
I went for clean, white, and shiny. Just like I imagine a grandma’s kitchen should look! I also bought a new refrigerator this past spring, as most of you already know.
Cooking In The New Toaster Oven:
I love cooking in my new KitchenAid convection toaster oven. It cooks fast and evenly. The cornbread I cooked last week came out perfectly browned on top. As did the potatoes.
What This Toaster Oven Can Do:
- Cook for the entire family: This KitchenAid oven can bake 2 whole chickens (3.6 lbs each) 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 baking.
- 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: Gives you greater control during cooking, delivering consistent results every time.
- Non-stick interior: Quickly and easily clean up any spills.
- Sleek style: Streamlined profile and chrome knobs enhance your countertop’s look.
What Comes With This Countertop Convection Oven:
The box contained the KitchenAid countertop convection oven, (1) 9×13-inch baking pan with a grill rack, (1) removable metal drip and crumb tray, (1) removable metal rack, and (1) temperature probe.
Cooking for One in a Convection Toaster Oven:
I’ve somehow lost the temperature probe. I very rarely cook meat, so I don’t know that I’d use the temperature probe anyway.
At times, I cook frozen fish, and sometimes I buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. Then I’ll cook chicken tacos in the KitchenAid. Then I divide the remaining chicken into plastic bags and freeze it for later meals.
While vegetables are cooking, I walk out onto my patio and gather cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. Sometimes I snip chives. Then I have a nutritious meal that is fast and delicious.
I love my kitchen. It doesn’t have many bells and whistles, but now it has everything I need to cook for one with just a convection toaster oven. I don’t need a full-size stove.
When I first moved in, I didn’t know how I would manage having a washing machine while still cooking meals in my kitchen. There was no room for the washing machine elsewhere in my apartment, and it had to be near a water spigot.
The convection toaster oven doesn’t heat the entire apartment, and it takes up less space than a traditional stove. It’s ideal 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.