A toaster oven uses electrically heated coils in order to cook food in much the same way as a regular convection oven. By plugging the oven into a standard outlet, you have a handy appliance right on your countertop that is perfect for small meals or other quick items. A standard toaster oven features two control knobs; one sets the temperature for baking and one counts down the cooking time or keeps the oven turned on. You can choose whether to bake or broil your food. The advantages to using a toaster oven instead of a a full-sized oven are that it doesn't heat up the house as much, takes up less space, uses less power, and needs less time to preheat. It does not cook as fast as a microwave oven, but cooks foods more naturally.

Foods cooked in a toaster oven generally require less cook time because the heat is more direct. Because the heat source is in close proximity to the food, however, it is important to make sure to watch it carefully, and it may be necessary to turn the food while cooking. Following are a few ideas for which you might use a toaster oven:

• Toasting bread or bagels
• Heating pre-made waffles
• Melting cheese on top of food
• Heating up a frozen individual meal
• Baking a few cookies
• Broiling fish
• Roasting vegetables with oil and garlic.

The toaster oven will get hot quickly, so you need to make sure the area around the oven is clear of objects that may be sensitive to heat such as paper or plastic items, and that the oven is pulled away from walls or other appliances. Do not place anything on top of the toaster oven, especially when it is turned on. After using the oven, wipe out any spilled food or crumbs to avoid burning. As a safety precaution, it is advisable to unplug your toaster oven when it is not in use: just remember to plug it back in before you use it the next time.