Kitchen Spotlight 2010: Black and Decker Toast-R-Oven

From the last spotlight:
I've decided to start doing a spotlight on the numerous kitchen accessories that turned my life around in 2010.  2010 was the birth year for my kitchen.  I've had a few before, but those were of darker times and back then, I hardly utilized them anyway.  I cooked at work, didn't want to do it at home.  But last year was different.  Things took a drastic change for the better and my kitchen became a big focus in my life.

I started out with very little.  I did everything by hand, cooked food in either stove or on the oven and that was it.  Eventually my kitchen began to grow.  I picked up an accessory here and there, when I could afford it, and things were also gifted to me as well.  Now, while I'm still a bit short of having a real kick!@# kitchen, I still like to think that my tiny little space in my tiny little apartment, is actually something to brag about.

The spotlight isn't really about bragging, its actually a thank you to the items that have helped me become a better cook.  Also, to the companies that make them.  It's a recommendation as well.  If you don't have these in your kitchen, I strongly suggest getting them- or at least something like them.

Today's focus is going to be on my Black and Decker Toast-R-Oven. When I was growing up, we didn't have a toaster.  Well, we may have, but I don't remember it.  What I remember was the toaster oven.  Whenever I'd visit someone else's kitchen, and all they had was the pop-up toasters, I would always be disappointed. They all just seemed so out of date.  

My friend's would all defend the classic toaster and try to show me the better points.  To this day, the only benefit I see to a pop-up toaster is only a slight improvement on convenience when it comes to simple toast.  But a toaster oven can do simple toast and so much more! 

To those of you who don't have a toaster oven, just think about this:  It's a little oven that sits right on your counter top that's faster to preheat, more compact, and if you aren't going to bake a whole lot at a time, you can save energy by baking it in one of these bad-boys instead of the big-ol oven next to the fridge.  

For example:  When I make calzones and pizzas (which I will tonight) I cook the two big calzones for Kana and myself and then Caleb's personal pizza right in the toaster oven.  Now, if I were just baking the one individual pizza, it'd be a waste using the big oven to cook such a tiny thing.  That's where the toaster oven comes into play!

Now, this particular type, isn't exactly my favorite.  The controls are a little wonky and setting a timer for just toast is a pain in the butt.  I probably will replace this toaster oven in the future for a better one, but I can't ignore the fact that the Toast-R-Oven was cheap and affordable and there while I needed it.  Heck, I still need it. You can't make homemade garlic bread in a pop-up toaster, that's for sure. Well, maybe that frozen crap... not sure how they can keep the grease from dripping into the heating element and gooing it up though... hmm.  Oh well, not my problem and it doesn't have to be yours either.

I know toaster ovens are nothing new and lots of kitchens have them, but there's so many that don't and I'm shocked every time I see a home without one.  Where would I be without mine?  Knee deep in a gas bill for the stove and roasting because I had to turn the oven on during a hot summers day just to cook a single slice of garlic bread to go with my leftover raviolis. (Hey, that's what I'll have for lunch!)

P.s.  If I find a toaster oven that I really really really like, I'll let you know.  (Some toaster ovens can rotisserie a chicken too..wow.)