I've used many different types of toaster ovens through the years. For me, the simpler, the better. I like using them for toasting, broiling and for making garlic bread. I seemed to have better success using them for broiling then the one in the oven as it was so easy to burn things quickly in the regular oven's broiler.
I had a favorite toaster oven when I lived in Thailand and used it for brownies, cakes, cookies and all kinds of things. It had pans that were the rack and pan combo. It came in really handy as I could carry it and step outside the kitchen door into the outdoor kitchen and use it there so it didn't heat up the inside of the house. I was able to find nice, quality stainless steel baking sheet pans that fit into the rack grooves so it served as a pan/rack combo, before I even left the store so I knew if would be the perfect fit. It also had a regular rack so other small pan shapes could be used and 4-5 levels with a convection oven fan so it cooked faster than the regular oven. It also had a rack with a lowered angle level that helped at times when needing a wider space between the racks.
While at collage, I remember using a shallow toaster oven that had a simple long handle connected to the rack for sliding it in and out when finished cooking. That kind worked well for a burrito, cascades ( lay the tortilla flat, buttered side down and spread thinly over the whole top with re-fried beans, seasoned cooked meat and cheese, hot sauce or other favorite toppings. When done fold over in half or fold in edges and roll up.) For nachos it's great too, or you could spread out a casserole really thin across the pan and heat it up for a one person serving.
My least favorite toaster oven is the one I have now and will be demonstrating with today. Why? Because it was advertised to be a convection oven also. But doesn't work well for that. It took a lot longer trying to bake cookies in it than in a regular oven and the fan worked very faintly and slowly. But it does do a nice rotisserie chicken, though it's not easy to clean up from that. Just make sure you use a smaller size chicken, wrap it with string tightly and firmly tie it off, so that it has room to turn freely. I do like the built in timer and shut off feature.
Kelly's Nachos
Layer tortilla chips on a pan that will fit in the toaster oven, in a single layer.
Thinly spread with re-fried beans, top with seasoned meat (shown here: 1- leftover baked chicken leg or 1/3 cup meat, remove fat and skin, grizzle and bones, place in a bag with 1/2 teaspoon low sodium dry taco seasoning mix and shake). Turn on the toaster oven to the Function: Bake; Temp: 350 degrees and set Time: for 10 minutes.
Optional: Add taco sauce and shredded cheese, return to toaster oven for 1 minute to melt or leave unmelted and serve them now. It helps to have a deep lip or edge on the plate for if needing to carry the plate or move it. The chips can very easily slip off a regular plate.
Add any of your favorite toppings: sliced black olives, sliced avocados, finely shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, onions, chopped fresh cilantro or hot peppers, etc.
The lip of this dish is barely raised and one of the chips slid off when I moved it.
This pasta/soup plate with it's double or triple deep well shown below is a better choice and none slid when moving it.
