Toasting and Broiling in the Office

I have always been curious about toaster ovens and wondered how well they worked. Could they actually replace a microwave or oven? I had the opportunity to learn the answers when our office received the gift of a Black & Decker TR0400 Toaster Oven two years ago.


Description

This white oven is compact at 14 5/8" wide x 7 5/8" high x 8 1/2" deep. It sits on a counter or table. The inside oven measurements are 11" wide x 3 3/4" high x 7 1/2" deep (it’s interesting to note that the instruction manual says the oven is only 3" high, yet my ruler measures 3 3/4" high). The glass door has a dark gray plastic handle at the top of the door that is 4 3/4" long x 2 1/4" deep with a nice wide opening for easy grasping. There are also two long indentations along each side of the toaster oven that serve as handles for lifting and moving the unit.

The rack inside the oven is easy to remove. It fits into two grooves along the inside of the oven. The oven door opens so that it lays almost completely flat. The door handle acts as a “leg” so that the glass door does not hit the counter.

Another nice feature is the crumb tray, which makes it easy to clean crumbs from the bottom of the oven. Tip the oven to its back and pull the black knob on the bottom of the oven to open the tray. The tray is hinged, and like a trap door, releases the crumbs.

It is handy that the oven comes with a cooking pan/tray. It is silver and measures 10 1/4" long x 6 1/2" wide x 3/4" high. The oven also comes with a broiler rack that can be used with the pan for broiling.

A control panel is located to the right of the oven door. All the plastic buttons and dials are a dark gray color to match the handle. The top dial controls the oven temperature in 100-degree increments (OFF / 200 degrees / 300 / 400 / 500 / Broil). The knob can be turned to the listed temperature or to any area between those temperatures. The temperature is written in both Fahrenheit and Centigrade. When the oven is turned on, an orange light appears on the panel to show that the oven is working.

Beneath the temperature dial is a button labeled toast. Press this button to toast bread. Under the button is a dial that adjusts the rate of toasting (Light / Medium / Dark). The oven will automatically turn off when the toast cycle is completed.

The electrical cord for this toaster oven is two feet long. The plug is polarized, meaning that one prong is wider than the other. This is a safety feature to better ground the appliance.

The oven comes with a large two-sided piece of paper that serves as an instruction manual. The instructions are written in English, Spanish and French.


Our Experiences

I was surprised at how simple the toaster oven is to operate. Being completely unfamiliar with toaster ovens, I was intimidated by this little toasting box. I thought it interesting that unlike a regular oven, the oven rack in the toaster oven does not change position for broiling. The rack has one position in the oven whether baking, broiling or toasting.

I usually use the toaster oven to heat pepperoni and cheese sandwiches. It’s delicious when the cheese melts and the pepperoni releases its flavor throughout the sandwich. Sometimes I bring the makings in a container and place a single piece of bread on the tray, topping it with cheese and pepperoni ... and I broil it. Other times I bring a sandwich already made and ready to place on the tray. I broil one side of the sandwich, turn the sandwich over after about four minutes and broil the other side. I keep my eye on the bread to make sure it doesn’t become too brown. The sandwiches always turn out great.

This toaster oven receives a lot of use from my coworkers. Several people bring home-made leftovers such as casserole, shepard’s pie, turkey or chicken pieces. They use the oven to warm the left overs, preferring the toaster oven to the microwave. Other people cook frozen pizza and Hot Pockets in the oven.

There is always bread or packages of English muffins or bagels on the counter for breakfast toasting. I noticed this morning that the toaster setting was on dark. I have never heard anyone complain that the toasting function comes out too light or too dark. This toaster suits everyone’s toasting preferences. It’s great that the toasting function has an automatic “off” feature. Some people prefer to pop toast in the oven and leave it to cook while they do other things, returning a bit later to retrieve their meal.

This oven does not automatically turn off when the oven or broiler are in use. It is important not to leave the oven unsupervised, or the food in it might be forgotten. This has happened to more than one coworker who forgot they had food cooking in the oven. Cheese has melted off pizza, and chicken fingers have burned. Thankfully we have never had a fire ... especially since a few people forget to turn off the oven after cooking.

There is no timer on this toaster oven. It would be handy if it did have one since that would help people keep track of how long their food has been cooking.

The manufacturer recommends using metal, oven-proof glass without lids or ceramic bakeware in the oven. It is important to keep an inch of space between the top of the baking dish and the upper heating elements. You can cover a dish with aluminum foil as long as the foil does not touch the heating elements. Do not cook anything that is sealed in pouches, cans, plastic wrap or that has a paper or board cover.



Cleaning

This oven is easy to clean. The inside of the oven looks virtually new after two years of continuous use. The hinged crumb tray makes it simple to remove crumbs from the bottom of the oven.

The small pan that comes with the oven cools rapidly and is easy to clean. I have used the pan to broil sandwiches, and I hand wash it right after it comes out of the oven. This pan and the oven rack are dishwasher safe. We do not have a dishwasher at work, so hand washing works well for us. The pan has never warped or discolored. Other than some scratches from utensils, the pan looks great.

Make sure the oven is cool before cleaning. We clean the oven by unplugging it and wiping the interior and exterior with a damp cloth. The manufacturer recommends cleaning the oven door with a nylon sponge and sudsy water (do not use a spray glass cleaner).


Purchasing

The person who gave us this toaster oven said they purchased it at a local department store. To give you an idea of price, I searched the internet and found this oven for sale for between $50 and $65.

If desired, a Heat-Guard Mounting Hood can be purchased to mount the toaster oven under a cabinet. The mounting hood “deflects heat and cooking vapors away from your cabinets”. It is made of steel and costs $19.98 plus $3.00 shipping and handling from Black & Decker.


Summary

We love this little Black & Decker TR0400 Toaster Oven. It has added much needed diversity in our company’s kitchen. It neatly sits atop the microwave oven. Having this toaster oven has doubled our kitchen productivity. Now everyone is not waiting in line to use the microwave. About half the office uses the microwave and half the office prefers using the toaster oven.

Would I purchase a toaster oven for home use? I would if I had the counter space. I’m considering it. The toaster oven would not replace the microwave or my regular oven. It would replace the toaster, though. This toaster oven is not large enough to cook a turkey, ham or fit a large casserole dish. However, it can easily heat leftovers and save energy since a traditional oven has a lot more space to heat.

I recommend this toaster oven for either home or office use. Just make sure it’s turned off when you are finished cooking.

I hope you have found this review useful.

Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com


Additional Information

This oven comes with a full one-year warranty.

Black & Decker
Shelton, CT 06484

Toll-free Phone: 800-544-6986


Please read my other reviews.

Braun Coffee Grinder (and flax seed)

West Bend Automatic Egg Cooker

KitchenAid 5-speed Electric Hand Mixer

Le Creuset Bean Pot with recipe

Graniteware Rectangle Roaster – Large enough to hold a 22-pound turkey

Graniteware 19" Oval Roaster

T-Fal Perfection Saute Pan

Calphalon Professional Non-stick Sauce Pan

Rubbermaid Space-Saver Dish Drainer

GE Top Freezer Refrigerator

Broan Allure III Range Hood

Maytag Gemini Oven


Copyright 2004 Dawn L. Stewart