Many people already have a toaster in their homes. Most of these toasters are usually the top-loading kind that allow you to toast slices of bread as well as a few other select items, giving you the ability to easily make a hearty breakfast. If you aren’t familiar with what a convection toaster oven is, then think of that toaster on your kitchen counter, and imagine it being combined with a regular oven. In short, a convection toaster oven is very similar to the toaster in your kitchen, but instead of just loading bread from the top, it has a large front door that allows you to cook much larger items. These handy ovens can be used to cook a wide variety of different foods, making it quick and easy to cook up whole meals in just a few simple steps. This alone has helped make them a favorite appliance in many a person’s kitchen over the years.
Convection toaster ovens work in much the same way as a regular toaster oven, through convection heating. This type of heating is done by providing heating elements inside of the oven that produce an even heat that thoroughly surrounds the food being cooked. The metal walls inside such an oven ensure the heat remains constant and doesn’t fluctuate, cooking the food at the exact same heating throughout the entire process. Many convection ovens will also include a fan that helps spead the hot air inside the oven around, ensuring it covers all parts of the food being cooked. This results in food that is thoroughly and evenly cooked, without any cold spots, while retaining its full flavor. In short, it is easy to see why the best toaster ovens use convection heating.
Using a convection toaster oven at the basic level isn’t any more difficult than using any other type of oven. However, there are definitely certain nuances with how you use one that can make a big difference in the end results of your cooking. For instance, the heat settings that you use, the types of pans, and even the amount of time that you cook your food can all have a huge effect on the quality of your dishes. That isn’t to say that getting good results from cooking with a convection oven is difficult; far from it, in fact! It’s just that you can get the very best results by following a few simple rules, and doing so will produce food that ends up far better than anything cooked in even the best microwave ovens.
The first thing to keep in mind when cooking with a convection oven is what the actual recipe of the food you are cooking calls for. Most recipes will tell you that you need to cook food at a certain temperature for a certain amount of time. Following these instructions to the letter are great when using a regular oven, but you’ll want to change this up a little when you’re cooking with a convection oven. The general rule for using a convection oven is this: cook your food at a lower temperature (about 25 degrees F) and for about one quarter less time than what the recipe calls for. You will want to do this because convection ovens will cook your food quicker and more thoroughly than a regular oven, and following the same temperature and time settings in the recipe may result in overcooked or even burned food.
Another thing to keep in mind when cooking with a convection oven is the type of pan that you are placing the food on before you insert it into the oven. You will want to use pans with low sides in order to allow the air to properly circulate around the sides of the food. Pans with high sides will tend to block the air flow inside of the oven, resulting in the sides of your food coming out undercooked. Likewise, make sure that whatever you are cooking has some space between it and the top of the oven, again to allow for proper air circulation to cover the food. For this same reason, you will also want to avoid covering your food with any type of wrap, including tinfoil or a lid. Keeping the food uncovered will allow it to cook the way it needs to cook.
After learning about how a convection oven works and how to use one, you are most likely wondering which convection oven is the best one to use. Thankfully, we already have that answer ready for you. The Cosori Original Air Fryer Toaster Oven is simply the best convection toaster oven on the market, giving you the perfect combination of multiple kitchen appliances in one product. This well-crafted toaster oven gives you the ability to bake, toast, roast, and even dehydrate food without needing an arsenal of different expensive and bulky appliances, letting you cook food with ease and in any way you want.
With this air fryer toaster oven from Cosori, you are able to cook food in any number of ways that you wish, thanks to the huge amount of flexibility built into this product. The oven comes with 12 different cooking presets that should cover almost any type of cooking, including toasting, baking, roasting, air frying, and even presets for cooking pizzas and cookies, along with many others. You can even use the Rotisserie function to cook a whole chicken up to 5 pounds in size, something that no other convection toaster oven can do!
The cooking process is aided by the 3 different rack placements that let you set your food at the perfect level for cooking, and the 2 different fan speeds let you spread the hot air around any type of food, ensuring it is thoroughly and evenly cooked. The 5 heating elements inside of the unit are perfectly placed as well, so whatever food you are cooking will get all of the heat without leaving any cold spots.
Although such an appliance that promises the amount of flexibility in use as this one may seem like it would be complex to use, the Cosori Original Air Fryer Toaster Oven is actually extremely simple to use, even for a cooking novice. The previously mentioned presets will already give you a great starting point for choosing the appropriate settings for the food you are cooking, and the separate temperature controls along with the built-in timer let you adjust them to perfection. The interior of the unit includes a light that lets you perfectly view whatever food you are cooking, so you can always keep an eye on the cooking process. As for when you are finished with cooking, the non-stick interior ensures that any pieces of food or crumbs that end up inside of the unit are extremely easy to clean up, requiring little more than a simple wipe-down with a sponge. Such a powerful device rarely comes in a package that is so easy and convenient to use!
As powerful as the Cosori Original Air Fryer Toaster Oven is, one would think that an appliance of this power and flexibility is expensive, but believe it or not, this one comes at a very affordable price point of only $199. This places it easily within the range of most other toaster ovens of its size and class, yet with the overall flexibility and ease of use of this model, it is actually quite a steal. You can order this device directly from the manufacturer or from Amazon, although due to the amount of shipping delays that have occurred lately, your order will be delivered much faster if you purchase it directly from the manufacturer’s website. Regardless of where you purchase it from, though, we are sure that you will be delighted by the capabilities of this air fryer convection toaster oven from Cosori!
Now that you have decided on purchasing the Cosori Original Air Fryer Toaster Oven, you are probably in need of some recipes to help you make the best use of this appliance. Not to worry! The manufacturer provides some recipes on their website, and in addition, we have provided a few here to help get you started with your new convection toaster oven. Bon Appetit!
Ingredients:
- 5 lb. chicken
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, or oregano)
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
- 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
- 4 slices lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
Instructions:
1. Place the rack in the toaster oven in the lowest position, ensuring the chicken will fit inside with plenty of clearance above. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F using the Roast preset.
2. Remove giblets and neck from chicken (if still present), and rinse chicken thoroughly with cold water. Pat dry.
3. Place baking rack into broiling pan filled with ¼ cup of water, spray with cooking spray.
4. Tuck the wings under the chicken and place into baking pan. Rub salt and pepper into the body of the chicken, including inside the cavity. Place the various herbs along with the lemon zest, onions, and garlic inside chicken.
5. Tie the legs together, then rub the outside of the chicken with the olive oil, along with the rest of the salt and pepper. Drizzle with lemon juice.
6. Put the chicken in the oven and roast it for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. After the 20 minutes is up, lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and roast for longer, depending on the size of the chicken. Add 12 minutes per each pound of chicken (roast 5 lb. chicken for 60 minutes).
7. Inside of chicken should be 170 degrees F when finished, juices should be clear.
8. Remove chicken from oven and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of cold, cubed butter
- ¾ cub brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 whole large egg and egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla1 cup of cake flour
- 1 ½ cubs of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups of chocolate chips
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees on the Bake preset.
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In mixer bowl, add butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Start mixing on low setting, then gradually increase to medium-high, mixing for about 3 to 4 minutes. Contents should be fluffy.
4. Set mixer to low and add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Turn mixer to medium and mix for about 30 seconds, until contents are well mixed.
6. Turn off mixer, then add cake flour and all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Turn mixer on low and mix until it is loosely combined. Be careful not to overmix!
7. Add in chocolate chips and knead them into the dough until they are mixed in evenly. Create small balls of dough roughly 2 oz in size, then place evenly on the baking sheet, around 2 inches apart.
8. Bake in convection oven for 4 to 5 minutes, until dough has flattened out and browned. Remove from oven and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before placing on wire racks.