Toaster ovens a good choice for small-scale cooking

DEAR SARA:

How do I use a toaster oven? I just got a new (to me) toaster oven. No instructions. I need advice on how to use it, what to make in it, etc. I’ve never had one before. Never had one while growing up, either. — Julie, Florida

DEAR JULIE:

Toaster ovens are a great alternative to a regular oven. They cost less to operate and won’t heat up your kitchen as much. You can bake most anything in it that you would in a regular oven, but in smaller portions (nothing large, like a roast). Using a toaster is still your cheapest option for toast and bagels, but you can bake, broil, roast or reheat foods such as sandwiches, appetizers, mini pizzas, fish, meat, poultry, desserts, etc., in a toaster oven, too. They work out well during holidays if your regular oven is full. Visit your local library and look for toaster oven cookbooks or a search online will provide hundreds of recipes. Making a call to the manufacturer or doing a search for your toaster oven make/model might bring up a copy of the manual, too.

DEAR SARA:

My husband wants to stop his everyday doughnut pit-stop addiction. He wants something like an egg muffin with bacon to grab from the freezer in the morning and eat at work. I’ve never made these before for the freezer. So I just cook the biscuits and slice, scramble eggs and cook bacon and just wrap them up like that in the freezer? Will cheese freeze well? He could just nuke them at work, and he has a 50-minute drive. Any tips on how to freeze them? I would like to make a month’s worth for him. — Palooka, Missouri

DEAR PALOOKA:

You can bake biscuits or use English muffins, croissants or bagels for the bread. You can cook scrambled eggs in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan (425 F for 6 to 8 minutes) or muffin tin (350 F for 15 to 20 minutes), or fry them in a skillet. Don’t forget to grease the pan. If you’re using a baking pan, after the eggs are baked, simply cut them, using a pizza cutter, into small squares that will fit your biscuit. Add sliced cheese and your bacon. If using English muffins or bagels, decide whether you prefer them toasted or not before assembling and freezing. Or consider making breakfast burritos. Whatever you choose, flash-freeze them on a cookie sheet, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them in freezer storage bags. It’s a considerable savings to make them at home.

DEAR SARA:

Do you know how to make Stove Top stuffing from scratch? As I don’t live in the United States, I can’t buy it here, but I really like it. I did bring home some packages, but they are all gone now. — Ellen, Netherlands

DEAR ELLEN:

It’s basically cubed bread and seasonings.

Instant Stuffing Mix

1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons dried celery flakes
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
2 teaspoons dried chicken bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon sage
3-1/2 cups toasted bread cubes

TO PREPARE STUFFING: In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water, butter and seasonings to a boil. Add bread cubes and mix gently. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

photo by triplezero

Posted by Sara Noel on August 8 2010. Filed under Question & Answer.
Sara Noel owns Frugal Village, LLC and is a nationally syndicated columnist with Universal Uclick. Bio, Follow me on Twitter, Join us on Facebook