A toaster oven can be fitted into many categories. There are regular or conventional types; convection and electric ovens are among the popular oven types. It’s a prerequisite to know the kind of oven before making any buying decision.
Note from here is that not every type of can serve what you might be looking for in an oven. From here, the question pops up, is a toaster oven a conventional oven or convection oven?
A toaster oven is smaller in size than a conventional oven. However, the heating capacity is very similar. The conventional oven has a top and bottom heater driven by either gas or electricity with an exhaust system. On the contrary, a toaster oven has a single heating element capable of doing toast, not broil.
Toaster ovens and conventional have some more similarities and dissimilarities. Convection and electric oven have their distinctions and similarities with a toaster oven.
We’ll delve deeper into it.
What’s a Conventional Oven?
An oven with heating elements located at the top and bottom of the oven and heats food without circulating the hot air is called a conventional oven. The closest foods to the heating elements are heated the most in a conventional oven.
A conventional oven usually contains these features:
- A Broil Function: Meats, pork, and vegetables can be broiled and become juicy if heated in an oven.
- Top and bottom heat Transformation: Many modern conventional ovens offer heat transformation between the top and bottom heater of the oven. This feature ensures perfectly heated or cooked foods.
- High-performance: Conventional oven can work both with electricity and without electricity. In case of an electricity outage, it can cook with gas.
- Recipe Availability: Mainstream recipes and pizza, cake, pastry, etc. It can be baked and cooked in a conventional oven.
- Rack flexibility: Often, ovens have two or three racks to contain foods. The conventional oven gives a satisfactory experience with food racks as they become rigid over time.
What’s a Toaster Oven?
According to Merriam-Webster, “Toaster oven is usually small electrical appliance that can function as an oven or a toaster.”
A toaster oven can cook, heat, and prepare varieties of foods. It is often used as a small alternative to a large kitchen oven. A toaster oven is usually 15 to 22 inches wide and 8 to 12 inches in height. A toaster oven can bake, broil or cook a small amount of food.
There are 3 Types of Toaster Ovens:
- Toaster.
- Standard toaster oven.
- Convection toaster oven.
A toaster oven can be called a ‘partially’ conventional oven for the following reasons.
- A toaster oven is just a smaller version of a conventional oven.
- The toaster oven has a top and bottom heat transformation system like a conventional oven. However, it doesn’t have a built-in fan or an exhaust system like conventional ovens don’t have one.
However, there are many differences between a toaster oven and a conventional oven. The differences are following:
- A toaster oven is smaller in size than a conventional oven.
- A toaster oven doesn’t require professional installation, but a conventional oven does.
- Toaster oven saves energy and is a greener choice. It uses less than half of the energy used by a regular oven
- A toaster oven can’t cook large meals. It’s primarily responsible for cooking and simple heating stuff
- Toaster ovens are safe to use in hot weather and summer months. But the conventional ovens contain over temperatures in the heater in the summer months.
- Toaster oven starts at 40 dollars for basic models. Better models require more money, between 200 to 300 dollars. On the other hand, conventional ovens cost between 500 to 2000 dollars. Adding installation, it will cost around 662 to 2275 dollars.
Is a Toaster Oven Convection or Conventional?
To compare convection and conventional oven, we first have to know about both of them.
What’s a Convection Oven?
An oven that contains a built-in fan that circulates air throughout the oven is called a convection oven. A convection oven has the following features ;
- A fan and exhaust system help circulate the heat throughout the cavity.
- It cooks 25% faster than a conventional oven.
- Saves energy by operating at a lower temperature.
- Best at browning meats and vegetables as convection ovens create a dry atmosphere inside the oven.
Differences Between Convection and Conventional Oven:
- Conventional ovens have top and bottom heat transformation system while convection oven contains a fan and exhaust system
- Convection oven can’t cook moist foods like bread, custard, baked goods, etc. Meanwhile, a conventional oven can cook these items.
- Convection ovens are more expensive than a conventional oven
- Convection oven often cooks or heats at a lower temperature. If it’s 375°F for a conventional oven, then it should be 300°F for a convection oven.
- Convections aren’t good at baking, but the conventional oven can bake cakes, pastries, etc.
So, compared to both of them, a toaster oven represents more conventional oven features than convection.
What Kind of Oven is a Toaster Oven?
A toaster oven mostly resembles features similar to a conventional oven. For example, toaster ovens have heating elements at the top or bottom, timer options, and thermostats like a traditional oven.
Many companies produce convection toaster ovens nowadays. One has to be sure by reading the manual.
What is Considered a Conventional Oven?
There are many types of conventional ovens. But here I’m detailing gross statistics of a typical conventional oven.
Usually used material: stainless steel
Usual weight: 240 pounds
Usual electricity usage: 1700 watt
Usual width and length in inches:19×15×13 inches
Usual price:140 to 300 dollars(may vary)
How to know if my Oven is Convection or Conventional?
There are many differences between convection and conventional oven. But the key feature that differentiates convection from a conventional oven is the presence of a fan inside the back wall of the convection oven.
Another way can be applied.
There should be a model number for every oven. Then, one can google it to find out if the oven is convection or conventional.
Toaster Oven vs. Electric Oven
At first, we have to know what’s an electric oven.
What is an Electric Oven?
An electric oven is an oven where the heating elements are located at the inside of the oven’s walls. The electric oven has these features;
- A heating coil at the bottom of the oven
- Many electric ovens have built-in fans, working like a convection oven.
- Some have both gas and electricity to use as fuel.
Similarities of a Toaster Oven and Electric Oven:
- Both use electricity as primary heating power.
- Both can be used for baking.
Differences Between a Toaster and Electric Oven:
- A toaster oven resembles a conventional oven, but an electric oven has many convection oven features.
- The toaster oven doesn’t have any heating coil, but the electric oven has.
Conclusion:
Simply, every type of oven has special credibility to something different from its lower generations. So, we need to understand; what we want to do with an oven, then according to our purposes, we can select the perfect type of oven. Personally, I’m a fan of convection ovens for their dynamic versatility.
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