Keep your toaster oven impeccably clean from the get-go.
We’ve all known people (mentioning no names) who have a dirty little toaster oven stashed in a corner somewhere. No one wants to eat food made in a dirty little toaster oven. Keeping your oven clean from the start makes cleaning less of a chore. It will make your food taste better and your oven last longer. The following are a few tips for keeping your toaster oven clean:
* Always unplug your toaster oven before cleaning it. Take out the rack and crumb tray and give it a thorough weekly cleaning. If you do this regularly, you will not have to think about it and your oven will stay new much longer.
* Use one of those small round brushes used for cleaning espresso machines to brush crumbs out of hard-to-reach places.
* Clean interior surfaces with a nonstick finish with mild detergent or according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
* Nothing works like pure, cheap rubbing alcohol to cut grease. When the oven is completely cool, pour a bit of alcohol on a sponge and wipe or scrub all surfaces of the oven (except the nonstick ones), both inside and out. Then, with a clean, damp sponge thoroughly wipe off the alcohol. (Be sure to check your manufacturer’s instructions first, as they may have their own ideas about what you should use to clean your oven. Their instructions, of course, should supersede mine.)
* Wipe down the interior of the roof of your oven after each use. The hardest place to clean is the interior roof of the oven. Because it usually does not have the same nonstick finish as the rest of the interior, grease accumulates on it easily.
* If your manufacturer allows it, cover the crumb tray and baking tray of your toaster oven with aluminum foil to help save time and effort when cleaning up. However, some manufacturers, such as Cuisinart, caution against the use of aluminum foil in the toaster oven, so be sure to check your manufacturer’s instructions before using foil, whether to cover foods or the baking tray.
I use thick cotton gardening gloves as toaster oven potholders. They allow for greater movement of the hands than potholders or heavy oven mitts do, and I find they offer enough padding for me to get things quickly in and out of the oven. Make sure to buy a pair that contain no rubber or plastic and have a nice, thick, fuzzy lining.
Always use great care when cooking with cast-iron utensils, which I recommend in a few places, because they get very hot. These are best handled with heavy oven mitts or pot holders.
Some brands of toaster oven have only one oven rack position; others have several. Pay attention to your chosen brand and place the oven racks in the optimal position for the job you want to do.
As I mention in several places in this book, one way to elevate toaster oven dishes from the mundane to the exceptional is to choose baking and serving dishes that are attractive or unique in some way.
Some of my favorite pans are Staub enameled cast-iron cookware. I love their sleek design and unique nonstick finish. These pans are weighty, distribute heat evenly, and give a beautiful crust to all sorts of foods. I use the 6- and 7½-inch round roasting dishes all the time.
Alfred Bakeware’s beautiful terra-cotta-colored earthen baking dishes, in particular their loaf pans, are wonderful to bake with. They give a beautiful crust to breads and cakes. I’ve gotten the most use out of their regular and mini-loaf pans, the small quiche dish, the pie pan, and the 12-inch au gratin dish. All make attractive table presentations.
Le Creuset’s custard dishes (for both desserts and individual meatloaves) and their bright yellow au gratin dish also get a lot of use in my kitchen.