Everything You Need to Know About Convection Toaster Ovens

Not sure how to use your toaster oven’s convection function? Don’t worry, it’s easier than you think. With a few small changes to a recipe’s baking time and temperature, you’ll be turning out perfectly crispy on the outside, tender on the inside dishes every time.

And if you’re looking to use your little oven to air fry foods, check out this post for How to Air Fry With a Convection Toaster Oven.

Closeup of control panel on a convection toaster oven.

(As a ThermoWorks affiliate, we may receive a commission for purchases made using the links on this page.)

This is embarrassing to admit but for years we never tried our toaster oven’s convection feature.

Clueless as to what convection was and fearful of ruining anything we stayed far away from that “Turbo” setting on the functions dial.

But we kept hearing how convection cooked better and faster.

So finally, last year we read the manual and gave it a go.  Immediately we were Addicted to cooking with convection.

Now, we know you want to cook the food you love better and faster too.

But you’ve got some questions.

So we’ve researched, tried recipes and even ruined a few cookies to put together a guide that aims to answer ALL of your questions starting with…

What is a convection toaster oven?

A convection toaster oven is a standard toaster oven but with a built-in fan.

Pan of cookies baking inside a toaster oven with arrow pointing to the convection fan.

Yeah, a fan doesn’t sound nearly as exciting as a custom pizza function, rotisserie option or baked cookies setting. But the truth is a fan is better than any of those fancy bells and whistles you’re barely going to use.

“Okay, but what’s the difference between cooking with a conventional toaster oven vs. a convection toaster oven?”

Small toaster oven next to a large countertop oven.

This video from CNET does a good job explaining the difference between conventional and convection heating. It’s in relation to full-sized ovens but the principals are the same for your toaster oven.

Basically, conventional toaster ovens use 3 main sources of heat to cook food with the Bake setting:

  1. Radiant heat emanating directly from the heating elements and metal walls.
  2. Warm air within the toaster oven that surrounds your food
  3. Conduction from the baking pan to the item inside it.
Toaster oven with arrows pointing to main heating sources.

A convection toaster oven uses the same 3 heat sources but source #2 is super-charged by a fan.

The convection fan forces air warmed from the heating elements to circulate around the inside of your toaster oven which…

  • Increases your toaster oven’s temperature but keeps it consistent and accurate
  • Removes moisture and encourages browning (great for roasted veggies!)
  • Cooks food faster and more evenly
Toaster oven with arrows showing air flow using convection fan.

Womp Womp…Not Every Toaster Oven Has a Convection Fan

How to know if yours does?

Look at your control panel.

Arrow pointing to convection button on a toaster oven.

If your toaster oven is digital, check for a small button with a fan symbol or a button labeled “Conv” or “Convection.” If your toaster oven has only knobs check the Cooking Functions Knob for a setting labeled “Convection” or “Turbo.”

Toaster oven functions dial showing the turbo setting.

A few convection toaster ovens, like the older Kitchenaid Convection Countertop models do not have a button or separate function to select convection.

These toaster ovens usually activate the fan every time it’s used and the fan cannot be turned off.

Some toaster ovens, like our Breville Smart Oven Pro (BOV845BSS) automatically select the convection feature when using specific functions like Bake, Roast, Pizza, Cookie and Reheat.

To turn it off just push the convection button until the fan icon disappears from the screen.

It’s important to note if your toaster oven auto selects convection as you need to make adjustments to your recipe’s time and temperature when cooking with convection.

Toaster oven control panel with arrows pointing to convection fan graphic on screen and fan button.

How To Use A Convection Toaster Oven

Are your dishes missing a crispy on the outside and tender on the inside finish?

Then the convection setting is just what you need and we’ve got two easy tips that will get you success.

  1. Reduce your toaster oven’s temperature by 25 degrees from what the recipe instructions call for.
  2. Check for doneness 2/3 to 3/4 through the cooking time called for in your recipe, adding time as needed.

You should use those conversions any time you try a new recipe in your toaster oven with the convection fan on.

Cookies baking in a toaster oven with directions for reducing cooking time and temperature.

Get The Most Out Of Cooking With Convection

The circulating hot air is your superstar here and there are a few things you can do to help it shine.

  • Use pans with low sides (if you have them). Think roasting pans and unrimmed baking sheets. Don’t run out and buy new pans though, we use rimmed baking sheets and get great results too.
  • More isn’t always better. If there isn’t space between your food and the top of the toaster oven the air can’t do it’s job and circulate.
  • Avoid covering your food. Covering your food with either a lid or foil will keep the air from directly circulating around it.

Where Should I Put The Rack?

For the best results check your manual’s suggested placement for the function (bake, roast, etc.) you are using with the convection fan.

Cuisinart toaster oven with different rack placements pointed out.

If no placements are given, the middle or bottom rack position (if there are only two positions) are your best bet. Just make sure your food item is a safe distance from the top elements.

Do I Need To Rotate The Pan?

If you are using only one baking pan, you shouldn’t need to rotate it because the temperature should be the same throughout your toaster oven.

If you are cooking with two pans or more on multiple racks refer to your manual for directions. Generally, pan rotation is suggested for even convection baking with multiple pans.

Can You Use Foil In A Convection Toaster Oven?

Maybe? Each manufacturer has their own instructions. You should contact your toaster oven’s manufacturer or check your manual for directions.

Toaster Oven Manual

Yeah, we know some manuals are as helpful as the instructions for your NORDLI dresser from IKEA. But others do have useful information.

What if I Can’t Find My Manual?

Google it!

Major manufacturers now offer appliance manuals for free on their company websites (even for older models).

Search in Google for your toaster oven’s manufacturer name and the model number. Example: Oster Toaster Oven Model TSSTTVCG02 Manual

Still not sure if you can use foil?

#1 Toaster Oven Tip: When in doubt, leave it out.

{Related: 4 Surprising Things I’ll Never Use In Our Toaster Oven}

Can You Show Me How Food Cooks Differently If I Use Convection?

Absolutely. Let’s see how things go with a few pieces of pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough.

Raw cookie dough on a silicone mat lined toaster oven cookie sheet.

First, let’s bake some test cookies without convection and use the package directions of 350°F for 12 to 16 minutes.

Two baked chocolate chip cookies on a pan.

This is why test cookies are important!

Even though the directions said 12 minutes the cookies were done (a little overdone depending on your tastes) at 11 minutes. If we made another batch we’d take them out around 10 minutes.

{Related: 5 Tips That Will Make You A Toaster Oven Cookie Baking Expert}

“Okay, so what happens if I use convection but make no adjustments to the baking temperature or time?”

Your cookies might look like these ones that were baked at 350°F with the convection fan on for 10 minutes.

Over-baked cookies on a toaster oven cookie sheet

I know what you’re thinking. They’re certainly overdone but don’t look too bad.

Looks can be deceiving.

The cookies were terrible: dry and crumbly with zero flavor.

“Okay, so if I use convection, lower the temperature by 25 degrees and check on it early what does that look like?”

Hopefully, like these guys that were baked at 325°F with the convection fan on for 9 minutes.

Warm and gooey chocolate chip cookies on a sheet pan.

Crispy edges with a gooey just-cooked middle, now that’s a tasty chocolate chip cookie.

When I handed one to Tim he said: “Mmmm, just like at the mall

Cookies baked at different time and temperature on a sheet pan.

We hope this little cookie experiment was helpful in understanding how cooking with convection affects your food and the small changes you can make to be more successful using it with your toaster oven.

Does Convection Work The Same For Every Recipe?

That would be awesome.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that will affect your recipe, from your toaster oven’s heating to your ingredients.

The “Lower Temperature 25° and Cook for 1/4 Less Time” is a good starting place. But you’ll still need to do some tasty experimenting to discover what works for your little oven.

Take this roasted cauliflower, our original recipe was created using a conventional toaster oven and takes between 25 to 35 minutes to cook.

Roasted cauliflower on a black toaster oven baking pan

Roasting it with the convection on and the temperature reduced from 450 to 425 it took about 25 minutes to become browned and fork tender.

In our toaster oven, it seems like vegetables don’t cook much faster with convection. But they do get crispier and taste fantastic, especially these easy sriracha roasted red potatoes.

Roasted red potatoes on a baking sheet.

Until you get comfortable with how your toaster oven cooks, reduce the temperature for every recipe.

You can always cook something longer but once the damage is done you can’t cook it less!

What Are The Best Foods To Cook With Convection?

That’s going to depend on your own taste and texture preferences.

We’ve found it’s best for items that you’d like to be crispy outside but tender inside. Foods like fries, buttery pastries, pizzas, roasted vegetables, biscuits, and cookies.

What about cake?

You’ve probably heard that you shouldn’t use convection to cook cakes, muffins, and quick bread because it can dry them out. We’ve even shared that advice before.

Here’s the thing, we were wrong.

After months of researching temperature tests and toaster oven baking pans, we’ve realized that applying the “everyone says” rules of cooking rarely works the same for toaster ovens.

So we decided to give convection a try with a small batch of Lemon Olive Oil Cupcakes.

The result was light and tender (not at all dry) lemony cupcakes.

Lemon cupcake with strawberry filling and whipped cream.

But one positive experience isn’t enough to say it’s a good idea all of the time, right?

So the verdict is still out but we do plan to keep trying baking with convection and will update you with our results.

What about cooking chicken, pork, and beef?

While we’ve never cooked meat in our toaster oven, we didn’t want to leave you hanging.

The only book we could find on the subject at the library was Cooking with Convection by Beatrice A. Ojakangas. It’s about full-sized ovens but her directions are the same for reducing the cooking time and temperature.

Hand sticking thermometer into a veggie pot pie.

The author suggests using a meat probe or an instant-read thermometer to check the doneness of your protein.

If you’re looking for a quality thermometer America’s Test Kitchen voted the Thermapen by ThermoWorks as their number one selection and the ThermoPop as the best budget selection. 

We own the ThermoPop (in blue) and use it when cooking frozen meals – it definitely lives up to the hype and would make a great holiday gift for your favorite toaster oven cook. 

For a simple Temperature Guide check out Fine Cooking’s “Safe, but Not Overcooked” article. In addition to cooking temperature guidelines, it’s got helpful tips about carryover cooking and using larger cuts of meat.

And if you’re looking for meaty recipe inspiration we found some videos of Chef Ming Tsai roasting and baking with the convection setting on the Breville Smart Oven Pro.

You can watch the videos on YouTube using the links below:

Roasted potato wedges on a dark roasting pan.

Recipes We Cook With Convection

All of the recipes on Toaster Oven Love are purposefully created without convection so they can work in any toaster oven.

If specific convection instructions aren’t also included, just remember to reduce the temperature and time!

Gooey baked chocolate cookie surrounded by chocolate chips.

Below are some of our favorite recipes to cook with convection:

Have more questions?

Leave us a comment! Already use your toaster oven’s convection feature? Please share what you like best about it and any tips with the community, in the comments below.

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92 Comments

  1. We have a new Cuisinart toaster oven with convection and I am wondering if we couldn’t try air fryer recipes in it. Your thoughts? I have never used an air fryer but I saw a review saying the convection toaster ovens worked the same way. I just know there are now quite a few air fryer cookbooks out there.

    1. Hi Linda,

      Both appliances are very similar but there are some differences between them that affect how they cook food.

      An air fryer has a faster-moving fan with a higher rate of airflow. Air fryers are also more compact so the heating is very intense in a smaller space.

      In this article: https://toasterovenlove.com/air-fry-convection-toaster-oven/, we cooked air fryer recipes in a drawer-style air fryer and in a convection toaster oven and compared the two.

      For some recipes, we could use the same temperature and just increase the cooking time with the convection toaster oven, while a few benefited from increasing the temperature of the oven a little.

      You can definitely cook air fryer recipes with a convection toaster oven you just might need to experiment a bit.

      Happy Cooking!
      Brie

  2. Just cooked chicken thighs and green beans tonight. Coated the chicken and popped it in. Mine has a setting bake/fan at 400d. 9 mins- flip-9 mins. My oven sits on a stand alone, so I can take advantage of the hot top. I put green beans with butter and garlic in a foil container with the lid and place on top. Steamed them perfectly by the time the chicken was done. I however have not been so successful with muffins and cookies.

  3. Hi,

    How about the safety of a toaster oven? Reading a lot, but everything says it gets really hot and not suitable for small benchtops. Can I place it under the cabinet?

    Thanks

    1. Hi Sri,

      While every toaster oven is going to be different, the majority of them DO get hot/warm on the outside during cooking. We don’t touch the outside of ours (besides the handles and knobs) while it’s in use so that hasn’t really been a problem for us.

      But if that’s something you’re worried about a toaster oven might not be the best appliance for your situation. A self-contained air fryer unit has its limitations but it can do many of the same things without getting as warm on the exterior.

      Re the cabinets, most toaster ovens require at least a distance of 4-inches of space on either side of the oven and 6-inches of space above the oven – though I have seen ones that require less space and some that require more. It really does vary by oven. This information can usually be found under the “Important Safeguards” section in the manufacturer’s manual.

      Like with any kitchen appliance there are things you have to be mindful of. When you think about it, a stovetop (with a live flame) or a sharp knife can be pretty dangerous – a lot of the time it’s how we act around/with them that makes all the difference.

  4. Your article gave me the confidence to try cooking a chicken in our recently purchased Breville toast oven. I found a recipe for chicken and potatoes for convection oven and so used that information. It said to cook the meat and potatos at 425° for about 1 hour. Mine took 1 hr. 15 min (although it might have cooked faster if I wasn’t checking it every ten minutes toward the end which meant that the oven had to heat up again each time). One thing I would do differently is to not put the potatoes in quite so soon. They were definitely very well done.

    1. Congrats on getting in there and trying something new, Susan! It sounds like you did a great job and learned a bunch about your oven – I bet the next dish will be even better. It’s soooo tough not to open that door – I’m guilty of it too 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and best wishes for lots of tasty fun with your new toaster oven!

  5. Great article, Thank you.
    My question is about foods that you would not recommend to be cooked with the convection option.
    Thanks, Lois

    1. Thanks, Lois, that’s a great question!

      I think anything that’s really dense or thick, where the middle takes a long time to cook through could give you some trouble. I see a lot of people struggle with things like banana bread where the outside will be overdone while the middle is still raw. We don’t cook meat but I imagine roasts might have a similar issue.

      That said, I’ve found that if you’re willing to play around with the temperature enough, you can pretty much cook anything and get good results using the convection option.

  6. I am having a problem. Setting the time and temp on the bake setting could you tell me exactly how to do it how do I set the temp step by step thank you soon much, please email me back with the instructions

    1. Hi Cheryl,

      Since each toaster oven is different, for step-by-step directions using the bake setting on your toaster oven, you’ll want to follow the directions provided in the manufacturer’s manual that came with it. 

      If you don’t have your manual, some manufacturers make them available as a downloadable PDF on their website. Or you can email or call their customer service and ask them to send you one.   

      Best wishes,
      Brie

  7. I am checking out toaster ovens to buy. There are quite a few reviews regarding the glass on the door exploding or the toaster oven catching on fire for various ones. Many includes picture. Do you know a website that rates a toaster oven’s safety?

    Thank you so much for explaining what the convection feature is. Your article is so easy to understand.

    1. Hi Dina,

      I don’t know of a site that does that. You might want to check Consumer Reports I know they have experts who test things like that for cars, etc. If not, I’d email them – maybe it’s something they could add.

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the convection article and found it an easy read.

      Thanks for stopping by!

    2. Hi, Dina!! I know this is a late reply, but I just stumbled upon this page and saw your comment/ question. Ive seen some comments from people that claim and some even show pictures of, like you said, the glass breaking. This is due to user error in conjunction with the toaster ovens using thinner glass doors than a wall oven. What happens is, the consumer is not opening the door or doors to the toaster oven all the way ( all the way means that they open the doors partially and not in the locked position, so they simply pull out the rack and depend on the rack to hold the doors open instead of closing them carefully by hand after pushing the oven rack back in the toaster oven) and after pulling food out of the hot oven, the consumer is allowing the door or doors to close on their own, thus shattering the glass on the doors.

      1. I had to respond to this. Most all of the reviews and photos of shattered glass doors had nothing to do with how they opened or closed the door. They are like my experience this morning with a brand new out of the box Oster toaster oven. The instructions were to heat it to max temperature for 5 minutes to burn off the smell. I was sitting on my sofa and the glass exploded.

        1. Yikes! That sounds really scary, I hope everyone was okay.

          We’ve never experienced this issue ourselves but I have heard of it happening with full-sized ovens too. I found this article from a home warranty company that provides a few reasons for why it might be occurring: https://www.landmarkhw.com/resources/appliance-warranty/how-and-why-glass-oven-doors-shatter/5/66

          The main culprit they site is tiny imperceptible cracks in the glass. The cracks can be caused in different ways like bumping the door with the cooking rack or a dish but also in ways that occur during manufacturing/transport and are completely unrelated to the user.

  8. enjoyed reading your information on convection cooking in a toaster oven. I just received a used PC convection oven pc 25355 and have been trying to find instructions as how to use this model. I am having no luck. I am anxious to try the convection part of the oven. Hope you can steer me in the right direction. Thanking you in advance. BRENDA

    1. Hi Brenda,

      I just tried looking online for the President’s Choice manual and came up empty too. But I’ve got a few suggestions for you.

      1. It looks like they have an active facebook page. I would message them and ask if they can help you get the manual. It appears from comments on their posts that people have been successful getting manuals for other appliances.

      2. I could not find a contact on the PC website but it looks like their parent company is Loblaw Companies. If you don’t get anywhere with the facebook option I’d try contacting them for help. Here’s the link to their contact page: https://www.loblaw.ca/en/contact-us.html

      Best of luck!

  9. I bought Emeril Legasse’s latest unit. It’s huge, with all the features. I was clueless about using convection. So I Googled it and up popped your page! I am so. Grateful. I am a very good home cook, and knew Convection would be awesome, but didn’t know how to begin. Thank you for posting such an interesting and informative page! I will likely be eternally grateful.

    1. Hello Elizabeth!

      I’m so glad you found the article helpful and congrats on your new oven – it sounds like you’re going to be having a lot of fun cooking with it 🙂

      Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!

      1. My convection toaster oven it’s 18 inches wide by 12 inches deep by 10 inches high the space I have 22 inches wideBy 17 inches high by 22 inches deep is the space large enough. (Safe distance) from the walls when the convection oven is on

        1. Hi Angie!

          Each manufacturer sets their own spacing requirements. So you’ll want to check your manual to make sure you’re getting accurate info your little oven.

          If you don’t have the manual, it can usually be found on the manufacturer’s website. If you need any help locating it – leave a comment with the brand and model of your oven and we’d be happy to help you look for it.

  10. Your post is so detailed and easy to understand. I like your way you write. Can you recommend me some good toaster oven for RV?

    1. Thanks, Zelda! I’m so glad you enjoyed the article.

      Unfortunately, I don’t know much about RV cooking. The only thing I’ve seen mentioned is a concern regarding power supply vs. the wattage of the oven.

      Are you part of any online camping groups or RV forums like the one at https://www.irv2.com/forums/. That might be a great place to find some good suggestions.

  11. Our small (6″ high) convection oven takes 4 minutes to toast regular bread, 5 minutes for bagels. Would a larger convection oven be even slower?? Thanks.

    1. Hi Tony,

      It’s really going to depend on the machine.

      Our Breville is around 10.5 inches tall and 18 inches wide. It takes about 4 minutes to toast 2 slices of bread (longer if you’ve got more slices) and 4 1/2 minutes for a split bagel.

      I’ve seen some of the really large convection ovens take up to 6 or 7 minutes to toast bread to a medium darkness.

      If you’re looking for a new oven, that’s definitely something to keep an eye out for in customer reviews – most manufacturers boast about the number of slices you can toast but never seem to talk about how long it takes.

  12. No one can answer my question about using the CTO for dehydrating. It should do well if the temp. can be lowered.

    1. Hi Del!

      We’ve never tried dehydrating in a convection toaster oven (or any oven). I did a little Googling and found this post on dehydrating apples in a toaster oven that you may find helpful: https://betterworldbiker.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/tuesday-tutorial-how-to-dehydrate-apples-in-a-toaster-oven/

      If you haven’t already, you should contact your oven’s manufacturer. They’d most likely have the best info in relation to your specific oven.

      Either way, you’ll probably have to do a little experimenting. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out!

  13. Hi Brie,
    I’ve spent countless hours looking for convection toaster ovens. I don’t know how to cook and am really hoping this makes things easier for me especially during the pandemic when it’s a little difficult to get out. Can you help me identify some good options? I’ve read reviews on so many which at times could be discouraging. I don’t want to make a mistake. Thanks so much!
    Best wishes to you,
    Jenn

    1. Hi Jenn!

      First, I’d say step away from the reviews 🙂 There are so many options, it’s way too overwhelming if you don’t have a plan.

      The right oven for you is going to depend on a lot of personal things.

      Like what you’re going to cook with it, how many people you’re cooking for, your budget, how much space you have, what features you consider important…

      You might find this post with tips for choosing a toaster oven helpful: https://toasterovenlove.com/tips-for-choosing-a-toaster-oven/.

      Once you’ve got your list of must-haves, it’ll be much easier to look at reviews with a focus on the things you consider important.

      Also, since you mentioned not feeling super confident cooking, you might want to keep an eye out for ovens that have tutorials and recipe videos on YouTube or on the manufacturer’s website.

      Unfortunately, we don’t really have recommendations since we haven’t cooked with any of the newer ovens (our last oven, the Breville Smart Oven Pro is almost 3 years old).

      I will say that a simple convection toaster oven that doesn’t have a lot of features can do a great job. But I know some people really like the bells and whistles (like air-frying).

      Personally, I’d avoid very low-priced ovens that have a laundry list of special features.

      It sounds like you’re really worried about ending up with something you’re not happy with. If that’s the case you might want to look at buying from a store with a generous return policy.

      In my experience, no single oven will check ALL the boxes but if you know what’s most important to you before you buy you’ll probably be happy with your choice.

      Take care,
      Brie

  14. Hi there
    Awesome article!I’m going to purchase a XL toaster oven with two levels of rack, can I set up different temperature for each rack/tray at the same cooking time?Do those ovens have this feature?

    Thank you so much

    1. Thanks, Ben!

      That might be something found in a commercial kitchen but I don’t think is available on any toaster oven or convection countertop oven. The only thing I’ve seen that comes close is an Oster toaster oven that has a pizza drawer but the drawer and upper oven cannot be used at the same time. That’s a great idea though.

      Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have lots of fun cooking with your new toaster oven!

  15. As I read your information about a convection oven/toaster. Having the fan being the main difference in it compared to a regular. It made me think. I’ve bought a air fryer and love how it cooks my chicken/wings/fries. It too uses a fan. So. My question is. Are these basically the same thing? Convection and air fryer?

    Thank you

    1. Hi Shawn,

      Yep, you’ve got it – convection and air frying are the same things!

      A stand-alone air fryer uses a faster fan and basket and cooks in a smaller contained space.

      Some convection countertop ovens have started adding an air-fry or air-crisp setting that uses an increased fan speed too.

      The pros and cons of each type of machine really depend on your personal cooking needs. Like the stand-alone is better at crisping but the ovens have more capacity.

  16. Enjoyed reading this very much! Just purchased a ‘used’ convection toaster oven. LOVE cooking with convection! This will be fun in a tinier appliance!

  17. I never thought about other people and their toaster ovens…I LOVE mine, I dont even HAVE a microwave! I appreciate the information on convection setting. I usually just randomly try it and have always overcooked, especially my pizza. It is really quick to heat up. I will lower the time and temperature. Making some fish sticks and French fries right now. Take care

  18. I am going to try a blueberry cake that I have made before..should I try the convection setting or just keep the toaster/bake setting? I am using a silicone pan, and I reduce the heat with that, should I also reduce the temperature another 25 degrees if I use the “turbo” setting?

    1. Hi Marsha,

      I would bake it without the convection. We rarely use convection for baking larger items like cake or bread. Depending on a lot of factors including how deep the baking dish is it’s easy to end up with over browned edges and a raw middle.

      Hope that helps, a blueberry cake sounds delicious!

  19. Our microwave oven has died and we are waiting for the power company to process the funds to replace the microwave. While we are waiting, can I reheat my cup of coffee in our convection oven?

    1. Hi Johanne,

      I’ve never tried that before. If you give it a go I’d start with a really low temperature like 300. Rewarming in a small pot on the stovetop might be a better option as it will be faster and most coffee mugs are not intended to be used in an oven.

  20. Thank you for the info! I bought a convection toaster oven a few years ago because my standard oven was ancient and useless. We replaced the big oven earlier this year and I still haven’t used the convection setting on either oven. Your article eased my worries and I’ll definitely give it a try this week.

  21. Enjoyed reading your site & the congeniality of the posting and answers. I came upon your site since I have an older model Euro-Pro. I found a sufficing manual for it. I am now looking for a good cookbook for both that size and the regular oven size.
    I will keep internet searching but coming across you site has been fun.

    1. Well, aren’t you sweet 🙂 Thanks for the kind words Joyfulgonzo, I’m glad to hear you were able to find a manual for your machine.

      The Gourmet Toaster Oven by Lynn Alley is a nice cookbook. The recipes work great in a medium-sized toaster oven and most serve 2 to 4 people.

      If you’re cooking for just one or two people, you might want to check out these Cooking For One Cookbooks or Cooking For Two Cookbooks – we’ve successfully made many recipes from those books in our toaster oven and convection countertop oven.

      Thanks for taking the time to comment and Happy Cooking!

  22. From reading your Q&A’s, tell me why I should buy a Convection Toaster instead of a regular Toaster Oven. I’m a retired Truck Driver and need help. Thanks

    1. Hi Larry!

      We had a lot of readers who didn’t understand what convection was or how to use it so we wrote this to help answer some of their questions.

      We don’t work for ‘Big Convection’ 🙂 and aren’t of the opinion that everyone should buy a toaster oven that has it. A bad toaster oven with convection is still a bad toaster oven.

      If you’re considering getting a toaster oven, I’d look at brand reliability and performance first. Then features like convection. You might find these Tips for Choosing a Toaster Oven helpful.

      Personally, I like having the option of using convection. We cook a lot of roasted vegetables, frozen fries, and bake cookies – all things that taste better when cooked using the convection setting on our countertop oven.

      Whether you will find it useful really depends on what you want to cook. If you’re mostly making toast and reheating food – it’s probably not going to do much to wow you 🙂

  23. Watts used by a standard 2-slice toaster (600-1200) vs watts used by the toaster feature in a convection toaster oven?

    1. Hi Richard, that’s a great question.

      I’ve never seen info breaking down the wattage by function/feature but I do know that the wattage output listed will vary depending on the size of the oven.

      Smaller convection ovens (that fit 4 slices) are usually in the 1200 to 1400 watts range while larger ovens like our Breville Smart Oven Pro (that fit 6 slices) are in the higher 1800 range.

  24. What do think about cooking some Marie Callanders chicken pot pies in a convection toaster oven? I haven’t seen any one ask about doing that. We have been microwaving them with mixed results ( burned bottoms, under cooked top, etc). These would be cooked from frozen.
    Thanks in advance.

    1. Hi Dave,

      I think Marie Callendar’s Pot Pies have a “do not cook in toaster oven” warning on them. I’m not exactly sure why that is, I did email the company but no one ever got back to me.

      The Amy’s frozen meals we buy always have instructions to transfer the meal to a baking dish to cook in a toaster oven. That makes me think it’s the packaging on the Marie Callendar’s pot pies that’s causing the issue. It looks to be a coated paper which could be a fire hazard in a toaster oven.

      You might want to try transferring a pie to a toaster oven-safe baking dish and giving it a go. I’d just make sure to check the internal temperature to ensure the filling has been cooked enough in the middle.

      Hope that helped and fingers crossed you get better results than the microwave 🙂

      Happy Cooking!
      Brie

  25. Good article and comments. What about cleaning, keeping it clean, etc.? I like to cook bacon in the oven. That is a big mess to clean if foil is not used as a cover.

    1. Hi Debbie,

      I’m not familiar with the different settings on all of the Oster Countertop Ovens. I know they have a nice website that details the features and functions for their ovens, you can find it here.

      You might also want to chat with their customer support as they may have more than one oven that can dehydrate.

  26. We just got a Black and Decker countertop convection oven. I am trying to use the AIrfry function to heat up some fried chicken. Shouldn’t I be hearing a fan?

    1. Congrats on your new toaster oven, Dale!

      I’m not super familiar with that model but I did find a great unboxing video on YouTube where someone uses the Air Fry function and it does have a strong fan sound when in use. You can see the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOZCOc8HThc

      If your oven is not performing like the one shown in the video, I’d contact the manufacturer.

  27. Thanks for this article! I bought a convection toaster oven about a month ago, but I was too nervous to try it out. I used it to bake bone-in chicken thighs and they turned out great!

  28. I’ve cooked just about everything in my connection toaster oven. Rice, pasta, pizza, boiled eggs, chicken, ribs, pork steak, and of course toast.

  29. First time here and I’m impressed !! Wanted to let you know I just read an article that stated you do NOT need one of the new, popular Air Fryers IF you have a convection oven, toaster oven. It serves same purpose and you may already have it. Good selling point in my opinion. THANKS. I will be back.

    1. Hi, Deborah – thanks for stopping by!

      I agree with you 100%, the fewer appliances you have to purchase the better :). Personally, I’ve never used a stand-alone Air Fryer before so I don’t know how they compare exactly but what I can say is the convection on our countertop oven is very powerful, consistent, and makes the crispiest frozen fries and tater tots.

      There are some more expensive countertop ovens, like the Breville Smart Oven Air, that have a specific air-fry feature but we’ve been happy with just the basic convection on our little oven.

  30. I am using it to bake a prepackaged lasagna as we are remodeling and dont have access to our stove yet. the package says to leave the plastic on while using a conventional oven. Should I take it off before cooking?

    1. Hi Michael, this response is probably a little late for you but if the package doesn’t have toaster oven directions I like to play it safe and remove any plastic. In addition, you should probably transfer the item to a stoneware, cast iron, or metal baking dish. That way you won’t have to worry about the original carton potentially melting or catching on fire.

      Good luck with your remodel!

  31. Have a Hamilton Beach. Quite happy with it. Used convection for a long while with good effect. Recently the convection fan has become exceedingly noisy. Any suggestions?
    Like your service here. Upfront and helpful. Thanks.

    1. Hi, Gene!

      Sorry, I’m not familiar with the technical parts of the fan, just how the convection affects the food 🙂

      But that sounds like a great question for Hamilton Beach. Here’s a link to their contact us page https://www.hamiltonbeach.com/contact it looks like they have customer service available M-F. There’s a phone number and an email about halfway down the page.

  32. Bought a new toaster-convection oven, as my regular oven went on the blink and house full of company coming. Being lazy I bought two frozen pies-BUT the package says do not bake in a toaster oven. Can I use the convection oven tho? Can’t find any mention of anyone baking frozen pies with convention.
    Any help would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise my guests will just have have to Eat Cake!

    CJ

    1. Hi Cheryle,

      We haven’t tried baking a whole frozen pie in our toaster oven. Are you able to turn the convection off and use the toaster oven in a standard “Bake” mode? That’s what I would do if it’s possible.

      BUT more concerning is the “do not bake in a toaster oven” direction on the box…you should contact the manufacturer for the pie (if there’s not a phone number on the box try the “Contact Us” on their website) to find out why that warning is there.

      It may be the packaging surrounding the pie is not toaster oven-safe (in which case I’d ask them if it was okay to move the pies to a regular pie tin) or it could be they’ve tested it and their pies do not cook correctly for some reason.

      Sorry we couldn’t be more help hopefully the manufacturer will have some useful info for you.

      Happy Holidays!

      1. I cooked a full size homemade turkey pot pie in my extra wide Oster toaster oven. I used a silicone pie ring so the edges would not burn and brushed egg wash over the entire top. Don’t forget to vent the crust. I started out at one hour at 350F. When I went to take it out, I noticed the center was bubbling but the crust was not done. I then turned the convection on at 400F for 25 min and that worked real nice. In all, turned out better than my conventional oven ever did. Also, for a cheap quick lunch put a pizza stone in your oven than turn oven to 400F take a cheap Totinos pizza add some Mozzarella and pepperoni and bake for about 14 minutes (a little less without the “add-ons”). The crust on mine came out perfect, Depending on your oven you may have to adjust the time.

  33. Hi, my recipe for sweet potato pie calls for 425 degrees for 10 minutes followed by 300 degrees for 50 minutes, in a regular oven.

    1. Can I bake this pie in a toaster oven?

    2. If yes AND you recommend convection, do you suggest I follow your guidelines for the 2 different temps and times the recipe calls for? So 400 degrees for 7 minutes followed by 275 degrees for 33-37 minutes?

    3. If I CAN bake it in a toaster oven but you do NOT recommend convection, do you suggest I follow the same 2 temps and times as the recipe for a regular oven? Or if not, what temps and times do you suggest?

    Thank you!

    1. Hi Steve,

      We’ve never baked a whole pie in our toaster oven, only mini hand pies so far. For a whole pie, I’d use the standard Bake setting without convection.

      I found a great video on YouTube for baking a pumpkin pie in a toaster oven, he followed the instructions which were similar to yours and recommends a few changes to the baking time and temp at the end of the video, you can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYRnY3b1G_I. The “toaster oven talk” starts around min 3:50

      We’d love to hear how the pie turns out and what settings you thought were the best for your toaster oven.

      Happy baking!

  34. I have a black and decker convection. no turbo button but upper right says convection baking… do I have to turn the knob there after preheating the oven.. I still don’t understand convection cooking… would love to know more about it… I have sent to black and decker for a manual but haven’t received one yet…

    1. Hi MaryEllen,

      Some toaster ovens don’t have the ability to turn the convection fan on and off, it looks like your Black + Decker is this way. That means the convection will come on every time you use it to cook.

      Once you receive the manual, you’ll want to follow their directions for reducing the temperature and/or cook time for your recipes. Check your inbox for our response to your email too 🙂

  35. I need to know if I can use Anchor Hocking glass bakeware in my Breville smart convection air?? love your site!

      1. Older glassware, Europe’s brands and new OXO glass bakeware is made of borosilicate glass which are supposed to be safer than newer Us Pyrex and anchor-hocking, which are made of cheaper glass..google it.

        1. Hi Mary Ann,

          Thanks for commenting, unfortunately, the OXO bakeware is NOT an option.

          If you download their Use and Care guide, I clicked on the one for the 3qt baking dish, you’ll see under the “WARNING” section it says “keep away from direct flame, including broilers, stove top, grills or TOASTER OVENS.”

          We love Google too but contacting the manufacturer of your toaster oven and the maker of the baking dish you want to use is the absolute BEST WAY to find out if something is safe. Luckily, most larger manufacturers have FAQ’s online that make it a bit easier.

  36. Awesome post!

    I really really need to get a toaster oven after reading this post! I hate the fact that I use my massive oven to make little things in it all the time. Hopefully I can find the Breville one in Dubai otherwise it’s Black and Decker.

    1. You will love the Breville, Sandy 🙂 I just checked the main breville.com site and it looks like they have a UAE page! You can find it here: https://www.breville.ae/

      Black and Decker is a great choice too and they have versions with convection also. In fact, a reader was just raving about her B + D convection toaster oven!

      Thanks for stopping by and the kinds words. I’d love to know if you end up adding a new toaster oven to family 🙂

  37. There are now BBQ mats and pacs and also oven versions on the market. Have you tried them? Are they safe in a convection toaster oven if kept quite below 550 degrees? (Cookina is one brand that I use).

    1. Great question, Vivian!

      We have not tried any liners or mats.

      I did inquire a while back with a manufacturer of one of our toaster ovens if they were safe to use and was advised by customer service they could only recommend the pans that came with the toaster oven as safe.

      Not really an answer but I get where they are coming from since the liners aren’t something they sell or manufacture.

      So that leaves you with the product manufacturer.

      For most accessories and pans if it’s not specified on the product packaging that it’s safe to use in your toaster oven you should check with the manufacturer.

      I looked all over the Cookina site and couldn’t find anything about using their products in a toaster oven but they do have a “Contact Us” page where you can submit an inquiry.

      Sorry we couldn’t be of more help.

      Thanks for stopping by 🙂

  38. Hi,Tim and Brie
    My wife and I just purchased the digital Oster convection oven. It has the turbo feature but, the manual doesn’t even mention it. From just the little bit you posted, I think I get the jist of it. We are going to start by heating up some frozen chicken patties and try not to burn them?
    Thank you for your posts,
    Steven

    1. Congrats on your new toaster oven, Steven!
      Hope everything turned out well with the patties 🙂 if not let us know we’d be happy to help you and your wife troubleshoot.
      Thanks for stopping by!

    2. I have one of the Oster Digital Ovens. Online I found the miniscule manual and on page 5 it addresses the convection. You can find the manual at this link under the service and support tab: http://www.oster.com/ovens-and-toasters/oster-extra-large-digital-countertop-oven/TSSTTVDGXL.html?source=igodigital#start=1

      I get the frozen chicken breasts at Wal-Mart and using the regular bake feature, I cooked them for 45 minutes at 375° F. They were nice and moist (I started with frozen) I hope this helps you!

      1. Hi Kay, thanks for jumping in and helping out Steven! I think a lot of people are going to appreciate your toaster oven chicken cooking tips too 🙂

  39. Hi guys! I write about toaster ovens too! More from the technical side – (I’m at GreatToasters.com). I LOVE all your recipes. Did you know that consumer reports says convection is not an important feature in a toaster oven?!??

    I have a smart oven pro, and I really believe the convection makes a difference in my baking. What do you guys think?? Have you experimented without it?

    1. Hey, John! Nice to meet a fellow toaster oven fan 🙂 We’ve always developed and tested our recipes without the aid of convection. Recently, we’ve started testing with convection too, if the dish benefits from it then we include those directions. We agree with both you and Consumer Reports. Convection isn’t necessary to enjoy cooking with your toaster oven. But it’s a nice feature that for us has improved our roasted veggies and cookies. Though, we do have many readers who have been turning out delicious pies, tarts, muffins and more for decades using convection-less toaster ovens they love…

    1. Thanks for stopping by Kathleen and congrats on your new toaster oven! Everyone I’ve met that owns a Breville just raves about them. And seriously how awesome is that light 🙂