One basic human need is to cook food. Fortunately, this can be done in a number of different ways. Cooking demands the use of heat to cook your desired food. However, just about all modern homes have limited space, notably in the kitchen. As a result, you must occasionally select one appliance over another. A few of these options include a microwave oven or a toaster oven for moments when you would not want to warm your entire full-size electric oven or light up a stove just to re-heat a food. If you’ve been contemplating which one to buy, read this article to compare microwave oven vs. oven toasters better.
Cooking and re-heating food made easier
It is an undeniable fact that microwave ovens and oven toasters are both valuable kitchen equipment that must be included in any modern kitchen. They can both warm up food from the fridge and cook smaller portion sizes of dishes such as frozen food. Even so, you may be perplexed in terms of how they vary. Both are classified as ovens, so do you actually have to get both instead of just one? If you have come here to learn the difference between a microwave oven vs a toaster oven, then it may indicate that you are unsure which is best for you.
Read also: Know the Difference Between Induction Cookers Vs. Gas Stoves
What are ovens?
If you are a new homeowner, you may encounter a lot of confusion about the different heating appliances, especially in your kitchen. To put it simply, an oven is a device that exposes substances at a high and controlled temperature. The oven features a hollow chamber and allows for regulated heating of the chamber. Hence, this is used as a heating, cooking, baking, as well as a grilling chamber.
A quick comparison of microwave oven vs. oven toaster
Ovens come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and cooking procedures such as earth ovens, gas ovens, brick ovens, electric ovens, and microwave ovens and oven toasters. Depending on the type of oven, it may need to use either gas or electricity. However, we’re here to focus on the comparison of microwave ovens vs. oven toasters. Here is a rundown of the differences between microwave ovens vs oven toasters to guide you.
1. Oven Size & Capacity
The overall dimensions will determine if it will fit nicely on your kitchen surface. Oven toaster dimensions are available online under the Weights & Dimensions category, with overall height, width, depth, and weight figures provided.
Before you start your purchase, obtain preliminary measurements of the greatest amount of area a toaster oven might simply take up on your countertop, providing you have enough counter space for cooking. Make sure you locate a countertop placement near a grounded power outlet. When buying, look for a toaster oven that fits inside those dimensions.
If you’re worried about heavy lifting, weight is another crucial factor to consider. Typically toaster ovens weigh less than ten (10) pounds, while some might weigh more than (20) twenty. Oven capacity is often defined as cubic feet. Smaller toaster ovens have 0.3 cubic feet of inner area, whereas super large toaster ovens have up to one cubic foot of interior space.
On the other hand, a countertop microwave ovens may be used on any flat, sturdy surface. With an extra trim kit, certain countertop microwaves may also be fitted in cabinets. A trim kit consists of a frame and ducting that encapsulate the microwave within a cabinetry carve for an embedded appearance. The width of compact or small microwave ovens normally ranges from 15 to 19 inches.
Height is usually between 10 and 11 inches. Since you will need adequate space for the door to completely swing out, depth is determined with the microwave door shut and open. The depths of closed doors vary from 12 to 16 inches. The depths of open doors range from roughly 23 to 30 inches. In capacity, small microwave ovens may have 0.5 cubic feet up to 0.9 cubic feet.
2. Cooking Method
Infrared radiation created by coils with an electric current is used to make food in toaster ovens. Standalone ovens may contain one or more coils to heat the inside and distribute heat throughout the interior as well as its exterior. Since the coils directly heat the food, toaster ovens may crisp or caramelize the food and not simply toast this. In terms of deciding between microwave ovens vs oven toasters, toaster ovens are the safer bet if you are only considering the flavor of the cooked food.
On the other hand, microwave ovens reflect electromagnetic waves, which heat the water molecules in meals. While they cook food more quickly and completely, they do not possess the very same crisping properties of toaster ovens which results in making warmed food, such as bread and meat, considerably chewier. Microwave, compared to oven toasters, can swiftly boil water for brewing tea, put soups to heat, and warm up your drinks.
3. Cooking Time
Cooking times are increased when using a toaster oven since this utilizes direct heating. The temperature must rise sufficiently to cook the food while remaining minimal enough just to protect the exterior from flaming.
Microwave ovens, on the other hand, may cook food faster than toaster ovens. Yet another important thing to keep in mind is that microwave power and warming functionalities are dependent on wattage.
Read also: 5 Easy Lunch Recipes When You’re In A Hurry
4. Energy Efficiency
Microwaves and toaster ovens have varying wattages. In this regard, the microwave oven has a little advantage over the toaster oven. The average microwave oven uses 700-1300 watts, while the most energy-efficient toaster ovens use around 1200-1800 watts. Besides this, because toaster ovens have longer cooking durations, that energy will be consumed for a longer length of time. This suggests that the average microwave oven is more energy efficient than a toaster oven since a microwave oven consumes around 20% less electricity. However, if you consider cooking a small meal, toaster ovens outperform microwave ovens. When preparing a relatively small dish, toaster ovens utilize around a third or half the energy that a microwave oven consumes.
5. Costs
Oven toasters are significantly cheaper compared to microwave ovens. Oven toasters often range from Php1,000.00 to not more than Php 2,000.00. On the other hand, microwave ovens range from Php 3,000 to Php 12, 000.
You can find these in AllHome stores near you. It is critical to understand that as watts and cubic feet rise, so will the price. A particular appearance or additional cook settings, such as on a toaster, will raise the price.
Read also: Taking Care of Household Appliances: How to make them last
By understanding microwave ovens vs oven toaster’s functions, you can now make a more informed choice when purchasing any of these ovens for your modern BRIA home. Make sure that you consider all significant factors to make sure that you maximize your hard-earned money.
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Written by MC Sanchez
