Toaster ovens aren’t just for toast. Surprisingly, most people don’t know that a toaster oven can also dehydrate, broil, churn out snacks, and help make quick meals with modest portions. Even if you have a toaster oven that only has a basic heat function, as long as you can control the temperature, you’ve got a powerful workhorse on your hands. If you happen to have one with every preset imaginable — from bagel to cookie dough — you can unlock even more uses. Here are some foods you can easily make with a toaster oven:
 |
| Eggs: You can simply bake them in your toaster oven. This frees you up to make the rest of your breakfast. Just butter, spray or oil a small, oven-safe ramekin containing a single egg and place it in the oven. Keep an eye on it until it reaches your preferred doneness, and then take it out and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. |
 |
| Bacon: It’s best to line a baking sheet or tray with foil and place your bacon strips separate from one another. Once the bacon strips are done baking in the toaster oven, drain them on a paper towel. |
 |
| Granola: Fresh, crunchy granola is simple in small batches cooked in the toaster oven. Just choose any granola recipe and bake as instructed. |
 |
| Croutons: This is a perfect way to use up stale bread. Cube the bread and toss the cubes into a bowl with finely minced herbs, salt, and a generous amount of oil — just so they’re coated but not soaked. Place on a baking sheet in your toaster oven for 10 minutes on a low setting like 200º F. |
 |
| Breadcrumbs for Mac and Cheese: Preheat your oven on the highest broil setting or whatever setting heats up the upper heating unit. Fill an oven-safe dish with warmed, ready to serve mac and cheese. Top it with breadcrumbs — Panko or homemade — and drizzle the top with olive oil or a pat of butter. Slide the mac and cheese directly under the toaster oven’s top heating element and keep an eye on it for a few minutes. |
 |
| S’Mores: You can make easy s’mores without going outside and firing up the grill. Just assemble the sandwiches on your toaster oven tray, leaving off the top cracker. The time will depend on the size of your marshmallows, but 350º F is a good place to start. Toast the bottom cracker, chocolate and marshmallow until the latter two melt. Take the tray out, add the top graham cracker to your s’mores and press down. Enjoy immediately. |
 |
| Dehydrated Herbs: Some of the more advanced toaster ovens come with a dehydrate function. If your toaster oven doesn’t have that function, not to worry. Set it on the lowest temperature setting and have some patience. It takes a few hours, but it’s another set and forget. |
 |
| Dulce de leche: You’ll save so much energy making dulce de leche from condensed milk in a toaster oven versus a traditional oven. Pour condensed milk out of a can and into an oven-safe baking dish. Add a bit of salt for better flavor, if desired. Tightly cover the dish with parchment paper or foil so moisture doesn’t escape. Then place the dish into a larger oven-safe dish. Fill that up with water just over half the height of the dish containing the milk. Bake in the toaster oven for about an hour, then remove and cool. |
