Energy Efficient Countertop Ovens
A couple of weeks ago we decided to purchase a countertop oven. It has turned out to be one of the best decisions we have ever made.
A countertop oven is NOT a toaster oven. They might look somewhat similar, but a countertop oven is much larger, more powerful, and has the cooking capacity of a full-sized oven. The countertop oven we chose is a commercial grade oven, and it is large enough to roast a 20-pound turkey. It is also large enough to accomodate two racks of regular sized bakeware.
Our oven can be used with or without the convection feature. I had never used a convection oven before, and I am finding this feature very appealing. There is also a rotisserie, although I have not yet tried this.
Now the best part… the countertop oven uses less energy, so it costs less than half as much to bake something in this oven as it does in a regular oven. And whenever I use the convection feature (which I have been doing most of the time), baking time is cut almost in half… meaning even less energy is used and we save even more.
And an unexpected bonus… we did a lot of research and shopping around, finally decided on a particular model, and then stumbled upon a great sale for the exact oven we wanted that let us save nearly $200 off the regular retail price!
Written by Shirley | Filed Under Cooking & Baking from Scratch, Frugality, Green Living
Comments
Comment by Thrifty Karen:
I grew up using a toaster oven, which is very helpful. We would bake muffins, toast sandwiches, brown rolls, and do all sorts of stuff with ours. Then last year, my husband found a convection oven, open box clearance for $20! I’ve tried to talk my friend into purchasing one. She frequently complains about her electric bill. I think the ovens are super!
Comment by Steph:
What model did you get? How much did it cost? We are looking into purchasing a new oven.
Thanks
Comment by Shirley:
The model that can accomodate the 20-pound turkey is made by Haier. They have two versions of this oven, and one is in stainless steel. Prices vary tremendously depending on where you buy it but range from $400 or $500 down to around $200. There is a smaller oven by Hamilton Beach that works great too. I don’t know the model number but a search of the company would probably bring up this oven.
Comment by cricket:
OK my convection oven holds a 14 lb bird/meat in the roticery. But can hold a 12muffin pan. My gas bill droped by 100 a month and my power bill hasent rose but 5 a month. So now i feel lucky about that. O will use the convection more in the summer when I have to use the A/C instead of getting my place 85 in the summer.
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