Knowing when to use the toaster and when to use the oven is a fairly small problem for most, but which is better for our health and our bank accounts?
Focusing on how to save space in small kitchens is a must for many these days and being energy efficient is important in our green world. Making our carbon footprint as small as possible is something a lot of people worry about when purchasing kitchenware.
We’re going to explore how a toaster compares against an oven and how you can make sure that your kitchen is green, tidy, and offers as much flexibility and portability as is possible.
What are the differences between a toaster and an oven?
There are four main questions that we have to ask to find the difference between a toaster and an oven. We’ll breakdown the benefits and drawbacks of each type of appliance to help you find out which one is better for your needs.
Table of contents
- Size
- Energy efficiency
- Save space
- Portability
- Conclusion
What is the size difference?
An oven is a comparatively huge piece of kitchenware, usually measuring 30 inches across and 30 inches in height. They usually require a specialized place in a kitchen, such as a cutaway in the worktop or a gap with a gas tap you can attach to the oven if necessary.
On the other hand, a toaster is a medium sized piece of equipment. Generally no larger than 17 inches across, the standard toaster only has a height of 10 inches. This means that it can fit anywhere you need it to in the kitchen and only needs to be able to reach a plug to work.
Toasters are always smaller than ovens and really help people with small kitchens save space and keep a tidy workplace. Even small ovens will require a lot of room, so think about where they will fit in your kitchen before purchasing.
This small size means that they can easily be moved around the kitchen for ease of use and also stored efficiently if you don’t need them. Some people even use their oven as a place to store small appliances such as toasters.
Which is more energy efficient?
Your oven carbon footprint will depend on the type of oven you are using – a standard oven or a convection oven. It also depends on whether you are using gas or electric, with electric being the most energy-efficient overall.
Convection ovens circulate air to keep a constant temperature that cooks food quickly and evenly. They generally use gas to cook our food, which is the most efficient of the fossil fuels we can still use in our homes.
These European-style ovens are very energy efficient compared to their conventional oven brethren. Using a conventional oven means needing to heat it up more as they are not designed to move the heat around in the same way.
Regardless of how energy efficient your oven is, though, a toaster will always be better. Standard toasters will only use around 1,200 watts to thoroughly cook your toast, but even the best electric ovens can require as much as 5,000 watts.
This costs you almost double (36 cents for the oven compared to only 10 cents for the toaster per hour) before you even consider how much longer you use an oven to cook something compared to a toaster.
If you have to choose between making toast on the grill in an oven or in a toaster, the toaster is far more efficient. There’s no need to heat an entire oven to make your breakfast when only a few watts can make multiple rounds of toast.
Which is more portable?
The answer to this one should be clear to whoever has seen a toaster and an oven. Look in your kitchen and guess which is more portable – toaster vs oven.
Unless you are a professional strongman or woman, making your oven a portable device just isn’t possible (and is extremely inconvenient even if you are). If you are using a gas oven, this becomes even more problematic as you’ll need access to a gas tap.
In short, an oven is not a portable appliance and no one should try to make it one.
Your toaster is perfectly portable, however. One of the best parts of using a toaster instead of relying on the grill in your oven is that when you have made your toast, you can pack up your toaster and hide it away in a toaster box or in a cupboard.
Specialized portable toasters are also available to help people make toast on the go and get a quick snack wherever they are. If you really need a portable toaster, investing in one of these would be an excellent choice.
Conclusion
Although ovens offer you a greater range of what you can actually cook in it, there is only one winner in the battle of toaster vs oven. If you only need to make the limited number of meals that a toaster can provide, there is no reason to invest both time and kitchen space in an oven.
However, the toaster just cannot compete with an oven when discussing the range of dishes you can prepare. You can rely on your toaster for toast, but a modern home will need more dishes and a better range of culinary delights.
Still, on all the factors we have examined today, the toaster is healthier, saves on space, and consumes less energy than a traditional oven. When making toast on your oven grill, think about the effect on our planet and your convenience and consider buying a traditional toaster.