By Rachel Hergett EBS COLUMNIST
This column started as a text message from a friend:
“Very random question, but do you have strong feelings about air fryers vs toaster ovens?”
What followed was a long exchange where I shared what were, in fact, very strong feelings about appliances, and specifically toaster ovens.
Let’s rewind. Years ago, in the ongoing quest to find affordable housing in southwest Montana, I was living in a house near downtown Bozeman, essentially acting as its caretaker. The house had a dream kitchen. Not only were the walls a delicious shade of an avocado lime green, but there was more than enough space for storage and to maneuver around other wannabe cooks invading your space. There was a massive island, miles of butcher block counters and a sunny breakfast nook with soaring ceilings and windows overlooking Bozeman Creek.
I packed much of my kitchen gadgetry away in those years—the fully stocked kitchen already had what I needed. And why not use their stuff?
When the family decided to spend more time in Bozeman, and my role as live-in caretaker came to a close, I lamented losing that kitchen. But there was one thing I knew would be exceptionally hard to live without: the Breville Smart Oven that graced the kitchen counter.
I had come to rely on it. Far more than the toaster ovens of my youth—those hulking machines that took up too much space and did way too little—today’s toaster ovens are workhorses. And Breville makes one of the best.
According to the latest toaster oven product testing from Serious Eats, “The best toaster oven is the Breville Smart Oven Pro. It’s versatile, powerful, and can even air fry. Many of our editors own and love it.”
After moving, it didn’t take long for me to acquire a Breville Smart Oven of my own. I really couldn’t picture my kitchen without it. Mine has no less than a dozen settings. It is a convection oven of astonishingly large capacity for its size, able to bake whole pizzas with the curve at the back, or a prime rib. It fits a standard 9-by-13-inch pan. It air fries. It slow cooks. It’s magic.
My kitchen now doesn’t have a microwave. If I want to reheat anything, I throw it in the toaster oven on the reheat setting. Sure, it takes a bit longer, but the food comes out much closer to its original presentation. Goodbye soggy fries!
I will note that some people say toaster ovens don’t quite get the crisp one might create with a dedicated air fryer. I will also say that I have had no textural complaints. I replaced my air fryer, my toaster and my dehydrator with one appliance. And at this point, I may as well use the actual oven in my kitchen for storage like Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City,” which is surely saying something coming from someone who writes about food and cooking.
So yes, I do have very strong feelings about toaster ovens. I use mine for everything. I bake potatoes, air fry vegetables, roast chicken or fish, slow cook pot roasts, dehydrate fruit, make cookies and so much more. And, yes, sometimes I even make toast.
Rachel Hergett is a foodie and cook from Montana. She is arts editor emeritus at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and has written for publications such as Food Network Magazine and Montana Quarterly. Rachel is also the host of the Magic Monday Show on KGLT-FM and teaches at Montana State University.
