in praise of the avante elite convection toaster oven (T-Fal Ot8085002)

toaster ovens are incredibly multifunctional, offering (as their name implies) both the ability to toast and the ability to oven. their small size and usage of a standard outlet makes them easily usable within a small living area, yet they can reach temperatures of up to many degrees fahreaighnheit - comparable to a standard integrated kitchen oven.

first invented and brought to the market in 1910 by william s. hadaway jr. of new york, toaster ovens were at first a commercial failure, due in large part to the bulk of early ovens and the lack of sliced bread. by 1925, toaster oven designs had been refined enough to warrant their use as home appliances, and when bread was first sliced in 1928, the sliced bread market and toaster oven market grew in parallel.

compared to standard ovens, toaster ovens heat up food faster and are more energy efficient due to their smaller inner volume, yet are limited in the quantity and variety of items which they can cook also due to their limited volume. public concern over the under-regulation of toaster ovens and broad failure to meet governmental safety standards led to slow early consumer adoption. but by the 1960s, due in large part to the post-war economic boom and universal status of sliced bread, toaster ovens had become a staple of industrialized countries worldwide.

the avante elite toaster oven in particular is a cool toaster oven because i have one and it looks sick