Toaster vs infrared toaster oven

I never liked my current toaster, but I didn’t want to buy a new one until the one I owned stopped working. Today is that day.
I had always wanted a Dualit, but now I’m thinking maybe an infrared toaster oven would be more useful.
Please share the pros and cons of what you use, so I can decide!

I have a plain Cuisenart toaster. It toasts just fine and doesn’t take up early as much space as a toaster oven of any kind.

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I think the answer comes in how often you use would use a toaster for toast and how often you would use a toaster oven for toast AND other purposes. A toaster only toasts bread/bagels/english muffins. A toaster oven can cook, reheat, bake, etc. - and toast.

I had to look up Dualit. For $300+ I would be more inclined if I had the space and would use it to get the oven instead. $300+ for a toaster alone, nope!

I have always dreamed of having a SMEG.
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We’ve always had a toaster over, gets used multiple times a day. I remember going to my friend’s house with a 9 x 11 pan of Mac and cheese for a xc pasta party and putting it into her toaster oven to reheat. They looked at me like I was nuts, why was I putting pasta in the toaster. It’s an oven, you can cook with it, I use it so much more than my oven. Sure, toast takes longer than in a toaster, but it’s so versatile. The one we have now is also an air fryer, it’s not the best air fryer, but I’ll never not have a toaster oven, it’s probably the most used appliance here.

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We have both a toaster and toaster oven (Breville). They both get used regularly, but if I could only have one then definitely the toaster oven.

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Definitely toaster oven here, but I don’t know about the infrared. We use the toaster oven all the time for heating up leftovers or use the air fryer setting for making home fries, etc. Not a good idea to put a slice of pizza in a toaster.

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Now, the Dualit would be less than 300 for me, because I’m in Europe, but it would be more than it costs in the UK…thank you Brexit :angry:
Meanwhile, it turns out you can’t buy the infrared toaster oven here yet. My sister and father both have one and I liked it very much, so I would have been willing to pass up my dream of the Dualit.
Now I feel like the choice is between an okay toaster or toaster oven, and it’s kind of depressing. I really need something fast, because one of us has toast every day. Maybe tomorrow will turn up a deal on pre Black Friday deals…which is crazy, because they don’t even have Thanksgiving here, so why do they have Black Friday sales?

I love our De’Longhi toaster. We got it years ago on clearance.

Good luck finding something you love!

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Team toaster oven - we use ours nearly every day. We have a toaster as well, but don’t use it as often.

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Team 4-slice toaster AND toaster oven here. LOL.

One of my kids asked for a 4-slice toaster for Christmas one year. We only had a 2-slice and a toaster oven at the time. We got a cheap one for him as kind of a joke and it was his favorite present that year. He hugged it all day.

We still use the toaster every day, and our toaster oven gets used a few times per week. One of our kids cooks much of his food in the toaster oven because he’s picky about food texture and leftovers. In a previous kitchen we had it mounted under the cabinet, which was a nice space saver. When we moved, we left the toaster oven there and decided to do without. We didn’t last very long before buying a new one.

I hate stuff on my kitchen counter, but will still probably have a 2-slice toaster and a toaster oven even after the kids are gone.

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We have an ancient toaster over. I may look out to see if there is a new updated model on sale for the holidays and replace our aging, perfectly serviceable one—or not. I wish it would hold a 9x12 pan but it’s slightly too small.

It is rare that I can not find what I want where we live, but it seems like the concept of a toaster oven does not exist in Europe. You can buy mini ovens, but they are too big. I guess those are meant for people who don’t have enough room for an actual oven. You definitely can’t find the infrared type, which I enjoyed using last summer.
I finally broke down and was willing to buy what I consider an inexpensive toaster (35 euros), but they didn’t have it in stock…I would have to come back tomorrow. I thought, I’ll just order it on Amazon, but It wouldn’t arrive for a week! At this point, I’m desperate for a toaster, because I can’t be frying my bread in a pan every day… so I went back and ordered it for the next day, even though I will have to go to a mall on a Saturday :scream:
Speaking of pans, cast iron pans are not widely available here, either, so I had to buy one for a fortune, but I use it every day.

Can you buy these things on Amazon? I would think a cast iron pan wouldn’t be hard to buy online. Not sure about the toaster over due to the different plugs depending on the region.

I paid something like 50euros for a 20$ pan on Amazon.

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Will this toaster nightmare ever end? I picked up my ordered toaster today, and when I got home, popped some toast in. It sticks out of the top and the bread isn’t even that tall !
Not only that, but one side toasts more than the other side, even though it’s brand new. :angry:
I actually found a toaster oven on Amazon today, though it is listed as a microwave, and some French reviewer was very upset that it was just a small oven and not at all a microwave ! One couldn’t put a plate , or even a mug, in it ! ( Like the concept of a toaster oven was completely lost on them, and it definitely is not a microwave….). Well, I’m going to try it, because the Spanish reviewers were very happy with theirs ! And it’s cheaper than the cheap toaster was. That toaster is not staying in my kitchen.

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If you have the budget for shipping, would it make sense to just have an American family/friend purchase the EXACT toaster you’d like to have here in the States and then ship it to you??? I realize you’d have to be quite sure as you wouldn’t be returning it…

They might have to hunt for a 220v option. It is not just the plugs that are different…

Yep, good point!

I am not so keen on getting a us appliance for the voltage here, although it’s probably more likely to work that way, than bringing a European unit there…I don’t need a toaster fire.
If the toaster oven fails, I’m just going to buy the Dualit, and that will be the last toaster I ever buy.

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