Convection toaster oven vs conventional toaster oven – who wins?

The world of toaster ovens is a growing and exciting market. The two most popular toaster oven types on the market right now are the conventional toaster oven, which accounts for most of the appliances people buy these days, and the convection toaster oven.

If you have used a toaster oven for a long time, you will know that toaster ovens generally cook by heating up an element. The element then heats up the cooking cavity. When you are using a convection toaster oven, you also get a fan (or other convection technology) that blows the heat around.

If you’re thinking about buying your first toaster oven or possibly just upgrading, this guide is to show you the best reasons for using toaster ovens. Thinking about what is best for your needs is important. Finding the right toaster oven can mean you can cook practically any dish you can fit into your appliance.

Table of contents

• What is the difference between a convection toaster oven and a conventional toaster oven?
• Does a convection toaster oven better cook faster than a conventional toaster oven?
• Is a convection toaster oven more energy efficient than a conventional toaster oven?
• Is a convection toaster oven more accurate than a conventional toaster oven?
• Is a convection toaster oven healthier than a conventional toaster oven?
• Conclusion

There’s one big difference between a convection toaster oven and a conventional toaster oven. The clue is in the name. Convection toaster ovens use convection air flows to make cooking more even.

This is usually done by a fan. By blowing the heat around, you can make sure that there are no cold spots in your toaster oven. This means that when you are cooking meat or any other dish, you can be sure that there is not going to be anything undercooked.

Although this all sounds positive, there are drawbacks. By using a convection toaster oven, your cooking times will increase. A lot of the time, this is only a small increase. Still, it is important to account for it.

If you want to cook food fast all of the time, you will probably want to buy a conventional toaster oven. If you don’t mind waiting a little longer, you can get better results from a convection toaster oven. Read this guide and find out which one is the best for you.

No, thanks to the convection fan (or other convection technology) you will have to wait a little longer. If you have ever used a convection oven, you will know that this time is spent spreading the heat around evenly to make sure that the food is cooked evenly.

You will find that toaster ovens of any kind are still very good at cooking quickly, but conventional toaster ovens are faster. You will find that you are more likely to get slightly burned food from a conventional toaster oven. Proper time management makes the risk of that quite low, however.

Although convection toaster ovens take longer to cook dishes, they actually save on their energy needs. You won’t need to use as much energy because they circulate the heat around the cooking cavity. This not only makes your food evenly cooked, but can save on your energy bills.

Whereas a conventional toaster oven will have to heat up to compensate for cold spots, a convection oven will just blow the heat that is already inside the cooking cavity. This means that you save on the toaster oven constantly using more energy to heat up the food.

Over the course of a week, this won’t account for much in terms of savings. But throughout the year, you will find that you can save on average more than $30 thanks to lower energy demands.

Yes, and this is the greatest strength of a convection toaster oven. You will not need to worry about a roast chicken or reheat meal being undercooked or cool on the inside. By blowing air around the cooking cavity, you can make sure that the entire dish is cooked evenly.

That’s not to say that conventional toaster ovens aren’t good for cooking food evenly. But they are prone to cold spots, just like any non-convection cooking appliance. If you are cooking toast or any other small dish, you will actually find that conventional toaster ovens are better.

By cooking hotter, conventional toaster ovens can make your dishes crispier and crunchier without you having to worry about dishes being cool in places. If you plan to only make toast in your toaster oven (which would mean missing out on a lot of the cool things a toaster oven can do), maybe a conventional toaster oven is the one for you.

I have no real health concerns with toaster ovens of any kind. Aside from a few isolated stories of the glass shattering, there is nothing healthy or unhealthy about toaster ovens. You will find that non-convection cooking can lead to a few problems for your health though.

By remaining hotter for longer, there is a greater chance of burning. Burnt food and carbon crusting on your snacks can lead to long-term health complications. The biggest one is cancer, so be careful when you are cooking. Avoid burns and don’t eat burnt food.

It’s a close call to say that either of these toaster oven types is better than the other one. If you pushed me, I would vote for the convection toaster oven.

I prefer to have evenly cooked, energy efficient food. The planet is becoming increasingly greener, so I believe that if you are on the fence about which type you want to buy, get a convection toaster oven.