Toaster ovens (and most other appliances) have come a long long long way since I was a university student in the 80s. My dorm room toaster oven could just about be relied on to process a pre-made pot pie (remember those?) or toast a couple of slices of bread. I don't remember ever cooking anything in mine other than the aforementioned or possibly some frozen pizza rolls or a baguette. Today's versions come with multiple functions, convection cooking, adjustable trays, exact temperature controls and lots more bells and whistles.
This cookbook does a great job of providing recipes which exploit the benefits and minimize the drawbacks of the modern toaster oven. Toaster ovens heat up faster, are more energy efficient, are the perfect size for smaller quantities of food, and are more convenient. The introduction covers the different types of ovens, tips for using convection settings, tools and supplies, related safety (no parchment paper!), pantry ingredients, and some other general considerations.
The recipe chapters are arranged thematically: breakfast & brunch, pizza & flatbreads, toasts crostini & sandwiches, appetizers & snacks, side dishes, sheet pan dinners, casseroles & one pan dinners, meats & mains, desserts, and breads. It really is a surprisingly comprehensive and varied selection. Recipes are arranged with an introduction and yields in a header, ingredients in a sidebar bullet point list, with step-by-step directions. Ingredient measures are given in American standard measures, no metric conversions provided. Most of the ingredients are easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store (some few items might need a co-op or world-food/specialist grocery). Nutritional information is not included. Cook's notes and variations for each recipe are also included in a footer at the end.The recipes all fit on a single page (which is super convenient for reading from a tablet when your hands are full).
The layout is clear and easy to read with a sort of retro vibe. The photography is clear and well done. It's not apparent from the publishing info, but the pre-publication ARC I received had greyscale black and white photography throughout (that could well change to color for the publication version). At any rate, the photography is top notch and serving suggestions are appetizing and appropriate.
This would make a superlative addition to a 'moving out' care package for newly independent youngsters/singles/newlyweds, etc. I was impressed enough with the book that I am planning on buying one for each of my kids who are moving (or have moved) out on their own.
Four and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
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