Teens and the Toaster Oven

About author / Christine Gable

Culinary enthusiast; kids cuisine and slow cooking; magazine recipe developer; professional writer. Her simple recipes are great for family dinners.

It all started with a garage sale find—a mini-toaster oven for only 50 cents. Remembering days of late evening snacks of French fries and toasted cheese melts, we bought the item and parked this little oven on the counter and I proceeded to be pleasantly surprised at how the kids took to using it. Using it so much in fact that this year it was time to replace that little ditty with a regular size (and strength) toaster oven. Yes, one that could toast, broil and bake more than one slice of bread at a time.

Was it a good move? You bet. With a mini tray and a more powerful heating element, toasting, broiling and baking has taken on a whole new element of kid experimentation and independence. While it’s second nature to put toast or bagels in while eggs or tofu is cooking, it’s proven to be just as much (if not more) fun to warm snack bars, granola bars, chocolate-almond biscotti—and just about everything in-between. From after-school snacks to late night movie treats, a toaster oven is one appliance that can get your kids cooking in a quick, no-fuss way. And that’s always a winner in my book.

While microwaves may be masters at reheating soups, leftovers and making quick mac-n-cheese, toaster ovens are tops for teens. Eliminating the need to heat the larger conventional oven, toaster ovens are small enough to be encouraging, but not intimidating. And encouraging kids to try cooking on a small scale is important—it’s those small steps that build self-confidence, and can eventually lead to larger and more involved culinary undertakings.

For even if it’s just golden cheese bread, each item that emerges delicious and tantalizing from that oven—ready-to-eat thanks to their own efforts—reinforces skills and feelings of accomplishment. And that ultimately proves they have the ability to meet the demands of daily life—which can build confidence in all aspects of their life.

If there is one life skill that I think should be necessary for graduation—besides those basic three R’s, of course—it’s the skill of being able to cook a meal for oneself. And I’m not talking about heating up a Lean Cuisine. Or those corny home ec classes in which mixing up no-bake cookies was made into too big a deal.

To have the time and space to experiment, to make mistakes and not be graded, to just try for the sake of curiosity--these are all a vital and necessary part of the learning process. And kids that have the opportunity to do this will be much more likely to make smarter, healthier choices—and more willing to try new foods.

To be able to take a variety of foods in their natural form and turn them into a wholesome meal is a life skill that can carry you through thick and thin. For no matter what else is happening in your life, every day we each have to eat. While you can certainly choose to eat out, to go for fast food, it all has its place—hey, we eat out and use those drive-thrus too (yes, I do love Wendy’s singles!). But being able to adapt, improvise, choose and create the very meals that nourish one’s body is an important skill.

Do you have a toaster oven at your house? If so, I encourage you to stock some toaster-oven friendly foods and let your kids know that it’s OK to experiment. Who knows, they just might create their next favorite food!

Here are a few things the teen at our house uses for toaster oven forays:

• Bread slices
• Bagels
• Fruit-filled snack bars
• Cream cheese
• Peanut butter
• Apple butter
• Jam/Jelly: Strawberry, Grape, etc.
• Fruit slices: bananas, strawberries
• Chocolate chips
• Ham or turkey, sliced/chipped
• Cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, etc.
• Condiments: Hot sauce, mustard

Serves/Makes: 4

• 4 slices whole wheat bread
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (can use the pre-chopped bottled variety)
• 1/2 pound deli turkey, sliced or chipped
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves, washed with stems removed
• 4 slices Mozzarella cheese
• hot sauce (optional)