Can I cook for pesach using a toaster/convection oven?

ra_mom

Mon, Feb 10 2020, 4:21 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

That’s what I’m thinking.. it’s just going to take too long and become a hassle instead of being a help.
It sounds fine for preparing food for 1-2 people but I’ll be cooking for about 10 people. No, I’m not doing anything fancy at all but I’ll need lots of kugels, cakes, soup, meat, chicken, schnitzel etc.
I really appreciate all the feedback.
BH I do have a decent size kitchen with self clean ovens so after reading the pros and cons I think I’ve decided to just try to get my kitchen done a little earlier.
To the person who asked why I need to make my kitchen pesachdig a week before... well, I guess I just work slowly. I don’t have any kitchen help and it’s just a lot for one person to do alone. I’m sure some people can handle it but I find all the pesach cooking overwhelming after all the cleaning, shopping, dealing with my kids and getting bedroom ready for guests too. I was thinking of a way to make things easier by starting my cooking early but at this point I think turning my small laundry room into a makeshift pesach kitchen and getting my regular kitchen turned over at the same time might end up being a bit too much for me.

I find that it's not so bad setting up a the kitchen for pesach the week before. I make regular food like burgers which are naturally all meat and we bring them outside to eat in store bought buns. It doesn't feel like we're eating pesach food for an extra week.

Amarante

Mon, Feb 10 2020, 6:56 am

If you want to splurge on a counter top oven that truly replaces a regular oven, check out the Breville ovens. They have a range of sizes. While other toaster ovens are very functional, there is truly nothing like a Breville.

https://www.breville.com/us/en......html

amother

Rose

Mon, Feb 10 2020, 8:33 am

You might also try a roaster oven. That's what I do my advance work in for Pesach.
I also sometimes self clean/kasher my regular oven, prep stuff in my basement, and cook it in my regular oven in advance. You just have to careful about potholders and where to put down hot pans when they come out of the oven before you can take them back to your pre-Pesach area. I usually spread towels on the kitchen floor right near the oven for that purpose.
You can also prep a lot of baked goods--cookie dough, bar cookies--in advance and then not actually bake them. Put them in the pans you'll bake them in, wrap them well, and freeze. Defrost overnight in fridge and bake when you're fully Pesach-ready in your regular kitchen.

amother

Mistyrose

Mon, Feb 10 2020, 8:42 am

I would get an instant pot and get it going along with the oven. Make chicken soup in 3 hours with the push of a button, stew in 35 minutes, steam beets, potatoes, squashes for mashing/chopping. It's amazing. I'm a convert lol. Been telling everyone I know. I have the duo 6 qt but I'd get the biggest one.

amother

Mon, Feb 10 2020, 2:12 pm

amother [ Peach ] wrote:

In my experience these kind of ovens are fine for kugels and roasting potatoes etc., but don't work well for baking cakes. It's just not worth the hassle of all the time and expensive ingredients and then ending up with flopped cakes...

Is that true? Pesach cakes don’t bake well in a convection oven? Anyone have experience?

Amarante

Mon, Mar 23 2020, 6:15 pm

coloredleaves wrote:

Do you use these to cook on pesach itself as well? Can they stay on all three days like an oven?

I would never leave any kind of toaster oven on for a prolonged period of time. They are built for the limited type of cooking people are expected to do in them.

Amarante

Mon, Mar 23 2020, 6:18 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Is that true? Pesach cakes don’t bake well in a convection oven? Anyone have experience?

Convection ovens are fine for baking - actually they are better for baking because a true convection oven eliminates the hot and cool spots of regular ovens.

However, in my experience the interior of a toaster oven is generally much smaller than a regular oven and therefore the air doesn't circulate the same. I have baked a few cookies in my toaster oven but even they are not quite the same as when cooked in my regular oven.

Of course there are counter top ovens like the ones made by Breville which are as good as a standard oven. They are significantly larger and the best Breville oven requires the same kind of high amp electrical socket as a regular oven. But if you are willing to make the investment for a "real" oven, those would be the ones to get.

amother

Jade

Wed, Mar 08 2023, 1:23 pm

amother Beige wrote:

My MIL cooks her entire Pesach in her laundry room using an oven like that.
If you plan on doing it, I would definetely spend a little more to make sure you're getting better quality

Do you know which convection oven she has

Amarante

Wed, Mar 08 2023, 1:28 pm

amother Jade wrote:

Do you know which convection oven she has

Do you mean convection oven or just a counter top oven.

There are no counter top ovens that are true convection ovens.

There are very few counter top ovens that bake anything well. I will occasionally do a few simple cookies but that is about it.

However as I posted up thread, you can get a counter top oven that can truly be used as a regular oven if you are willing to spend a bit. The better Breville oven s are truly substitute ovens and the larger ones even have a good capacity so that you can cook *normal* amounts plus there is the *room* for items to properly roast and bake.

amother

Jade

Wed, Mar 08 2023, 1:29 pm

Amarante wrote:

Thanks I want something for pesach so I can get a head start on baking. But I can’t have something too big…

amother

Rainbow

Wed, Mar 08 2023, 1:37 pm

Amarante wrote:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sage-.....YFBAG

this is the same as the breville in the uk but its really small. I have it for chometz and would love to get it for pesach but only 1 tray at a time.

is there anything in the uk as good as this in bigger?

are the ovens with 2 rings on top not as good?

Amarante

Wed, Mar 08 2023, 1:38 pm

amother Jade wrote:

Thanks I want something for pesach so I can get a head start on baking. But I can’t have something too big…

Unfortunately you just can't get good baking results without having a reasonably sized interior because baking requires there to be sufficient air circulation for there to be even baking.

You can check out exterior dimensions but if you are expecting a small toaster oven with "convection" capabilities to be able to bake items, it just won't happen because of the size.

amother

Oleander

Tue, Mar 14 2023, 10:44 pm

In the days that the Magic Mill Counter Top oven and Avanti Counter Top oven that were 1.5 cu ft, were made, it was super easy to get a lot done in Counter Top ovens. You could squeeze 2 9X13 pans on each of the racks, top and bottom. Unfortunately, they are no longer made.

Now the largest one made is the Hamilton Beach that fits one 9 X 13 on each rack, and its MUCH smaller.