We are always looking for new ways to help improve the lives of Drivers, who live and work on the road.

Whether or not you drive with ShipEX, we are looking out for your well-being. Be that through providing helpful tips and tricks to eating out on the road or providing the best ways to prepare your pet for a life on the road.

This week we are beginning a series that will branch out and explore the different kinds of appliances that you can take with you on the road.

Each post will examine each appliance’s:

  • Space the Appliance Takes Up
  • Average Cost
  • Effective wattage use
  • Variety of Food to Cook
  • Ease of Cleanup
  • This week we will begin with a less than ubiquitous appliance, the Toaster Oven!

Toaster Oven

Given their self-contained nature, Toaster Ovens are an attractive option for cooking food. They are relatively easy to clean, so long as you take care of any spills or drippings immediately and remember to empty the crumb tray.

Just like any other appliance, the cost to own a Toaster Oven will depend on what quality of product you want. What separates a Toaster Oven that will just get you by and a Toaster Oven worth its investment comes down to two important factors.

The first is how easy the product is to clean. The higher end appliances will have a stainless steal or non-stick surface on the interior of the product, and the lowest end versions will often have steel or metal interiors, which are significantly more difficult to remove stains.

Space the Appliance Takes Up

The other important factor to consider when investing in a Toaster Oven is the internal space. While you can still get a great Toaster Oven with only a single rack, it could be worth it to invest into a Toaster Oven with two racks.

A Toaster Oven with a single rack may work just fine for you, with its ability to bake a 13” pizza. But you may want to bake a couple batches of muffins, or even an entire rotisserie chicken, which requires a little more room.

Your needs and space for a toaster will vary, but for the 2019 Freightliners, a large toaster oven can easily be used and stored, along with everything else you need to comfortably live on the road.

Average Price

Considering the cost of a Toaster Ovens will range between about $20 all the way up to $250 for a single unit, finding the right Toaster Oven for you will take some searching. From our research, if you are spending an amount somewhere in the middle of $20 and $250, say $100 or so for a Toaster Oven, you will be purchasing a good and long-lasting piece of equipment.

Effective Wattage Use

There is a wide range of toaster oven wattage. Your mid-range and highest end Toaster Ovens will use all the way up to 1800w, while the least expensive models will put out less power, but only need up to 1000w of power.

‘Word of Warning: If you are using a high-end toaster oven, make sure that nothing else is using your inverter’s power. 1800w gives you 200w worth of space to operate in, but not a lot.’

Variety of Food to Cook

With Toaster Ovens becoming more advanced over the years, you can actually cook a wider variety of dishes with them than ever before. You can try a hearty meal of Chicken Thighs with Roasted vegetables.

You can also use your Toaster Oven to create great snacks for the road like Toasted Nuts and Dried Fruit!

Toaster Ovens are great re-heating options, making for better next day pizza than a microwave.

Clean Up

Returning to something we brought up earlier, the quality of oven you purchase will also determine how easy it is to clean your Toaster Oven, but your Toaster Oven will always be able to be cleaned by hand and on the road.

The simplest and most effective way to clean your Toaster Oven begins with unplugging and waiting until Toaster Oven is cooled to a temperature that is cool to the touch.

You can use sanitizing wipes to remove stains and any stuck-on food. Then gently scrub with a sponge the inside of the Toaster Oven with a cleaning solution of vinegar, warm water, and a little dish soap. Be careful to avoid any of the heating elements, as it could damage your Toaster Oven’s ability to function.

And no matter the quality, always remember to empty your crumb tray between uses.

Toaster Ovens have come a long way from their humble origins of nothing more than a sandwich warmer. Taking up less power and having more ways to cook foods, Toaster Ovens have become useful appliances to bring on the road with you.

So the next time you debate on what appliance to buy when heading out on the road, consider investing into a high end Toaster Oven for your cooking needs! Our rankings for some of the best toaster ovens are below to get you started!