All of us use toasters to toast bread. However, this handy appliance can do much more.
You can use it to make grilled cheese sandwiches, garlic bread, heat vegetable burgers, press paninis, reheat pizza slices, make tortilla chips,
Let’s take a closer look at the different things you can use a toaster for.
1. Toast Bread
The main use of a toaster is to lightly cook slices of bread to make it dark, crisp, and tastier. An additional advantage is that toasters perform this task automatically.
You can place the bread slice inside the toaster, and it will automatically pop up when done. It doesn’t need any supervision.
2. Grilled Cheese Sandwich
You can’t grill a cheese sandwich directly in a toaster. But this is easy and practical if you have a toaster bag.
Furthermore, your toaster should have extra-wide slots to fit two slices of bread at once. If these conditions are met, you don’t need another device to make grilled cheese sandwiches.
Assemble the sandwich by placing cheese between two slices of bread. Then, place the sandwich inside a toaster bag.
Place the bag inside the toaster slot and toast it as usual. The sandwich will pop up when done. It will be crisp and brown, with the cheese melted to perfection.
3. Garlic Bread
With a toaster bag, it’s easy to make buttery garlic bread in your toaster. Prepare the garlic butter mix by stirring the grated garlic into the butter.
You can add herbs, chilly flakes, or other spices into the mixture if you wish. Spread it generously on the slice of bread.
Then, place it inside a toaster bag and drop it in the toaster slot. Let it toast as usual on a medium setting.
The flavor of garlic will penetrate the bread. It will also make it nice and crisp.
4. Heat Vegetable Burgers
The size, texture, and shape of vegetable burgers make them great for heating in a toaster.
Since they are not as greasy as meat burgers and don’t need much cooking, you can use a toaster to prepare them.
However, it’s important to thaw burgers completely before toasting. Take them out of the freezer and let them sit in the refrigerator overnight.
Thawing it in the refrigerator will ensure that there are no frozen bits. Then, set the toaster to medium. Place the burgers in a toaster bag and put them in the toaster.
Cook them for a good five minutes to ensure they are properly cooked.
5. Press Paninis
Toasters with wide slots are perfect for pressing paninis. In this case, you can assemble your panini with meat and vegetables.
But make sure that it doesn’t have too much meat or vegetables that spill over. Place the panini in a toaster bag and put it in the toaster.
You can wait for three to five minutes to let the paninis toast properly. It should achieve just the right texture and color by this time. Then, transfer it to a plate and serve.
6. Reheat Pizza
Leftover pizza stored in the refrigerator will usually be cold and hard. Though there are many ways to reheat it, most methods end up making the pizza soggy and tasteless.
The better option is to use the toaster to restore their original texture and flavor.
In this case, you can directly put a pizza slice into a toaster bag and drop it in the toaster slot. Let it toast on medium or low heat for at least five minutes.
This should give it enough time to soften and let the cheese melt completely. It will also taste much better than pizza reheated in a microwave oven.
7. Make Tortilla Chips
One of the best ways to use up leftover corn or flour tortillas is to make them into tortilla chips. Your trusted toaster makes this easy.
To transform the tortillas into chips, cut them up into quarters. Place the four pieces of a tortilla into a toaster slot and let it heat.
The tortillas will crisp up and achieve the texture of chips. You can use them to scoop up guacamole or salsa and enjoy them.
8. Warm Waffles
Many people prefer to make a large batch of waffles and store the excess for another day. Now, most people warm the waffles on a grill or in the microwave.
But both these methods can change the texture of the waffle. It can end up becoming dry and hard.
The better way to warm waffles is in a toaster. You can warm it using the same method as toasting bread.
Simply pop a waffle into the toaster slot and lower the bread rack. Let it sit for two to three minutes.
When it pops up, you will have a crisp and delicious waffle that is ready to eat.
9. Crispy Bacon
You may be surprised to hear that you can make bacon in the toaster. Given the amount of fat and grease bacon releases during cooking, you may find it unconvincing.
But the trick here is to use a toaster bag. When bacon cooks, all the grease flows downward, pooling at the bottom. This makes it easy to cook it in a toaster.
Pop the bacon strip into a toaster bag and place it in the toaster slot. Let it cook on high for several minutes.
The excess fat and grease will drip to the base of the toaster bag while the bacon crisps up. So it will not end up being soggy like it does when you prepare it in a pan.
The bacon will also cook evenly and be crisp and crunchy throughout.
10. Cook Asparagus
Another unusual but practical use of a toaster is to cook slender vegetables like asparagus. Pop the vegetable into a toaster bag and line it up neatly in a line.
Place the bag inside the toaster slot and let it toast gently. It’s best to choose the highest heat setting to ensure it cooks through.
When the toaster pops, check on the asparagus to see if it has cooked thoroughly. If not, repeat the process.
You can serve the toasted asparagus with a drizzle of oil and cheese. The main benefit of this method is that the vegetables end up becoming crunchy and not soggy.
11. Heat Frozen Pancakes
Just like waffles, another breakfast staple that most people freeze in bulk is pancakes. You can easily restore their original texture by toasting them in a toaster.
You can also toast store-bought pancakes for a delicious toasty flavor. But, like waffles, don’t add the pancakes to the toaster directly from the freezer. It’s essential to thaw them first.
We recommend thawing pancakes in the refrigerator overnight to avoid any frozen bits. The alternative is to thaw them on the countertop. But this can lead to uneven thawing.
Once the pancakes have thawed, pop them directly into the toaster or place them in a toaster bag and drop them into the slot. Toast on medium for three to five minutes and serve hot.
