Believe it or not, toasters are not just for making toast.
This humble appliance, found in most kitchens around the world, is more versatile than you may think.
You can actually make lots of different things in your toaster – here are just a few examples. A great tip is to use toaster bags. You can buy them from the supermarket or if you’re feeling nifty, rustle up some DIY bags with some baking paper and origami skills.
1. Corn tortilla chips
Cut up some corn or flour tortillas into segments, pop them into the toaster and you’ll have some crisp chips in no time. Perfect for dipping into some spicy salsa or homemade guacamole.
2. Sweet Potato Toast
This was 2016’s go-to accompaniment to your eggs and bacon as a great gluten-free alternative to bread. Simply cut a sweet potato into 1/2 cm thick slices and pop each slice in the toaster for a few minutes until tender. Add your favourite toppings like avocado and feta and enjoy!
3. Waffles
Toast a couple of frozen waffles for a couple of minutes and enjoy with melted butter and maple syrup drizzled generously over them.
4. Veggie Burgers
Veggie burgers are great to cook in the toaster as there is no fat or juices like in a beef patty that may cause your toaster to burst into flames! Just put a veggie patty in a toaster bag and toast until hot and crispy. Serve with a healthy side salad and some sweet chilli sauce for a simple but tasty lunch.
5. Onion Rings and French Fries
There is nothing worse than trying to reheat last night’s takeaway in a microwave and ending up with a soggy, greasy mush! You can actually heat things like onion rings and French fries in the toaster. Place a layer of onion rings or chips into a toaster bag and reheat.
6. Pancakes
The next time you whip up a load of homemade pancakes make a few extras and put them into the freezer. When you feel like eating pancakes again, just put a couple in the toaster to warm up. A tip is to freeze them individually wrapped so they don’t get stuck together.
7. Ham and cheese toastie
If you don’t have a toasted sandwich press, you can use your toaster to make a yummy late-night snack. Just make up your sandwich with plenty of ham and cheese and slather the outside with butter and put it in the toaster for a few minutes. Make sure to use a toaster bag – you don’t want cheese and butter dripping into your toaster.
8. Pizza
You can get packaged pizza toast, but it’s so simple to make your own. Again, use a toaster bag to avoid any messes and fire hazards. You can also use the toaster bag method to reheat cold pizza.
9. Chicken nuggets
Toss a few frozen nuggets into a toaster bag and heat in the toaster until cooked through. This way there’s no need to waste electricity using your big oven or going through the hassle of heat up oil and deep frying just a few nuggets.
10. Bacon
Who doesn’t love a few rashers of super crispy bacon for breakfast? Using your trusty toaster bag again, sizzle up some paper-thin slices in your toaster!
What foods do you cook using your toaster?
