The Power of Downsizing

Guess I’ve always underestimated the benefits of toaster ovens, which are now more accurately described as compact ovens. It dawned on me during a warm spell this summer, while using my full size oven to toast an over-sized roll that wouldn’t fit in the wide-sliced toaster, that there may be a better way. Did I really have to power up the entire oven, and heat up the whole kitchen, just to toast a roll, or to heat up a plate of food for that matter?

Picturing the small, hard to clean appliance that hung under the cabinet in the kitchen of my youth, I searched the Internet for toaster ovens. I discovered a wide variety of compact ovens that not only toasted, but baked and broiled everything from cookies, to chicken, to pizza. The wheels in my head started to turn about the things I could cook with a small oven and all the power I’d save. I ordered one and couldn’t wait to try it out. Since it arrived, I’ve not only toasted rolls, but cooked pizzas, cakes, and pastries and heated up plenty of meals.

The smart oven heats up in no time, doesn’t warm the kitchen, and toasts/cooks everything perfectly. My utility bill has been $0 for 4 straight months now, which has never happened since installing roof-top solar a few years ago. Granted, it’s been a sunny summer, which has helped, and I unplugged the vampire appliances (including a basement refrigerator/freezer), TVs, and stereos that I don’t use but that were sucking power nonetheless. Between those things and the compact oven, my carbon footprint appears to have decreased.

You don’t often hear about downsizing appliances as a way to lower energy usage, but I think it’s made a big difference. Give it a try. It could be my imagination, but the food that comes out of the small oven seems to taste that much better because the energy used to cook it was minimized.