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I didn\u2019t grow up in a toaster-oven home. Honestly, when it came to kitchen appliances, my parents kept it fairly simple. Along with the standard staples (a refrigerator, freezer, oven, and stove) we had a 2-slice toaster<\/a>, blender<\/a>, coffee maker<\/a>, and microwave. If my mom was feeling really wild, she\u2019d bust out the Crock-Pot<\/a>. Rice was made on the stove, cake batter was usually mixed by hand, and cans were opened via manual, crank technology<\/a>\u2014the first time I was introduced to an electric version my hands sighed in relief.<\/p>\n Needless to say, I never understood the need for a toaster oven, air fryer, or egg cooker. I could wrap my head around the desire, sure, but I couldn\u2019t bring myself to add clutter to my limited counter space (I live in a typical New York City apartment, after all) with an appliance that wasn\u2019t totally necessary. Thankfully, I changed my mind.<\/p>\n My roommate, Abby, and I have lived together for over four years, and with each move our kitchen got smaller and smaller\u2014that is, until July 2022. When we found our current apartment, the silver lining of the moving stress and chaos was that we finally<\/em> had a big enough kitchen to comfortably house all of our dishes, glassware, and pantry items\u2014you know, the things everyone should<\/em> be able to fit easily in their kitchen. The catch? No microwave.<\/p>\n After the first few weeks of settling into the new space, we realized that we needed to either buy a microwave or find an alternative. Abby immediately suggested Balmuda’s toaster oven<\/a>. She had been eyeing its sleek and modern design for years, and it finally felt like the time to jump on it. I was skeptical\u2014I thought I probably wouldn’t use it much. But within a couple of days, we had the chic, streamlined appliance on our counter, and I was diving head-first into endless toast<\/a> and sandwich recipes<\/a>. Now, I can’t imagine our kitchen without it.<\/p>\n
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