Coffee makers, microwaves, air fryers, toasters, blenders (did we mention we can help you do away with this one?), rice cookers, food processors, crockpots, pressure cookers… when it comes to little boxy devices that help you make dinner, there’s no shortage of items waiting to gobble up your precious counter space and serve one specific purpose.

This blog isn’t meant to be a knock at your favorite compact appliance. If you’ve mastered a recipe for buffalo cauliflower bites and popping them in your trusty air fryer is the only way you can reach the desired level of crispy, good for you! (And send us that recipe, please.)

No, we’re simply sitting here, hammering out a short ode to one of the more forgettable little boxes at the home chef’s disposal, the toaster oven.

As we see it, the toaster oven makes worse toast than a toaster. And as far as the oven side of things goes, it’s quite a bit smaller than the real deal so good luck baking anything too exciting. So why are we singing its praises?

Because there’s at least one thing it does well, and it does that thing extremely well: roast chickpeas and other legumes to perfection.

Whether you’re plant-based, flexitarian, or simply looking out for your fiber intake, legumes are going to claim a spot in your grocery cart. But there’s only so much hummus you can eat. Sooner or later you’re going to need some new ways to make that nourishing, affordable plant-based protein a bit more exciting. 

In Our “Bean Era”

Here it is, the secret recipe that Big Meat didn’t want you to have: you’ll need a can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry, tossed in a glug of olive oil and coated with a pinch of salt. (If you’re particularly adventurous, you can also sprinkle a packet of kencko’s spicy tomatoes over everything for a zesty kick!) Spread along your toaster oven’s baking pan. Set the heat to about 420ºF and let ‘em go for 15 minutes or so, stirring at the halfway mark with a wooden spoon.

Voila. 

You’ve got the perfect crunchy, salty, oily topping for a simple arugula salad or a pasta or rice dish. Hell, if you cook them for another couple of minutes, they’ll get even crispier, and once cool, that’s a near perfect snack. Nutritionally speaking, we’ve sung the garbanzo bean’s praises before, but to reiterate, they’re a great source of plant protein, rich in fiber, and chock full of vitamins and minerals.

But you don’t have to stop with chickpeas. That’s the beauty of the toaster oven. It’s not a “chickpea oven.” You can put literally any bean in there, follow roughly the same protocol, and you’ll wind up with something tasty. Got a can of cannellini beans on hand? Oh yeah, that’ll work real nice. Pinto beans? Terrific – roast em. What could go wrong? Black beans? Sure, maybe those will work, too. Worst case scenario, you’ve made a less tasty tray of beans and learned a valuable lesson for next time.

What About Regular Ovens?

We love regular ovens, too. They’re a modern-ish marvel. When we see one of those big behemoths sitting on the ground in a kitchen, we have to hold ourselves back from rolling up our sleeves and shouting “LET ME COOK!” You could certainly attempt to pull off the above-outlined bean preparation method in an oven. 

But it will take way longer to preheat, and it’ll likely leave your house considerably more sweltering – a true summertime no-no. Then there’s the fact that conventional ovens can be startlingly inaccurate in terms of their temperature settings. That means you might not get the exact same level of crunch, unless you’re especially dialed into your oven’s temperature variances.

Yep. Other appliances can get the job done, but only the humble toaster oven will get the job done to perfection, every time. 

Once you’ve roasted your bean of choice, one fun wrinkle is to mash them up with a fork to make a delectable bean spread, which you can spoon over a piece of bread that your toaster oven did a so-so job of browning. But that’s the thing about unevenly toasted toast: it’s merely a vessel for something more tasty.

And speaking of…

If You Don’t Like Beans

That’s alright. Nobody’s perfect!

And in anticipation of some folks’ bean aversion, here’s a nice little recipe for you that still lets you tap into the power of your toaster oven. (Remember, we said that you can compensate for imperfectly darkened toast with superior toppings. This, is a truly superior topping!)

Toasted PB(k)J – peanut butter & kencko jam

Ingredients: 

• 2 slices of seeded whole grain toast

• 2 tbsp of creamy peanut butter

• 2 tbsp of kencko jam:

• 1 packet kencko purples

• 10 oz. water

• 1.5 tbsp chia seeds

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Directions for jam

• In your kencko bottle, shake up 1 purples with 10 oz. of water. Pour your smoothie into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally.

• Once the smoothie shows the first signs of being about to boil, add in your chia seeds and maple syrup and stir.

• Let it all cook for 5-10 minutes on low/medium heat. Mixture will start to thicken.

• After your jam thickens, remove from heat and let it cool