Technical Description

Toaster Oven

George Medina

Prof. Collins

Writing for Engineering

Technical Description

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Parts of a toaster oven
• Innovation
• Conclusion

Introduction:

A toaster oven can be found in many house kitchens and are often used at the local bakery. Many people use normal toasters, but the toaster oven can be used for a bigger variety of foods such as cheese sandwiches and hamburgers. The trays are meant to allow people to heat their food with any toppings they want. Its function is work similarly to an oven, so the toaster oven takes longer to heat food compared to a regular toaster.

The idea of a toaster oven dates back to ancient times. Before the toaster oven, people would toast bread on a hot stone. Then electricity was discovered by Benjamin Franklin and the world changed. Many inventors started creating more and more electrical appliances and a century later, electricity found its way into the people’s homes.

Scotsman Alan McMasters took the practice of toasting bread and combined with that electricity to create the world’s first toaster in 1893. However, the invention didn’t succeed at first because the wiring would heat up and melt. The structure and function of the toaster changed as the decades passed by. There was a time where, in order to use a toaster, you had to stand in front of it and make sure each side was cooked evenly. In 1910, Willian Hadaway, with the help of Westinghouse Corporation, invented the first pop-up toaster. Westinghouse Corporation still makes toaster ovens today and they added a fan to their innovation so that heat would be distributed evenly to every part of food.

Parts of a toaster oven:

            The main areas of a toaster are the knobs on the outside and the inside where the heating takes place. These areas also have some importance parts that help the toaster oven function. These sub parts include:

• Body: Many toaster ovens have a metal framing because it can get very hot. The exterior is usually built with some heating vents so that the toaster oven doesn’t get extremely hot.
• Crumb Tray: This tray collects all crumbs and drips and is easily removable in order to clean it.
• Accessories: Many toaster ovens come with a baking pan specifically fitted for that toaster oven. Others come with additional pans which be used for specific foods such as pizza.
• Control Panel: The knobs and buttons on the toaster oven control the type of cooking, temperature, and cooking time along with any other functions the toaster oven may have.
• Display Panel: Some toaster ovens have a digital display to show the timer and/or heat level.

Figure 1 (Inside the Toaster Oven)

Innovations:

The design of the toaster oven is meant to look like an oven because its purpose is to function like one, but it is supposed to be as small as a regular toaster. Many of the toaster oven’s parts are like that of a regular toaster such as the control panel and the display panel. The control panel helps adjust the temperature and the cooking time for the toaster oven. The display panel shows the timer and the heat level of the toaster oven.

The two types of toaster ovens that exist right now are the standard one and the convection toaster oven. The standard toaster oven works like a normal oven and circulates heat on the inside using natural currents. The convection oven uses fan to circulate the heat. These heating elements in the toaster oven helps keep the heating even throughout the toaster oven.

The settings found on a toaster oven all depends on the type of toaster oven you own. Some toaster oven models have defrost and roast settings because they are more expensive and therefore have more value.

Toaster ovens can do more than just toast food like a regular toaster. They can be used like a normal oven for smaller foods. Many toaster ovens come with pans specifically for foods such as pizza and pancakes. Normal ovens can be a little excessive for small foods like these which is why the toaster oven is very useful. They are as functional as an oven and as easy to use as a regular toaster. Many families in the world have toaster ovens in their homes for this reason which proves how much easier it is to cook because of the toaster oven.  

References

Harlan, Jessica. “Toaster Oven Parts.” Tasting Table, Tasting Table, 30 Mar. 2015, www.tastingtable.com/cook/national/toaster-oven-parts.

“Toaster.” How Products Are Made, www.madehow.com/Volume-7/Toaster.html.

“Understanding Toaster Oven Settings and Functions.” Understanding Toaster Oven Settings and Functions | Toaster Oven Geek, toasterovengeek.com/understanding-toaster-oven-settings-and-functions/.