Use Your Oven An alternate method is to set the oven to 350º and toast your bread on the middle rack for 10 minutes, flipping it over at the halfway point.
Microwaving bread is better than toasting it You shouldn't have to slightly burn your bread to warm it up. Microwaving your bread is the way to go. It warms it up without drying it out and preserves the fluffy bread texture. If I'm going to have a slice of bread with my dinner, this is the only way I will have it.
Keep it low – We microwave on low to medium power – 30 to 50% – for about a minute. Then we check and see if the bread is warm yet. You don't want piping hot bread; it will be chewy by then. You just want to warm it through, keeping it moist and covered so it doesn't dry out or get chewy in place and hard in another.
Toshiba Combo 8-in-1 Countertop Microwave Oven
This Toshiba countertop model includes microwave, convection, broiler, defroster, toaster, yogurt maker, and air fryer. This space-saving appliance is versatile and can do the job of many others.
Air fryers: These appliances can air-fry (surprise!), toast (though not as well as toaster ovens), bake, preheat, and keep food warm. In our tests, they cooked food to a well-browned finish quicker than other appliances.
Never use metal utensils to lift food from the toaster or to free jammed food. Unplug the toaster and allow to cool, then carefully use rubber or plastic tongs to remove items that cannot otherwise be retrieved.
If you want a quick toast in the oven, just preheat it to regular baking temperature—350f—set the toast on the bare rack then check it in about two minutes.
Put the sandwich in the pan and fry for 3 minutes on one side, pressing down lightly with a spatula every so often, or until the bread is golden brown. Carefully turn over, using your spatula and another flattish implement, such as a palette knife or the back of a wooden spoon.
Use Your Oven
The easiest way here is to turn on the broiler and set your bread on the rack beneath it, keep the door cracked, and wait. This will toast fast. I started bread on fire once with this method, so don't go take a nap while you broil bread (and have a fire extinguisher handy).
If I'm toasting bread in a pan, it's usually in any dry pre-heated skillet that can handle medium heat, and I just plop the bread in and flip every 30-45 seconds, occasionally pressing down lightly if it starts curling away from the pan at the edges.
Slice your bread thickly - 1/2 - 1". Butter generously & thoroughly including the edges. Place butter side down in hot skillet. Check every few minutes until it is toasted to your liking.
While air fryers are popular, the most expensive models can start to get a little pricey, which could undermine their status as a budget item. Taking to social media to share their opinions, many people have revealed that they reckon halogen ovens are the best option for frugal cooking.
Air fryers are just small-capacity convection ovens that don't toast and are hard to clean.
Put the slice(s) of bread in the air fryer basket and allow to cook for about 3 minutes. This time can vary depending on the thickness of your bread and how crispy you like it. Setting the fryer for 3 minutes will give you perfectly crisp toast that is still soft and tender.
Foil is safe to use in an air fryer so long as you follow three basic rules: never let foil touch the heating element; make sure the foil is weighted so it doesn't blow around the basket; and avoid contact with acidic ingredients, which can cause the foil to leach onto your food.
Air fryers dry out toast
If it's a decent toaster, this results in evenly toasted bread. An air fryer also uses direct, radiant heat, but only from the top down. This means that only one side of your toast is seeing that heat at any given moment.
Within a minute or less, the bread is tough. According to one study that compared microwave versus conventional heating of bread, a slice that was microwaved for 40 seconds was more than twice as tough as a slice that was conventionally toasted for 5 minutes.
Slice your bread and pat down with a towel. Place bread slices into your Stasher bag, microwave up to a minute or so. Remove carefully and enjoy. To resuscitate French bread: swipe under a faucet of running water for one pass.
The air frying capabilities aren't top-notch, but it's an excellent microwave. Plus, you can play around with the air fryer temperature, timing, and setup to get better results — it just isn't as easy to get the perfect crisp as with a basket air fryer.