We recently purchased a new toaster oven. What’s so exciting about that? This one has a 5 position cooking mode – with just two heating elements: top and bottom. So what’s the difference between the modes? Here is what 20 20 minute test yielded:
1) WARM: Top elements only. Power consumption = 363W.
2) BROIL: Top elements only. Power consumption = 681W.
3) BAKE: Top element low, bottom element high. Power consumption = 1012W.
4) TOAST: Top element high, bottom element low. Power consumption = 1315W (?!?!?).
5) GRILL: Both elements high. Power consumption = 1300W.
What I think is going on is that the controller does PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) in 0%, 50%, 100% steps. If the steps are normalized, the each step is about 325W. So one set of elements at 50% consume 325W (WARM), one set of elements at 100% power is 650W (BROIL). One set at 50% and the other at 100% power consume 975W (BAKE) and all elements at full power consume 1300W. That doesn’t match my observation that in TOAST mode it consumed 1315W. So the toaster oven has an “enigma” mode in which it consumes 325W more than expected.
And did you ever wonder what a “pizza bump” is? All it means is that the back of the toaster oven has a circular outward bump so that you can put a 12″ inside the not so rectangular oven. Typically, this also means that you got one wire rack with a circular back to match.
Now you know as much as I do about toaster ovens!
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