Toaster oven cooking times vary according to the product you are preparing. In general, a toaster oven will preheat to temperature quicker than a conventional oven because of its smaller size. It will also hold the temperature better for the same reason. Cooking with a toaster oven saves time over using a conventional oven. Cooking with a convection toaster oven saves even more time and consumes less energy.

The temperature settings on a toaster oven reflect the same meaning as on a conventional oven. If you are preparing a product that says preheat the oven to 400 degrees, choose 400 degrees on your toaster oven the same as on you conventional oven. The biggest difference is that a conventional oven may need 20 to 30 minutes to reach the desired temperature and the toaster oven will only need about half that amount of time because the space inside the oven is smaller.

Cooking times can be shorter in toaster ovens. If your product says cook it at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, you should set a kitchen timer for 20 minutes. If you find the food is not ready, continue to cook it for a few minutes at a time and keep a close eye on it. The rule of thumb is to check your product a bit early because the toaster oven generally cooks the product faster than a conventional oven.

A convection toaster oven uses power driven air that circulates continuously over the power source. This provides even heating and cooking for the food product. Because the uniform heating process distributes the heat quickly and evenly, the food cooks even faster. The best thing to do is to use the product cooking guideline but pay attention to the food for the complete cycle until you get used to your oven. Check the food visually every 15 minutes and pay attention to how it smells. When you start to smell it cooking, check it often.