Those of you who know my bother John are aware of his bargain-hunting tendencies. It’s not that he doesn’t like to part with his money (viz, very expensive (Sub-Zero?) but bargain-priced freezer sitting in his dining room until future kitchen reno.) He just likes to get a deal.

A truck-load of Panasonic small appliances came to his attention while he was browsing kijiji and he ended up purchasing “a number  of ” identical toaster ovens, the ones with the lights instead of the heating element. The toasters were selling, new-in-box, for more than 70% off retail. He offered me one before he bought them, but I declined, citing a perfectly acceptable regular old toaster and lack of counter space.

He brought one of the mini ovens up to the cottage on our Thanksgiving weekend and as he was leaving, told me that I was welcome to take it with me if I wanted it. I was heading to Montreal to see Michael so I thought that I could give it to him for his apartment.  Michael’s roommate had brought one with him when he moved it, so I ended up taking it home and decided to try it out. I moved our old toaster to another counter, thinking I’d just use it a couple of times and then it could go back up to the cottage.

I have to say it’s pretty fabulous.

I’ve used it for toast, frozen pizza, reheating previously-frozen pizza, crisping croissants, and baking a frozen chicken cordon-bleu thingy. It’s fast, energy-efficient, and for a family of (on average) 2, a time-saver. It takes no time at all to heat up for baking.

I’m going to slip him some cash next time I see him and give my old toaster to Goodwill.

Does anyone have an extra Vitamix they got a great deal on? It, too, could change my life.

Related articles

• Make Your Kitchen RA-Friendly (squarely33.wordpress.com)
• Don’t call them toasters: We test out high-end toaster ovens (reviews.cnet.com)
• Cookies in Cream (buyatoasteroven.wordpress.com)