03-30-2012, 02:55 PM
Davester,
My family has used a toaster oven/broiler or countertop convection oven (that doubles as a toaster oven/broiler) of some kind for as long as I can remember. So, we're talking several makes and models for at least 30+ years. They absolutely _can_ produce a significant amount of heat and I'd be concerned about possible long-term damage to the cabinets, undercabinet lighting and spoilage of food stored in said cabinetry.
A bare cabinet may not suffer much. The underside will get hot and can even transfer through to the contents of jars, boxes, bags and such stored in the cabinet. No doubt because I've seen it happen more times than I can count. However, it's not going to catch fire. That has never happened in my kitchen or my family's kitchen. I'd definitely be extra concerned if you have undercabinet lighting. The plastics used on the covers of the lighting may not hold up as well as bare wood.
My method:
The depth of the countertop is greater than the depth of the wall cabinets. So, pull the toaster oven/broiler/convection oven to the edge of the counter. As the heat rises, most will rise in front of the cabinets. The cabinetry will still get warm/hot but not as warm/hot as they would if the toaster over/broiler/convection oven was directly beneath them.
Other suggestions... Always unplug toaster over/broiler/convection oven when you're not using it and clean the crumb tray regularly. Cleaning the tray is important because crumbs can burn up and/or attract pets over time.
Robert
My family has used a toaster oven/broiler or countertop convection oven (that doubles as a toaster oven/broiler) of some kind for as long as I can remember. So, we're talking several makes and models for at least 30+ years. They absolutely _can_ produce a significant amount of heat and I'd be concerned about possible long-term damage to the cabinets, undercabinet lighting and spoilage of food stored in said cabinetry.
A bare cabinet may not suffer much. The underside will get hot and can even transfer through to the contents of jars, boxes, bags and such stored in the cabinet. No doubt because I've seen it happen more times than I can count. However, it's not going to catch fire. That has never happened in my kitchen or my family's kitchen. I'd definitely be extra concerned if you have undercabinet lighting. The plastics used on the covers of the lighting may not hold up as well as bare wood.
My method:
The depth of the countertop is greater than the depth of the wall cabinets. So, pull the toaster oven/broiler/convection oven to the edge of the counter. As the heat rises, most will rise in front of the cabinets. The cabinetry will still get warm/hot but not as warm/hot as they would if the toaster over/broiler/convection oven was directly beneath them.
Other suggestions... Always unplug toaster over/broiler/convection oven when you're not using it and clean the crumb tray regularly. Cleaning the tray is important because crumbs can burn up and/or attract pets over time.
Robert