The Best Small Appliance For A Kitchen With No Counter Space

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Growing up and into my young adulthood, when I lived in Brooklyn, New York, I always had a small kitchen. The appliances my family used have always been small: a teeny rice cooker, mini waffle and sandwich makers, and a compact blender. Whenever a new appliance came out, my eyes would go wide with wonder; however, I always had to consider which major appliance not to splurge on if you have a small kitchen. However, we used one small appliance almost daily: our tiny toaster oven, which we eventually upgraded to a steam oven toaster. 

All of the appliances we had we marketed as space-saving. However, some usually only had one function while taking up prime kitchen real estate. The toaster oven was handy because every morning, Dad would toast two Eggo waffles and use them to sandwich peanut butter. My mother loved buttered toast, Hong Kong style. Eventually, we upgraded our toaster oven to a modern steam oven toaster, which gradually became the best small, compact appliance in our tiny kitchen. 

A steam oven is one versatile product that makes any small kitchen more functional. It toasts, reheats, bakes, and adds steam while taking up just a small corner of counter space. It's also incredibly easy to use and can help you reheat almost anything, from toast to brownies to chicken cutlets and dim sum.

The steam oven toaster I swear by and have used for years is The Toaster by Balmuda. At 14.1 inches wide, 12.6 inches deep, and 8.2 inches tall, and weighing just over 10 pounds, it's compact and barely stands out. It fits perfectly in a corner, even on the smallest kitchen counter. The Toaster comes with a cute little cup for adding water to the top of the appliance.

That small amount of water that you add turns to steam as The Toaster heats up. This provides moisture to the appliance, resulting in food that crisps up beautifully on the outside while staying soft and moist inside. If you're willing to splurge a little, upgrade to The Toaster Pro, which has an added broiling function. Apparently, you can even make the crackly top of crème brûlée.

Today, I no longer have a small kitchen; however, I still appreciate the space-saving and small appliances I grew up with, such as our trusty rice cooker, electric water kettle, and compact microwave. However, the steam oven remains the best small appliance in my book. It's versatile, sleek, and definitely not an appliance that clutters up your kitchen.