Well, my husband couldn’t make his tea in a toaster oven. I couldn’t defrost hamburg in a toaster oven.

Think of what containers go into a toaster oven that probably could go into a microwave, but not vice versa. And, because microwave cooking times are shorter, cooking with a microwave does a better job of preserving nutrients in the food you are heating.

The best microwave I ever had did both. It toasted and baked and with a push of a button, it was a microwave again. It was installed in the mid eighties and I have never seen one again.

Probably emitted waves that would kill us, but, boy was it great!

I ditched my microwave years ago. There are only two operations the MW performed that were useful to me: popcorn (which was a vice of mine as the MW popcorn bags/glue are bad for you) and heating up baby formula (I have no more babies :-)

I'm not sure I understand this question correctly:

Can a microwave do anything that a toaster oven can?
The answer to that is no.

Can a microwave do anything that a toaster oven cannot?
The answer to that is yes.

Which do you mean?

However, you can still buy convection microwave ovens that do both. My sister has one but I do not. My microwave dual functions as a vent above my stove, and so it is out of the way - I would not have room for it on the counter.

You might try asking this question on the cooking forum.

I have both, but definitely use the microwave more than the toaster oven. The only thing I use the toaster oven for anymore is reheating pizza. My old one was perfect for baking pies, the new one burns the tops. Should have kept the old one.

i use the microwave every day. Reheating leftovers, thawing frozen stuff, making scrambled eggs, rewarming my coffee.

Microwaves are great for thawing, and for heating up frozen dinners and most leftovers. You can use them to boil a cup of water for tea, or reheat soup. They aren't great with heating or reheating bread products (pizza, for example), as it tends to get rubbery. Also not great for anything you want to come out crispy.

Toaster ovens are great for reheating pizza, creating hot open-faced sandwiches with melty cheese, and warming up bread and rolls. Some of them make passable toast (though not all). You can use them instead of your big oven for small baking jobs.

I have a microwave but no toaster oven (not much counter space). I use my oven for the things I would use a toaster oven for, which is overkill and slow to heat up),

Defrost. Very handy.

I was looking for a good toaster oven. But i would not give up the micro.

I have this toaster oven…not cheap, but gets great reviews. But, it is still only a toaster oven and, IMO, nothing special.

LOL, just remembering the first microwave I bought. You could park a car in it.

I remember a huge Sharp microwave back in the 80's. My husband & I signed up to attend a seminar on how to use it!! I have a great toaster oven - but no room in my now kitchen for it. I'd never live without a microwave. Reheating most leftovers, mainly...we cook generous amounts and aim for a number of meals from our food.

Not great for reheating breadlike things or cheesy stuff - the oven is best at that.

Never had a microwave until we did the kitchen remodel. I wanted it for the temporary kitchen setup. Wasn't sure I would keep it afterward, but decided it earned a place in the new kitchen ... in the pantry. It doesn't get a lot of use. Mostly reheating leftovers and zapping the occasional frozen entree.

My Breville toaster oven, on the other hand, is used almost daily. In fact, it gets close to 90% usage compared to the oven in my range. I use it for roasting, baking, and toasting.

I have both a microwave and a toaster oven. If I had to give up one, it would be the microwave. In fact, the only reason I haven't already gotten rid of it is my husband and daughter use it. I prefer quality to convenience, and most microwaved food just doesn't taste that good. The handful of things that the microwave is good for (boiling water, heating canned soup, etc.) don't justify having a microwave IMHO. A toaster oven could be considered redundant since it does the same thing as the oven built into my range. It doesn't cook as evenly and probably is less energy efficient than my gas range. The main reason I have it is that it doesn't heat the entire kitchen up as much as the full size oven. I use the toaster oven in the summer when I wouldn't even consider using the built-in. We also use it to make toast since we don't have a toaster. Get right down to it, I could easily survive without a microwave or toaster oven. However, I suspect that most people these days use more prepared meals than I do. For cooking frozen meals and reheating leftovers, a microwave is quicker, which I think is what people who don't cook are looking for.

You cannot beat a Combi Steam Oven for reheating leftovers. Cuisinart has a toaster oven version many people like.

I don't use my toaster oven (stored away somewhere). When my microwave died, I went out and purchased a new one the same day.

No, they're different machines. The real question is, What do you personally do with your microwave?

I use mine to reheat leftovers, soften butter, make popcorn, and occasionally bake a potato. I never thaw meat or warm drinks. Honestly, mine is used less than once a day, and I could live without it... if I had a popcorn popper. I mainly have a microwave today because you're "supposed to have one".

I don't cook, so I couldn't live without my microwave - I use it all day long. The only use for a toaster oven is if you do a lot of broiling of small items, or if you like foods to have a toasted brown top. Depends on what your needs are.

Elaine, couldn't disagree more. Since you don't cook that might explain your confusion. I use my toaster oven for all the things I'd use my Wolf oven for ... except baking bread and as you can see from the accompanying link even that can be accomplished in a toaster oven.

cuisinart-combo-steam-and-convection-toaster-oven

cuisinart-combo-steam-convection-oven-follow-up

I wish i could remember the brand of the toaster oven i used to have. I made pies, small roasts, etc. in it to avoid heating the big oven. I replaced it with a Cuisinart and i hate it. I rarely use it anymore.

Why do you hate it?

I had a Cuisinart before the current Breville. No complaints, but when it was time to replace I chose the Breville.

The Cuisinart doesn’t have the little shields over the heating elements that my old oven had, and it burned two pies for me right before thanksgiving. So I hate it. Now that i know that, i can cover things with foil to protect them from the intense heat. It also did not come with a broiler pan. Just disappointed.