It Does More Than Pizza: 7 Countertop Oven Meals

Yes, it makes a beautiful pizza. But the Pizzadesso earns its counter space the other six nights of the week too.

It’s called the Pizzadesso, so it’s easy to assume pizza is the whole story. It isn’t. At 18 litres, the Salton Pizzadesso ($499.99 CAD) is a genuine countertop oven, hot, roomy and fast, which makes it one of the most useful appliances you can own. Pizza is just the headline. Here are seven meals that prove it deserves a permanent spot on the counter.

Why a countertop oven earns its space

A good countertop oven heats up fast, doesn’t warm the whole kitchen, and frees up your main oven when you’re cooking for a crowd. For everyday meals it’s often quicker and easier than firing up a full-size range, especially in summer, when nobody wants to heat the house to roast a tray of vegetables.

7 meals beyond pizza

1. Roasted vegetables

The everyday workhorse. Toss whatever’s in the crisper, peppers, broccoli, potatoes, with oil, salt and pepper, and roast until edges crisp and caramelise. A side dish, a salad topper or dinner on its own.

2. Baked salmon

A fillet, a little lemon and olive oil, and roughly twelve to fifteen minutes is all it takes. The Pizzadesso’s heat gives you a tender centre and lightly crisp top, restaurant salmon on a Tuesday.

3. Garlic bread and flatbreads

The natural cousin of pizza. Brush bread with garlic butter and crisp it in minutes, or top a flatbread with cheese and herbs for a fast snack. The high heat gives you that proper crackly crust.

4. Loaded nachos

Chips, cheese, beans and jalapenos, melted until bubbling and golden at the edges. Faster than the microwave and infinitely better, because everything actually crisps instead of steaming.

5. Roasted chicken thighs

Bone-in thighs with a simple rub roast up juicy with crispy skin. Add potatoes or vegetables to the tray and you’ve made a full dinner with one pan and almost no cleanup.

6. Baked feta pasta

The internet-famous one. Roast a block of feta with cherry tomatoes, garlic and olive oil until soft and jammy, then stir into hot pasta. A whole dinner from one little oven.

7. Warm cookies and quick desserts

End on a sweet note. A few cookies, a fruit crumble for two, or a skillet brownie, ready while you clear the table. Small-batch dessert without preheating a giant oven.

Tips for getting the most from your Pizzadesso

•      Let it preheat fully, a hot oven is what gives you crisp edges and even cooking.

•      Use the 18L space, fit a full tray of vegetables or a whole tray of nachos in one go.

•      Keep a small sheet pan and parchment on hand for fast, low-mess weeknight cooking.

Designed by Salton, proudly Canadian since 1945, the Pizzadesso is built to be the oven you actually reach for, not the one that only comes out on pizza night.

Yes, it makes a beautiful pizza. But the Pizzadesso earns its counter space the other six nights of the week too.

It’s called the Pizzadesso, so it’s easy to assume pizza is the whole story. It isn’t. At 18 litres, the Salton Pizzadesso ($499.99 CAD) is a genuine countertop oven, hot, roomy and fast, which makes it one of the most useful appliances you can own. Pizza is just the headline. Here are seven meals that prove it deserves a permanent spot on the counter.

Why a countertop oven earns its space

A good countertop oven heats up fast, doesn’t warm the whole kitchen, and frees up your main oven when you’re cooking for a crowd. For everyday meals it’s often quicker and easier than firing up a full-size range, especially in summer, when nobody wants to heat the house to roast a tray of vegetables.

7 meals beyond pizza

1. Roasted vegetables

The everyday workhorse. Toss whatever’s in the crisper, peppers, broccoli, potatoes, with oil, salt and pepper, and roast until edges crisp and caramelise. A side dish, a salad topper or dinner on its own.

2. Baked salmon

A fillet, a little lemon and olive oil, and roughly twelve to fifteen minutes is all it takes. The Pizzadesso’s heat gives you a tender centre and lightly crisp top, restaurant salmon on a Tuesday.

3. Garlic bread and flatbreads

The natural cousin of pizza. Brush bread with garlic butter and crisp it in minutes, or top a flatbread with cheese and herbs for a fast snack. The high heat gives you that proper crackly crust.

4. Loaded nachos

Chips, cheese, beans and jalapenos, melted until bubbling and golden at the edges. Faster than the microwave and infinitely better, because everything actually crisps instead of steaming.

5. Roasted chicken thighs

Bone-in thighs with a simple rub roast up juicy with crispy skin. Add potatoes or vegetables to the tray and you’ve made a full dinner with one pan and almost no cleanup.

6. Baked feta pasta

The internet-famous one. Roast a block of feta with cherry tomatoes, garlic and olive oil until soft and jammy, then stir into hot pasta. A whole dinner from one little oven.

7. Warm cookies and quick desserts

End on a sweet note. A few cookies, a fruit crumble for two, or a skillet brownie, ready while you clear the table. Small-batch dessert without preheating a giant oven.

Tips for getting the most from your Pizzadesso

•      Let it preheat fully, a hot oven is what gives you crisp edges and even cooking.

•      Use the 18L space, fit a full tray of vegetables or a whole tray of nachos in one go.

•      Keep a small sheet pan and parchment on hand for fast, low-mess weeknight cooking.

Designed by Salton, proudly Canadian since 1945, the Pizzadesso is built to be the oven you actually reach for, not the one that only comes out on pizza night.