How to Cook a Hot Pocket in a Toaster Oven Quickly and Easily
If you are looking for a quick and easy meal, Hot Pockets are the fast food of choice. You can eat Hot Pockets for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a snack in between, and they are readily available in most supermarkets and convenience stores across the country.
Cooking Hot Pockets in a toaster oven is one of the best ways to cook them. The toaster oven heats the sandwich perfectly and turns the outside of the sandwich nice and crispy. Read through this post if you want to learn how to cook Hot Pockets the right way in a toaster oven and get some inspiration for what you can eat with them. I hope the information in this article helps you!
About Hot Pockets
Hot Pockets are a brand of microwavable convenience foods from the United States, but they are marketed worldwide and very well known in most countries. The microwavable sandwiches were introduced to the market in 1983 and have become industry leaders in the food-on-the-go market.
Hot Pocket turnovers and sandwiches are usually filled with either cheese, meat, vegetables, or a combination of the three. They also sell a number of pizza products and ravioli, so the options for consumers are forever growing.
The most popular Hot Pocket product is their sandwiches, so I will be focusing on sandwiches for the purpose of this post. The cooking methods don’t vary much throughout the Hot Pocket range, so feel free to follow the tips in this article with more than just their sandwiches and let me know how it goes and how you would do things differently!
Why Choose Hot Pockets?
The number one reason people go for hot pockets is their convenience, but if you have tried this yummy sandwich before, you will know that it is very tasty and comforting. Here are a few of the main reasons people opt for Hot Pockets over other fast-food meals:
1. Easy to Make
Hot Pockets are traditionally microwaved, so saying that they are very easy to cook is a bit of an understatement. If you are looking for something that is fast and easy to make, then Hot Pockets will be on the top of your shopping list. They also come individually packaged, which makes them easy to pack for work or college.
2. It Can be Enjoyed On its Own or as Part of a Meal
Hot Pockets can be eaten with a side of your choice if you are feeling extra peckish or on their own if you are just looking for a small snack.
3. Plenty of Choices
You can choose from vegetable, meat, and cheese fillings, and most of them are filled with at least two or more fillings. It certainly isn’t a boring meal!
4. Great Price Point
Price plays a big part in our shopping experience. Instead of buying the meat, cheese, bread, or vegetables separately, you can pay just a few bucks for a ready-made sandwich.
How to Cook a Hot Pocket in a Toaster Oven
If you want the best flavor for your Hot Pocket, clean the toaster oven before you begin.
1. Preheat the Toaster Oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit
Preheating the toaster oven to an appropriate heat is important because it will alter the overall cooking time.
2. Unwrap and Place on a Tray
You won’t need the crisping sheet if you are baking your Hot Pocket, as it only really helps with making the crust crispy when the Hot Pocket is cooked in the microwave. Don’t throw away the packaging just yet, as you might need it for later.
3. Bake
Hot Pockets take approximately 25 to 30 minutes to cook in a toaster oven. Cook the Hot Pocket for 10 minutes on both sides and assess its color. If the hot pocket is a healthy golden brown color, then it is ready. If the Hot Pocket still looks a little anemic, leave it in the oven for a few more minutes and check up on it now and then.
4. Place back into Crisping Pocket and Eat
If you are planning on eating the hot pocket on the go, then you might want to put it back into the crisping pocket to make holding it easier for you.
Related Reading: How to Cook Steak in a Toaster Oven
What Can I Eat With Hot Pockets?
If you want to have a Hot Pocket for lunch or dinner and you are looking for ways to turn it into a more rounded dish, then the following sides and accompaniments go brilliantly with Hot Pockets.
Party Options:
Fries
Are you even eating fast food if you don’t have a side of fries? You can deep fry them or bake them in the oven, and even mix it up a bit by adding onion rings and sweet potato fries to the mix too!
Nachos
Nachos are a staple party food and a great way to feed all of your friends and family with little effort. Nachos are great when you have people over to watch a match or for a couple of drinks and nibbles, and they certainly fill a hole, so you can definitely eat them with Hot Pockets.
Healthy Options:
Salad
Salad can make any meal feel fresh and light, so if you don’t want to fill up on too many carbs or cheese, salad is a go-to side.
Mashed Potato
Mashed potatoes are filling and healthy, as long as you don’t put much butter or cream in with the mash. Mashed sweet potato is even better if you don’t want to indulge in such a heavy, filling side.
FAQ:
Q: Is it unhealthy to eat Hot Pockets?
A: Eating Hot Pockets is perfectly fine in moderation. None of us want to restrict ourselves in any way, so indulging in a Hot Pocket now and then is completely acceptable. If you are watching your calories, there are low-calorie Hot Pockets available to you; however, these still aren’t considered to be super healthy.
Q: Why are Hot Pockets so addictive?
A: The flavor enhancers in fast food and low-cost food are what makes it so addictive, and Hot Pockets are one of those low-cost fast-food dishes that become very addictive over time.
Q: What is the best Hot Pocket flavor?
A: The Italian-Style Meatballs and Mozzarella Hot Pockets are some of the best-selling Hot Pocket flavors. Here is a list of some of the other popular flavors on the market:
Hickory Ham & Cheddar
Chicken, Jalapeño & Cheese
Applewood Bacon, Egg, & Cheese
Q: Do Hot Pockets taste better in the oven?
A: Oven baking Hot Pockets gives them a more pleasant texture than cooking them in the microwave, which is why many people choose to oven bake Hot Pockets.
Q: Are Hot Pockets dangerous?
A: Hot Pockets have been known to cause ‘minor oral injury’. These injuries usually occur when the Hot Pocket is heated for too long in the microwave, and the inside of the sandwich scorches the consumer’s mouth.
Q: Are Lean Pockets better than Hot Pockets?
A: When it comes to nutritional value, there isn’t much difference between Hot Pockets and Lean Pockets. Lean Pockets have a slightly higher carbohydrate content, and the calorific value of both usually varies between 10 and 20 calorie difference between the two manufacturers sandwiches.
Q: Are Hot Pockets junk food?
A: No, Hot Pockets are not marketed as junk food, but they are ready-made and come frozen. They also aren’t very rounded and balanced, but if you pair them with healthy snacks and sides, they can easily be part of a healthy meal and keep you fuller for longer than other options.
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