Our mission this month was to see if we could make an entire Thanksgiving spread using just our Zojirushi Toaster Oven. The results are in, and I think we nailed it. This proves you don’t have to stress out and plan an elaborate feast with 4 burners going at the same time, and a hot oven churning out dish after dish. All you need is the small but mighty toaster oven (at least for a family of four like ours anyway).
But whether you save some time this year and do a compact feast like ours, or go the traditional route and prep for days, the important thing is to reflect on what it all means, yes? I’ve read articles that talk about the trend toward “Micro-Thanksgivings” which are small get-togethers with friends or co-workers a couple of weeks before the main event. The food prep work is the same, but simpler. Less pressure to impress the relatives, but still gratifying when it all comes together. That sounds like the best of both worlds—maybe this can be one way to pull off a Micro-Thanksgiving.
Instead of a turkey, how about doing a spatchcocked chicken, which fit perfectly in the roasting pan with trimmings. This method is easy to do and there are videos everywhere to show you. All you do is lay the chicken upside-down and use a scissors to cut along both sides of the spine. Take the spine out, turn the bird over, and flatten it with your hands until you hear it crack.
Now it fits!
Cover it with foil to avoid the close contact with the heating elements of the toaster, and every 10 minutes or so turn the pan so it bakes evenly. The square pan that comes with the Zojirushi Toaster Oven happens to be perfect for this—it makes it easy to rotate.
Comes out pretty golden, wouldn’t you say?
So juicy and tender…you can’t ask for more than that.
What else can we do with our Toaster Oven for our feast? Every single side dish can be baked, no problem. This is a cornbread stuffing from a box—just added corn, carrots, onions and sweet Italian sausage to round it out into shape. It came out creamy soft on the inside and toasty crispy on the outside. There’s nothing wrong in turning a box mix into your own recipe. The late Ruth Siems, who invented Stove Top stuffing for Kraft Foods®, needs to be recognized for making all of our lives easier.
Then we have roasted vegetables for color and crunch. I admit that I’m a heavy carb and meat kind of guy, so if I don’t have this in my diet I hear about it (“eat your vegetables!” was a phrase invented for me).
And we got sweet potatoes too. Uhh…what did I just say about my carbs? This potato trio is something I’ve done before—check out my post from a couple of years ago to see what kind they are. This way you can still enjoy the sweetness without all the sugar and butter of a yam casserole, so that’s a plus.
Try this—it’ll really dress up your dinner table.
Last thing obviously, is pumpkin pie for dessert. This recipe is right from the Libby’s pumpkin puree can. It’s famous, you know. (It says so right on the can)
This is store-bought crust; well within the “home cooked” rules when cooking a modern Thanksgiving dinner. If you notice the edges getting too brown, cover it with foil to keep it from getting burnt before the center bakes.
Perfectly executed whole pumpkin pie using a toaster oven and following the recipe on a can.
Overall, our Zojirushi Toaster Oven handled all of it beautifully. From delicate baking tasks like the pumpkin pie to high heat roasting like the whole chicken, it was very impressive, to be honest. The other thing that isn’t talked about enough, I think, is the sleekness of its design. The square shape is unlike others on the market, and the black exterior with the full-face dark glass door is also different from all the stainless steel choices out there. A modern toaster oven for a contemporary Thanksgiving dinner—that’s a perfect match!
Have you all thought about what you’re grateful for, this Thanksgiving? Most people say “health”. At my age, I would agree. Seriously, I have many absent friends, so I think I’m pretty lucky. I’m still active at least mentally, so I think that helps. Remember, I’m the “oldish father” of two “youngish kids”, and that age gap will never change. Yep, another Thanksgiving, another great year.
Products used in this post: Micom Toaster Oven ET-ZLC30
Please note that these recipes were not tested by Zojirushi America
All images by Bert Tanimoto ©2025
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