How To Cook Hot Pocket In Toaster Oven

A lot of food you find in the supermarket nowadays has a quirk or a gimmick that is made for cooking in one thing or another. Gone are the days of cooking with an oven, the modern world is using toasters and microwaves. Not everyone has a microwave or toaster or wants to use one to cook their food. So what do they do when they want to make pop tarts or hot pockets? Thankfully, you can still cook and eat these delicious snacks using a toaster oven or a convection oven.

Table of Contents

• What Is A Hot Pocket?
  • Are Hot Pockets Healthy?
  • What Hot Pocket Flavors Are There?
• How To Cook Hot Pockets In A Toaster Oven
  • Are Hot Pockets Already Cooked?
• Are Hot Pockets Junk Food?
• FAQs On Hot Pockets

What Is A Hot Pocket?

A hot pocket is a convenience meal that advertises being quick and easy to make while still being relatively filling and healthy. Capitalizing on the over-worked and always busy lifestyle of modern workers and students alike, hot pockets have found themselves to be a necessity in many homes.

In simpler terms, hot pockets are an American brand of turnovers that are stuffed with various types of meat and cheese, usually pertaining to a certain theme or overall flavor. They are mostly cooked in the microwave and take little time to be ready to eat.

Are Hot Pockets Healthy?

While you wouldn’t expect a frozen turnover to be insanely healthy, you may be surprised still at how unhealthy they are. They are barely full meals and should not be used as a substitute for actual mealtimes. Hot pockets are filled with additives, preservatives, and artificial flavorings. While there are certainly worse options available for a quick and filling snack, these are maybe not the best thing to eat daily and call a ‘healthy meal’.

What Hot Pocket Flavors Are There?

As mentioned, the hot pockets house a lot of cheese and meat inside them. These all fit into some type of theme or flavor, similar to pop tarts. There is an impressive variety of flavors for hot pockets. Some flavors are more loved and favored over others, yet stores across the USA seem to stock the majority of them. The full number of different hot pocket flavors is in the 50s and consists of breakfast, lunch, and dinner versions of multiple different flavors. The full list of hot pocket flavors is found on the brand website, but the most popular flavors are;

• Premium Pepperoni Pizza Hot Pockets with garlic buttery crust
• Meatballs and Mozzarella Hot Pockets with garlic buttery crust
• Ham and Cheddar Hot Pockets with crispy, buttery crust
• Philly Steak and Cheese Hot Pockets with seasoned crust
• Four Cheese Pizza Hot Pockets with garlic buttery crust
• Five Cheese Pizza Hot Pockets with crispy crust

How To Cook Hot Pockets In A Toaster Oven

If you are resorting to using a toaster oven to heat up your hot pockets, then you will be delighted to know that they will come out perfectly fine. All you will need is your toaster oven, baking sheet, and hot pockets. The best way to cook these pizza pockets in a toaster oven is to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Once your oven is preheated, unwrap sandwich and place it in the center of the baking tray, lined with a baking sheet so that it does not stick and make a mess. After 25-30 minutes your crispy and golden brown pizza pocket will be ready to eat. Everyone likes their hot pockets crispy and thankfully they will come out as such after cooking. If your toaster oven has the room, you can start cooking multiple hot pockets at a time, although if the heat is not distributed evenly, they may cook at different times.

Once the hot pocket is cooked and ready, carefully remove it from your toaster oven and place it on a plate or dish ready to be served. The steps for this are super simple, turn on your toaster oven, preheat it, and then let it cook your frozen little pockets until they are done and ready to be eaten.

Are Hot Pockets Already Cooked?

A lot of food, such as hot dogs, come pre-cooked and all you need to do is heat them up. A frozen hot pocket is not cooked and has to be heated up before being eaten. While you will not get food poisoning from anything inside the hot pocket, the nasty meat inside is not pleasant to eat before it has been cooked.

Are Hot Pockets Junk Food?

The term junk food is used to describe food that is pre-packaged and prepared while having a low nutritional value. Per one sandwich there are 300 calories which are mostly made up of the fillings inside the pocket. The average intake for an adult is anything above 2000 calories depending on your metabolism and body type. This means that hot pockets are not viable as a meal replacement and should only be eaten as a snack. While it may seem like more hassle, you can also cook an entire pizza from frozen in a toaster oven which would be a more filling and nutritionally valuable meal.

FAQs On Hot Pockets