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Toasters Overview and Purchasing Tips

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Toasters are perhaps the most inexpensive of kitchen appliances, yet many people use them every day, and certainly get their money’s worth. Basically, all a toaster does is heat (or in some people’s case, burn) bread rapidly by concentrating heat directly onto the bread.

The design for the pop-up toaster is very basic—you have slots for bread, and a lever that you press down to start the toasting process. Nearly all toasters have either two or four slots for bread, and the two-slotted variety make up about seventy-five percent of all sales. Most two-slotted toasters actually have two slots, but some only have one long slot, in which there is room for two slices of bread. When you press the toaster lever, a timer starts and runs for two to three minutes. Once the time runs out, the toaster automatically turns off, the spring is released, and up comes your toast.

For $20 or less, you can buy a basic toaster that does a perfectly adequate job toasting your bread. For a little more, you can add some of these features:

Darkness control: Most basic toasters usually have a dial that allows you to choose how dark you want your toast to be. It’s usually marked with a one to ten scale—one meaning “basically still bread” and ten meaning “nearly rock-solid.”
Removable crumb tray: Removing and dumping this tray keeps crumbs from building up and interfering with the toaster.
Bread lift: You can use a bread lift to bring English muffins or other small items to within your reach.
Cord storage: Keep the toaster cord out of your way in the kitchen.
Bagel setting: Since you only want to toast a bagel on the inside, a bagel setting only provides heat from one side.
Touchpad controls: Electronic touchpad controls simply add a little convenience to your toaster.
Defrost setting: If you often toast frozen foods, such as frozen hash browns, you can use a defrost setting to both defrost and toast the item, or to simply defrost an item that you want to finish cooking separate from the toaster.
Mistake prevention: Some toasters prevent you from pressing the level while the toaster is unplugged. So if you regularly find yourself trying to toast your bread without first plugging in the toaster, this feature could be for you.

In addition to extra features, you might also pay a little more to add some style to your toaster. Toasters generally come in either plastic or metal, and while both models are equally functional, chrome or brushed metal toasters can offer have a stylish or retro look that you especially like.

Toastmaster invented the pop-up toaster in the 1920s, but today there is a plethora of toaster manufacturers, most of which make a quality product. Consumer Reports named models made by Cuisinart, Krups, Proctor-Silex, KitchenAid, GE, and Braun, as its “Quick Picks.” The Proctor-Silex and GE models were $25 or less, while the others were between $50 and $60. You can buy toasters at general merchandise stores, as well as kitchen appliance stores and home improvement warehouses. Again, just about any model will adequately toast your bread—some will just look a little better doing it or will make your job a little bit easier.

Next Page: Toasters Use/Maintenance

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