The Consumer’s Guide to Toasters
The Toaster with the Most-er
Did you have a toaster when you were growing up? Did you know anyone who didn’t? Of all the small appliances to complement a kitchen, the toaster is by far the most popular. It is a cooking accessory that even the most confirmed of take-out connoisseurs refuse to do without. (In fact, they probably need it the most.) A toaster turns an ordinary simple piece of bread into a diner’s delight, covered generously with thick layers of oozing butter or creamy herbed cheeses. They make it easy to transform stale bread into a delicate sandwich; store bread in your freezer and defrost as needed.
Pop-up models are useful for both household and commercial use, while the conveyor toaster provides an additional option for the commercial kitchen. Numerous styles and colors flood the market. Fancy features abound. And you thought a toaster would be easy to choose!
It will be, after you read on.
Pop-Ups
Pop-Up toasters are the ones we all know and love. As cheap or expensive as you want (or don’t want) them to be, they come in black, white, pink, gray, and yellow, and even red and cobalt blue! You can find finishes of stainless, copper, brushed metal and chrome, alongside plastic and rubberized. Only your taste’s the limit!
Do you need to toast many slices at one time? You can choose between 2-slice and 4-slice models. A 2-slicer may have 2 slots, or it may have one long slot which will accommodate 2 slices of bread. A 4-slicer may have 4 slots or 2 double-length slots. With the 4-slicer, a slot selector will allow you to determine how many slices it should toast.
No matter the slice count, look for extra-long, extra-wide slots. Then you will be free to add appropriate-size rolls, bagels, muffins, buns, and croissants to your toasting repertoire. In fact, try toasting stale coffee cake; it will metamorphose into a tasty treat to have with your morning coffee.
Bread lift handles help you pop the toasted food out of the toaster. Some models feature a high bread lift for ejection of smaller slices which have “disappeared” beyond view down into their deeper recesses.
Commercial pop-up toasters boast serious durability. Considerably more expensive, they allow for 4 slices at a time and are made of the most rugged materials. This enables them to produce with unwavering efficiency as many as 200-300 slices per hour. Some of the latest ones have 28mm super-slots which accommodate everything, including an optional sandwich cage with its built-in drip tray. You will get the most from your toast with this high-end machine that will last your business forever.
Conveyor Toasters
Commercial conveyor toasters are at the top of the toaster totem-pole. Larger and more expensive than their pop-up counterparts, these are designed for heavy production levels of 350-800 slices per hour. Each slice of bread, roll, bagel, croissant, etc., is placed on the conveyor, which passes beneath filaments for toasting. It then slides down a chute to the bottom of the machine for easy removal.
Features and Frills
Let’s look at the latest devices manufacturers have cooked up for us in toasters.
Higher prices in domestic-design toasters are not necessarily indicative of higher quality. Yet added features, expense notwithstanding, are a definite plus to have in mind when you make your purchase.
A removable tray makes for convenient clean-up of crumbs. Simply wash in warm, soapy water. (Toasters without this user-friendly feature must be flipped upside-down and shaken out.) While we’re on the subject of cleaning, be sure to unplug the toaster and let it cool before cleaning the slot interiors with a fine soft brush. If you know which side of the bread your butter’s on, you’ll want to keep it spick and span!
A specially designed cool exterior prevents burns (of the user, not of the toast!). Note that plastic housing on the exterior is also a natural safeguard.
A defrost setting means you can defrost the food prior to toasting. (Of course, you may wish to skip the toasting process altogether.)
The reheat device is for reheating toast which sat out for too long (because they never came when you called them) or for warming bread you don’t want to toast.
Through the viewing window you can take a peek at how ready (or unready) your food is.
The thermostat or shade setting will ensure that all slices toast to an identical level of browning at the same time. You determine the degree of browning according to your preference. This feature comes as either a manual dial or an electronic browning control.
Electronic digital display tells you how the toasting is progressing.
The bagel setting ensures your bagel will be toasted only on one side – the right side, of course!
Centering grips automatically center the food within the slots.
Eject will do just that - even if the toasting is still in progress. This means that if you are super-hungry or on the run, you don’t have to wait until the end of the toasting process to remove your food.
A digital timer will signal that your toast is ready.
So don’t just loaf around dreaming of a new toaster. Shell out the bread and go for it! Then propose a toast to cooking in style and living in comfort…
