Over the past few months, I have been researching and writing about the toaster and toaster oven categories for a Consumers Digest article. During this time, I have spent countless hours speaking with product managers, industry professionals, and testing product first hand.
The article, Bread and Butter Choices: Top Rated Toasters and Toaster Ovens, can be found in the current September/October issue of Consumers Digest. But I thought it would be fun to present some of the information I uncovered about the categories right here on Family Eats.
With that in mind, if you are looking to upgrade to a new toaster, or are a first-time buyer, I hope you’ll find today’s Ten for Tuesday post helpful.
10 Things to Think about When Purchasing a Toaster
1. What are the essential features to look for in a toaster?
Some consumers desire a basic toaster that browns at a few different levels. But today’s toasters do so much more, allowing consumers to toast a variety of different types and sizes of breads, as well as the ability to reheat, defrost, or even keep warm. To get the most out of a new toaster, look for toasters that have several browning levels, extra-wide slots, and functions that include bagel, defrost, reheat and cancel.
From there, consumers can opt for toasters that have additional features such as a toast boost, which lifts the toast a little bit higher out of the slots making it easier to grab; LED lights, digital functions including a progress indicators; independent toasting in separate slots, warming racks, and smart heat sensors, to name a few.
2. How does the bagel function work?
The bagel function is designed to toast your bagel to perfection, toasting the inside of the bagel while warming the outside. To do this, the cut side of the bagel should face in, allowing the heating elements to toast the inside of the bagel. At the same time, the outside heaters are turned off so that the outside of the bagel is warm, and not toasted.
3. I like the idea of a wide slot toaster, but will the toaster evenly brown my bread, bagels, and waffles?
Wide slot toasters are now widely available at all price points. These are designed to accommodate bagels, frozen waffles, or thicker slices of artisanal bread that might not otherwise fit in standard toaster slots. To ensure even browning on both sides, look for toasters that are equipped with self adjusting slots, which are designed to grab (or cradle) the food being toasted, guiding them into the center of the slot so that both sides are evenly placed between the heating elements.
4. What’s up with the long slots?
The long-slot toaster functions to allow you to toast artisan sliced breads, which are often longer than traditional loaf breads purchased at the store. The long slot can also accommodate four slices of bread – expanding the versatility of the toaster.
5. How does the Reheat or Keep Warm function work?
The reheat button allows you to lower the slice back into the slots and reheat without re-toasting. Similarly, a toaster’s “keep warm” button, your toast will be warmed in the toaster for up to 3 minutes after the toasting process is complete, without any further browning, because the feature generates low heat. You can cancel the function at any time.
6. I’ve seen toasters without any levers. How does that work?
The lever-less function is a handy function that has appeared on a couple of higher end toasters, including the KitchenAid, Cuisinart, and Breville. The idea is simple, with the push of a button, the carriage is automatically lowered or raised into/out of the toasters slots for browning.
7. Are there any new innovative features in the toaster category?
Some manufacturers offer toasters with interchangeable color panels to cater to your changing color choices in the kitchen. Further, some units have a feature that allows the user to lift up the toast to take a peak at the progress of toasting — all without canceling the timer, or a sandwich cage for cradling sandwiches within the slots. As mentioned previously, the automated lever is also an innovation that is now available on toasters.
8. I can purchase a toaster at $20 with the same features as one that is priced at $80. Why should I spend more money for the same features?
Generally, the higher the price, the more features, style, and durability you will get. Higher priced toasters will be manufactured with better materials, more precise heating elements, and digital functions. Especially if you go with a brand name, the higher priced models will feature smart heat sensors to ensure consistency from slice to slice, multiple functions, digital displays that include a countdown function that lets you know when your toast will be ready. Still others include a warming cage that pops up atop the heating elements to warm morning pastries.
9. Does it really matter about style? When it comes to style, it is all about personal preference. If you are storing the toaster in a cupboard, then styling might not be as important as if you were keeping it on the counter. There are many different style combinations and colors available making toasters a true showpiece on the counter. Other style considerations include your design to create a coordinated look in the kitchen. Black with stainless accents might coordinate with your larger appliances. Or, if you desire to create a breakfast collection of small kitchen appliances (i.e., How does that toaster look with my kettle or coffee maker?) there are several companies including T-Fal, Panasonic, and Bella Housewares that offer small kitchen appliances with the same look. For those who simply like a showpiece on the counter (as opposed to a coordinated look), bright colors, interesting designs (think Dualit, Bodum, and Bella).
Also, adding a stylized toaster is a great way to add an element of design without having to re-do your entire kitchen.
10. What’s coming down the road?
Keep an eye out for Dualit’s toasters with a patented Climate Sensing Toasting Cycle. This new feature calculates the temperature of the toaster and the surroundings to derive the precise toasting time for the bread. An upcoming Black+Decker toaster will feature a until that toasts in half the time using a fast toasting cycle designed to create the perfect crisp while not drying out the bread.
