Basic Toasters

[gulfporter]

We have what was once rated as a fast toaster (T-Fal Avanti), but it's 15 years old and has slowed down with age.  

 

Is there a minimum wattage I should look for when purchasing a fast toaster....all we need is a 2 slicer that will handle bagels and English muffins and comes in either stainless or black.  

 

PS: We do not like toaster ovens.

 

 

[rotuts]

too bad about the toaster ovens

 

one slice toasted in the cuisinart steam oven would change your mind about the T.O.'s

 

this only applies to the CSB.

[weinoo]

Doesn't faster toast mean the outside gets cooked more than it should while the inside remains less cooked than it should?

 

What's the rush?

[ElsieD]

We have the Breville die-cast 2 slice Smart Toaster and are very happy with it. It toasts evenly and has a bagel setting, "lift and look" feature and a "just a little more" feature, all of which I have used. I don't know how it rates in terms of speed, but it is quick enough for us. Also, I don't know the wattage.

[dcarch]

We have what was once rated as a fast toaster (T-Fal Avanti), but it's 15 years old and has slowed down with age.  

 

-----

 

That is strange. 

 

Toasters mostly use resistive heating elements. The older the heating elements are, the hotter they get, then they get burned out.

 

Perhap it works the opposite way with people, the older you get, the more impatient you become? (just kidding, OK?)

 

dcarch

[AlaMoi]

...the older...

 

not necessarily true.  often times corrosion hits the connections / contactors = high resistance = voltage loss

 

and anywhere the elements bend are subject to mechanical wear/tear/fatigue via expanding/contracting = higher resistance segments = voltage loss.

[gulfporter]

DH went with the Black & Decker Rapid Toaster....the name says it all.  Has good reviews at Amazon.  

[btbyrd]

Just take an ordinary toaster and run it at 4000 watts / 500 volts.

 

 

Not a great video, but proof of concept. "10 second toast" starts around the 8:30 mark.

[IndyRob]

Doesn't faster toast mean the outside gets cooked more than it should while the inside remains less cooked than it should?

 

What's the rush?

 

It's more about toasting than cooking, isn't it?  I think my ideal toast would be done quickly, with the heating elements as close to the surface of the bread as possible.  Ideally, the inside of the toast would remain soft and moist while the outside is nicely toasted.

[dcarch]

It's more about toasting than cooking, isn't it?  I think my ideal toast would be done quickly, with the heating elements as close to the surface of the bread as possible.  Ideally, the inside of the toast would remain soft and moist while the outside is nicely toasted.

 

Not completely.

 

The mouth feel quality of starch in bread gets better when it is warm and moist. Longer toasting time allows the steam and heat to reach deeper inside into the bread.

 

Otherwise you can just burn the toast on your stove burner, or use a torch. It will take seconds.

 

Cold old bread does not taste good.

 

dcarch

Edited February 28, 2015 by dcarch (log)

[weinoo]

Just take an ordinary toaster and run it at 4000 watts / 500 volts.

 

 

Not a great video, but proof of concept. "10 second toast" starts around the 8:30 mark.

I do like how "10 second toast" takes 8 minutes and 30 seconds before it gets there. I could've toasted like a whole loaf of bread already.

[Katie Meadow]

Toast. It's what's for dinner. Every toaster has its idiosyncrasies and most of us adjust. It is possible to spend buckets of money on a high tech toaster and still not get the toast you want, because toast isn't a science, it's an art. And ultimately of course the desired result is personal. Plus the fact that every kind of bread toasts in its own particular way.

Me, I like toast that doesn't cook too fast or too slow. Too fast usually means dark, but not golden. Too slow often results in too dry, as well as much annoyance, and toast should be a peaceful enterprise, start to finish. Toasting should be like maintaining a good relationship: no fussiness, no hovering, but no negligence either. A healthy breakfast means you love the way your partner makes your toast or you are just as happy to make your own.

The new $4 or more slice of toast craze is not news, really, but I found this article linked to from Lottie + Doof to be very touching. If you need your toast and other things very fast, this may not be for you. It's a long and winding road.

http://www.psmag.com/health-and-behavior/toast-story-latest-artisanal-food-craze-72676

[Arey]

On the classic Bob & Ray soap opera spoof "Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife" the Backstaygers opened a restaurant, The House of Toast. They only had two items on their menu, a thick prune shake and toast, however the customers could specify whether they wanted their toast buttered on the near side or the far side.

[weinoo]

Toast. It's what's for dinner. Every toaster has its idiosyncrasies and most of us adjust. It is possible to spend buckets of money on a high tech toaster and still not get the toast you want, because toast isn't a science, it's an art. And ultimately of course the desired result is personal. Plus the fact that every kind of bread toasts in its own particular way.

 

A healthy breakfast means you love the way your partner makes your toast or you are just as happy to make your own.

 

Thanks for putting the romantic back into toast.  As someone who often makes toast for my partner Significant Eater, I'd almost forgotten. And now I'm  going to remind her, tomorrow morning, just how important her toast is to me!

[Anna N]

Anyone who learned to cook toast on a fork in front of a coal fire [or probably in front of a campfire] knows you can either have fast toast or good toast.

[Martin Fisher]

Anyone who learned to cook toast on a fork in front of a coal fire [or probably in front of a campfire] knows you can either have fast toast or good toast.

 

 

Fireplace or campfire....the best toast...by far!

[palo]

Have had a number of different toasters, Avanti, B& D infared etc. I even had one that was supposed to act like a commercial conveyer toaster. You put the bread in the top and turned it on, when it was done it didn't pop up, but rather it slid out the bottom onto a tray, neat idea but the problem was the toasting area was very shallow so your toast was only 1/2 toasted literally. I've used the Breville and aside from seeing what is happening with your toast (using a flashlight of course) I was not impressed.

 

Hands down winner as mentioned by Rotuts above is the Cuisinart Steam Oven - produces good toastyness on the outside and a warm/cooked interior plus you don't need a flashlight do judge doneness

 

P.S. At about $250 it does a lot more than toast.

 

p

[rotuts]

Good For You to get this

 

Im a bit  bereft

 

 

that this is not available for some so,me kind of discount

 

it a bit small

 

but what is does if  Grande

 

it does what all sorts of things 

 

Do Not !

[palo]

^^ chuckle chuckle...your accent seems to have slipped a bit

I do see your point though. A Breville or Cuisinart JUST to make toast is a little ridiculous. Sort of like buying a Rolls Royce just because they have great radio.

And to add, the OP was asking about toasters so in that respect my post strayed a mite off-topic, for which I consider myself properly chastened.

p

[andiesenji]

The vintage toasters in my collection, the Sunbeam "radiant control". Model AG was produced in the late '90s. (I have several models) and as this line of Sunbeam toasters was in production from 1949 to 1997, there are plenty around.

I still use one that I have had for decades, the power cord has been replaced.

They toast faster and more evenly than any of the newer toasters I have. Self-lowering too.

I have had "sensor" toasters, so-called rapid toasters, extremely expensive toasters &etc., none of them have lived up to the hype.

The older model " manual" UK manufactured Dualit toasters did better than most but no longer.

The toast stays in the toaster to keep warm and has to be raised manually. Those models have narrow slots too.

Edited March 25, 2015 by andiesenji (log)

[dcarch]

"-------They toast faster and more evenly than any of the newer toasters I have.---"

 

The structure of bread is the same as foam insulation. Foam thermal insulating ability is entirely dependent of size of air bubbles in the foam.

 

Until you can make all breads with identical air bubbles throughout, and completely uniform thickness edge to edge, it is difficult to come up with a toaster which can toast evenly.

 

dcarch

[gulfporter]

FYI:

DH quite happy with the Black and Decker Rapid toaster purchase.  It is indeed fast.  

[OrganicFarmer]

When I moved out of my RV and into an apartment, I thought about buying a toaster. Then I started using my large Foreman grill. Dang! It makes way better bagels and toasted cheese sandwiches and toasted/grilled bread products than any toaster I have ever owned. I wish I had figured that out years ago.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I had the same question as the topic and was so excited! Then  really you guys come on ???  I almost spit my coffee when I saw the Breville die-cast 2 slice Smart Toaster rec then did a search and seriously $100- $150 for a toaster? Completely out of line! NO way no how ..it is toast! Please no offense if you bought one ? I adore toast..eat it every single day  ..I will stick with the rec of a fork over fire …Black and Decker is what I used to have and it did burn it too much for me…I think if you buy bread you will have better luck with a B and D ….with (from my personal experience) home made bread is harder to gauge in a toaster ……i would love to have a good speedy toaster!…I like mine dark on the outside  but soft in the middle … ight now I am doing it in a skillet and it seems like more work  and energy expenditure than it needs to be …(ripping kitchen up currently options are limited) 

 

I have 3 antique toasters I love to let the kids use to demonstrate why we now have safety guidelines but they are very cool and you hand turn the toast ..but not practical or safe so I am giving them to a friend who collects toasters 

 

I will hope giving this a little nudge maybe another toaster rec will come up? thanks 

 

I like the Forman grill idea anytime you can multi purpose an appliance …I have tried 3 different toaster ovens and gave up on the idea it would work for me ..we always had one when I grew up and somehow I could never get them to work well and they always take too much space for me 

Edited April 29, 2015 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[paulraphael]

Any recommendations? It will be used for toast and for reheating small portions of things that need to stay crisp. We won't use for cakes, tarts, bread, or chickens. We don't need convection, steam, rotisseries, or combi-oven features. Small is good. Simple is good. Cheap is good. Analog controls are good. Pushbuttons and computerized interfaces designed by bottom-tier engineers with Aspberger's syndrome who never see daylight or talk to other humans are a deal breaker.