When you have no time to prepare breakfast with the rush to reach office or a grab a quick bite of bread while running between office and the gym, an easy to use toaster comes handy! Toasters are considered to be a very basic kitchen appliance that may come with features worth mentioning.

Toaster type

Toaster general comes in a variety of 2 or 4 slice models, wide or narrow slots. The 2 slice models are perfect for a family of 2-4 individuals and do not take up a lot of space on the kitchenette, it can also be easily stored in a kitchen cabinet overhead to avoid any mishaps with little ones. They are the most popular ones and available in a variety of designs due to their compactness.  

The 4-slice model is more bulky and requires space on your kitchen counter but is a convenient option for large families and breakfast needs to be made for all at one time. However, it is important to consider the storage place before you buy a toaster. If you have storage issues you can always go for the long elongated models which are slim and can be used to toast 4 slices at one time.

If you make your bread at home or frequently toast bagels, you would require a toaster with wide slots to accommodate the entire bagel with not part coming out of the toaster leaving it unattended.

The aforementioned toasters are of ‘pop-up’ type, however, conveyor type toasters are also available that have a much higher capacity and volume of production compared to pop-up models. Pop-up models are generally used at home while conveyor types are used for commercial purposes. 

Toaster Features

Though a basic toaster primarily has only one job to do, it is important to pick one which does it the best. The three basic features you must check before buying a toaster are: browning control, bread lift and crumb tray.

The browning control allows you to select how dark or light you want your bread to be toasted. Every person likes different levels of toasting which makes the bread darker or lighter brown. It is less cumbersome if you choose a toaster with this feature instead of checking on the bread every minute for the perfect browning. 

Another important feature is the bread lift after it is done. It is suitable if your toaster has a pop up facility where in the bread is pushed out after it is done. The pop up should be high enough so you are able to remove small items without burning your hand or going through an inconvenient task of overturning the toaster to drop the bread in your plate and not burning your fingers.

The crumb tray should be easy to handle while you routinely clean the toaster, because no matter who is using the toaster it is going to be your job to keep it clean. It is convenient to have a ‘slide-out’ tray rather than hinges as it saves time while the cleaning process. 

Overall look of the toaster

This particular appliance is majorly used by all the members of your family and hence, the look of the toaster must be appealing as well as easy to clean. Not all toasters are easy to clean especially when the chances of butter marks on them is always high giving you an extra item to clean every day. The designs should be such that they are easier to use and more importantly save you some cleaning time.

Today toasters come in different colors and shapes, choosing your favorite color can brighten up your day as well as complement the color schemes in your kitchen.

Control functions

Most common type is a ‘press down lever’ on the side seen in most of the toasters to insert the bread in the slots. The toasters should have an electronic sensor to turn off heating after the selected level of brownness is achieved rather than a manual dial. The toaster should also have a manual ejector as a safety measures.

Extra Features

  • Additional features could include a bagel setting. Though wide slot toasters can be used to toast bagels provided the space is adequate, some toasters also have a bagel setting which provides the best browning.Some toasters also come with a warm setting, to keep your toast warm while you make the rest of the meal. Reheating the toast in a oven can make it soft and soggy, the warm setting feature can be used for reheating the toast keeping it appropriately hard.

  • Pause buttons – an important feature to check the browning of the bread. On pressing pause, the bread pops up for you to check and the program can be resumed thereafter.

  • Defrost function for frozen breads

  • Separate controls for 4 slice toasters, allowing you to toast bread for different people with different choices at one time.

Safety

The toaster should have a cool exterior touch while in operation to avoid burns. The toaster should be checked if the body gets hot if left switched on for a while as a safety measure. DO NOT buy the appliance if it gets too hot when you touch the exteriors.

Shoppingwish hopes to have helped you in making a decision and made your mornings a little less tedious. Write to use about your decision along with your comments. We would love to hear from you.