Toasters: a rant

[spacein_vader]

[RANT] Today our ancient De Longhi 4 slice toaster finally died. So having done a bit of research I purchased a similar looking (and well reviewed,) Russell Hobbs model in the same configuration.

Now you would think that a toaster is a solved problem; bread has not changed, all you need to do is apply even heat to both sides and there are well established methods of doing this right?

So why does this toaster leave a full inch+ of bread outside the top of the toaster? I don't believe a standard sliced loaf has changed in dimensions in the past few years so why on earth would I want a toaster that only heats 2/3 of the toast?!?!

To add insult to injury this particular model is uneven from one side to another, so you have 1 side (2/3) toasted and 1 side lightly warmed or charcoaled depending on how you set it.

Toasters are not hard, why are there such obvious flaws in many of them? [/RANT]

Can anyone recommend a 4 slice toaster that toasts the whole piece of bread?

[Jonj1611]

I turn the bread on its side

[watercooled]

It's a trend I've noticed with quite a few products. When they get so commonplace and cheap to make, it gets hard to find decent ones amongst a sea of rubbish. And as it becomes a race to the bottom, many of the major manufacturers get harder to find.

Notice how hard it can be to find something simple like a decent quality USB cable, or LED light bulb. Good ones do exist, but you can have a very hard time knowing which are actually any good. You can't even rely on user reviews for a lot of things when the quality of most reviews doesn't go much beyond "it turns on, best product ever, 5*" or "it got broken in shipping GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK YOU SCAMMERS".

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Our UK made Dualit is nearly 29 years old,and you can still get spare parts for it now. If anything once it gets upto heat,it toasts a bit too quickly! Not sure if the newer ones have wider slots as our older model,is not so great with very thick slices of bread. However,the design has been around for over 50 years in one form or another so is tried and tested.

But also most modern toasters are less sophisticated than a number of designs from the 1940s/1950s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y

[kalniel]

So why does this toaster (as well as another model also tried and returned from a different brand,) leave a full inch+ of bread outside the top of the toaster? I don't believe a standard sliced loaf has changed in dimensions in the past few years so why on earth would I want a toaster that only heats 2/3 of the toast?!?!

It's so they can sell you a special model that toasts to the top :/
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7308482

[Ttaskmaster]

Can anyone recommend a 4 slice toaster that toasts the whole piece of bread?

Do you not have a grill?
Presumably you're only making toast so you can melt some lovely cheese onto it, perhaps gruyere over Marmite™ or Vegemite™, so you'll be firing it up anyways... Besides, the best way is to toast one side, then top the other so it has soft bread into which it can melt.....!!

But no, I have no suggestions. All toasters are pretty useless, IMO. That's why I still use a grill... that, and I can do 12 slices at a time instead of four!!

[atemporal]

[RANT] Today our ancient De Longhi 4 slice toaster finally died. So having done a bit of research I purchased a similar looking (and well reviewed,) Russell Hobbs model in the same configuration.

Now you would think that a toaster is a solved problem; bread has not changed, all you need to do is apply even heat to both sides and there are well established methods of doing this right?

So why does this toaster leave a full inch+ of bread outside the top of the toaster? I don't believe a standard sliced loaf has changed in dimensions in the past few years so why on earth would I want a toaster that only heats 2/3 of the toast?!?!

To add insult to injury this particular model is uneven from one side to another, so you have 1 side (2/3) toasted and 1 side lightly warmed or charcoaled depending on how you set it.

Toasters are not hard, why are there such obvious flaws in many of them? [/RANT]

Can anyone recommend a 4 slice toaster that toasts the whole piece of bread?

We got ours from Morrisons for about £10. 4 slice, no frills traditional 2x2 arrangement rather than this silly 1x4 you see a lot of now. Does great, just doesn't handle thick stuff like hot cross buns very well if they're too thick. I tend to squash em a bit first to aid the way. You can just do crumpets. Muffins, bagels etc are too thick. But the actual toasting malarky works just fine. 0.5cm of under toast to the top edge - but nowhere near 3cm deficiency! That's appalling.

[BattleBadger]

I turn the bread on its side

this, or if it doesn't fit then its gets cut in half and i use additional slots. our (read: her) main requirement wasn't that it cover all the bread or toasts quickly or toasts evenly or even that itr doesn't throw the break into the sink when it pops.... no... the main requirement is that the dam thing is purple.

[spacein_vader]

I've tried the toast in all orientations, either way a big chunk doesn't get toasted.

I do use the grill for toasties etc but sometimes you just want some quick and simple toast.

Can't believe they've got the nerve to claim toasting the whole slice as a premium feature, surely it's a minimum requirement.

[neepheid]

The best toaster I ever had was my mum and dad's old one which I "borrowed" from them when I went to Uni. Ejected the toast out the sides - sometimes across the worktop if you angled the bread right Lovely evenly toasted on all sides. Must have been at least 20 years old when it finally died.

Side note - this toaster also educated me on the dangers of electricity when I was a kid. Lesson learned - don't poke around inside a toaster with a metal knife. Knife broke the element and I got a wee blast of 50Hz. Had to have a sit down. The toaster got repaired, and I got a little wiser

No toaster has been as good since. Which means, as a civilization, we have failed!

[AGTDenton]

I enjoyed my Toast 'n Egg when I had it. But required the smaller loaf. I'm not a massive toasterer but it is stupid that they can't perform the basic task of toasting a decent slice.

You might have to go KitchenAid:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=kitchenaid+toaster

[Saracen999]

.... All toasters are pretty useless, IMO. That's why I still use a grill... that, and I can do 12 slices at a time instead of four!!

On the other hand, a toaster is better in terms of power usage if there's only two of us, and at most, want two slices each. Regularly, the wife will have two slices and I have one. So a toaster that only powers three slots (or a single slot if the wife isn't having toast) means we don't heat up the other three slots, let alone the oven's huge grill, thereby saving money and helping to save the planet.

As with many things, with expensive (in this case) toasters, sometimes you get good build quality, features and quality results, and other times, you get a "pretty" device and an expensive brand name on it. Sometimes both.

[kompukare]

I always though those exposed heating element wires are the most likely thing to go, but suspect my last toaster died because there certain parts you just can't clean. Safety security screws and all that (which I might have been able to get the driver if I had looked) made opening to really clean it too much work and shaking only gets you so far. Didn't try a small paintbrush.

There actually are some toasters which use halogen instead of wires. No idea if that makes them longer lasting though.

[Ttaskmaster]

Muffins, bagels etc are too thick.

You what??!!
Are they insane?
Why doesn't it do muffins??!! That's a primary function of a toaster and included in all the EU specs, for just such a reason.

How do they expect people to make Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine, let alone a sausage & egg McTasky......!!

I'm not a massive toasterer

No, but you can still be a bit of a toaster when you've had too much to drink, or when discussing politics...

[0MEGA]

Our UK made Dualit is nearly 29 years old,and you can still get spare parts for it now. If anything once it gets upto heat,it toasts a bit too quickly! Not sure if the newer ones have wider slots as our older model,is not so great with very thick slices of bread. However,the design has been around for over 50 years in one form or another so is tried and tested.

I second a dualit. Got a newgen from john lewis a couple months ago and it makes great toast. I only eat thick sliced bread and it seems to toast it pretty well.