Are we reduced to discussing toast?
I am aware of the tendency of photographers (especially amateur) to place more emphasis on discussing their choices of photographic tools than on the scientific and artistic processes involved in the past-time known as photography; it is generally a pleasant, and harmless tendency; and I have been known to engage in it myself.
But I must insist that the detailed discussion arising in your readers' comments to your blog of the design features of their personal choices in creating heat sources by passing electric currents through resistance and applying them to slices of bread is JUST TOO MUCH! It is neither pleasant, nor harmless; but it is banal, and boring, and moreover demonstrates nothing more than the DECLINE AND FALL OF THE VERY SOCIETY IN WHICH WE LIVE.
I, sir, sincerely remain your faithful blogee,
Bear.
Several years ago I had purchased a bad toaster (that is, I had purchased a toaster) and fell into writing about toasters:
My toaster illustrates part of the utility of Amazon. Even though I didn't buy it from Amazon, I wrote not one but two scathing indictments (several months apart) of my awful new toaster, to warn future innocents about to be duped by its perfidious enticements. It was satisfying to express the depth of my disdain.
But I live with it. Know why? Because it's a toaster. And toast isn't that important to me. I consider myself stuck with it. The $42 is gone, the bad choice is made, and I'm not throwing any more cabbage at that problem.
Oh, so wrong.
Little did I know how very wrong that last statement was to be; and how shaken to its foundation my self-identity as a wily shopper and crafty reviewer were to be before the Great Toaster Quest could mercifully be called over.
I have bought a number of toasters since then, and read, I think, hundreds of thousands of words about toasters, scrutinizing reviews and perusing rankings all over the Web.
I bought a very cheap toaster and a very expensive toaster, a very new toaster and a restored antique toaster (really: see the seventh item down on this page. It came with a certificate). I bought—well, as a Christmas gift, for S. who loves toast—this futuristic device, on which the lifting and lowering functions are motorized. That last one is designed in Australia and manufactured in China; I also chased down the last great all-American-made toaster. But did not buy one (it's a commercial Hobart made by Polytron and costs $1,172.29).
The Toaster Axiom: There is almost no such thing as a good toaster.
When websites do "roundup" style reviews of toasters, sometimes every candidate flunks. Is there another class of consumer goods of which this is true? Have you ever read a group review of, say, a type of automobile, where the reviewers had to conclude that none of the cars were any good? As I said earlier, toasters are to the engineering profession what the common cold is to medicine: the stubborn perpetually insoluble puzzle.
It may be the only class of consumer goods in which price bears almost no relation to quality. Some of the best, sleekest, most beautifully designed, most elegantly functioning toasters nevertheless do not toast bread consistently and evenly.
One of a great many things I learned in the Great Toaster Quest: breads with high sugar content toast readily, and most toasters toast them more evenly. When testing for evenness, a bread with no sugar added is more revealing of problems. No-nonsense Amish-made white bread is the perfect test material: nothing in it but white flour, yeast, salt and water.
Shopping woe
When I shop for cameras or lenses, yes, I'm just as fickle, just as picky, just as hard to please—but at least I have fun along the way. Searching for a good toaster (I almost wrote "the perfect" toaster, but those words just do not go together) was simply unsettling, vaguely irritating, with no upside.
The vintage Toastmaster I have considers the "pop-up" function at the end of the toasting cycle to be optional. The map of when it pops up and when it doesn't constitutes the elusive perfect randomness generator. It nearly set the house on fire not long ago...and inadvertently tested another household product, namely the smoke alarm. The smoke alarm will go off multiple times when broiling a tenderloin, but remains inscrutably silent as the whole lower floor of the house is filled with too much burning-toast smoke to see clearly through. A troublesome result.
It is over
It is over, however. I am ready to pronounce. After two years and quite a lot of "cabbage" and way too much obsessing, I have found a toaster I...like.
The Russell Hobbs TR9198S two-slice toaster
red, and stainless
Russell Hobbs is a British company founded by Bill Russell (d. 2006) and Peter Hobbs (d. 2008), based in the unfortunately named town of Failsworth. The company has been through many different owners over the years. My British toaster is manufactured in the exotic Oriental land of China, a locus of fabrication so fashionable and desirable that many Westerners stuff their homes and clothe their very bodies with things made there. Nevertheless it works a treat, and I am pleased with it.
Three cons mentioned in reviews:
- The surfaces get hot. So, okay, refrain from moving the toaster while you're using it.
- The slots are only 5 5/8th inches long, which is generous for bread fashioned into loaves, but it won't easily fit some bread slices made from boutique-style (sometimes called "Farm Style") bread baked in lumps instead of loaves. If you like that kind of bread, the Breville linked above or any other four-slice toaster configured with two long slots would be your ticket.
- Toasts more on one side than the other. Yeah, but this is not a bug but a feature—it's so when you spread butter or jam on the more-toasted side, it still keeps some toasty crunch.
Some reviewers say the cord is too short, but that's like saying their pants are too short. On a shorter person they wouldn't be. How can you say a cord is too short? Doesn't that depend on where every individual wants to site their toaster? Actually, for me, the cord was too long. The cord is 25 inches long.
Cord was too long. Sixteen inches would have been better.
And on the plus side, get ready for this—I know it's shocking—it toasts well. Astonishing. A feat rarely achieved by engineering science. Bread stays nicely moist inside and is evenly toasted over its whole surface outside.
The Russell Hobbs two-slice toaster
I hope!
Mike
(Thanks to Bear)
Previous posts in the Great Toaster Hunt saga:
Flying Toasters
False Shopping (first mention, and how this all got started)
I thought I wrote a review of the restored 1950s Toastmaster—I know I photographed it for a post—but I guess I never got around to that.
Original contents copyright 2015 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
Steven Major: "Respectfully, I avoid toast. Toast is crummy."
Mike replies: And crumb-y.
Andy Radin: "Just in case people are complaining that there is no link between photography and toasters."
Mike replies: I'll bet Oprah has one of those.
Speed: "My grandmother in West Virginia had a toaster that received vertically oriented raw bread in one end, transported it past heating coils and dropped it out the other perfectly brown on both sides. Two or more slices were cooked in series rather than parallel as is common in more modern and less successful designs. Degree of brown was controlled by regulating the speed of the transport mechanism—a fascinating (to a six-year-old) set of saw teeth that alternately rose and settled moving forward and back advancing the bread a fraction of an inch closer to the exit with each cycle—was varied by the operator. There was a small (one inch or so), round glass window for observing the process and progress of browning."
Dave Kerr: "Next up...vacuum cleaners."
Mike replies: Nope. Already did that.
OK, you reviewed a toaster you recently purchased and didn't provide a photo taken of the actual toaster, you captured the image from their website. Saturday Tuck reviewed a camera and although he provided several great photos captured by said camera, he did not provide a photo of the camera. Competent writers both, but both write PHOTO blogs and both review cameras (and now toasters), but maybe, as they say in the NFL, you should stay with what got you here. Interestingly though the toaster photo was extremely well lit.....if you like studio style lighting.
Posted by: David Zivic | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 01:15 PM
Hey Mike, I think you would enjoy or perhaps already have
Sam Shepard's "True West" in which toasters play a pivitol role.
One of the brothers is hellbent to reveal his bravery and stupidity
at once by robbing the neighbors of their toasters. Both sad and
hilarious as most of the victims were releived of something so
banal as a toaster.
Posted by: Dana Thomas | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 01:18 PM
Ah yes...toasters indeed don't work worth a damn. I long for the Sunbeam ToastMaster my parents had for decades. I wonder who has that?
Posted by: Jeffrey Behr | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 01:32 PM
This review won't be complete until you post some photos of evenly toasted bread.
Make sure you set the whitebalance to, um, white bread.
Posted by: Miserere | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 01:38 PM
I live and die by Cooks Illustrated recommendations. Knives, blender, cookie sheets, roasting pan, spatulas… it’s as if my kitchen was outfitted by the “Highly Recommended” or “Best Buy” sections of the past twelve years of the publication. I don't own one but here’s what they have to say about toasters. https://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment_reviews/1421-two-slice-toasters
[And notice what they conclude...ONE toaster is recommended, and it's a 2-piece model that will only evenly toast one piece at a time, and it costs $250. I tell ya, there's no such thing as a perfect toaster. --Mike]
Posted by: Chad Thompson | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 01:40 PM
But it won't be quite the same here in the UK, or elsewhere in Europe I suppose, as we have a (nominally) 230V 50Hz supply at our regular outlets, not 110V 60Hz.
Posted by: John Ironside | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 01:40 PM
Related, but barely*: If you've ever shopped for a toaster on eBay, you may have inadvertently been exposed to "reflectoporn," which Wikipedia defines as "the act of stripping and taking a photograph using an object with a reflective surface as a mirror, then posting the image on the Internet in a public forum." More at this UK Mirror article.
---
*Right there is where I resisted writing "butt barely."
Posted by: Joe Holmes | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 01:47 PM
Oh Mike, what have you (re)started? I can't remember the last time any of my households housed a "real" toaster. "Real" as opposed to a toaster oven - the vast majority of which do neither function well. That is, they neither toast nor bake (or broil) all that well. (OK, my sample set of toaster ovens has admittedly been small, so I expect hate replies which state "You haven't tried the Breville!" "Silly man, if you buy other than Kitchen Aid you're an idiot!" Fair enough.)
But I have intermittently mused that perhaps the answer to perfect toast is to speak French, as in pain grillé. Just experiment with actually grilling the bread, as intended? It would take some time to perfect the technique, but would involve what you already have and takes up NO counter space, namely a range (hopefully gas) and an appropriate pan. I'm thinking a nice cast iron skillet, perhaps a grilling model if you want actual grill marks. And you could manually flip the bread when necessary to get the same effect as the Russel Hobbs of having one side more done so as to correctly receive butter, jam, Nutella, whatever.
See what you've started? :D
Posted by: Earl Dunbar | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 01:59 PM
Thanks Mike. I needed the smile that this post brought to my face.
Posted by: Dave Karp | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 02:04 PM
This is the longest writing about toasters that I ever read part of.
I have a toaster oven from Walmart. It is labeled with a once-well-known brand I don't recall right now. I assume the company folded and someone in China bought the name. It toasts almost anything I can stuff in it, most of it quite well.
That's all I need.
(I am mostly joking, but this one is pretty far off-topic.)
Posted by: Gato | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 02:08 PM
When I clicked on your site this morning, for a second, I thought you had changed your name to The Online Consumerist. I do find, as a photographer who prefers well made cameras and lenses with the right form and function, that I look for similar qualities in all my consumer goods. If you're expanding the purview of your blog, I'd love to offer my services as a guest contributor writing a column called "A Photographer's Review of ..." which from my interests and vast experience could include coffee machines and grinders, outdoor grills, early Porsche's and Volvo's, wine cabinets, and cutlery.
Posted by: Ned Bunnell | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 02:19 PM
The only toaster that we have had over the years that lasted more than a couple of years was a wedding gift to my parents in 1942. It lasted until sometime after the turn of the century. It's power cord rotted away. I could have repaired it but decided to just toss it. Big, really big mistake.
We have had several toaster since. One lasted only three days.
The current toaster has about a year on it and still going.
I have noticed that all the toasters we have had will either be too short length wise or not tall enough height wise.
Even Wonder Bread will not fit completely into the toaster.
Posted by: John Krill | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 02:21 PM
This message was brought to you by the Toast Marketing Board. Welcome to the Wonderful World of Toast!
Posted by: Matthew | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 02:25 PM
I don't have any experience of so-called toaster ovens (like you, I use a slot toaster) so have found myself reacting to audio reviews of toaster ovens over the years with the same kind of awe that people must have felt when seeing National Geographic photographs of Amazonian tribes many decades ago. But I can't stop listening. I made it through the whole of this, for example. It's like listening to Martians talk about fish and chips. I will likely recall it whenever I hear someone claim that it's a small world.
Posted by: Bahi | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 02:32 PM
Looks nice. Very old-school design with some new features.
Just a week ago, on a whim, we replaced our trusty-but-clunky toaster with this fellow in red. We love it. Kinda show-bizzy with that window but it works really well.
Toasters occupy unique places in our homes. They haven't really changed much for a century. They just dress like they have (like some old entertainment celebrities).
Posted by: Kenneth Tanaka | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 02:36 PM
What ƒ stop produces toast with the most depth of field?
P.S. A toast to many more years of T.O.P.
Posted by: Michael Eckstein | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 02:46 PM
The Toaster Axiom: There is almost no such thing as a good toaster.
For "toaster" substitute: 1)camera bag, 2)tripod.
Posted by: Bill Mitchell | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 02:46 PM
Mike, if only you'd said something! The finest toaster in the world is the classic British Dualit two slot toaster. When the Russell Hobbs is brown bread make that your next stop.
Posted by: Tom | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 02:52 PM
Reminds me of how we made do with a toaster oven, until some friends who love toasted bagels came for a weekend with bagels AND a brand new (legit) toaster as a gift for us (and for them). We had a very good laugh about how my wife and I could never quite pull the trigger on a $30 item - no particular rhyme or reason. Now we have a 4 slice Cuisinart that came after some research. No regrets - it looks good and toasts ah, like it should ?
Posted by: anthony | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 03:01 PM
We haven't had a stand-up toaster in decades. Toaster-ovens (we've had maybe three over those years) seems to make better toast, and has other uses as well. It has a much bigger footprint, so we put it on top of the microwave oven so both devices take up one microwave unit of countertop.
Posted by: Carl | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 03:22 PM
Great toast post. I too have been seeking a decent toaster to no avail. I'd largely given up having come to believe that it is the bread, the amount of freshness, sugar and other unknowns that must have made the perfect toaster an illusion. Also, what is it with Bagel Settings. I can't tell any difference when I toast a bagel and both sides of the heating mechanism seem to be lit evenly. Anyway for $50.00 I'm willing to take a leap of faith and buy a Hobbs. This could still be a Merry christmas!
Posted by: Del | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 03:24 PM
I'm so happy for you, and just in time for TOP's birthday!
Have you considered the possibility that toasters haven't changed, something in you has?
I suggest this because your life experience with toasters is so different from mine, lived longer, but in the same appliance-culture space.
I have indeed experienced bad toasters here and there in my peregrinations through life, but mostly in other peoples' abodes. I do agree that size, appearance and price seem unrelated to performance.
I have not personally had a separate, one function appliance dedicated to toast in my kitchen for at least a couple of decades. For ages, one small, cheap toaster oven made decent toast, in addition to its other duties, with no need to dedicate limited counter space to a one function device. More recently, its larger replacement makes excellent toast, in addition to even more useful things than the last. It also toasts bread and bread like products of any size and shape.
I have also experienced, with some envy, one of those old toasters (brand??) that slowly, elegantly and reliably raised perfect toast on its own every time. No motor; some sort of heat/timer release of the latch on the spring.
Posted by: Moose | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 03:37 PM
Sir,
I can assure you the decline of Western Civilization started well before the advent of digital toastery, even before the halcyon days of electrics toastery. It dismays me that you would advocate for such inferior techniques for toast making. Toasting, as I'm sure you appreciate, is a craft and as such is best practiced with honest tools. When a half inch slice of whole grain bread is slowly toasted (10 minutes per side) over a hardwood fire (applewood is best) you will have toast, and all that is wrong with the modern world set right.
Sincerely,
A. Purist
Posted by: Jeff Hohner | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 03:47 PM
Thank you for this, Mike. I've been a through a twenty-year run of bad toasters. I'd pretty well given up hope.
As a kid in the 1950s, it seems to me that all toasters just plain worked. Now that toasters come from China, I'm wondering whether the Chinese know the first thing about toast? Perhaps someone can tell me.
Posted by: latent_image | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 03:51 PM
We went through many toasters early in our relationship. They all broke quickly. Don't know why, they just didn't last. Now we've got a Dualit and it's lasted for quite a few years. It toasts well. It's nice to use. It doesn't have auto-popup. It stops automatically but you pop up and down manually using a simple lever. That's the best thing about it. The timer is a clockwork winding thing. That's the second best thing about it. The popup/popdown lever and the on/off/timer are not coupled to each other. That's also great. I really like it.
Also, I remember reading something in the instructions for a smoke alarm about how it had some smart feature whereby it recognised toast smoke and didn't go off.
Anthony
Posted by: Anthony Shaughnessy | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 03:57 PM
A nice toaster sir but you must have a plan B to keep the surface spotless. It would be a major stress factor for me. I wish you many crunchy moments.
Posted by: Peter Vihra | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 03:59 PM
When our friends get married we generally give them a four slice toaster as a gift. There are two things in every successful marriage that should happen simultaneously the more frequent being toast.
Posted by: mike plews | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 04:01 PM
Also on the subject of toasters there's this
http://www.condenaststore.com/-sp/Someday-man-will-find-a-peaceful-use-for-my-machines-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Prints_i8542673_.htm
Posted by: mike plews | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 04:07 PM
Of course it is not available in stainless over in the UK. That's because they don't watch our silly USA based home renovation shows that insist on telling their audience that they simply must buy stainless steel appliances. Any other finish apparently must be un-American.
Can you tell that this year I had to replace 2 appliances in our home and that our kitchen features white appliances?
Both times required a special order because apparently better performing appliances are ALWAYS bought in stainless steel here in the good old USA.
Rant over!
thank you
Posted by: Mark | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 04:16 PM
Putting Amish bread into an electric toaster just sounds wrong.
Posted by: Richard | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 04:33 PM
...well, this explains why one side of toast is toasted a bit more, who woulda thought it was a feature.
Posted by: Mark Kinsman | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 04:46 PM
Yes, but does it forecast the weather! http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/06/04/bread_as_a_display_device/ (another British device)
Posted by: John Wilson | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 04:46 PM
Funny how much energy can be put into a choice of a tool which is completely unnecessary. For breakfast you should simply have fresh croissants, for lunch or dinner a baguette that you break with your own hands, and for these rare occasions when you want to eat real sourdough mixed flour bread ( aka "The" bread ), toasting it would only spoil the taste. You can save 50 USD. Voila', problem solved.
Posted by: marek fogiel | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 05:02 PM
Great. Now all the pages I visit are encumbered with advertisements of toasters and kettles from Amazon UK. Grrrr!
Posted by: Manuel | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 05:05 PM
You might really enjoy a part of the Accidental Tech Podcast http://atp.fm/
When Cards Against Humanity is a sponsor, rather than having them do a sponsor read, they have one of the three hosts, John Siracusa, do a toaster review. This all came from his quest several years ago for an ideal toaster oven. John settled on the Breville 800XL I believe. http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BOV800XL-1800-Watt-Convection-Toaster/dp/B001L5TVGW
Based mostly on his review, I got their 650XL model and am quite happy with it and accepting of the flaws I knew about ahead of time.
Anyway, go back through their archives and listen to some of his reviews. I bet you'll find someone whose passion you can fully appreciate.
Posted by: Scott Symes | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 05:17 PM
Actually, there is a whole page dedicated to John's pursuit of a toaster.
Just go here: http://www.caseyliss.com/2015/9/10/siracusa-on-toasters
Posted by: Scott Symes | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 05:19 PM
I don't know how many mornings I've tweeted "Hey Silicon Valley! Forget about apps; how about inventing a decent toaster?"
Posted by: Ed Hawco | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 05:31 PM
Failsworth-an unfortunate name for a bastion of British engineering. Lancaster bombers were made in Failsworh, doncha know matey!
Posted by: Chris Barrett | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 05:41 PM
I'm a toaster oven man myself. Slightly larger footprint, but more versatile. I am sure this could spark a toaster oven vs. toaster debate. Not unlike SLR vs. Mirror-less.
Posted by: Andrew | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 05:44 PM
I also recently had occasion to buy a new toaster, and decided to do some extensive "research" on Amazon. What quickly became apparent was that you were practically guaranteed one "This is the worst toaster I ever bought" review for each and every model...
Posted by: Stan B. | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 05:51 PM
I have found DeLonghi toasters to be excellent and the only ones below $100 that didn't begin to malfunction around the third time I used them. This applies to toasters I have purchased in the past 35 years. The DeLonghi I currently own is about 10 years old and continues to work perfectly. But I'll keep your Russell Hobbs in mind.
Posted by: Steve Biro | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 06:00 PM
Make a mark in your calendar to let us know in a year's time if it still works.
My money says it won't last that long, but maybe that's just due to all the other equipment I've seen from that brand. But I'll be happy to be proven wrong!
Designing something that works well is one thing. Making sure the design is robust enough that it keeps working can be another.
Posted by: David Burren | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 06:16 PM
We bought our Russell Hobbs toaster in 1995 and it's still going strong. The shiny outer isn't shiny anymore though!
Posted by: Mus Aziz | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 06:20 PM
I'm so happy for you Mike. We gave up on toasters and use a toaster oven. All it does is shut itself off and beeps when the TIME you set expires. Calibration only requires 1/2 a loaf then the weather changes or the bread dries out and time to recalibrate. At least you can monitor progress through the window.
Now that you're in brush and leaf clearing country, please do not review wood chippers.
Happy Thanksgiving
bd
Posted by: Bob Dales | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 06:35 PM
So what you were looking for was a Toaster with Low Dynamic Range.
High Dynamic Range is all the rage now.
Thats the problem.
I hear DxO will be adding Toasters to the stuff they test.
Posted by: Michael Perini | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 06:48 PM
I was in the same dilemma, and on impulse bought a $7.99 toaster from a supermarket about 12 years ago. It's still here, toasting away, ugly as hell. It works.
Posted by: Bob Goldstein | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 07:09 PM
I think this is funny: When I managed a corporate IT department, I amused my staff by saying that I wanted software and/or hardware to be like a "toaster." By that I meant, it did one thing, it did it all of the time, and it's use was obvious. So, for me, once the bread-browning device grows knobs and dials, and has settings for bagels or waffles, and requires an instruction manual, (and costs more than $50), it is no longer a "toaster."
Posted by: MikeR | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 07:52 PM
You know what the solution to the problem of some toasters toasting evenly and some toasters getting the time right?
You know that GraLab timer that you may still have from the darkroom? Plug the toaster that toasts evenly into it. Nothing says "I take my toasting seriously" than using a piece of lab equipment to do it.
I prefer the Dualit myself, no popup function at all but has a manual lever to elevate the toast (hit it hard and the toast flies to the ceiling much to the delight of small children) and it's build like a tank.
But now that you can make perfect toast, have you given proper consideration to cooling and storing it?
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_0?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A1055398%2Cn%3A289721%2Ck%3Atoast+rack&keywords=toast+rack&ie=UTF8&qid=1448325430&rnid=1063498
Posted by: hugh crawford | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 07:53 PM
Try French toast. You can use any old pan. But it looks like work.
Posted by: Sarge | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 07:57 PM
I've had a Breville 4 slice toaster (single slices side by side due to space issues) for going on 4 years. Makes beautiful toast. Only "drawback" is that you need a warm up toasting to get the wires fired all the way up. I set it on low, hit start with no toast. After that cycle toast away and enjoy nice evenly browned toast. Love it.
Posted by: Bob Smith | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 08:13 PM
Ah, I remember this (off)topic! Toasters not made the way they were 50 years ago. Something else is not made the same way as 50 years ago - bread. I get better toast when I put the bread in the toaster top side down. My data set is limited to one toaster and one brand of bread, so please give it a try.
Posted by: Kevin Kelly | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 08:45 PM
It's weird how much energy can be spent on the quality of toast. Stephen Fry, in his first novel, "The Liar", admits to a bit of a toast fetish among the young at Cambridge. This due to the unavailability of anything alcohol related. Toast assumes the role of a finely made cocktail. Not the primary focus of the novel by any means, but notable. The best toaster I've ever had is the one I have now. It's a prehistoric yellow 4-slice Dualit bought at a resale shop for $30. Manual lowering and raising of the strictly limited bread size. 'Normal' bread size. A timer with 3 numbers and you figure it out. Works a treat. When it goes, if I can't get it working again, I'll try the Russell Hobbs. I've had a couple of the RH electric kettles–back when they were a British concern.
Posted by: John Seidel | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 08:57 PM
toasters? Well OK. At my age I've come to a curmudgeon's point of view about toasters. No matter what one pays for the outside, the insides are all the same. They work for a short while and then generally suck. A $12 toaster probably works just as well as a $120 toaster and for just about as long.
Posted by: Charles | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 09:00 PM
It is not surprising that you found the perfect toaster in Britain. The British know toast. They think about it. Often. Toasters are important in British life.
You get the idea.
Personally, I've owned about 3 toasters in 35 years. They did the job. One was a wide slot toaster designed for bagels. It was not as good as the other two.
My tuppence ha'penny worth.
Posted by: Alan Carmody | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 09:41 PM
You will find that dryer bread toasts better. The nice thing about the toasters, before the advent of wide slots for bagels, is the narrow slots have the toasting elements closer to the bread. Toasting regular sliced bread with a wide slot toaster is a waste of time.
And a reminder, don't handle photographic prints while eating toast with butter or jam or both. Life will get really crumby.
Industrial design is great when the engineer's get it right for the end use of the product.
Have you seen the new Kitchenaid coffee siphon?
Posted by: Mathew Hargreaves | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 10:22 PM
You've been out of the darkroom too long. There was no need to search so extensively for the "perfect" toaster. Almost any of them will provide optimum toast in the hands of a skilled operator who hasn't forgotten how to dodge and burn. :-)
Posted by: Sal Santamaura | Monday, 23 November 2015 at 11:32 PM
I long gave up the quest for a decent toaster. I was in love with the aforementioned Breville until it died outside of the warranty.
Then I went on the Great Toaster Search part deux. This Cuisinart is/was the result. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005TK76DU?keywords=cuisinart%20toaster&qid=1448342433&ref_=sr_1_8&s=kitchen&sr=1-8
Again, roughly 1 year after purchase the LEDs begin to die. It still functions but I have no idea which setting it is on. That being said, the bread comes out both hot and toasted – his is not the case with many toasters – and it can fit the odd shaped slice.
Posted by: SeanG | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 12:24 AM
Failsworth- I was born close to there in Harpurhey, both of which are close to Newton Heath and a solid part of what was, industrial Manchester.
Love toast, sometimes make my own bread, cut it into nice thick slices and toast it using our toaster that has see through sides which, in my view, is the best way to perfect the toasting. As soon as it looks perfect, you're too late so, bounce it out just before it is ready, let the butter melt in and spread marmalade in top. Just had some for breakfast- yummy in my tummy.
Posted by: Robert | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 12:46 AM
If 'they' can land men on the Moon and bring them back safely, or land robot explorers on Mars and comets, why can't they make a better toaster?
Posted by: David | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 12:52 AM
In England there's even a song about toast.
Posted by: Roger Bradbury | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 03:29 AM
I remember the Great Toast Debate, Mike! I was there! I FOUGHT!
I expounded my theory that most toasters are too cool, and try to compensate by toasting too long, which makes for a sheet of dry, florist's foam-like slice, suitable only for insulation in low-grade housing.
FUN FACT: I had a high Japanese teacher called Russell Hobbs. He...he didn't like when I made the comparison.
Posted by: lith | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 05:51 AM
Had many toasters, most of which did a reasonably decent job. But none of them produced toast like we used to make under the gas grill.
Posted by: Tom Burke | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 06:32 AM
My first rule is to never spend more than (about) ten dollars for a toaster. It has one job and that is to heat both sides of one or more slices of bread/bagel/English muffin/frozen waffle until it is brown and warm through.
The mistake many manufacturers and most people make is to expect one device to perfectly perform its job with no human input other than loading it and pushing a lever. It hasn't happened yet and likely won't for some time.
Buy a cheap toaster and watch the bread while it is toasting. When done to your satisfaction, pop it out and eat it. Low expectations and a skilled operator are the answer.
Tip: If you keep your bread in the refrigerator, warm it in the microwave (15 seconds works for me) before toasting. While the bread is toasting, I warm the plate in the microwave. This last step may or may not work for you depending on what the plate is made of. CAUTION! Plate May Be HOT!
Posted by: Speed | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 08:03 AM
Wonderful writing. Very Laurence Sterne - The Toast and Opinions of Michael Johnston, Gent.
Posted by: Richard G | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 08:27 AM
I am not sure DxO is the place to go for toaster testing. Roger Cicala would be your man; he would invent something that tests the toaster independent of the bread: The TOaster Only Test System (TOOTS, cousin of OLAF). Hence we could find out that all toasters have huge copy to copy variation.
Posted by: Andrew Hughes | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 08:32 AM
Mike, Here's my trusty toaster X2s, fitted with a legacy Miranda 50mm 1.4. I get a fair amount of use out of it, with minimum flares and aberrations. It sits well enough on the table, too. The bokeh is a bit crusty, but the overall images have a nice amber color. I'm presently looking for an ever-ready case for it. –BG
(not quite sure how to post images for you...)
http://postimg.org/image/45bcnz4jd/
[url=http://postimg.org/image/45bcnz4jd/][img]http://s12.postimg.org/45bcnz4jd/IMG_0011.jpg[/img][/url]">http://s12.postimg.org/45bcnz4jd/IMG_0011.jpg[/img][/url]">http://postimg.org/image/45bcnz4jd/][img]http://s12.postimg.org/45bcnz4jd/IMG_0011.jpg[/img][/url]
Posted by: bob gary | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 10:01 AM
Bread with no sugar added? You mean bread?
That other item is called cake. :wink:
[Wrong! Go to the supermarket and try to find a pre-packaged bread that doesn't have at least 1 gram of sugar per slice. Most have 2 to 4. I'll bet even in a large urban supermarket you won't find a single brand of bread with no sugar in it. Maybe one. --Mike]
Posted by: Bernard Scharp | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 11:03 AM
On my first visit to the US in September this year, the culinary shocks were many & varied; the first one was discovering the bread had sugar in it (high-fructose corn syrup, no less). It may toast more easily, but that's about all you can say in it's favour. The next day, I went in search of proper bread and found a great (unsweetened) sourdough (quite easy to do in San Francisco). Good bread shouldn't have sugar or sweetner in it.
[Isn't it odd that we still make fun of British cuisine? Because of what the GI's experienced during WWII, when everything in Britain was rationed. And it's not like our cuisine is anything to brag about. --Mike]
Posted by: Geoff Morgan | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 12:50 PM
I tossed the toaster 35 years ago and have been very happy with a good toaster oven. No contest. Works perfectly every time.
Posted by: Malcolm Leader | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 01:02 PM
What an opportunity for western civilization to strut its stuff. I am going to apply to Kickstarter for $100000 for my new project. Instant toast. You just put a slice in and .............
Posted by: Mike Fewster | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 03:33 PM
BTW, the toaster with the long slot and motorized is called the Toastolator. I cannot remember the name of the manufacturer. They came on the market in the late 1930's and were made till around 1950. The demonstrator versions for stores had glass side walls so you could see the whole process of the toasting. Something akin to a glass vacuum coffee maker.
Posted by: mathew Hargreaves | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 04:36 PM
I have the same Breville you bought S. Best toaster i have ever used. I am enamoured by the "crumpet" function. Mine is red. I believe a red toaster will toast faster, no?
Gordon
Posted by: Gordon Cahill | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 08:25 PM
Toasters . . . different.
I am horrified that US bread consists largely of sugar (2 to 4 grams per slice you say?), I was even more horrified to check the labelling on my normal loaf (650g) here in Holland to discover that it still contains two grams of sugar per 100grams -- 2% sugar!!! Eeek. Bread is also available without sugar in most large supermarkets and all(?) bakeries, so I will be trying that out soon.
However, my toaster story does not concern bread directly. I worked for a large company that provided all sorts of services for customers via different sub-departments. It is usual to give a Christmas present to staff here. One year the present was a box containing a toaster - but not just any toaster, as it burned (or rather 'dodged') the head-company logo on to every piece of bread prepared in the device. By the time we got back to work in the New Year we were all comparing tips on removing the company-specific dodging-tool from inside the toaster...
Posted by: Martin | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 10:26 PM
Thanks to Mathew Hargreaves for the name of the Toast-o-lator.
More here ...
http://www.toaster.org/1940.php
I love this internet thingy. The Online Photographer too.
Posted by: Speed | Tuesday, 24 November 2015 at 11:23 PM
I live in Europe, thankfully the `sugar in everything' fad hasn't penetrated that far here (although it's certainly starting). But even then I'd debate whether supermarket bread really classifies as bread anymore.
Posted by: Bernard Scharp | Wednesday, 25 November 2015 at 02:40 AM
I'm here to report we tried the Breville you linked to. Worked for a spell then started having severely uneven toasting depending on the slot and then ran into the infamous blinking light problem. My 5 toasters so far quest for a decent toaster continues. Looks like I'll try your Russell Hobbs suggestion next.
Posted by: Richard | Wednesday, 25 November 2015 at 11:31 AM
It might be a great toaster but the problem is the bread, bagel or what ever else you put into it that is made from GRAIN. Maybe you don't know it yet but GRAINS are not fit for human consumption.
http://www.wheatbellyblog.com
Posted by: Doug Dolde | Wednesday, 25 November 2015 at 03:43 PM