quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
All I can say is, if Appliance Brad can’t find a decent toaster, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Well, I have one:

Breville BGR820XL Smart Grill
www.amazon.com/dp/B003SIN0BC/r..._api_i_KcWHFbC0HM41Q

I’ve used it for years. It toasts everything well: 4 slices of most bread, bagels. Even Ritz crackers (to get them darker). Works well with dense breads that most toasters struggle with. Stood upright, it takes no more counter space than an ordinary 4-slice toaster.

A bit pricey for a toaster, but I have many other uses for it too.

I decided to post some photos of sourdough toast made in my Breville Smart Grill:





Both the top and bottom plates of the Breville heat, so both side of the bread are toasted simultaneously. Yeah, I like dark toast. Toasting took 2m 30s @ 450 °F. Pretty fast for dark sourdough toast, and results are wonderfully consistent.

It takes about three minutes for the Breville to reach a regulated 450°F from a cold start, but I can do other tasks until I hear the “at temperature” beep. I could toast at least three of these big slices simultaneously, but usually toast only one slice so I don’t get fat.

No, the toast doesn’t pop up – I have to take it out with my turner. No problem; I’m happy to do that. A piece of good toast, spread with nothing but butter, is a treat fit for a king.

As I mentioned in my quoted post (above) this machine is pretty expensive for a toaster. But it has many other uses, and it’s a pro quality utensil. That’s not the case with all Breville utensils, but it is with this one, and looks it. Design, material, and construction are all top notch.

It doesn’t get any better than the Balmuda. The toast it makes is second to none. Fluffy and wonderful in the middle, crispy and perfect outside. It’s not like a standard toaster that makes dried bread. There is no toaster that even comes close to what this makes.

We had one of these when I was around 5 years old.

It was my job to watch it. If the toast burned and smoke started to escape, somebody would yell "Pittsburgh!"

^^^^^^^^
When I was that age the toaster in our house was similar. As I recall, when the first side of the bread was toasted the doors were let down and the slices would slide out onto the doors, untoasted side up. Then when the doors were closed the untoasted sides were facing the heating wires so they too could get toasted.

I have NEVER understood why toasters rely on a heat based design that dates back to the 1940's. BTW, it's a bimetal spring that releases the latch and it's very sensitive to position and starting temperature. Power fluctuations today are pretty minor so why not design a toaster with a digital timer that the user can set. Solves that variation toast level with tried and true modern technology and pre-existing heat has zero effect on a timer.

BTW, have the 2 slice cuisinart and it is CRAP. Have never ever got a properly toasted slice out of it.

I've got a Black & Decker toaster I've had for years and it works perfectly.

Even has a bagel setting, which I use all the time.

Ok, so I've never seen the Balmuda before. The steam toasting seems interesting. $300.

I was shopping for toasters earlier this year, and this Panasonic came up repeated:

https://www.amazon.com/Panason...75-8bc7-93deae8f9840

Uses infrared heading elements. 8000 reviews. $150.

I needed something bigger, so no Panasonic for me. But it was close.

I've been using the Panasonic for about 5 years now. Overall, I like and would buy another when it's time to replace - I haven't found a viable alternative yet (based on reviews).

Pros: Fast. Decent toast in 3 minutes, up to 4-6 slices depending on the bread. Fits a small pizza (at least the ones I buy). Works well as toaster oven.

Cons: I prefer toast that is more crisp; this would probably satisfy most, I just prefer more crisp and darker. So, I need to run a partial second cycle. Over timer only allows for 25min, if you need longer, you need to run again. Like all toaster ovens, a little difficult to clean (if I buy a new one, I'll not cook uncovered fish or steaks or skin on chicken or anything that will splatter oil onto the sides). A little on the shallow side for as an oven but it does everything I need it to do. It's great for making quick biscuits from scratch.

Overall, it's great as a toaster (fast and even relative to other options I've tried). It's pretty good as an oven.

Also gotta say IKR??!! We were using a fairly pricey toaster that just didn't work right. So I got a literal $5 toaster which actually works better, but still not great.

Temperature setting starts at plasma and goes right up to nuclear fusion. If I babysit the thing and pop the toast manually at just the right time, it's fine, but I shouldn't have to do that.

This is an older video, I saw it some time and ago, liked it, and just now remembered it. Quite interesting.

EDIT to add: you'll have to click to watch it on youtube.


.

I got a Cusimax and seems to be OK so far.
I have tried to fix older toasters when the element burnt but it was a waste of time.


https://www.amazon.com/CUSIMAX...ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

quote:

Originally posted by P210:
I don’t believe it’s sold in the US any more but the KitchenAid KMT233 I resented paying so much for several years ago turned out to be a champ and well worth the price in the long run.

One available right now:
https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen...igital/dp/B003TT2Q1U

My wife researched and debated over a new toaster (the last one she bought sucked) for over a month. I finally told her to just buy the one she wanted (she was waffling due to the high price and trying to find something cheaper).

We got a Breville Bit More - that toaster is hands down the best toaster I've ever used. Bread is toasted evenly edge to edge, top to bottom. The settings appear to be accurate/reproduceable. The form factor is a little different since the controls are on the long side, but that toaster was worth every penny.

MADE IN CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHY DON'T WE JUST STOP BUYING THOSE WORDS FOR ABOUT A YEAR!!!!!

I'm tickled to see my toaster rant still going. And i still dislike more than I like about my KitchenAid toaster. However it is still light years better than my Decepticon filled Breville.

If Appliance Brad can't find a good toaster, I have lost all hope.

57 replies in this thread. And my September 09, 2022 07:51 AM reply (currently at the top of page 3) is the only one with photos of toast made by a member in the appliance that he’s advocating. Seeing is believing…

An aside: IMO fast toasting is the key to making toast that’s crispy outside, tender inside. The Breville Smart Grill does that well. Its plates have a lot of thermal mass in addition to tightly regulated temperature, and the toast is in direct contact with them.

Best Toaster I owned was a Krups (German) made in Ireland. It would throw the finished toast in the air which would scare the GF. Hey, it's German I told her.

After several years, a circuit board inside the toaster went kaput.

IMO, the best coffee maker I owned was a Krups made in Germany. Owned it for around 17 year before exwife trashed it.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:
I've got a Black & Decker toaster I've had for years and it works perfectly.

Even has a bagel setting, which I use all the time.

We do too.


We have about a 13 year old Black+Decker that looks just like this one, except ours has blue lights. Cost about $25 or so at Bed Bath back in 2009. I thought it was nothing special, till last month. A few months ago, the lever started to not want to stay pushed down. I told my wife I would fix it. She said nope let's get a new one. Couldn't find one that worked nearly as well. Or well at all (just like this thread says). I took apart the old toaster last weekend and cleaned the shit out of it. Took an extra 2 minutes and made the SS exterior look great. Works beautifully again.

We still have to get the last attempted one back to Amazon.

Something strange. Many people in toaster reviews are miffed because the one's with a 'bagel' button just toast as normal and don't just light up and mostly toast one side. The new one we sent back also didn't do this. But our 'old' 2009 Black+Decker does. Go figure.