One time, I decided to buy a very good toaster, and it was a well-bemoaned fiasco. Feel free to read my adventures with that one!
Toasted!.
That may explain why this time, in our new home, the sole purpose of my prospective toaster was to blend in with the kitchen decor, ideally achieving oblivion on the kitchen counter. The kitchen appliances are black, the granite counter is a sort of grey/black blend, therefore I decided I needed a black toaster. I didn’t want any white appliances to clutter up the sleekness of the kitchen.
Since the only criteria was that the toaster be black, and as a bonus, perhaps not burn the house down, I thought finding my new toaster would involve one quick trip to the local department store. Two months later, I decided I was as likely to find a unicorn as a black toaster. Further, I was amazed to find how much my family depended on a toaster! I nearly faced a revolt! They cared not what color it was! They wanted toast! English muffins! Toaster pastries! Now!
Then, cruising through a discount/grocery store, (I can’t remember where! But you can get it through Amazon.com, and lots of other places), I find the black toaster, and it’s cheap! And it’s in my cart before I look at the brand, features, or anything else! It could have been battery operated or required firewood for all I knew.
Well, was I in for a lovely surprise! Let’s start with the
Specs
...from Amazon.com, more or less:
• Color: Black with stainless-steel trim
• Manufacturer: West Bend
• Power output: 800 watts
• Removable crumb tray: Yes
• Timer: No
• Adjustable temperature: No
• Toast darkness control: Yes
• Bagel setting: Yes
• Defrost feature: No
• Reheat feature: Yes
• Slice capacity: 2
• Safe-to-touch exterior: Yes
• Auto shut-off: Yes
• Cord storage: Yes
• Height: 9 inches
• Length: 13 inches
• Depth: 8 inches
• Weight: 5 lbs
• Warranty: 1-year limited
…and here’s What I Think About the Specs
You already know what I think about the color! :D
I don’t know anything about West Bend, but I’ll mention something about their site below. Also, the power output exceeds my mental capacity.
Crumb Tray
This is without a doubt the easiest crumb tray I’ve ever used. It doesn’t slip out when it’s not supposed to, and is a breeze to slip out and clean when I’m ready.
Timer??
No, it doesn’t have a timer, I guess. I mean, it pops up when the toast is done, based on the setting I’ve chosen. Isn’t that a timer of sorts? But hey, what do I know? They clearly state there is no timer.
No adjustable temperature
I use my toaster oven if I’m getting that extreme, or if I need a timer other than food popping up.
Toast Darkness Control
The settings only go from 1 to 5, so if you require precision toasting to fractional degrees, this is not the toaster for you. It is consistent, however. A 3 is always medium, 1 is always gently brown. My last toaster had many settings, but produced whatever darkness level it chose, despite the setting.
Bagel Setting
Yes, yes, yes!!! With the press of a button, (appropriately labeled ‘Bagel’), the inside toasting elements are automatically turned off. Soon, you will have a delicacy with a toasted flat surface and a warm, not singed, rounded base! It even has ‘bagel cut side’ engraved at the top of the toaster so I don’t have to think in the morning! And of course, the wide slots adjust automatically.
No Defrost Feature
It does however, work wonderfully on frozen pastries when set to 5, the darkest setting.
Reheat feature
Who would’ve thought I’d need a reheat option on a toaster? Well, I forgot that I don’t remember things.
I re-warm a cup of coffee in the microwave, and find it 3 hours later, when I am taking another cup to the microwave to do the same thing…, and so my day goes. I do the same thing with any food I toast. Further, I don’t like cold toast. So, this feature is full of awesomeness for me!
From the manual:
"The reheat setting will warm toasted foods that have become cold without additional toasting.” (sigh) Yes. It does. This feature also enables me to warm foods without toasting, like home-made breads or English muffins.
Cord Storage
Yes, and it’s so cute! It’s completely underneath the toaster, so when I quickly and easily wind the cord around the clips, it appears that there is no cord.
Cancel button
Handy for my husband when he realizes I’ve toasted before him, and left it on the ‘well-done’ setting, when he likes his a light, tawny brown!
Toast Boost – I love this!
No more 9-1-1 calls after Mom has inserted a fork to retrieve a broken piece of bagel! Simply lift the toast lever to raise the food over the top!
Believe It Or Not…,
Not everyone thinks like I do! I read a review of this toaster on Amazon by someone who said it was an absolute piece of junk from the moment they bought it, (or something like that). I thought it only fair to tell you there’s another side. This is not a heavy, durable, last-forever toaster. For 12 bucks, I don’t expect to grow old with it, and that’s O.K. for me. Remember? It’s
black! :) We have used it heavily for the last 2 months, and it’s been great. Should that change over time, I’ll update this review.
Also, I perused Consumer Reports, and their Best Buy for a cheap toaster was the Proctor Silex Cool-Touch 22450 at $15. Of course, it only comes in white.
West Bend info
West Bend site;
WestBend.com
West Bend Housewares, LLC
PO Box 2780
2845 Wingate St.
West Bend, WI. 53095-2780
866-290-1851
Customer Service Email: housewares@westbend.com
They also have downloadable manuals, which is a feature I really like.
Final Thoughts
The directions recommend that the first toasting cycle be done without food to release any manufacturing oils that could cause smoke and/or odor. I did that, and it worked. Weird when the directions work, isn’t it?
So, for me, this is a great, inexpensive,
black toaster! It just toasts; that’s all, and that’s all I wanted.
Thanks for reading!
~Becky
