IT LIT UP MY WORLD AND COLORED ME HAPPY

Before I begin my review, I need to share with you a conversation that took place in my kitchen a few mornings ago and another that took place one day later.

Day One:
The scenario: a conversation between my husband and me.

Husband: “Hon, the toaster isn’t working right.”
Me: “What’s it not doing?”
Husband: “Not all of the heating elements are lighting up.”
Me: “Uh, let me see.”

I walked over and, sure enough, only half of them lit. I turned the knob to DARK and pressed the lever. Still only half of them let.

I realized, although my toaster was not quite two years old, it was time for a new one. That afternoon, I made my purchase

Day Two:
The scenario: a conversation between my husband, my friend (who conned me into mall shopping) and me.

Husband: “Hon, this is the new toaster, right?
Me: “Yep. Got it yesterday.”
Husband: “Well, not all of the heating elements are lighting up.”
Me: “Huh? Let me see.”
(I walked over and depressed the lever. Sure enough only half lit).
Me. “Well, I guess I just wasted $35. It’s probably normal that only half light.”
Friend: “Uh, no, it’s not. They’re all supposed to light.”
Me: “I can’t ever remember having a toaster where they all lit. Maybe some more than others, but not all.”
Friend, “They really are supposed to light - all of them.”
Me: “Oh, well, I’ll package it up and return it.”
Friend: “Trust me - get a Cuisinart. I’ve had mine for more than three years and all of my heating elements lit and still do!”


*********************


You guess it! I returned that toaster. The store in question didn’t sell the Cuisinart brand so my friend and I headed to Bath, Bed and Beyond.

The first thing I did was look at the toasters. Then I headed to the store manager and asked her if I could see them work before I made my purchase. “No problem,” she said, “just bring me the ones you want to try and we’ll plug them in right here.”

I did just that. I trotted over with three different toasters. True to her word, she plugged them in and I depressed the levers - one by one.

She was amazed, as was the cashier, that two of the three didn’t have all the heating elements light.

Then I depressed the lever for the Cuisinart Metal Classic 40Slice Toaster.
EVERY HEATING ELEMENT LIT TO PERFECTION!

The four of us stood there in awe. “This is a first,” said the manager. “I never knew they were all supposed to light.”

So, now, not only does each element heat and toast my bread but the sleek metal design really looks classy on my countertop.

As I said, this is a CUISINART METAL CLASSIC four-slice toaster, so now, I’ll give you the rest of the features of this great working toaster.

1. Each side holds two pieces of bread and each side works independently of the other.

2. Each side has the heat control knob that goes from light to dark in ranges from 1 - 6. The thing that makes this feature so great is that once you find the setting that makes you happy, your bread will come out perfectly and evenly toasted.

3. Each side has a bagel selection - which adds a little extra time to the toasting cycle. It works like this: you place your bagel in the slots, depress the lever, then press the bagel button.

4. Each side has a defrost button. This is a great feature for frozen waffles, frozen bagels, frozen pancakes, frozen French toast, toaster pastries, etc. It’s so easy to use. Just place (whatever) in the slots and depress the lever. Then hit the “defrost” button. Immediately after it defrosts the item, it will then “toast” it to perfection.

5. Each side has a “reheat” button. Providing you haven’t yet buttered (or jammed) your toast and it’s gotten cold, you can place it back in the slots, depress the lever and select “reheat”. This will heat your toast without further browning it.

6. Each side has it’s own stop button. For whatever reason, should you need to stop any of the cycles, just press stop and the item in the toaster will pop up immediately.

7. Crumb trays. Each side has its own crumb tray. You won’t see them from the front - which is really neat. All you see is a beautiful sleek toaster. The trays are in the back and easy to pull out and empty.

8. Short power cord - to eliminate the possibility of it getting caught as you walk by. It’s not long enough to hang over the edge of your counter.

9. The outside is made from smooth, brushed stainless steel.

10. Cleaning: (first and naturally - you want to unplug the toaster) Wipe the exterior with a clean damp cloth and dry completely. You can use plain water, Windex, or any other non-abrasive cleaning agent. Just remember - put the cleanser on the cloth - not directly on the toaster.

11. Warranty: This amazing toaster comes with a Three-year limited warranty.


I’m truly amazed that I found a toaster like this. More than that, I’m truly amazed that this is the first time since I began cooking that I’ve seen bread toast so evenly. Not since my grandmother used the old fold-up toaster have I seen such even browning.

Was the CUISINART METAL CLASSIC 4-SLICE TOASTER worth the money?

I paid (with tax) $83.00 and yes, I say it’s worth every penny.

You can color my bread brown and color me happy!