This is the way Bagels and Toast were meant to be enjoyed.

For a few months now I have been out in several stores checking and looking at several types and prices of toasters. The Oster 4 slice toaster that I have had for a few years now has not been working very well. It only browns on one side of the bread and when the bread is done toasting it doesn't pop up on it's own. You have to watch it carefully and lift the lever up when it's done toasting. My husband said that if I didn't find a new toaster soon that he was going to go out and buy one himself. This I definitely didn't want him to do because I knew that he would only end up buying the first cheap toaster that he saw.


I've checked out several toasters that ranged from $19.99 to even over $100.00. I knew that I didn't have to pay top dollar to get a top quality toaster. But I also knew that I didn't want to go low in the price range either. It did require a lot of serious thought on my part. But I finally decided on this KitchenAid 2 Slice White Toaster # KTT340WH. I found it at our BonTon store. It originally was priced at $59.00 and was marked down to $44.99. I had a 10% off coupon from their flyer and ended up paying only $40.49.

Even though my old toaster was a 4 slice toaster, and the KitchenAid Toaster was just a 2 slice toaster, I figured it would be just used by the two of us, that the 2 slicer would serve us just as well, and actually would take up less room on my counter.

When I got it home, naturally my husband wanted to try it out. It's a good thing that I checked inside of the toaster, because I did notice there was a few pieces of foam packing material in the bottom of the toaster that must have fallen inside, probably during shipping. I just shook the toaster upside down and the 2 pieces fell right out. This is why it's a good policy to always check an appliance thoroughly before using it for the first time.

My husband made the first piece of toast and we noticed a little light smoke coming from the toaster. I knew that this was normal when using some new appliances for the first time. I checked in the manual that came with the toaster and it did state that this was normal when using it for the first time. After the second toasting it didn't happen again.


Toasting Features:

Two Extra Wide Slots----I really like the extra 2 wide slots. I love bagels and these wide slots will accommodate wide bagels very nicely. It's also great for thin or thick breads, English muffins, pop tarts, homemade breads or toaster pastries.

Bagel Toasting----The KitchenAid Toaster comes with a Bagel Button and a indicator light when the bagel is being toasted. It will toast a thick bagel evenly, by just inserting the bagel so that the flat (Sliced) side of the bagel faces the center of the toaster slot. It will gently brown the inside of the sliced side of the bagel and will only warm the back side of the bagel. I don't like my bagels crispy on both sides. I like a bagel thats toasted slightly on the inside and soft on the crust side.

Warming Function----If you would like something to just be warmed up and not toasted, there is a warm button with an indicator light, that will quickly warm up previously toasted bagels or toast without additional darkening, as long as there is no butter or any other toppings on either one.

Size---The Toaster is 11" wide by 6" D and 7 1/2" in height.

Design----I like the sleek design of the toaster. The outside is white and is made of a smooth durable polycarbonate, which makes it very easy to keep clean. I also like the idea that the outside of the toaster always remains cool to the touch when your toasting anything in it. This is good especially if there are small children around.

Crumb Tray----The crumb tray is the full width of the toaster and is made of stainless steel. It's very easy to remove from the bottom left side of the toaster to empty the crumbs. It's also dishwasher safe. Although I just give it a good swipe with a damp cloth whenever I empty it. It's also a good idea to keep the crumb tray emptied after every use. My old toaster only had a hinged crumb tray and I had to take the whole toaster and hold it over the garbage to empty it. But with the KitchenAid Toaster the crumb tray is easy to pull out and empty. No more problems trying to empty the crumb tray for me now.


I've gotten into the habit of emptying the crumb tray after each use, especially if you make a lot of toast like my husband does. I always make sure that the toaster has cooled down, so that the crumb tray is also cool, whenever I decide to remove it to empty the crumbs or just to wash it out. The crumb tray will have a tendency to stay hot for a while following a toasting of toast or bagels.

Rotary Shade Control----The Rotary shade control knob helps me to select the degree of darkness that I want my toast or bagel to be. By turning the rotary shade control knob clockwise you will get darker toast, and by turning it counterclockwise you will get lighter toast. There are 7 shade markings. The 1-3 marks for a light toasting, the 4-5 markings for a medium toasting and the 6-7 markings will give you a dark toasting. I really like the Shade Control on this KitchenAid Toaster because it gives me a more precise control of toast color.

Interior of the Toaster----The interior of the toaster is made of stainless steel. It's durable extra deep cavity is big enough to even hold tall pieces of homemade bread, and poptarts, and wide enough for those really fat bagels.
Soft Rise Lever----The KitchenAid Toaster comes with a easy Soft Rise Lever. When you push the easy lift lever down it will lock in place. The center racks will then adjust the slot width automatically to hold the food for upright toasting. When the toasting is completed, the toaster will shut off and the Soft Rise Lever will gently raise the toast. To cancel toasting at any time, all I have to do is gently lift up the Rise Lever and this will make the toaster shut off and the lever will gently raise the toast up. The Soft Rise Feature will let any toasted items gently rise up to a high level, making it easy to remove even the smallest pieces of bread.


Wattage----850 Watts

Cleaning----The KitchenAid Toaster should always be unplugged and be cooled down before cleaning. Cleaning the outside of the toaster is very easy. All I have to do is wipe the toaster with a soft damp cloth. It's recommended not to use paper towels, abrasive cleaners, or liquid cleaning products. Being it's white it will show any spatters immediately. So after each use I just give it a quick swipe with a damp cloth.


Under Base Cord Wrap and Plug Storage----Underneath the toaster there is an area where the cord can be wrapped around into the base of the toaster. This is a great feature when the Toaster is not in use. It will even let the toaster set flat on the counter. It also keeps the cord out of site and out of the way. When I'm ready to use the toaster I only have to unwrap the cord a little and place the plug in my outlet. I don't have to worry about the cord getting in my way or hanging off of the counter.


Warranty----The KitchenAid Toaster does come with a 1 Year Full Warranty.

Cautions:----Of course everybody knows that you never stick a fork or knife into a toaster to get a piece of toast out. But I have known some people do this to dislodge a toast that has gotten stuck in the toaster. This should never be done because of a possible risk of shock. And you should never use an extension cord as this could be a fire hazard also. Common Basic safety cautions should always be used, when using any electric appliance.


My Final Recommendation:

I really like the KitchenAid 2 Slice White Toaster. It doesn't have a lot of Bells and Whistles, but it does have some nice features about it that I really do like. The extra wide slots, the fact that it heats and browns everything evenly, the easy removable and washable crumb tray, the warm up button, the several shade controls, and the handy power cord storage. I think it's well worth the money that I paid for it. I also think it would make a nice practical gift for any family member or a friend. My husband is now enjoying his toast browned on both sides again and I'm enjoying my bagels that are slightly crispy and lightly browned on the inside and soft on the crust side, the way bagels were meant to be enjoyed. What more could we ask for.


In the instruction booklet there are also 3 Flavored Butter Recipes. Honey Orange Butter, Lemon Thyme Butter and Cheesy Garlic Butter. I've only tried the Honey Orange Butter recipe and it's delicious served on warm toast or a bagel.


Ingredients:
½ cup of very soft butter or margarine. I use reduced calorie margarine.
1 Tbsp Honey.
½ Tsp. cinnamon.
2 Tbsp. Orange Juice concentrate thawed.


Add all of the ingredients together in a food processor or use a mixer and thoroughly mix until it's smooth and creamy. Yields ½ cup. Serve over warm toast or a Bagel. It's a nice change from just using plain butter on your toast or bagel.


Thanks for reading!!

~~Naomi~~