14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
KitchenAid KTT340 Red Toaster
Date of Review: Mar 16, 2009
The Bottom Line: Excellent product that looks great and performs well on a daily basis.
I purchased this toaster for my husband as a house-warming present when we were dating in 2004. Since then, it has moved twice with us and still works and well as the day I bought it.
The toaster is compact (10 inches long, 8 inches tall, 5 inches wide) and matches the other RED KitchenAid appliances. Red looks great in most kitchens, in my opinion. The slots have spring-held sides that grip your bread or bagel as the piece is lowered into the toaster. This creates an even brown color and reduces the chance of burning your breakfast. On the side of the toaster is the lever to lower the bread, and two buttons. The BAGEL button toasts a bagel more on the inside edge (cut side) than the outside edge. This results in a nicely-done bagel without the typical burnt sesame seeds or charred raisins you would get in another toaster without this feature. The WARM button keeps a piece of toast warm until you are ready to eat it, without toasting it more. This is a great feature as well, because it eliminates the rock-hard attribute that occurs when putting a toasted piece of bread back into a toaster.
Other great features are a cord-wrap under the toaster to hide unsightly cords from view in your kitchen, and a removeable crumb tray to make cleaning very simple. My only complaint is that the top section, which is steel, has become charred and virtually unable to be cleaned.
I have used this toaster once or twice a day for FOUR years and it is still going strong. If you are a fan of bagels or toast and you want a quality toaster with excellent features, this is the one for you!