The Best Thing for Sliced Bread, Bagels, Muffins etc.....

While window shopping in one of our more upscale china and crystal shops I wandered into their kitchen appliance section. There on the shelf were some very nice looking toasters. Then I remembered the toast launcher/incineration machine sitting on my kitchen counter and thought maybe I should entertain the possibility of a new toaster. I moved in to get a closer look.

With 4 children at home I decided to look at the four slice models. The makes on the shelf were Dualit, Cuisinart, Kitchenaid and Delonghi. The Dualit I dismissed based on price alone… I could NOT justify a cool $300 and change for a toaster! The Dualit four slices was a boxy looking affair with four standard sized slots. I was intrigued however, by the Cuisinart and Kitchenaid models with their long two slot design. Everyone in our family likes different types of breads and not all of these fit the standard slot size. Each long slot would fit two slices of standard cut bread BUT they would also fit the long European bread slices as well. I was SO tired of only being able to fit ¾ of a slice into our old toaster. So, if I was lured by the thought of getting rid of my old toaster I was hooked by the prospect of actually having a fully toasted piece of bread!

The Cuisinart and Kitchenaid models were very similar in price and features but the Cuisinart seemed to have more complex controls than the Kitchenaid. I don’t know about you, but I am not always fully cognizant in the morning and the fewer decisions and instructions I have to deal with the better. The Kitchenaid also came in a range of colours, red, green, black and white PLUS I really liked the curved shape of the top of the toaster. It gave it a very sleek appearance. I decided to buy the four sliced black Kitchenaid. I decided it was a good omen that the store was out of stock on that model and went home empty handed with a two week wait until they were restocked.

Well, I have now had this toaster for 2 months and am very pleased. I know one can’t get really enthusiastic about a toaster… after all, it is just a kitchen appliance but it IS something that usually sits on your counter so it may as well look good. You can tell there was some thought put into the aesthetics as there is an electrical cord wrap underneath the toaster which allows you to wrap the extra length of electrical cord so it is not draped on top of the counter. This toaster looks like a Jaguar… my previous toaster I would classify as a Vauxhall.

The Kitchenaid controls are very simple to use. There is a dial to adjust the LIGHT/DARK setting. The setting is registered on an LED display with numbers from 1-10. The default setting is 5 and we have found that setting to be good for most of our toasting. There are also 3 electronic buttons on the front, Warm, Bagel and Frozen. Obviously, you don’t HAVE to press any of these to use the toaster but they are there for specific purposes.

The WARM button will re-warm a piece of toast WITHOUT toasting it further. This is great if, like me, you are trying to get kids fed, lunches made etc. and your own piece of toast has popped up while you were cleaning up a breakfast spill. Another great feature is the FROZEN button. We always keep our bread in the freezer so the FROZEN button is used a lot in our house. It defrosts the bread first and then toasts it. This way the bread is toasted to the same ‘doneness’ as an unfrozen slice. With my old toaster I would have to give it two rounds in the toaster and then it usually got burnt second time round.

This toaster is especially adapted to fit wider pieces of bread such as bagels and has a special setting. Bagels are put into the toaster with the cut side facing the center of the toaster. The BAGEL button makes the central elements get hotter than the outside elements. This ensures that the cut surface of the bagel gets toasted but leaves the outside and the inside of the bagel soft. PERFECT every time! You can use the BAGEL and FROZEN buttons together if you are toasting frozen bagels.

The extra wide slots means that bread does not get stuck. The toast down/up button slides easily and firmly. When the toast pops up enough of it clears the top of the toaster that you don't have to extract your toast from the interior of the appliance. No burnt fingers, no fear of electrocution from fishing inside the toaster with kitchen knives.

My previous toaster had the crumb tray from you know where. I would lift the toaster to empty the crumb tray and it would swing open spilling its contents all over my counter! Actually, half the contents were usually on my counter already. This toaster is ALWAYS clean underneath so I know the crumb tray is doing its job. The crumb tray also slides out and is very easy to get at. So no spills or messy cleanups. Am I pleased with this toaster? YOU BET!