Toasters

[SS]

I never knew toast could be this complicated, our toaster is 20 years old and basic. Has some heat settings and press a button if you want to cut short the toast time.

[Bob Eager]

+1

[Dave Liquorice]

Some people love Dualits and defend all their failings (many in common with other toasters) with a vigour that equals the venom used against Dyson vacuum cleaners.

No toaster is consistent between consequative slices, this is the major failing IMHO but it's not an easy problem to solve. Personally Dualits are expensive objects for poseurs. If I was going for a toaster I'd go for summat from the middle range of a known brand but without bells and whistles of a display or other gimicks.

[Tim Watts]

I've often meant to try Paul Hogan's method (from the show) of hanging the bread on a nail and running a blowtorch over it.

Toast ideally needs to be made with a very hot grill for a short time to avoid drying out too much.

[Halmyre]

es:

One enterprising student at my university decided to adapt his toaster as a toasted-sandwich maker by turning it on its side and inserting bread and cheese. Result - cheese/element interaction, copious volumes of smoke, fire alarms, fire brigade, etc...

-- Halmyre

[Bob Eager]

Are there any Internet-capable toasters yet?

[Tim Streater]

There was the famous object-oriented toaster from the 80s IIRC. Didn't the King have the computer scientist responsible thrown in the moat?

[Bob Eager]

I only ask because ours has an unused network socket next to it.

OTOH, it's a Dualit and won't wear out for years!

[brass monkey]

50 to 200 quid for a toaster? I'd rather get wifey to use the grill (better toast IMHO). Plus, are they repeatable? i.e, do the first slices (from cold) toast the same as the next ones? For that kind of money they should pop-up pre-buttered ;)

[brass monkey]

Ahhhh, that's what you need, a USB toaster with at least a dual-core processor :D

[David Paste]

I've got a 'proper' Dualit. It's rubbish. I certainly wouldn't recommend them to anyone. Best way to make toast as far as I am concerned is under the (gas) grill.

[brass monkey]

I've got a 'proper' Dualit. It's rubbish. I certainly wouldn't recommend them to anyone. Best way to make toast as far as I am concerned is under the (gas) grill.

+1

[John Rumm]

Yup, there is one that will toast a weather forecast for the day onto the bread for you!

[Jules Richardson]

When I was a kid, I used to often stick slices on a fork and hold them over the 'leccy hob element on the cooker. The fork handle would get rather hot to the touch, and the bread needed rotating often to stop it from curling (failure to do so would inevitably lead to contact with the element, and flames) - but the taste was fantastic.

I think you're right - the "trick" is cooking the outsides nicely without drying them out all the way through.

cheers

Jules

[John Rumm]

Been very happy with a Tefal Avanti Deluxe for the last 10 years or more. Does 1 to 4 slices, has independent browning settings for each pair of slots. Takes tick slices, has toast from frozen and reheat settings as well. Nice consistent results. Has extra buttons to raise small items (like crumpets etc) further out of the slots to save having to stick your fingers in after them!

[Halmyre]

Why not just fish them out with a fork? Girly types can switch off at the wall socket first if they like.

-- Halmyre

[Frank Erskine]

The butter has to melt into the toast properly so that the ensuing Marmite X-O then spreads correctly without 'curdling' too much.

I still can't see exactly why a toaster needs to 'pop up' its product, even if only partially. Isn't this just a 50s" instant automation") sort of idea?

[JohnW]

These are a bit old hat. I am surprised no-one has suggested the ground breaking talkie toaster.

Toaster: Howdy doodly do. How's it going? I'm Talkie, Talkie Toaster, your chirpy breakfast companion. Talkie's the name, toasting's the game. Anyone like any toast?

Lister: Look, I don't want any toast, and he doesn't want any toast. In fact, no one around here wants any toast. Not now, not ever. No toast.

Toaster: How 'bout a muffin?

Lister: Or muffins. We don't like muffins around here. We want no muffins, no toast, no teacakes, no buns, baps, baguettes or bagels, no croissants, no crumpets, no pancakes, no potato cakes and no hot-cross buns and definitely no smegging flapjacks.

Toaster: Aah, so you're a waffle man.

John

[Andrew May]

Do you think that Marmite XO is significantly different from common or garden Marmite?

And, on the subject of Marmite. Has it changed over the years? When I was little, it came in small jars and had to be spread very thinly. I now need to spread it much thicker and it comes in larger jars as standard. Has it got weaker?

Also, my memory of it was that it was less cloudy and thick enough that peaks left in the jar would still be there next time it was opened. Not any more.

[Allan]

[snip]

FWIW: Which? Magazine, Toasters, Feb 2011