Cooking Resources

kh8913 · 12-02-2012, 03:10 PM

Hello,

I'm Khash and I'm studying Industrial Design. As one of my projects, I'm thinking of redesigning a toaster.
I'm trying to address problems we have with our toasters as the first step and make it hopefully more innovative as well.

Maybe some time in the future, your problems can be solved with a good design solution and be produced.

As a starting point I mention mine. I think uneven toasted bread is one think I really like to be addressed. I like all parts to be as crispy as they should be. What are your problems?

Chef Kat · 12-02-2012, 03:43 PM

The crumbs should be able to be removed better! Some have a slide-out tray but others have to be turned over so you can shake it. That always irritates me.

Addie · 12-02-2012, 03:49 PM

Ditto on the crumb tray. I have a Toastmaster and it sits on the top shelf because of the crumb problem. It also doesn't toast the whole piece of bread equally on both sides. One side is totally toasted to my liking and the other side is half toasted and very pale. So my son gave me a toaster oven. Does the job for me.

I also want the sides on my toaster to be cool. The whole toaster heats up. I have to wait for it to cool down before I can put it away. Better insulation for the outside would be very nice.

Kayelle · 12-02-2012, 07:32 PM

I finally canned my regular toaster for a toaster oven. For one thing, the toaster wouldn't brown my toast brown enough even on the highest setting. I only have room for one or the other, and the toaster oven won.

**Dawgluver** · 12-02-2012, 07:41 PM

Breville is the gold standard for lots of things, but they don't do so well with toasters.

It takes forever to toast. One side is browner than the other. It's hard to retoast when the toast is pallid. And did I mention it takes forever?

What's nice is the outside stays cool, and it looks good. It has a crumb tray.

**Katie H** · 12-02-2012, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayelle

I finally canned my regular toaster for a toaster oven. For one thing, the toaster wouldn't brown my toast brown enough even on the highest setting. I only have room for one or the other, and the toaster oven won.

I'm with you, Kayelle. We love our toaster oven. It toasts the bread evenly and can toast 4 slices of bread at once. More, if I use both racks. Crumbs aren't a problem because there's a slide-out tray in the bottom that makes quick work of any crumbs that may happen.

Kylie1969 · 12-03-2012, 02:39 AM

We toast our bread under the griller...toasts the bread evenly and just better overall

Kitchen Barbarian · 12-03-2012, 03:39 AM

Sunbeam made the best toaster ever manufactured in this country

I have a toaster right now that works better than any I've had in decades, under certain conditions. However it's not a patch on the Sunbeam T-20, which is 70 year old technology.

PROS
It does a pretty good job of toasting evenly, and toasting to the same level of brownness from one slice to the next (a common problem with toasters is that you have to keep turning it up with each successive piece of bread - the first piece of toast comes out perfectly browned but the 2nd one is much paler)
It has an "INTERRUPT" button to pop your toast out now instead of having to wait to the end of the cycle or pull up on the lever
It has floating side holders that can automatically accommodate extra wide items like bagels or very thin slices of bread

CONS
There is a recessed line all the way around the top of the toaster that I guess is supposed to be decorative but all it does is collect crumbs that you can never brush out.
The cleaning tray in the bottom is only part of the bottom - it leaves side edges that don't pop down, so you have to shake crumbs out the top as well as cleaning the drop down door on the bottom
Unless your bread is perfectly evenly sliced, the automatic width adjusting sides don't work properly and your unevenly sliced home made bread will burn on one side and remain snowy white on the other. Well, ok, maybe not snowy white - but it won't cook properly because it won't center properly in the slot. If it's wider at the top than the bottom (or vv) it won't toast evenly top to bottom either.
The frickin' cord is way way too short. That's a common problem on most countertop appliances these days.
The darn thing sprays crumbs out the bottom while in use like nobody's business.