How to choose a toaster for the home and how to properly care for it

A toaster is an easy-to-use device for small kitchen appliances for frying bread with spirals that conduct electricity. How to choose a toaster for the house and not make a mistake?

An important quality of toasters is toasting bread without butter. Dried bread is healthier than toasted bread.

If you plan to toast bread and rolls, take an ordinary toaster. All devices have several holes - 2 or 4. For safety reasons, choose with a metal case, the plastic does not hold high temperature and is very hot.

If you plan to not only toast bread, but also to bake, purchase a grill toaster, having previously checked the functions. To make the cooking speed high, choose a device with convection or infrared heating. Determine where to install it, as some models are large.

Toasters are divided into 3 categories:

Hand held. Cooking has to be controlled independently. To fry the bread on the other hand, turn the handle, which turns it over.
Semiautomatic devices. Equipped with a switch protecting the device from overheating during abnormal operation. Controls the roasting of bread due to temperature.
Automatic machines. Control the process of frying bread. They have a thermostatic switch or timer, after which the bread rolls “jump out”.

From the history of toasters

In the 4th century BC, the ancient Egyptians learned to bake bread, frying on coals from two sides. The Romans, who spent a lot of time on military campaigns, fried bread at the stake. Translated from Latin, "tostun" means "burn." Conquering new lands gradually, they passed this custom on to other peoples, including the tribes that settled Misty Albion.

Later, when the colonization of America began, the British introduced the settlers to the croutons, and it became the national property of the Americans. The very first toaster was created by a British company in 1893. Then the iron wires burned and sparkled, and the bread had a burning taste.

The toaster received a rebirth in 1909, already in the USA, which brought considerable income to Frank Shaylor, who patented the invention. His toasters baked bread without the taste of burning. True, there was one inconvenience, at the end of the cord was a base, which was screwed into the lampholder, and toasts had to be constantly monitored so as not to burn out.

In 1919, devices that automatically shut off at the end of work appeared, and in 1926, toasts learned to "jump out" on their own. In 1933, private bakeries set up the production of sliced bread, specially sized for toasters, and in the 40-60s of the last century, the machines were standardized. Since then, the toaster has undergone design changes and received a perfect design, taking into account the requirements of the present.

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What type of toaster is better to choose

When choosing a function, functions play a significant role: in what way is bread loaded, the presence of control of cooking. Toasters come in horizontal and vertical loading. Popular with vertical loading, some of which have extended functionality: roasters (toaster + oven), sandwich toasters or conveyor. Which is better to choose?

If you plan to toast, take a horizontal-loading machine. Manufacturers of similar equipment work in the lower price segment. An advantage is the warming up of toasts and bakery products.
If advanced features of the device are required, buy a roster. It comes with horizontal loading and is functional. In addition, he cooks hot sandwiches or pastries, even we cook meat dishes. In addition to roasters, conveyor toasters are horizontally loaded, but they are more suitable for catering establishments, rather than for home use. They have high productivity: they produce up to hundreds of toasts per hour.
Need a small device that doesn't take up much space on the kitchen table? A sandwich toaster will do. It features toasted toasts, hot sandwiches, spring rolls, shawarma or tacos. There are volumetric sandwich toasters, the so-called sandwiches. They feed a large family and are suitable for installation in a small cafe. For a large family, choose a four-hole appliance.

Toasters Feature

Some expensive toasters have a touch control surface. Cheap options come with a dial with a special hatch without numbers or characters.

Holes for bread 12 - 14 cm in depth. The latest models are equipped with a heating chamber, where the cooking process is accelerated. Such cameras use convection heating or infrared. Modern models have the functions of defrosting and frying, everything is automated and combined into one cycle.

Toasters with a heating chamber have a non-stick coating. They are also found with porcelain coating, which are easy to clean. Of the special characteristics, I note the presence of a cancel button. That allows you to stop the cooking process at any time.

All appliances are equipped with crumb trays. It is aesthetically pleasing and safe: the crumbs do not wake up on the table and do not light up when heated, the pallet is easily removed and cleaned. There are handles, as in a teapot, a lockable lid, nozzles, a chute for laying the cord.

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Additional functions

The function of defrosting or heating, automatic control of toasting and location of bread, cooking small pieces of bread.

Heating function. A special lattice on which bakery products are stacked ensures uniform heating.
Defrost function. It is useful if the bread is kept in the freezing chamber.
Centering function. It monitors the uniform frying of bread. Helps to place a piece of bread in the center and toast evenly on both sides.
Pattern Burn Function. Children will be delighted if they get a toast with a smiley face for breakfast.
Toasting function memorization function. There is no need to set the mode during the next frying.
Infrared sensors. Set instead of the usual timers. Control the temperature. Ceramic heater prevents the smell of red-hot metal from spreading when the appliance is on.

How to care for the toaster

After use, turn off the toaster, let it cool, and only then clean it. Pour the crumbs through the hole into the pan, remove and wash. If there is no pallet, turn the cooled machine over and shake the crumbs out.

Do not use abrasive pads or powder detergents; they will leave scratches on the case. Use a universal cleaner. Put it on a paper towel and attach to the stain. A cleaning agent will dissolve the stain of labor ills.

Going to the store for a toaster, pay attention to the characteristics and material of manufacture. It can be made of an alloy of aluminum, stainless steel or high-quality plastic. Pay attention to the thermal safety data sheet so as not to get burned when touching a working device. Check with the seller if the appliance switches off automatically when small pieces of toast get inside.