New toaster

[jeffg]

Our circa-1970 Toastmaster is finally on its last legs, and we're looking to replace it with a KitchenAid KMTT400 4-slice. We'd appreciate any first-hand experience from AWers on this model or any others you like.

Thanks all!

http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KM...r_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1244777273&sr=1-1

 

[ronhic]

How about this....

...a lovely Sunbeam toastermatic

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sunbeam-Radiant...5:12|66:2|39:1|72:1240|240:1318|301:1|293:1%7

 

[douglasdc6]

I was thinking the same , Why not buy youre toaster off e-bay & save youreself $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[kenwashesmonday]

I've been using the same 1930s Toastmaster 1B6 for 20+ years. There's always a few on eBay.

Ken

 

[petek]

The Kitchenaid toaster looks nice and all and it may be a very good toaster, only using it will tell,however it is made in China or Asia no doubt as are all KA small appliances except for the stand mixers. If that means anything, to some people it does, to some it doesn't. Thing is I don't think there are any toasters made in the US or western world anymore so you have to buy vintage to get one.
BTW I'm not an anti-China snob I have plenty o made in China appliances myself.
One of the best most consistent toasters has always been the budget low priced Proctor Silex two slicers that have been on the market now for decades and still are. They generally cost $20 or less. Nothing beats em for toasting but they are boring LOL
Here's the 4 slice version of the budge 2 slice Proctor

 

[jeffg]

Thanks, but as far as I know, none of the vintage or low-end toasters have the features we're looking for: 1.5" slots, two levers instead of one for four slices, and a bagel setting (which toasts just one side of the bread). We eat more English muffins and bagels than toast, and a bagel setting would be great.

 

[chuffle]

I hear ya...

I still use the Sunbeam toaster that my parents received for their wedding in 1954, and it is still going strong. That being said, the toaster does not like today's thick bagels, and so I went on a search for a toaster that I could drag out when I wanted a bagel or two. The problem is that many of the toasters that I tried (I tried six different models, and returned five) just are plain wimpy when toasting. One, the retro look Hamilton Beach toasted light on the darkest of settings. I finally found an Oster (uglier than sin, but I hide it away when I am not using it) that does bagels well (has the bagel setting), and I think that this toaster also comes with four slots.

Good luck in your search,

Joe

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10285439

 

[chuffle]

Here is the Oster ...

...with four slots, at Best Buy.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=8388602

 

[frigilux]

I have had an electronic slimline 2-slice KitchenAid toaster for....oh, I'd guess 8-10 years, and it's excellent.

 

[petek]

Well that's the whole point of collecting to make sure you have the right appliance for the right items.. one is never enough. I don't know how anyone can get by with less than 5 toasters to choose from, I really don't. HA

Bagels you say, Texas toast maybe? Well GE had solution years ago with their ever so retro open faced radiant toaster and it's handsome

 

[washendry]

TOASTERS

how about 300, I started collecting them in 1995 when my brother told me the washers were getting too heavy!! (I've added many since then), The GE is your best bet, Good luck finding one,
Kim

 

[frigilux]

JeffG: Consumer Reports rates KitchenAid toasters near the top---except for the $250 ProLine model, which is quite far down the list.

The model you're considering isn't listed at their website, but the user reviews for it at Amazon looked stellar. I think you've found a winner!

If I were to purchase a new toaster, it would be this model by KitchenAid, which toasts four slices/bagels/muffins, but is a slimline model, which accommodates my counter space issues. It is also $99.00

 

[toggleswitch2]

Toaster?

I've never owned a toaster. Find a toaster-oven more practical.

How's this for "just-about" vintage? New unit with retro styling.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Would you believe I justt finsied cleaning that thing with Windex. Damn camera!

 

[jeffg]

Thanks. One feature that caught our eye about the KA KMTT was its electronic heat sensor.. Consumersearch.com mentions it's one of a few toasters that automatically adjust, to compensate for increased heat when running multiple cycles. Our Toastmaster is terrible in this respect: by the third cycle, bread comes out badly charred.

The site also mentions durability issues and problems with uneven browning on the KTT570:

http://www.consumersearch.com/toasters/review

 

[moonvalleycacti]

I am with toggs
A good toaster oven will work best for that stuff

I have a cuisinart toaster and its not great

 

[passatdoc]

not overly impressed with mine (340 series)

I have the two slice KA 340 series white model, but not the long model. It's the one with the standard length slots, though they are wide enough to handle bagles. Not very impressed with it. To toast French bread, you have to use maximum heat and even then it's underdone. Toasting is still rather uneven for a $60 MSRP toaster. The bagel feature and warm feature are pretty good.

I bought it to replace an Oster wide slot toaster that was a good deal for $20 but half the heating wires were gone. I had a store credit at Robinsons-May (now Macys) and was limited to the models they had in the store. My model was the only KA model they had in stock; I think this was after Christmas and they had not yet restocked. The color and size were nice, but in restrospect I would rather have had the wide slot model.

 

[~sudsshane]

Sunbeam "Radiant Control" Toaster

Buy one of these, you'll be glad you did!

This is a 1957, (T-20C), Sunbeam "Radiant Control" Toaster that I bought off Ebay 2 months ago. I expected it to be in great condition, but when I received it, I was amazed at how MINT the toaster was. Not a scratch on it, and barely used.

 

[charbee]

Stay away from the Cuisinart...it's a piece of junk. We bought one because it was RED and we thought it would be groovy to have a toaster that matched the Chambers. Big mistake. We have to toast most things TWICE to get the brownness we like (even with it turned to maximum brown), and it toasts unevenly, so that you have to take the toast out, turn it over and flip it, or else the top will be done and the bottom will be soft. In the summer in Texas, we really have to keep our whole-grain bread in the fridge, or else it's moldy in a day or two, and the Cuisinart toaster is a total wimp with 'fridged bread. Wish we'd never gotten it! Looking for a great vintage one on eBay right now!

 

[jeffg]

Some toasters have a calibration screw on the bottom, inside the crumb tray.

 

[frigilux]

Jim----Your 340 series KA toaster is at the top of Consumer Reports' ratings, scoring an 82. "Range Of Color" was only 'Good', but "Full Batch" (consistency of color with 2 slices of bread) and "Successive Batches" (consistency of color when making consecutive batches) were both 'Excellent'. "Ease Of Use" (how easy controls are to operate and read) was 'Very Good'.

The so-so "Range Of Color" score would account for your issues with it not toasting French bread to your liking on the first try. I wonder if manufacturers are dialing back the 'dark' end of the toasting scale in order to avoid smoke-outs and toast-related fires due to careless consumer usage?

Right behind it was a $15 Proctor/Silex with 80 points. I'd call that a good value.

JeffG----After reading the many glowing user reviews of the toaster you're looking at, I ordered one, too! I have people over for a big brunch on a regular basis, and have always thought it would be nice to have a 4-slice toaster to speed up the job.

The long, 4-slice slimline KA toaster (the black toaster pictured a few posts up the thread) had consistently horrible user reviews at Amazon, so I decided against that one.

I also ordered a TOL 9-speed KA hand mixer (in blue, as it was on sale for $55), as my old GE is showing its age. The KA hand mixer is almost always at the top of reviews at Consumer Reports and Cook's Illustrated, both of whose tests I generally trust.

I guess its small appliance month at my house, LOL!

 

[jeffg]

Eugene, if you can post back and let us know how you like the toaster, I'd greatly appreciate it. We won't be buying one for another 2-3 weeks.

 

[rp2813]

We had a KA like the black one Eugene posted. Too often we had to turn it to its highest setting to get any browning action.

I got fed up and ditched it in the garage and pulled out the trusty 50's vintage Sunbeam Radiant Control I will never part with, and once again we had great toasting action. The problem with this model is that it prefers a standard slice of bread, nothing "artisan" and certainly no bagels. So unless it was typical sandwich bread, you couldn't be certain it would toast right or even lower the bread at all.

A few months ago we were at Tuesday Morning and found a KA Pro Line series for half price. It was the only one there. The thing looked indestructible and weighs 10 pounds, and was the right industrial grey color. So far it's been fine. I like the manual raising and lowering--after the Sunbeam who knew? You can check the bread for doneness without shutting the machine down. You can keep one slice down in the well to stay warm while buttering the other. And the machine blends in well with the heavy duty large appliances in the kitchen. Comes with a no-nonsense guarantee that provides full replacement. I wouldn't pay full price for one, but a subsequent trip to TM produced another one on their shelves for the same price we paid. If interested, that would be the place to check.

The last place I'd look for reviews on toasters in CR. Way too many bum steers from them in recent years on various items, as witnessed by their low rating of the Pro Line toasters. Perhaps they rated it from a value perspective. They are indeed overpriced at full retail.

Ralph

 

[jeffg]

Ralph, when we started scouting a new toaster we first looked at Hobart's commercial models, but finding one of these in relatively new condition has been impossible, and we certainly can't afford to buy it new. They're nearly $600! Also, their 2-slice model (ET13) is the only one that runs on 110V, the 4-slicers are all 220V.

 

[frigilux]

JeffG--- I'll post my review of the toaster when it arrives, probably late next week if it ships by this Monday. In fact, I'll post pics of the bagels, English muffins, and toast it produces.

 

[rp2813]

Jeff, I'm not familiar with Hobart toasters but they sound intriguing. Since KA and Hobart are no longer associated, I presume their Pro series wouldn't resemble anything Hobart makes. But they do have a commercial look and are indestructible on the outside, and cost significantly less than a Hobart. As long as the heating elements and the rotary control hold up, this could be the last toaster we have had to buy.

I do have a Toastmaster 1B6 around somewhere but haven't used it in years. To me, that type of styling looks better on a table than a counter.

And I agree Cuisinart makes junk. And their service is awful. Sounds like you were intending to steer clear of them anyway.

Ralph

 

[sudsmaster]

I have the single slot KA black plastic toaster, and I think it's pretty good.

Before that I had a Cuisinart single slot that simply didn't work right. The catch stopped gripping, so it was hit or miss when you loaded the bread if it wouldn't pop up immediately with no toasting.

Before that, I had a Rowenta (made in Germany) single slot toaster with a single heat tube on each side and a parabolic reflector that seemed to work pretty good. I think I still have it somewhere - if not, I got one for my Mom at the same time and when I cleaned out her apartment there it was. So I know I have at least one in a box somewhere.

The reason why I replaced the Rowenta was because I was into making bread, and most toasters won't hold a piece of bread maker bread deep enough to toast all of it. I guess that's what toaster ovens are for, but my Oster digital convection toaster oven needs about five minutes to warm up before it will make a decent piece of toast. Panasonic makes an advanced quick heating halogen toaster oven, pricey and small, but if I were really into artisan toast that's what I'd get.

 

[sudsmaster]

In the past I've seen "real" commercial toasters at the Costco Business Center in Hayward. These are the ones that have conveyor belts to turn out high volumes of toast. I think whoever buys one here would have to wear a hairnet and snap their chewing gum in order to operation it. Haven't seen any of these recently, though.

I've also seen various "commercial" pop up style toasters at the same store. For some reason I've not been all that impressed, perhaps because of my bread machine form factor I'm always looking for an extra-deep popup toaster.Nobody seems to make one.