Toastmaster Dual Control – Wide 4-Slot Toaster

I guess I was spoiled by my previous toaster that I received as a gift 20 years ago. I used that toaster everyday for the entire 20 years, 7 months that I had it. So when the day came that it heaved its last breath, the first thing I did was think about crying; but instead of doing that, I headed out to find a replacement.

I went to my nearby Meijer store and looked at their selections – I wasn’t completely impressed but finally found one that I thought would be a good replacement for my dearly departed toaster. The requirements were simple… the toaster had to have four slots – wide enough for bagels – and it had to be dual-control. Everyone has their own preferences and some of us (I’m not naming names!) are pickier than others. The price was right too; it was only $20.00, on sale from it’s original $25.00.

I was impressed with the look of the Toastmaster Dual Control Toaster – hard, durable, plastic black ends with a mirror-finish chrome top and sides. The unit itself measures about 10" wide x 10" deep x 6.5 tall, so it doesn’t take up a lot of countertop space. I keep my toaster put away in a lower cabinet, but that’s just me!

The black cord is relatively short, and this is for safety purposes. The last thing in the world you want is a long cord on a toaster, because children are curious enough to pull a cord from the counter, and then you have a very terrible situation. So this cord is only 33" long and it has a polarized plug (one blade is wider than the other.)

The Toastmaster Dual Control Toaster sets on a base that is lifted off of the counter by about 1", so it’s not going to warm your counter too much. The toaster is to be used in an open area with at least 4 to 6 inches of air space above and on all sides for proper air circulation. Always remember to never let anything touch the sides or top of the toaster while it’s in use, as this is a huge fire hazard.

I also liked the fact that it was dual controlled and had 4 nice, wide slots. The slots measure 5.5" x 1.5", and they are self-adjusting to whatever you need to have toasted. Toastmaster says that these are the "widest, deepest and longest slots" available.

Toastmaster Dual Control Toaster Specifications:

1. Toast Lever with Auto Hi-Lift
2. Cancel Toasting Position
3. Toast Color Control
4. Crumb Tray
5. Self-Adjusting Bread Slots
6. Bread Slots

Directions:

Plug the cord in. Set toast color control to the color of toast required. (The first time the unit is used set the control halfway between light and dark settings.) Insert bread or toaster food into the bread slots and push down the toast lever. Any bread slot can be used when toasting a single slice. Always use bread slices that fit easily into the slot – never force any kind of food into the slots. The self-adjusting bread slots hold the food upright for uniform side to side toasting. When the toast is done, the toast lever with auto hi-lift will pop up and the power will shut off automatically. If you need to interrupt the toasting process, all you have to do is turn the toast color control dial counter clockwise to the cancel toasting position, and the food will pop up. Remember to turn the dial back from "Cancel" to at least the "Light" setting or the toaster won’t work the next time you use it.

The dials are labeled "Cancel", "Pop-tarts", and "Dark." Very simple and unpretentious directions, wouldn’t you say? The Pop-Tarts setting is specifically there for non-frozen pastries. Just simply move the control dial to the Pop-Tarts setting and that’s it. If the pastry is thicker, you will have to adjust the control clockwise to get a longer setting.

If you have frozen foods to toast, just move the Toast Color Control to a darker color setting. This is anywhere between "Pop-Tarts" and "Dark." Experimentation with the dial is the only sure way to know which setting you prefer for your toasting needs.

Cleaning:

This Toastmaster toaster has two Crumb Tray openings in the bottom of the unit. Just squeeze the levers open and the hinged trays will open. Brush out the crumbs with a brush or a clean, dry cloth. Close the crumb trays completely. Never clean the outside of the toaster with metal scouring pads, because pieces could break off into the unit, which could create a risk of electrical shock. I use a cleaner such as Windex, being careful never to spray the mist into the toaster. I always spray the paper towel first, and then shine-up the toaster.

So Why am I Only Giving This Toaster 3 Stars?

There are a couple of reasons for my 3-star rating. The first is that even though the self-adjusting slots indicate that the food is toasted evenly… it sometimes isn’t. Sometimes one side is much lighter than the other, and other times there are burned areas on the food. In my experience, the longer of time that it’s used – such as for multiple "toasting’s" – the toast keeps getting darker and darker every time. The last time I had company, there were 10 people to serve breakfast to and by the time I had used the toaster 4 times, the toast was coming out quite undesirable.

The second thing that I’m unsure of could very well be a safety concern. I’m not the most patient person in the morning and when I’m waiting for my toast to pop up I will be staring at the thing, willing it to hurry up! So one day I was doing this and when the toast finally popped up I saw a blue flare in the slots. I thought I was seeing things until it happened again the next time I tested it out. This didn’t happen with my much-missed 20-year-old toaster, even up until the day it petered out on me. So I’m not really sure what to make of this, but it makes me uneasy.

Final Thoughts…

Overall, I’m satisfied with the Toastmaster Dual Control Toasterr. I love the wide slots – which means more bagels. Hmmmm. And I also make a lot of bread in my bread machine and those slices are much thicker than the store-bought bread, so the wider, deeper and longer bread slots are terrific. So that means more homemade bread. Hmmmmmmm. Yes, it is a dangerous thing to eat too much bread! lol

It’s a simple, no frills toaster than anyone can easily use and that is always a welcome thing. It’s easy to clean, lightweight, and doesn’t take up a lot of room on the countertop. So it does have a lot going for it, which is why I do recommend this toaster.

Just keep an eye on those blue flares.

Thank you for reading!


Contact Information:

Address:
Toastmaster, Inc., National Service Center
708 South Missouri Street
Macon, MO 63552

Phone:
1-800-947-3744
Monday—Friday, 8 a.m – 5 p.m. (CST)


This Toastmaster Dual Control Toaster has a limited one-year warranty – 1 year parts, 90 days labor. Please keep your receipt. It also comes with a Product Registration Card, which you can fill out and mail to the company, or you can register the product online. Registering the toaster confirms your warranty, protects your product, and registers the product. This is an important thing to do in the event that the company has to contact you regarding recalls or any other safety issues.

Product comes with a multi-lingual use & care booklet.