I have always liked toast, even the word toast is neat. When we needed a "safe word" for my young daughter, so she would know if a message or person had really been sent and okayed by me, we selected toast as the code word. She was not to go anywhere with anyone she didn't know unless they knew the safe word. I also always liked the little flying toasters that were used for computer screen savers years ago, I wonder whatever happened to them? So I'm a big toast fan.
Most people will go through several sets of small appliances in their life time. I've lost count of how many blenders I've had, and then there's electric fry pans, the Teflon coating always seems to go on those. But by far, the appliance I've replaced the most is my toaster. I was always looking for a good toaster, after all, my mother-in-law has had the same toaster for the 40 years I have known her. I'm sure it's much older than that since it has this strange fabric covered cord that looks like it could start an electrical fire but it seems to work just fine! It doesn't pop up any more but she seems to have a 6th sense about when the lever should be raised and never burns it. Her toaster is also much heavier than any of the ones I was finding at Costco or Walmart. All the new ones I was finding were light weights with lots of plastic.
Leave it to my sister to find the perfect solution! She presented me with a Chrome 4 Slice Dualit toaster, the Rolls Royce of all toasters, it's even made in England and it's a beauty. These babies go for over $300 on Ebay, I think that's more than I paid for my stove! I could not wait to try it out and was amazed to find, that this toaster had gone right back to the basics. You place the bread in the slot, you set the timer to your best guess of how long it will take and then it rings a little bell. Now get this, YOU have to raise the bread with a little lever. It does not Pop Up! Over $300 and you have to walk over and pop it up yourself. How cool is that, it's like you've got a Rolls Royce and a driver but he makes you get out and open the door for yourself. I love it!
Needless to say, the toast is great. I kept my old one out beside it for awhile so I could test different things in both of them at the same time. There was a difference, the crunch on the outside, the softness inside. I can't explain it, it's like a fine wine versa the cheap stuff, to a toast lover you just know you're tasting greatness as you roll it around in your mouth, enjoying the play of textures. Magnificent!
Now the problem was I had this great toaster, how could I let the world know? We have few breakfast guests and the subject of toast seldom comes up in day to day conversation. I found myself going into fancy upscale kitchen supply stores and hanging around the toaster aisle. When someone would ask if they could help me, I'd just mention that my sister had given me the Dualit 4 Slice Chrome model and there would be admiring oohs and ahs. Up here in Canada they retail for over $400 so these babies put you in a whole different category of customer. One sales clerk went so far as to say, "she must really love you", when I told her of my sister's gift. They also give you that knowing look and then they ask if you want to see the gold plated lemon squeezers they keep behind the counter for "special" customers. It's really has opened up a whole new world for me!
Knowing how much I love toast and toasting, my daughter got me the cookbook Toast It! for my birthday this year. It even has a recipe for Perfect Toast, but that's for you poor folks that don't have a Dualit! So cookbook #12 is Toast It!
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