Oct. 18: These crazy toasters show how far toaster tech has come
On this day in 1921, mechanic Charles Strite won a patent for the first practical pop-up toaster. Tired of the company cafeteria serving him burned toast, he wanted toast that didn't depend on human (in)attention. His toaster popped up the bread when the adjustable timer indicated the bread was done. Click here to see the drawings he submitted along with his patent application.
Toast technology as come quite a way since those days. We've rounded up a few of the cooler options on the market. (Alas, some others we've seen online are just concepts -- like the trebuchet toaster launcher, the clear toaster, the Internet-connected toaster printer and the portable hand-held toaster that looks kind of like a butter knife.)
The West Bend Egg and Muffin Toaster does more than toast bread. It even does more than cook eggs (poached, scrambled or boiled): It has a meat tray to heat precooked Canadian bacon (for example). Don't believe us? Watch the video below.
We've seen this egg-cooking toaster for around $40.
The Oster French Bull toaster from Target doesn't do anything out of the ordinary, but it'll perk up your countertop. It's $35.
This space-saving design from Russell Hobbs is meant to be pushed up against the kitchen wall, and those pockets keep the toast warm. This one appears to be available only overseas, drat. Here's a video below, because who couldn't use more videos of toast? (Next week: Paint drying!)
Domo! At less than $35, this toaster seems a small price to pay for morning fun.
This would pair nicely on a countertop with Domo, don't you think? The Hello Kitty toaster is available for about $35.
No popping up here: Instead the toast slides out when it's done. You could keep feeding bread in conveyor-belt style indefinitely, we suppose! The West Bend Quick Serve Toaster is about $60.
Not gonna lie: This Magimix toaster is pricey; it'll set you back a couple hundred dollars. But then you could just skip a few trips to the movies and watch your bread toast instead ...
Here's a taste:
If the Mini and the Fiat 500 had a baby, we're pretty sure it'd be this Dualit Chunky toaster, about $140. (Of course it can't drive yet! It's just a baby! But it does have Peek & Pop technology.)
On This Day, previously:
• Oct. 7: East Germany's split-personality architecture
• Oct. 1: Revisiting Walt Disney's futuristic suburban dream for EPCOT
• Sept. 30: 'Flintstones' cartoon architectural drawings
