My toaster is so old, I can’t even remember when I bought it. When I bought my house in 1993?
The question is pertinent now because my toaster is only toasting on one side.
I was going ask people how long their toaster lasted and write about how great it is toasters that last so long. However, a review of toasters by Wirecutter, a product testing company, said toasters don’t last very long these.
It recommended toasters that are relative inexpensive because “toasters aren’t made to last like they once were.”
However, I think Wirecutter made a mistake. It recommended as its top pick the Cuisinart CPT-122 2-slice compact plastic toaster. With all the developing knowledge about the dangers of eating plastic, I’m going to buy a metal toaster, not plastic.
Black plastic toasters are especially problematic because they often contain electronic waste, according to the website My Chemical-Free Home.
Corinne Segura, author of the article “Non-toxic Toasters, Chemicals of Concern to Avoid,” said when she’s shopping for a toaster she looks for the “absence of recycled plastic (or avoidance of all black plastic if the company cannot make a clear statement that they don’t use recycled plastic) due to contaminants of concern in recycled plastic.”
Here are tips on how to buy a toaster:
- Decide what size toaster you need. A large household would likely benefit from a four-slice model.
- Check reviews to find a brand that will work for you. There are lots of reviews, so take the time to read through several. They’ll give you information on how the toasters performed during tests. If you eat bagels or wider bread, be sure to see what the reviews say about them.
- Decide how much you want to spend. A stylish design or complex controls are likely to cost you more. Toasters range in price from $25 for basic models to more than $100 for toasters with complicated operating systems.
- Determine what kind of controls you want. Touchscreen controls may be more complicated to operate and costly to buy and repair than button controls.
- Learn about special functions, such as defrosting frozen items, toasting on one side, keeping toast warm after it’s done, or reheating toast if you’ve forgotten about it. Some toasters have LED lights to tell you what setting you’re on, memory recall to keep settings saved, and a panini basket, which allows you to heat a sandwich.
- Buy a metal toaster. Some websites say plastic toasters are made of polypropylene are safe but it can be prone to heat damage and degradation. In addition, plastic is less durable than metal.
- Make sure the toaster has a crumb tray and that it’s removable for cleaning.
- Look for toasters that don’t have a Prop 65 warning. The warning is for chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. The label is supposed to be for significant exposures, but companies usually don’t calculate the risk and use the warning even for trace levels of Prop 65 chemicals.
My birthday is coming up, so I’ll ask for a new toaster. That way, I’ll be ready for company coming in July.
