toaster

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but it also happens to be the most rushed. Since the name of the game is to fuel up and get out of the house, it doesn't take much to see why not a lot of time is invested meditating on kitchen appliances in the morning. That ambivalence can extend to the design of our breakfast-makers--otherwise they would more often go beyond basic black. Yet sometimes the confluence of convenience, versatility, and design results in something that gives us what we need and looks good doing it.

Appliances that … Read more

While other kids were out selling glasses of lemonade, 7-year-old Connor Zamary was starting his own app company. Toaster Pop, an iPhone game that involves slathering spreads on toast, is his first creation.

Connor isn't just a figurehead with a first-grade education. He's a fully fledged technology entrepreneur. "He pitched investors, made his own PowerPoint, filled out the paperwork for his LLC all by himself, has done conference calls with the West Coast developers," father Craig Zamary tells CNET in an e-mail interview.

Connor vetted and selected a developer to build the app and took feedback from friends and family into account during the development process.

One perk Connor isn't allowed yet is his own e-mail account. He uses his father's to conduct company business. He answered a few questions from CNET, including where his app idea came from.

"My dad was telling me about an old fashion toaster since I never saw one before. Then it just came to me to create an app, where toast would pop out of the toaster, land on a plate and you would have to butter it with butter," Connor writes.

That sums up the 99-cent Toaster Pop app pretty well. It's a family-friendly game designed with kids in mind. It starts with butter, moves up through jams, and then mixes it up with a spread called "The Works." Connor's personal favorite toast condiment is butter.… Read more

Firing up the oven in order to cook a meal isn't a particularly good way to beat the heat. However, along with resorting to cold meals on hot days, other methods of meal preparation have necessarily evolved. Sure, the microwave is a fast, go-to option for heating up a meal, but its limitations for developing flavor are well known. Since trying to brown food in the microwave isn't anywhere near effective, a more direct approach is needed. As in the direct heat supplied by a toaster oven.

Capable of so much more than toast, the Breville BOV450XL Mini … Read more

Blue enamel cookware is found in kitchen cabinets and camping gear everywhere. However, the distinctive style, while being common for cookware, is rarely seen in appliances. Blue being such an attractive color in the kitchen or otherwise, this oversight is finally being remedied in the form of a toaster oven.

The Viante CUC-04E True Blue Convection Toaster Oven dishes out with a blue enameled lining--and an interior light that stays on during the cooking process that may or may not make it appear as if you are heating up blue food. Rest assured, food cooked inside of the toaster oven … Read more

We're not sure if home appliance companies are taking a cue from their multi-purpose cousins in the consumer electronics world, but this is one of the best-looking toasters we've seen.

The Breville 2 Slice Radio Toaster does exactly what it says--it's a toaster and a radio. The two-slot toaster features a retro-looking design as well as a built-in AM and FM radio tuner. While this product does have the makings of a belated April Fools' joke, it does seem to be pretty good at its core competency. The Slice Radio accommodates a variety of bread slices, has the ability to defrost frozen bread, and also boasts a reheat button that warms cold toast without burning it.

The radio, on the other hand, appears to be quite standard with no detailed specifications given. So we have no clue how loud Rick Dees would sound while we wait for breakfast.

If you're interested, the U.K. brand lists several online stores that stock their products on its Web site. Although prices may vary, online retailer Argos sells the Slice Radio for 49.99 pounds ($82).

(Source: Crave Asia via Uncrate) … Read more

When serious BLT fans like myself look back over the technological accomplishments of the past century, it seems a bit unfair that we've traveled to the moon and connected the world by sending magic signals through the air, yet still burn a disconcerting proportion of our toast.

At last, a Polish designer has brought the underappreciated art of gently crisping bread into the 21st century. Mateusz Glowka created the Roastie, a wheel-shaped toasting device that's bound to haunt your hamster's nightmares.… Read more

Kitchens can be finicky things. Certainly some recipes call for an exacting schedule of ingredients, but the environment in which they are made can also play a deciding factor. When it comes to getting the job done--and getting it done efficiently--there can be no better ally to have than counter space. But increasing your work area can require a creative approach.

The BrylaneHome 2-Tier Vertical Toaster Oven takes one of the most common kitchen appliances and orients it in a new direction. The double-decker toaster oven will not only turn bread into toast, but it is also capable of baking … Read more

Toaster ovens are fantastic machines that are capable of cooking practically anything. Like a magic box, food of all shapes and sizes gets put in to it, becoming fully cooked and ready to eat when removed. Recent years have seen toaster ovens advance into secondary oven territory, with new features and designs allowing for the countertop appliances to be used to cook everything from 12-inch pizzas to fried eggs. It is now entirely possible to bypass the large oven and create full homemade meals by using just the one appliance. Of course, when shopping for one it doesn't hurt … Read more

Compact countertop ovens generally do a great job of cooking a variety of items. Their ability to reheat leftover pizza is reason enough to warrant their purchase. However, they don't stop at toasting bread or crisping up a slice; nowadays their utility extends to all manner of baking. From cookies to main entrees, the remarkable countertop appliances can cook practically whatever one desires; they really are little secondary ovens. And sometimes, they are also good at just keeping things warm.

With an operating temperature range from 50 degrees to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, the Dualit Compact Convection Oven is versatile … Read more