Toast on your terms

Watch it or not.

(Credit: Bed Bath & Beyond)

One great kitchen mystery is how a watched pot never manages to boil, but there is another, similar puzzle: When will the toast be ready? However, unlike simply not watching, there is no easy remedy to (seemingly) speed along the cooking process. It will be ready when it pops up, and that is that. We are left to wonder on our own, only to be surprised by the toast popping up when we least expect it. Until now.

The Cuisinart Countdown Metal 4-Slice Toaster features two separate control panels for precision toasting. The six-shade selector dial and the reheat and defrost settings offer further control. The extra-wide slots accommodate bagels and other large items, while an extra-lift carriage lever makes grabbing smaller items a breeze. While these features may be nice, it's the countdown timer that makes this toaster unique. Each control panel features its own LCD panel that ticks away the seconds until your toast will be ready.

Like a jack-in-the-box that unleashes its inner clown with no prior notice, most toasters keep us on edge, waiting. Now the only question that remains is just how Cuisinart has solved this age-old question of when the toast will be done. I guess some things should always remain a mystery.