Had a toaster that would detect when you put bread in & start. Issue: walk away & if you don't take the toast out within a dozen seconds of it finishing, it'd go on to toast toast

This one has a latch that prevents that. To fire the second time you have to remove the toast (it’s mentioned near the end of the video).

Terrifying! At least the Sunbeam toaster in his video had a mechanism that requires the toast be removed before the cycle can start again (~11:25 in the video). Thinking of all the possible ways something can fail and mitigating them can be difficult but I feel like leaving the toast in should have been an obvious one.

i.e. set your kitchen on fire. How the hell does something like that pass basic safety testing?

Low tech solution: put the bread on the toaster instead of inside until you wanna start it.

Or put the bread in the unplugged toaster and plug it when you want it to start. Or, if the socket is not at comfortable reach, use a switch between the toaster plug and the socket. Not tidy, maybe, but it works.

Agree. Toasters of all kinds say not to put fingers or utensils inside the unit. Putting things into toasters could make them electrically "hot", don't rely on the lever.

Toasters warn not to stick fingers or utensils inside the unit because the heating element is essentially just exposed wiring. The danger is clear: you could easily shock yourself.

There's no obvious danger caused by putting bread in the toaster and not immediately starting it.

It's the same thing, bread isn't conductive enough to shock you that's why it's ok to put bread in the toaster. Don't put pieces of metal shaped like bread in the toaster, don't put conductive things in the toaster like the piece of bread you just dredged in salt water.

>There's no obvious danger caused by putting bread in the toaster and not immediately starting it.

I don't get this. Is it an argument against the automatic toaster? Or are you advising me to keep my toaster unplugged until I'm ready to toast my bread because a toaster can be unreliable?

I misunderstood you as suggesting we should be putting bread on top of toasters of all kinds.

Or to the side, but yes. Maximum safety.

You can make a toasted sandwich in a Dualit toaster using the cage:

https://www.dualit.com/recipes/toastie

Or using a bag in a conventional toaster that lacks a cage:

https://www.lakeland.co.uk/10724/2-Lakeland-Toastabags---Toa...

"because freshly toasted bread is a lot better than cold toast"

Whilst I do agree with you, there is somewhat of a bathtub curve to toast temperature.

'hotel' cold toast, with very nearly melted butter is almost as nice as fresh hot buttered toast. Tepid toast isnt so good.

Ps a good overhead gas grill (broiler) is the best for toast, unfortunately most seem to be rubbish these days :(

Oh, you won't get us into your cold toast game that easily, you tricky brits ;)

I think that being in a hotel/on holiday might have something todo with it.

It's like the retsina that tastes lovely in a Greek taverns, but take some home and it tastes awful.