"New" toaster 🙂

[Graham G3ZVT]

Originally Posted by Herald1360

I've acquired this little Hotpoint toaster in tidy condition recently.

A toaster on wheels! Who knew?

[G6Tanuki]

I remember the Premier-style toaster my parents had in the 60s; it had a 2-core rubber-covered-and-purple-cotton-braided mains lead connected to a round-pin 15A plug/socket which was alternatively shared with the similarly earth-free Swan electric kettle.

Toaster replaced by a Russell-Hobbs popup jobbie around 1970 as part of the traditional once-every-decade kitchen-refurbishment. Same went for the 15A socket, it got replaced by a dual 13A outlet, still with the 15A behind-the-scenes wiring to the fusebox.


[Call me a heretic but I have never found much success with toasters of any kind; they invariably overcook the outer faces of the bread while leaving the inner core still soft and uncooked. I 'toast' my bread in the microwave, so it's cooked crisp-and-crunchy all the way through and shatters when you bite into it]

[Graham G3ZVT]

I actually like the "fluffy in the middle" texture that results from toasting both sides at once.

I just tried a round of "Hovis wholemeal sliced" in the µW on the basis of don't knock it until you've tried it, 2-2.5 min seems to be the optimum time. Thanks, but I'll stick with traditional toasting methods.

[Herald1360]

Originally Posted by David G4EBT

I have a Premier 'Cat 916' toaster.

The rather nifty feature of most of these toasters which isn't immediately apparent unless you put a slice of bread in, is that they're 'turnover' toasters. When you open the door to check if the bread is toasted to your liking, the slice slides down onto the open door, then when you close the door, the toast is turned over to toast the un-toasted side. Simple, but ingenious.


......

The problem with the turnover is that you then can't see the toasted side until you close the flap at which point you can't really see the toast anyway unless you've religiously cleaned the glass or are happy with a limited view through the grille/slots!

[dglcomp]

We have one of the fancier Bosch toasters that uses tubular quartz elements and seems to do a good job.

[Graham G3ZVT]

Originally Posted by dglcomp

We have one of the fancier Bosch toasters that uses tubular quartz elements and seems to do a good job.

And probably safer for those who reach for something in the cutlery drawer, when the bread gets jammed. (Stuck, not coated with fruit preserve).

[joebog1]

G6,

Not everybody keeps a bolster and block hammer in the kitchen either!!.

Modern toasters I have bought many. ALL rubbish, including your highly esteemed Russel Hobbs.
They alast about 12 months and go legs up. No service available at all, no spares either. BUT the rivets all need grinding off to get "inside " anyway. Our current toaster was a giveaway, made in China reward for shopping at a particular store. Three years down the track and it's still running.

Slightly off topic are electric jugs, or kettles as the Brits call them. I have since chucked the last very expensive glass one away and replaced it with a real kettle of stainless steel and it goes on the gas stove.

Joe

[Paul_RK]

Originally Posted by joebog1

MOdern toasters I have bought many. ALL rubbish, including your highly esteemed Russel Hobbs.
They alst about 12 months and go legup. No service availabe at all, no spares either.

Sounds as though you haven't bought a Rowlett yet. They often come with a couple of spare elements, though you're unlikely to need them any time soon unless providing toast for a stream of folks every day: switches and timers also available in case of failure. There's a version for the large family too

https://www.thecateringwarehouse.uk/...59-47700-p.asp

Russell Hobbs is just another consumer brand these days, "no user-serviceable parts inside", or anything much that's serviceable by anyone at all.

Paul

[Brigham]

The Hotpoint in the original post is what mine will look like if I ever get round to cleaning it.
I've had it so long, I can't remember where it came from.
It is Cat. No. 80854, serial 12F, and is identical apart from mine has the full-length original mains lead, and no wrong-way-round Bulgin connector.
The bread turns each time you open the flap, and the glass sides enable you to see how the work is progressing without having to handle the slice.
A great design. I'm in no hurry to 'upgrade'.

[dglcomp]

Originally Posted by rambo1152

And probably safer for those who reach for something in the cutlery drawer, when the bread gets jammed. (Stuck, not coated with fruit preserve).

Yes, plus the toaster has an on/off switch (the controls are all buttons) so you can turn it off without unplugging it, the corresponding kettle is also interesting as the controls are on the base and it has extra contacts in the base for a temperature sensor.

[Techman]

I've got one which has been in the family probably from new.

The picture below was taken back in 2010 when I seem to think it was shown on a vintage toaster thread with a few others. It needs repairing when I get round to it. I think we deduced at the time that it dated from the 1930s.

[Nickthedentist]

Original thread here: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=56223

[Paul_RK]

Originally Posted by Nickthedentist

Original thread here:

Thanks Nick, good to see several more of our various toasters again, including my Murlek which must be about as obscure as they come: a Google search for makers "Murison Electricals" produces just two results, one of them that thread, the other an issue of the Electrical Review from 1945 with brief details of the company's formation. The toaster is here somewhere, maybe I'll even see what it can do with a couple of slices of bread when it turns up.

Paul

[duncanlowe]

Our Swan toaster is nowhere near as old, but bordering on vintage being 30 years or thereabouts. Ceramic elements, and can heat one or both slots. One slot will take two slices of 'standard' bread though it only gets used for single slices of low carb bread these days (and then not often). It used to toast really evenly, but seems to cook the top half of the small slices more than the bottom. Could be just because of the small slices.

Now I will say, that it's a relatively sophisticated control system, but still works. Must be electronics in it, as it won't latch down if the power is off (who has put on toast and waited for an age before twigging the socket is off) and it seems to compensate for bread out of the freezer, as well as thinner and thicker slices.

Crispy outside and soft inside is the beauty of toast. It's what I missed most until I found low carb bread.

[mark_in_manc]

Originally Posted by duncanlowe

Now I will say, that it's a relatively sophisticated control system, but still works. Must be electronics in it, as it won't latch down if the power is off (who has put on toast and waited for an age before twigging the socket is off)

Our just does that by putting an electromagnet in series with the heating coils. The timer switches a relay and the element goes off at the same time as the magnet lets go and a spring pops the slices up.

[dglcomp]

Yes on the modern toasters I've had apart pushing down the mechanism connects the power and that starts a monostable/timer that turns on an electromagnet that holds the carridge down. Monostable/timer gets to the end of the set time, turns off the electromagnet, carriage comes up disconnecting the power.
Quite simple really.

[joebog1]

Originally Posted by joebog1

G6,

Not everybody keeps a bolster and block hammer in the kitchen either!!.

Modern toasters I have bought many. ALL rubbish, including your highly esteemed Russel Hobbs.
They alast about 12 months and go legs up. No service available at all, no spares either. BUT the rivets all need grinding off to get "inside " anyway. Our current toaster was a giveaway, made in China reward for shopping at a particular store. Three years down the track and it's still running.

Slightly off topic are electric jugs, or kettles as the Brits call them. I have since chucked the last very expensive glass one away and replaced it with a real kettle of stainless steel and it goes on the gas stove.

Joe

OK !! Who jinxed me My free giveaway toaster has just died. It wont stay down even though if you hold it in the down position it works.


Joe