Not "A" toaster....THE toaster! Review Update
Pros:
Perfect toast, solid construction, repeatable browning including the first cycle.
Cons:
Large. No automatic bread pop-up(which is the only auto function I would have liked).
The Bottom Line:
Commercial grade construction, attractive consumer styling, and perfect toast. Not a toaster; it's THE toaster.
|
|
Overall Rating:
|
 |
|
Author's Review
There are so many toasters currently on the market, our quest was simple....find a toaster that made great toast. We weren't looking for customized bagel settings, sandwich programs, warming trays or digital control readouts. Bread in, get hot & toast.
The KitchenAid Pro Line toaster makes perfect toast, period. Browned evenly on both sides, with a texture that's difficult to describe. Light crunch on the exterior, warm, soft bread inside, from corner to corner. It's sort of like when you eat pasta that's cooked perfectly, or when ice cream isn't too hard....or too soft.....your mouth tells you that the eating experience is archetypal for that particular food.
I had a hard time justifying the expense. Yes, it's professionally constructed, weighing almost what a small microwave does. I also had to be careful not to over embellish the toaster in this review, further confirming that it was worth $300.00.
Our old toaster lasted 19 years. It cost $22.00. The justification is easy every time we make toast, and anticipate that if our old toaster lasted almost 20 years, we'll have perfect toast for the next 20 years, instead of the warmed or burnt bread other lesser machines refer to as toast.
Update: Readers in search of perfect toast have requested additional information on this machine. Here are observations after a week of feeding the KitchenAid Pro Line toaster just about every imaginable baked good that would fit in the slots....
The slots are larger that previous generation toasters, but not as wide as some of the current models touting special bagel programs & features. Large, plump bagels, sliced approximately in half, fit easily in the slots. Not having a bagel setting, both sides of the bagel are toasted, as opposed to models that turn one side of the heating elements off, browning only the cut side. There are no articulated centering grids, but the browning remains even on both sides, even with thinly sliced bread.
Even after multiple toast cycles, most of the body remains cool to the touch, except for the top areas between the slots, which is understandable. The end plates are solid castings (aluminum?), with the entire body sheathed in heavy gauge stainless steel. Each side has a crumb tray, removable from the ends, and there are ventilation grilles nestled in the end castings. I suspect the controlled ventilation contributes to the toasting uniformity, and helps keep the unit cool. Controls are non-heat conducting and remain cool even during continuous use.
Is it worth $300.00? There are consumer 4 slice toasters on the market that cost more, and are not as well built. You could buy a true commercial-grade restaurant toaster, but it would cost more, not look as nice, and from my experiences eating out, not toast as well. A quality mixer is $400.00, a decent espresso machine $500.00 + up. If you are serious about your toast and appreciate simple devices that are made with craftsmanship, $300.00 isn't much to spend for the absolute best....of anything.
