5 Ways You're Using Your Toaster Wrong

Different kinds of bread require different "shade settings." For instance, explains Wesley E. Smith, director of sales and marketing for Dualit USA, a British manufacturer that has been making toasters for 70 years, sweeter breads (such as cinnamon-raisin) toast more quickly. White breads also need less time, while heavier breads, such as rye, require a bit more. What really surprised us, though, was that slices of bread from the same loaf will toast differently depending on how fresh the loaf is. Schweitzer gave this example: If you have a brand new loaf of seven-grain and toast a slice on Monday, setting number three may be perfect. The next day, though, a slice from that same loaf may burn at setting three. That's because the bread has lost some moisture, so it'll toast more quickly (i.e., setting number two might be better).