He: The Dualit Toaster Obsession

I know that I have a running obsession with well made kitchen gadgets. Form for me is never as much of a drive as something that seems as though I have no chance of breaking it. I seek out things that seem soo powerfully built that there is not a chance in hell that I can possibly damage it. After breaking my way through 5 kitchenaid mixers, 3 toasters, countless sautee pans, at least one full dish set, and more glasses than I care to count, I look for those things that will at least put up a good fight. The toasters hand made by an English company called Dualit comes into the equation.

How could a toaster possibly become an obsession? Well, who doesn't love toast? Toast can go with just about anything. The English have toast with baked beans on it as part of their classic breakfast. Americans have turned the toaster into a machine of speed and efficiency(just look at Quiznos or Subway to see what I'm talking about).

There was a time in my own life where I was completely obsessed with learning how to make the best artisanal breads that I could. As a by-product of all of this there was always a ton of bread around the house, thus, a great deal of toast was made. My all-time favorite was a bread that I got from Buckhead Bread company in Atlanta Georgia. The produced this incredibly flavorful, hearty loaf that I think was called sour pecan, raisin batard. Just imagine Pepperidge Farm cinnamon raisin bread on steroids, and you'll be in the ball park of what this fantastic bread was like. I used to look forward to breakfast, just to make a piece of this into toast and top it with a little strawberry preserves. I still have a pavlovian response just thinking about it.

The reason why I'm completely caught up with the Dualit toaster is simple, it's the best. I personally believe that anything that you can get that is made by hand is almost always a better product. These toasters are still made by hand. They're also spectacularly heavy-duty with heavy stainless steel components, and very solid controls. The last thing, the big winner for me and why I must have one of these machines, is that with the majority of toasters when they finish toasting the bread pops up and immediately begins to cool. With a Dualit toaster, the heat shuts off, but the toast stays warm in the machine until you press to lift it out of the machine(it's keeping your toast at the perfect temperature just until you want to extract it and give it a little butter and jam love). What couldn't possibly be better than that!?

Anyhow, the Dualit toasters happen to be painfully expensive machines, and I'm not exactly growing money instead of hair at the moment. If anyone out there can feel it in their hearts to 'donate' to the cause of allowing me (well, really Brandy and I)the dream of getting back to that perfect state of 'toasty satisfaction' please email us and we'll let you know how you can give to the cause.