When one pushes down the bread loader the metal flaps slip to the side to let the bread in and then flip over the opening when the bread it securely inside. The toasting process starts and most of the heat is retained due to the new 'restrictive' design. Business folks always in a hurry and 'we need to save power' activists can sit on the table together on this one.
-- nomadic_wonderer, Oct 24 2004

The only nay-sayers will be the "I like to stretch the bottom of my jumper over the toaster on cold mornings to warm my tummy" brigade
-- wagster, Oct 24 2004


I didn't think toasting was a 'retained heat' issue. It's about proximity to the source.
-- waugsqueke, Oct 24 2004


Yes, I think it would heat up quicker, but some air would need to be discharged so that the moisture from the bread could be removed. I'm not sure, but don't some of the automatic toasters use a moisture detection system?
-- Ling, Oct 24 2004


[Ling]. I doubt it if the moisture is an issue, ovens dont have vents either but end up drying things pretty good. More importantly the flaps will not entirely cover the toaster mouth but rather cover it to the extent that it retains most of the heat generated.
-- nomadic_wonderer, Oct 24 2004


I reckon [waugs] is on the money. We could save energy though by having Y axis elements, and electronically detecting the toast, and only turning on the elements where toast (pah, bread) is in the vicinity. My four slice wonder would certainly benefit from this esp. when I'm only toasting two muffins.

P.S. my new toaster does have a crumpet setting which turns off the two outermost planes of element.
-- neilp, Oct 25 2004


Whats up with all the distortion?
-- nomadic_wonderer, Oct 25 2004


it's been fixed now.
-- dentworth, Oct 25 2004


It would need a heat proof handle, very much so.
-- harderthanjesus, Oct 25 2004


[harderthanjesus] when the bread pops out the flaps move to the side anyway. though I do agree a safety measure would be needed.
-- nomadic_wonderer, Oct 25 2004


<neilp> I love the idea of a crumpet setting, all machines should have this, no matter what. Remember:

'man cannot live on bread alone, now and then he needs a little crumpet.'
-- etherman, Oct 26 2004


Maybe we can just convert all the old vcr's into these new toasters - they already have the door thing figured out. Plus, you could toast some really wide bread in there...
-- luecke, Oct 27 2004


[luecke], that's a good one. Why don't you put together an idea for the VCR / Toaster conversion kit?
-- normzone, Oct 27 2004



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