Don't Forget The Most Important Meal Of The Day

During the week, my breakfast often consists of coffee. I sometimes supplement my meager morning meal with a small piece of fruit or toast. One the weekend, I prefer a bit more, either bagels or croissant sandwiches. The Cuisinart Toaster handles the bread portion of my meals while I concentrate on the fillings. Not having to worry about whether my bread gets burned or not allows me to concentrate on other tasks. This toaster was purchased to replace a Cuisinart CPT-60, which has been a great toaster for seven years, but only has room for two slices at a time.

Durability. That's what I equate the Cuisinart brand with. Cuisinart products cost a bit more than equivalent small appliances. I own non-Cuisinart products and have had great success with many of them. However, I have not had any problems with my Cuisinart products, so there is an inherent level of trust in their reliability. The exterior of the TAN-4 is durable, but more importantly the interior components appear to be well manufactured. I have not owned this toaster long enough to say with certainty that the interior is flawless, but based on my prior toaster, I am confident that this will be the case once again. The hard plastic exterior is both durable and does not conduct heat well. You can touch the toaster while it is in operation without fear of getting toasted yourself.

The versatility of this toaster also sets it apart from most standard toasters. The four slice capacity allows this toaster to complete your bread browning tasks in half the time of traditional toasters. Additionally, the wide mouth openings allow for a variety of bread options. I have used this toaster for waffles, English muffins, bagels, bread and pita flatbread (toasted pita bread is great with hummus). The wide mouth would also allow you to toast home made bread that might be difficult to slice thin enough for smaller toasters. There is also a lever that allows you to lift the carriage in the event that you have a smaller bread product like English muffins or the crust end of your bread.

Operating this toaster is easy. Not as simple as the old-school toasters that consisted of a lever and light-to-dark control, but more functional. Bagels have their own setting, which allows you to toast the bread a bit more slowly allowing for a bagel that is warmed throughout and not simply burnt on the outside. This toaster also allows you to defrost the bagels in the event that you store them in your freezer. I do not use the reheat button, but it is available if you have need of it. If I am eating by myself in the morning, I can opt to use only half the toaster, saving energy. Although this unit sips energy, why waste electricity? The TAN-4 toaster also has a cancel button that will eject your bread automatically, preventing you from forcing the lever up. You can dial in your darkness setting on the bottom dial, allowing you to find the level of toasting that you prefer.

Cleaning the Cuisinart Toaster is fairly simple. The exterior does not tend to get dirty, but you do occasionally get crumbs around the toaster, depending upon what type of bread goes in. The exterior of the unit wipes off with a damp cloth. The interior crumb tray slides out for easy cleaning. The sleek design of the oven is a little bit longer than traditional toasters, but fits nicely on my counter. It does not hold fingerprints like the stainless steel versions, so that is not an issue.

The Cuisinart TAN-4 Tandem 4-slice Toaster is not cheap. It runs between sixty and eighty dollars through Epinions partners. You can find a cheap no-frills stainless steel toaster for around ten dollars. However, you get what you pay for. The cheaper version probably will not last as long, will not toast as many slices, will probably use more energy and won't have the versatility to toast as many types of bread easily. If you don't toast much bread, a cheaper toaster may be better for you. If you do toast bread, and toast a wide variety of bread, then this may be a good product to consider. The range of sizes that this toaster accommodates from under-sized to thick slices is what attracted me to this toaster. The reliability of the toaster settings allows me to complete other tasks while my bread is toasting, without having to stop and check my bread. Anyone who has owned the cheap toasters can identify with me on that.

Any product with the Cuisinart name seems to cost more. There is a reason for that. Cuisinart has proven over time (at least to this consumer) that money spent on their small appliances is money well spent. The reliability and versatility of Cuisinart appliances places them head and shoulders above the competition. That is quality that you have to pay for. If you want that type of quality and functionality, then this toaster is a product you should consider. Although expensive for a bread toaster, it has been worth the money to me. I would highly recommend this toaster, giving it five stars out of a possible five.