| Product: |
Breville PT15 Lightning |
| Date: |
10/04/06 (302 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Design, simplicity of use, price.
Disadvantages: None so far.
You may think that there is not much that can be said about the choice of a toaster. Bear with me here because when my fancy toaster from my last house didn't fit into the space I have for it in my minimalistic kitchen, I had to look far and wide for a replacement. The fashions appears to be stainless steel monsters that take thick sliced bread. The problem with many of these is that they take up so much workspace, and workspace is not something I have in abundance.
Other considerations to take into account was that I wanted a toaster that held two slices. We rarely make more than that at one time, so buying one of the bulkier types of toaster seemed pretty pointless. If you look at the design of toasters before parting with your money, it is actually a good idea and can save you so much hassle in the long run. Mark out your list of requirements, what you want the machine to do, and think about irritations you may have had with previous ones. Here, I wanted something capable of not only toasting, but of warming as well, because frequently, we have visitors that bring us treats like Tea Cakes, and also because there are croissants here, and often it is not toasting that they need, but a slight warming. I have tried to put them into the microwave for a few seconds and whilst this produces a warm croissant, it also produces a somewhat soggy one, which is not very good.
My choice of toaster was also because of a very neat feature. I hate picking up the toaster and shaking breadcrumbs out. This has been an irritation for years, and somehow one that the man of the house never thinks of doing. This toaster has a neat tray to collect the crumbs, which makes my work easier, and helps keep my worktops clean.
Having eliminated the ones that I felt were too bulky, I looked for control of toasting. Have you ever been irritated by toast popping out too soon, or burnt slices ? Well I have and as the kind of bread I enjoy toasting is in short supply here in a foreign country, when I do have toasting bread, I do not want the experience spoilt by an inefficient toaster.
Breville is a good make, and about 8 years ago, I noticed that more and more Breville products were being sold in the shops here, but I found this model online on Ebay and was sold by the shape, and the fact that the slot in the top was longer than the normal toasters, meaning that I could put French stick into it easily in halves to warm. At ten pounds, it really seemed like a bargain, and as soon as it arrived, I wanted to try every aspect of it to see if indeed it lived up to its' promise.
One safety aspect of any toaster to me that is important is that there is the possibility of stopping the machine safely and quickly in the event of messing up the settings, and here I was pleased that the toaster incorporated a cancellation button, so that if I do make the occasional error, it really isn't that important. I can switch it off easily.
Another aspect that tempted me is the electronic gadgetry and the readout on the toaster on a small LED screen. I thought it looked pretty smart and very modern, and the control that you have over toasting times is simple to regulate with buttons being clear. The rack system is rather neat as well because it means that it lifts the bread high enough to see how well cooked it is, which is better than the standard ones where you just see the top of the slices. A neat indicator tells you how ready your bread is, and that's seriously helpful.
I wasn't overly keen on the colour when I bought it, although up close and now placed in my kitchen, it looks better than the cream coloured one that I used until recently, and it is the design of the toaster that makes it look kind of funky and modern, whilst giving me, the user, what I need in a toaster. Another major factor was heat. I needed one that had cold sides as it is placed in a small area on my worktop, and overheating worries me. This one does not overheat. Trying the bun test was fun. Here, I cut a bun in two, and played with the settings until I knew exactly the right setting for perfection. It's actually very easily learnt, and not hit and miss like toasters I have had in the past. The lead to the toaster is a reasonable length and did not cause me problems (although of course, I had to change the plug to a French one).
The next test that I performed was the frozen bread test. This is important to me as sometimes, I forget to take a loaf out of the freezer and want use of the bread quickly. Here, on the defrost setting, the toaster performed better than the defrost on the oven which tends to dry the bread out. My bread was perfectly defrosted and fresh tasting, so the defrost option really does pay off in my case.
I like the re-heat facility because sometimes, it is not toast that you want to achieve, more a warmth that produces nice warm croissants, and here the machine exceeds expectations. They really are fresh tasting and not at all soggy like they were in the microwave, simply heated rather than toasted.
Out of all the toasters that I looked at, this one won hands down on price, but also on options that were appropriate to my needs. At a price like this, it really is a superb buy and delivers quality that was well thought out, even having its own cord storage and non slip feet which makes it safer for the use of children who may in their impatience knock a toaster over. This one is solid, well constructed, and marvellously dependable. It carries a one year guarantee which to me is sufficient evidence that the makers are confident in their product. Personally, I think that it will last me a lot longer than that, as it is so easy to clean that I clean it after each use with a damp cloth at the same time as cleaning my worktops.
Compared to the stainless steel monster that I used to use, or the mundane cream non-descript machine that invariably burnt my toast in the mornings, or left it half cooked, the price on this one was a huge factor when I bought it, but so was the design. We all like our kitchens to look nice and the blue grey features on this one complement the colour of my worktops.
Sometimes, you get what you pay for, although in this case, comparing prices, and what toasters are supposed to do, I feel I got more than one would expect at a price which reasonably reflected what most households could afford to pay for something as small as a toaster.
Well done Breville. I am impressed.
Rachel
Summary: A toaster that warms, toasts, and defrosts, and does it well.
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