2-Slice Toaster

A toaster dial is supposed to mean something. On most toasters it does not, because the bread decides where it sits in the slot, and toast is cooked by radiant heat: the gap between bread and element sets the colour. A slice leaning against one wall comes out dark on that face and pale on the other, and no number on a knob can fix that.

Smeg's 2-slice toaster solves it mechanically, with wire racks that close in from both walls of each 1.4 inch slot to hold the bread upright and centred. A thin slice and a doorstep end up the same distance from the elements, which is what makes a setting repeatable from one loaf to the next rather than a guess you correct on the second round.

Six browning levels run off the knob, and three buttons override it. Bagel heats the cut face fully and only warms the crust behind it. Defrost thaws before it browns. Reheat puts the warmth back into toast that has gone cold without taking it darker. At 980 watts the elements reach working temperature quickly, and the carriage lifts on its own once the time is up.

The shell is steel in a glossy finish with matte chrome trim, on anti-slip feet, and a polished stainless steel crumb tray slides straight out from under the slots. It belongs to the 50's Style range, drawn around the shape of the FAB28 refrigerator, which is why the curve of the body reads as a fridge shrunk rather than a toaster styled.