Let's get toasting with a Toast-it-All from Black & Decker
Written: Jul 16 '04 (Updated Jul 12 '05)
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Pros: Excellent crumb tray - no mess when removing it.
Cons: Eggo Waffles have to be flipped to toast completely.
The Bottom Line: Very easy to clean toaster, no mess, nice toasting.
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| nortos's Full Review: Black & Decker T2200 Toast-It-All 2-Slice Toaster |
I bought my Black & Decker Toast-It-All T2200 from Mr. Jays Appliance store in Mineola, NY about 5 years ago and it cost me $25.00 at that time. When I initially started to use this toaster I wasn't completely happy with it. I had been spoiled with a previous toaster I owned which was very expensive, and had different settings for bagels, light toasting only, warming, cancel, etc. However, that toaster only lasted about 2 years. Since I couldn't do without a toaster in my home I purchased this Black & Decker Toast-It-All on a whim while purchasing other large appliances for my newly renovated kitchen.
What I have come to love about this toaster is the lack of mess when it comes to cleaning out the crumb tray. It has its own little handle that sticks out from the side of the toaster and has it's own little draw. The tray is very easy to wipe clean with a dry paper towel. Then you simply slide the tray back into place. The bottom of the toaster is sealed so no crumbs fall out when the tray is removed. Other toasters I've owned have always had to be cleaned while holding them over the sink so the crumbs would fall into the sink instead of on the counter. Not a problem with this Toast-It-All. When the tray is out I turn the toaster upside down over the sink to shake any extra crumbs into the sink that might have been stuck on the toasting guides inside the slots.
My toaster is basically white except for a few areas which are light gray - the lever which you push down to start toasting, the handle on the crumb tray and the area where the settings are as well as the upper portion of the toaster where the slots are located. It has "auto-adjust toasting guides" that hold your bread, bagel or pastry in place.
There are 5 settings on this toaster, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 . 1 is for lightly toasted, 2 a little bit darker, 3 even darker and if you feel it necessary to go to 4 or 5 which burns the toast....have your tastebuds checked :) I usually keep ours set between 2 and 3 depending on what I have toasting.
For a plain, egg or cinnamon raisin bagel I set it on 2 and let it go through the entire toasting cycle. However, if it's not a plain bagel and say an onion, sesame seed or everything bagel then I must keep an eye on it because I have found that it toasts the seasonings too quickly and it burns (what a stink it can make too).
For regular bread I use the setting between 1 and 2.
For Eggo Waffles I set it on 2 and let it go through the toasting cycle, when it pops up I turn the waffle upside down so the top of the waffle gets toasted, but I only toast it for half the amount of time. This is the one complaint I have about the toaster is the fact that an eggo waffle does not completely fit in the toaster then again, you can't make everyone happy - I'll know if Eggo every reduces the size of their waffles when they suddenly fit in all the way.
I have also toasted Pop Tarts on setting 1, again keep an eye on these as the ones with icing tend to burn quickly.
Another nice feature about this toaster is the extra wide slots for toasting BIG Thick bagels. Each slot is 1 1/2 inches wide by 5 1/2 inches long. The toaster itself is 7 inches tall, 6 inches wide at center of the toaster and is 10 1/2 inches in length. It's not a very fancy looking toaster, but it is attractive and easily wipes clean. There are prongs underneath the toaster so you can wrap and store the cord (I've never used them - it gets put away in an appliance cabinet with the cord dangling - too lazy I guess!).
Based on my previous experience with my old toaster and all the extra settings it had and the fact that it broke after having it for less than 2 years, I believe in the KISS rule (Keep It Simple Shoppers :) The fewer extras on a regular toaster the better. I have found, in the case of my Toast-It-All - it lasts a lot longer!
Since my toaster is 5 years old and still going strong I'm not looking for another one quite yet. However I don't believe they are making this model anymore and they now have a model in Black with a few extra features which can be viewed at - this would be the one I would consider as a replacement if I had to:
http://www.blackanddeckerappliances.com/product_detail.asp?T1=APP%20T2350
A personal house rule in my home is that whenever you are using the toaster someone must always be present, just in case something starts burning too quickly you can stop the toasting process and avoid a fire. The same rule applies to popping popcorn in the microwave. We haven't experienced any toaster fire, but don't want to take any chances.
Hope this review has been of some help.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 25.00
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Epinions.com ID:
nortos
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Susan
Location: Hempstead, NY
Reviews written: 77
Trusted by: 173 members
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