Suzer's Full Review: Hamilton Beach 22600 2-Slice Toaster
Over the years I've been rather embarrassed about the turnover of my small appliances. I'd love to blame the manufacturers, but I have to assume some responsibility also. I should have replaced my last toaster long ago, but I am stubborn so stuck with it. One would think I would learn, and not pick an appliance based on its looks. How shallow of me! What problems did I have with my old toaster you may wonder. Well, when I placed toast or bagels they inevitably got bent. It seemed to determine that I wanted my toast and bagels and muffins raw, not toasted according to my preferences. When a knob broke off and disappeared, that was the final straw. I finally gave up, and searched for a new one. As I haven't had any success with any manufacturers I was open-minded as to which brand I wanted to purchase. I must confess that I was drawn to the Hamilton Beach Classic Chrome because of its good looks (sometimes people just don't learn). It also reminded me of my childhood in the 80's, well, 70's, would you believe 60's? Grrrr, this is getting embarrassing. Okay the 50's. For you youngsters, look at the small appliances on the Leave It To Beaver reruns. . . Okay, on to the review.
Features:
Many toasters now accommodate four slices of toast, bagels and the like, but it is just me now, so this certainly meets my needs.
* Great retro looks
* The slots are good size at: 1-1/4 by 5 1/2 inches. It is terrific for toast, English muffins, thick slices of bread, bagels, you name it.
* There are 9 different settings to accommodate your browning needs. You certainly can't say there aren't sufficient selections. It can easily handle frozen items also.
* Being klutzy and absent minded at times, I love that it shuts off automatically. It does this whether the toast or bagel is done, or if it should jam.
* It has a very nifty slide out crumb tray. This is much more convenient than others I have had. It makes the unfun cleanup a lot easier.
The toaster measurements are:
7 1/4 inches wide
8 inches high
12 1/2 inches deep.
Settings:
* Reheat
* Defrost
* Bagel
* On/Cancel
Cleaning:
So, most of us don't enjoy cleaning. I must admit I rarely hassle with crumb trays, but the way this toaster is made, it is a snap. The manufacturer suggests you clean out the crumb tray once a week if you use it daily. Their advice is to of course unplug the toaster, and ensure it cools off. Slide open the crumb tray, dump out the crumbs, and wipe the tray with a damp cloth or sponge. Then wipe the outside of the toaster again with a damp cloth or sponge (or paper towel). But be sure you don't use abrasive cleansers on the toaster. You shouldn't need them anyway.
My experience:
I am very pleased with this toaster. Not only does it look striking on my kitchen counter, it toasts my bagels and other items just as I like them. With all those choices, how could I miss. They do suggest that you not toast pastry type items in the toaster, if you have a toaster oven. If you don't, give it a try, but put it on the lowest setting available. I'm not a fan of toaster pastry so not a problem for me, but I know many others enjoy it.
So far I have just toasted regular toast, bagels and English muffins, and all have been as I wanted them. Amazingly I learned something new from the instructions for this toaster. Maybe all of you are aware of this, and I am the last to find out (nothing new here), but they suggest you place the cut portion of the bagel pointing out for best toasting outcome. I had no clue about this.
Anyway, I really like the heavy duty toast lifter, and the bumper like base of the toaster. I am amazed that this was under $30.00. The only negative I have found so far is that you can burn yourself on the chrome if you aren't careful, but that simply requires common sense. I am giving this toaster 4 stars, and recommend it to anyone who loves the retro look and a great toaster! If you decide to purchase this toaster online or at a brick and mortar store, be sure to read all the instructions (and they are very well detailed).
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