Cuisinart CPT-65 Toaster - Even Toasting and Good Controls
Written: Jun 18 '04 (Updated Sep 01 '05)
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Pros: Even toasting, features and controls, fits large bread slices
Cons: Price is high for a toaster
The Bottom Line: This toaster is relatively expensive, but I can see why now. I am happy with it and recommend it to anyone, especially if...
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| dkozin's Full Review: Cuisinart CPT-65 Custom Control Total Touch 4-Slic... |
I was getting progressively angrier with my previous toaster as it was providing very inconsistent results. Sometimes it would undercook the toast and sometimes it would produce charcoal. It also cooked unevenly. So I got a better toaster – Cuisinart CPT-65. It normally sells for over a hundred dollars, but I got a reconditioned model for less than $20, shipping included.
Size and Capacity
To see the pictures of this toaster that I took, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser's address area:
http://www.review-shop.com/Cuisinart/Cuisinart_1.html
The toaster I got is white (I would prefer a black or, better yet, stainless steel finish). It is rather large and fits 4 slices of regular bread. This addresses another shortcoming of the previous toaster. The previous one could only fit 2 slices of regular bread and was unable to accommodate relatively long slices from the middle of the round loafs I get at Trader Joe’s. The CPT-65 fits them easily (it has two extra wide and long slots).
Controls
This toaster is not exactly cheap (if bought new), but I see several reasons why. One is its performance (below), the other is controls and options you get.
The front panel of this toaster features a 7-step LED readout with buttons on left and right (“Lighter” and “Darker”) to increase or decrease the degree of browning. Other buttons are "Defrost", "Bagel", "2 Slice" and "Reheat".
These four buttons have red LEDs over them to indicate what mode is activated. You can use them in combinations, e.g. "2 Slice"+"Defrost", "Bagel"+"Defrost", etc. There is also a "Cancel" button that cancels toasting and clears your selected settings (otherwise the toaster remembers your settings for the next time).
It is recommended by the manual that you first start the toasting by pushing the lever down and only then selected the toasting mode. However, all modes can be selected before with the exception of 2-Slice.
Defrost
Adds time to defrost and then toast.
Bagel
Adds time to brown bagels and other thick items like muffins.
Reheat
Reheats without browning. Cannot be combined with "Defrost".
2 Slice
Turns off the heating elements in the second slot if you are only using one slot with one or two slices in it to avoid overcooking. If you are using one slice only, you can select this mode and lower the browning couple of steps down from you desired degree of browningness.
Performance
I was pleasantly surprised with the results. The toasts are uniformly browned and the "Defrost" button works well, ditto the "2 Slice" button. The toaster also has a slide-out crumb tray, which makes cleaning easy.
Photo
To see the picture of this toaster that I took, copy and paste the following URL into your web browser's address area:
http://www.review-shop.com/Cuisinart/Cuisinart_1.html
Bottom Line
This toaster is relatively expensive, but I can see why now. I am happy with it and recommend it to anyone, especially if you can get a factory reconditioned unit for a fraction of the cost of a new one.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 19
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Epinions.com ID:
dkozin
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 in Electronics |
 - Top 10 |
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Location: California
Reviews written: 839
Trusted by: 517 members
About Me:
I love to push buttons on electronic (audio and video) equipment. It makes me happy.
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