"William Sommerwerck" writes:

Buying a new toaster oven was a minor learning experience.

Once upon a time, a toaster oven worked like a toaster -- you pushed down on
a lever to start the toasting cycle. This feature now exists only on
toaster-only toasters. Most toaster ovens now have a timer, marked with
various degrees of darkness.

And the controls now apply to everything the toaster-oven does -- one knob
sets the temperature (there are specific toaster and broiler settings),
another the operating mode (warm, bake, toast, broil), and a third the
timer. This takes a moment to get used to, but it's neither illogical nor
fundamentally confusing.

I was about to buy a B&D TRO964 ($30 at Fred Meyer), when I noticed that the
timer could not be turned backwards. So you couldn't reduce the toasting
time (if you've a mind to). I also did not like the all-metal construction;
it's too easy to burn yourself.

So I kept looking, and in tar-GET (soft g), I found another $30 B&D, the
TRO490, which was similar, but had a reversible timer and a curved (!)
window. (I wouldn't be surprised if tar-GET were the only store carrying
that particular model.) So I bought that.

How long will it last? Who knows? I'll report back in 20 years.

Remember the old GE toaster ovens? No electronics, lasted 30 years.
Usually the most that went wrong with them was the power cord needing
replacement. I miss them.

--
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