Toast anyone??

My toaster died on me. The heating elements in the middle which toasts both pieces of toast went out so only one side of the bread toasted. So I had to toast one side, flip it over and toast the other side. I finally got out to buy a new toaster. I thought it would be easy to just pick up a new toaster...a nice cheap one that would basically do the trick. I mean, what is the big deal to toast a couple slices of bread??

Off to Target I went in search of the perfect cheap-ass toaster. I had to admit that the cheapest was $15 and wasn't what I wanted. I want a black toaster to match my microwave like I had. The next step up was $20 and it was black so that's the I bought....an Oster 2-slice black toaster with the bagel and cancel button. I took it home and put in a slice of bread to test it and basically had what I already had with my broken toaster. One side was toasted and the other was barely toasted. I set it up higher to a little darker and then one side was toasted and the other side was burnt. WTF?? Dumb-ass cheap toaster.

I cleaned out all the crumbs and took it back to Target...

So off I went to good ole reliable Sears. First of all, why in the hell is it so damn hard to find a BLACK toaster?? Most everything is chrome or brushed stainless steel or brushed chrome or whatever it's called. I know that alot of people like those stainless steel appliances which to me looks like they belong in a restaurant or a school kitchen...very commercial cold look if you ask me. So now all the small appliances are the SS look. The only reason why I want a black one is cause it sits next to my black microwave. My appliances are actually that bisquit color...a lighter shade of almond, I guess. Anyway, whatever....

I go to Bed, Bath and Beyond and basically see the same toasters as Sears with very little much else to choose from. Nothing cheap-ass....

I go back to Sears and debating between a black Kenmore, a black KitchenAid and a brushed chrome with some black in front. By this time, I have decided to pay more money at least in the range of $50 or so. I call hubby. I can't decide. So I'm describing them to him on the phone. I even put the phone up to each toaster and pushed the handle up and down so he could hear them..!! (I got a weird look from someone watching me holding a cellphone up to a toaster, like I was having the toaster talk to my husband..) I tell him that I should have brought a slice of bread with me. Then I would find an outlet somewhere and actually test it in the store. He said he really didn't think that would have been a good idea. He advises me to go with the Cuisinart, the brushed chrome one. I hang up. I am still not sure. I really wanted a black one and the other two were black. I didn't like the looks of the Kenmore one, even though it was the cheapest at about $35. I almost decided to just go and buy the KitchenAid but I went with what hubby said and bought the Cuisinart for $50.

I take it home and get it all set up next to my Microwave and I don't like it. It's too wide and squatty looking and I just don't like the chrome look. Even hubby said he didn't like it. So I packed it up and took it back to Sears.

Okay, so now I've taken back two toasters. Went from hoping to find a good cheap-ass one for ten bucks or so and ended up having to go over fifty bucks to get what I want.

I exchange the Cuisinart for the black Kitchenaid that I really should have gotten in the first damn place. Also, my dishwasher is a Kitchenaid so I know it's a good brand. The KitchenAid one is $55...so it better damn well work!

I take it home and get it all set up next to my Microwave and it looks great!! Now for the toast test. I put a slice of bread in and one side is perfect and the other side is a little less toasted...still not even. Although, not nearly as much difference as that cheap Oster one I first bought.

I'm toasted out......I'm keeping it.......I'll get use to the uneven toasting. I'll just butter the one good side and I won't even look at the other side. Cause I really hate when things don't match up.

Now you would think that all these toaster companies could come up with a way to toast both sides evenly. I mean, how f*****g hard can that possibly be?????