If you are looking for black kitchen appliances, then I have some good news for you:  they shouldn’t be too hard to find.  Along with white and silver, black is one of the top three most common colors for kitchen appliances.  Whether you are looking for a toaster, a microwave, or even a set of black cutlery, with a little searching you should be able to track it down.  Let’s take a look at the most common black appliances in the kitchen.

Starting with the most commonly used items, we have the coffee maker.  This is one black kitchen appliance that isn’t very hard to find at all.  Whether you are looking for a simple and inexpensive model, a single cup coffee maker, or a fancy espresso and cappuccino machine, nearly every manufacturer makes the same units in black, white, and sometimes silver.

After the coffee machine, other kitchen must-haves are a toaster, a blender, a microwave, a bar fridge, and a food processor.  All of these appliances come in black as well. Some of the better companies that produce this kitchen stuff are Oster, Kitchenaid, Hamilton Beach, and of course Black & Decker.  Black and Decker kitchen appliances run the gamut, and are of course a fine choice, as their name suggests.

Why Choose Black Kitchen Appliances?
Alright, so you know that you can get appliances in this color, but you might be wondering if it is a good thing to fill your kitchen up with dark things.  The answer really depends on the overall design of your kitchen.  Black looks good when it is contrasted against other colors.  For kitchens, many people choose white or stainless steel (silver) for their large appliances like refrigerators and range ovens.

That said, the color of your countertop and kitchen cabinets will have a large effect on whether a kitchen with black appliances will look good.  The vast majority of cabinets are made from wood, and those that aren’t are usually made from stainless steel.  What this means is that it is usually fine to choose black appliances, since they will go well with either a natural wood color or stainless steel.  One last thing to consider is that your kitchen will look better if you have consistent appliance colors.  If you get them in different colors, your countertop will look a bit jumbled.  It is usually best to just pick either black or white, and then stick to choosing items of that color.

Tags: Appliances, Blenders, Coffee Machines, Toasters by Jeffrey
No Comments »

When you need a new toaster, you generally don’t have that many color choices.  White, black, and silver are very easy to find, but looking for a different color can be quite a challenge.  Fortunately, there are a few good toaster choices that come in the color red.  Here are some of the top red toasters that are available today.

The 2 slice Red Toaster

These are your basic drop-in-the-bread toasters, and there are a few companies that produce these small appliances.  The first one we’ll look at is a red Kitchenaid toaster.  Kitchenaid actually makes the same toaster in 4 different colors, which includes red.  It has a warm function for when you want to defrost a frozen bagel or slice of bread.  It is also extra wide, so it can handle even the thickest bagels.
The Oster red toaster is a fine example of toaster craftsmanship.  While other models seem to only give you the compulsory basic features, the Oster 6307 Inspire offers a lot more.  It has red LED display lights, 5 buttons for different uses:  frozen, bagel, warm, toast, and cancel.  The folks at Oster are even nice enough to toss in a free cookbook!  For $34, it seems like a good buy.  Oster also makes a cheap red toaster under the Sunbeam name that costs only $17.99.
If you are looking for an appliance fit for the most discerning toast connoisseur, take a look at the Dualit red toaster.  Dualit is a company known for its craftsmanship and style, and their red toaster holds up to these high standards.  It is actually quite simple in design, and features a contrasting red and stainless steel exterior.  In addition, Dualit is known for its classic retro red toaster design.
If you are looking for a red 4 slice toaster, a few appliance makers churn out these as well. A great choice is the red Kitchen Aid toaster.  They make a high-quality model that has an all-metal exterior with red sides and stainless steel center.

Red Toaster Ovens

Toasters and toaster ovens are two entirely different beasts.  While toasters are quick and fast for simple bread-browning, toaster ovens can accomplish a number of other tasks that a drop-in toaster can only dream of.  Oster makes a great red toaster oven.  This 6 slice toaster oven is big enough to fit a 12 inch pizza inside, which makes it great for heating up leftovers.  While some toaster ovens only have a on/off switch, the Oster 6295 has full temperature control that lets you adjust the time and heat, depending on what you are heating.

Other Red Kitchen Products

Some people are always on the lookout for red kitchen accessories.  At least this is a color that you can easily find usually, whether you are looking for a bar fridge or a microwave oven.  Many people scour both the internet and stores for the elusive pink microwave, but it is very hard to find.

Tags: Appliances, Toasters by Jeffrey
1 Comment »

When it comes to toasters, there are three basic model designs that you can choose from. The first is the toaster oven, which has a door that opens, and is like tiny oven.  The second kind is a side by side slot toaster, where you just drop the bread in the slots.  The third design is the single slot toaster.  Instead of having two different slots, it only has one long one.  There are many different toasters to choose from, but most of them feature the side by side style.

If you are looking for a toaster that is only big enough for one single slice of bread, you’ll have a very hard time finding one.  I have only seen 2, 4, or 6 slice toasters.  As for single slot toasters, nearly all of them can toast 2 slices. Having a single slot, you put the toast end to end in there.  The reason why they don’t make many 4 slice single slot toasters is because the appliance would be very long.  In fact, it would have to be almost 2 feet long to be able to put 4 slices of bread lengthwise in a single slot!  These little toasters are perfect for smaller kitchens in homes or offices that don’t have much counter space.  They fit right in with other small appliances such as a bar fridge or mini microwave.

If you like the single long slot toaster style, and you need to be able to brown 4 slices, you can get one that is called a tandem toaster.  Cuisinart makes what it calls a tandem 4 slice toaster.  The slots are wide enough to toast a bagel, and you have the option of only turning one side on if you want.  This saves electricity because you only use one side if you are toasting 2 pieces of bread.  It also features an extra lift lever that comes in handy when removing small pieces of bread.  This way, you don’t need to go fishing in the hot toaster hole for your piece of bread!!

Tags: Appliances, Toasters by Jeffrey
No Comments »

If you are looking for a fun way to serve kids food, the Disney toaster is for you.  It is a wonderful invention that can help even the pickiest eater smile for food.  Believe it or not, you have a few choices when it comes to Disney toasters.  Here is the rundown of Disney Toasters.

First, we have the Pop Art Disney Mickey Toaster.  The toaster itself looks normal with its red color.  How it works is you drop a metal stencil art plate into the slots, and it will brown the design into the slice of bread.  It comes with four different plates, so your kid can choose between Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, or Donald Duck.  The exterior is cool-touch, which is important if junior wants to do it by him/herself.

The second appliance to enter the Disney toasting market is the Pop Art Disney Princess Toaster.  Made by the same manufacturer as the Mickey toaster mentioned above, the princess toaster works the same way.   This toaster comes with plates that brand the slices of bread with designs like a crown, a heart, a glass slipper, and a castle.  Just drop the plate in, and the bread comes out with the chosen design on it.

Finally, we have the Disney Cinderella toaster.  This one is made by Villaware.  The toaster itself has a picture of Cinderella on the front of it, but it only prints a glass slipper on the bread itself.  The two other Disney toasters are probably a better choice, since you can mix up the designs.  If you have both boys and girls in your family, you might consider getting both.  Girls will like Minnie, and boys will eat a castle-imprinted slice of toast.    There is even a Disney Toaster movie.  It is called The Brave Little Toaster, made in 2003, and featuring the voices of Jon Lovitz and Timothy Stack.  You can find it here.

Tags: Appliances, Toasters by Jeffrey
No Comments »

These days, appliance manufacturers seem to be combining and integrating all kinds of things.  There are integrated dishwashers integrated refrigerators, and machines that first grind, then brew any type of coffee beverage you might want.  The latest gadget to hit the kitchen counter is the toaster kettle.

While kettles and toasters have been around for as long as anybody can remember, this is the first time they have been fused into one appliance.  Actually, they just fit together nice and snug.  A company called Breville makes this nifty apparatus.  The kettle is electrical and boils water quickly and safely, shutting itself off if there it runs out of water.

While the kettle is actually pretty simple, the toaster packs in a few more features that make its high price tag tempting.  It is self-centering and has electronic controls, which make it pretty high tech as far as toasters go.  In addition, it features a button called “just a bit more”, for those all too frequent occasions when one push-down isn’t enough, but two will blacken your toast.  Both the kettle & toaster are constructed out of brushed stainless steel, so they can fit nicely into your integrated kitchen.
Although toaster kettles most likely won’t make it into every kitchen, they do have their place.  In kitchens that don’t have a lot of counter space, they do their part to conserve space.  If you have even a few more inches of room, you should consider getting these appliances separate.  The Kenwood kettle toaster system gives you sleek and snazzy looking appliances that perfectly match one another, but aren’t attached.

Tags: Appliances, Toasters by Jeffrey
No Comments »