# Mom lied? Death by Toaster...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 20, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752 "2007-03-20T19:10:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/1 "2007-03-20T19:10:40Z")
Okay. Last night, my husband was trying to remove a piece of toast from the toaster (still plugged in) with…A KNIFE!
Me (violently pushing his hand away.): Jesus! Are you crazy?!
Him: I was just poking at it. I wasn’t touching the metal part.
Me: Are you crazy?!
Him: This, from a woman who sticks her hand in the garbage disposal to retrieve something!
Me: The garbage disposal is turned OFF. There is no way it can turn itself on!
Him: The toaster is off, too!
Me: Whaaa?
Did my Mom lie to me all of these years about how I could get electrocuted by sticking a metal utensil into the toast slot of a plugged-in toaster. Were she and I urban-legended?
Also, I just can NOT believe that my hand is in any danger from a garbage disposal that is turned off.
Set us straight, Dopers!
Thanks!
---
### Author:  [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/2 "2007-03-20T19:22:38Z")
Depending on how your house and the toaster are wired, the fact that it’s ‘off’ is meaningless. Unplug your toaster always before you dicker with the inside.
I have no opinion on disposal units, other than they scare me no matter what state they’re in.
---
### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/3 "2007-03-20T19:28:38Z")
[The Master speaks …](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtoaster.html) (well, actually it’s Q.E.D.)
As for garbage disposals, what is your hand worth to you?
---
### Author:  [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/4 "2007-03-20T19:29:25Z")
Do not try this at home, etc, but I have touched the heating elements of a running toaster with a knife and was not shocked. However, the filament is quite fragile and the toaster was ruined.
I guess the point here is that there’s more than one reason not to stick a knife in there!
---
### Author:  [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/5 "2007-03-20T19:36:38Z")
```auto
Switch: __/__
Hot ----------:/ ___________
Neutral ------: ______ Element|
Neutral --:/ ___________
Hot ------: ______ Element|
Neutral --:/ ___________
Hot ------:/ ____ Element|
```
As you can clearly see in my awesome diagram above, (right?) some toasters are safer than others. (Toaster 2 is just Toaster 1 with the plug flipped, or the house mis-wired, or whatever). On preview, the situation in paragraph 2 of that link.
The top two toasters are both ‘off’, but if you touch an element in the 2nd toaster, you get electrocuted anyway.
IIRC, the last toaster I took apart avoided the issue as in diagram 3, so that it doesn’t matter how you plug in the toaster, none of the elements are ever ‘hot’ when ‘off’. (Though I still unplug mine before jamming the toaster in it).
---
### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/6 "2007-03-20T19:50:15Z")
[QUOTE=Nanoda]
(Though I still unplug mine before jamming the toaster in it).
[/QUOTE]
:dubious:
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### Author:  [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/7 "2007-03-20T21:24:36Z")
[QUOTE=Nanoda]
The top two toasters are both ‘off’, but if you touch an element in the 2nd toaster, you get electrocuted anyway.
[/QUOTE]
Not quite – to be electrocuted, there has to be an electrical path, with your body making up part of that path.
Touching the ‘live’ element only matters if some other part of your body is touching the neutral or a grounded line. Then the electricity will indeed flow thru your body.
But it’s possible for this to happen: poking around inside the toaster with a knife in one hand, and using the other hand to hold the metal body of the toaster, which is probably grounded – the electricity flows up the knife, thru one arm, across your chest (and heart) and down the other arm. Or you’re standing on a damp kitchen floor, or leaning against a sink with grounded water pipes, or leaning against a dishwasher, refrigerator, or stove; all of which are likely to be grounded. In fact, the kitchen is just full of very good electrical ground points.
Personally, I’ve never known anyone to have gotten shocked from doing this. But I know of 3 people who have wrecked their toaster poking around inside it.
---
### Author:  [@charizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/charizard)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/8 "2007-03-20T21:34:13Z")
A key element (har!) of the situation is that usually when one is poking a knife into the toaster, it’s to clear a piece of toast that’s gotten jammed and won’t pop up.
Under this situation, you need to assume that the lever is far enough down to turn the toaster, or at least far enough down that a slight jiggle can trip the on switch.
---
### Author:  [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/9 "2007-03-20T21:37:54Z")
Well, I’ve been known to CAREFULLY remove toast with a metal utensil if that’s all I had handy. I don’t poke said utensil into the elements, though. I make sure the toaster is off and barely stick the knife/fork in enough to snag the toast.
As far as sticking your hand into the disposal: :eek: GRRRRAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHURGGGGGGG! :eek: Which is my response when my partners do that. Then I have to leave the room before something bad happens and the switch gets accidentally flipped and the disposal eats them. Haven’t any of y’all read any Stephen King?
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### Author:  [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/10 "2007-03-20T21:41:03Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P]
:dubious:
[/QUOTE]
I’m jamming a fork in _you_ once I’m done with this toaster here. 😛
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### Author:  [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/11 "2007-03-20T23:10:05Z")
[QUOTE=Hazle Weatherfield]
Also, I just can NOT believe that my hand is in any danger from a garbage disposal that is turned off.
[/QUOTE]
What if the cat jumps up on the counter and flips the switch? Personally, I unplug the damn thing.
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### Author:  [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/12 "2007-03-20T23:41:36Z")
That’s what long bamboo skewers were made for, spearing a piece of stuck toast and winkling it out of the toaster. That and poking steamed artichokes and taters to see if they’re done.
The wooden skewer doesn’t conduct electricity, right? ::crosses fingers::
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### Author:  [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2007, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/13 "2007-03-20T23:54:12Z")
My rule is not to mess with any electrical device that isn’t unplugged it if can be. It it can’t be unplugged I make sure it is turned off, tag or tape over the switch and tell everyone around to stay the hell way from it.
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### Author:  [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2007, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/14 "2007-03-21T00:36:42Z")
Those old metal toasters coould be electricaly hot on the outside metal if a wiring problem occured, so you could get shocked just touching the outside. New toasters and apliances in general are much safer today due to the stricter electrical codes. Many have double insulated construction, and all outlets near water have GFI outlets, which would include the kitchen.
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### Author:  [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/15 "2007-03-21T00:49:01Z")
We keep a pair of bamboo tongs next to the toaster for this very purpose. (The plug is a pain to get at.) I don’t want to find out that this isn’t an urban legend the hard way.
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### Author:  [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2007, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/16 "2007-03-21T02:22:09Z")
Regarding the garbage disposal:
I posted this from another thread about fears
> [@](#):
>
> The garbage disposal.
>
> I swear to the almighty that I could turn off the switch, open the breaker, shut power to the house, the block, my town, or the entire frakking power grid on the East Coast, and it will STILL turn on and grind my fingers into handburger as soon as I stick my hand down through those slimy plastic teeth.
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### Author:  [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2007, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/17 "2007-03-21T02:47:46Z")
[QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net]
the metal body of the toaster, which is probably grounded
[/QUOTE]
Almost all appliances w/ metal chassis have a grounded chassis. The only exception I can think of is a toaster… the body of a toaster w/ metal body is usually _not_ grounded.
Now I know what you’re thinking: “That’s not very smart. If there’s a ground fault within the toaster, a person could get electrocuted.” This is true. But while grounding the body of a toaster decreases the risk of getting electrocuted due to an internal ground fault, it \*increases \* the risk of someone getting electrocuted by sticking a knife in the slot when the toaster is on. The safety experts determined that the latter is more likely to happen vs. the former, hence the body of a toaster w/ metal body is usually not grounded.
---
### Author:  [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2007, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/18 "2007-03-21T06:51:57Z")
[QUOTE=labtrash]
Regarding the garbage disposal:
I swear to the almighty that I could turn off the switch, open the breaker, shut power to the house, the block, my town, or the entire frakking power grid on the East Coast, and it will STILL turn on and grind my fingers into handburger as soon as I stick my hand down through those slimy plastic teeth.
[/QUOTE]
Do not, under any circumstances, watch the episode of _Supernatural_ from season one entitled “Home”. A house begins acting strangely, and Sam and Dean have to overcome their own personal fears to investigate it. One of the hapless redshirt characters is a maintenance man called by the damsel-of-the-week.
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### Author:  [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2007, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/20 "2007-03-21T12:16:38Z")
[QUOTE=HaktoPlasm]
A few months back I had the stupid urge to stick my hand in the toaster to see if I could pull it out before it became really hot. The heat was the last of my worries. I shocked myself something awful. I am just thankful the lever didn’t lock down. Alcohol was involved.
[/QUOTE]
So your head is small enough to actualy fit in a toaster.
I flip the toaster up side down if the bread is too short. The bonus is all the crumbs fall out too. Would you like sprinkles on those eggs? Bring them over.
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### Author:  [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2007, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mom-lied-death-by-toaster/396752/22 "2007-03-21T13:07:03Z")
[QUOTE=Crafter\_Man]
Almost all appliances w/ metal chassis have a grounded chassis. The only exception I can think of is a toaster… the body of a toaster w/ metal body is usually _not_ grounded.
Now I know what you’re thinking:
[/QUOTE]
“Did he toast two slices or only one? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I kind of lost track myself. But being as this is a DeLonghi RT200 Retro 2 Slice Toaster, the most powerful toaster in the world, and would blow your hand clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself a question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”
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