# One slice or two? Toaster question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400 "2020-08-30T22:44:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2020, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/62 "2020-09-06T03:47:34Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > The real question is, why do people buy “toasters” when “toaster ovens” cost about the same and do so much more. The real, real question is why “scare quotes” are necessary! In our tiny kitchen, we don’t have room for either and use the oven itself. It’s a terrible solution, but beats moving. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/63 "2021-08-05T12:11:42Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > It’s been decades since I toasted more than one slice of bread, one bagel half, etc. Sounds like you need a Toast-O-Lator, makes one slice of toast at a time, with a mechanism like a carwash to move the bread in one side and out the other. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lJYXz3uz8FM/maxresdefault.jpg "Toast O Lator Model g, Serial 1039, circa 1939") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJYXz3uz8FM) ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/64 "2021-08-05T12:28:40Z")
I have no idea why, but this makes me irrationally angry. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/65 "2021-08-05T12:52:39Z")
Watching that Toast-O-Lator has made me realise why you guys in the US have such different opinions on kitchen appliances to those of us in the UK. In a word - Voltage. All my appliances run at 220 volts, so my toaster will pop out a couple of perfectly browned slices in about the same time as it takes to get plates and take the butter etc out of the fridge. My fan-assisted electric oven heats up to 200C in around 8 minutes and the outside barely feels warm to the touch in use. Like many of you, I have limited counter space and consider appliances that need to be put in cupboards to be of limited use. So I have a gas hob, a small two-person rice steamer, a slow cooker, a small microwave cooker and a two-slice toaster. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/66 "2021-08-05T13:35:45Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > …my toaster will pop out a couple of perfectly browned slices in about the same time as it takes to get plates and take the butter etc out of the fridge. My fan-assisted electric oven heats up to 200C in around 8 minutes… That’s basically how long my 120 volt 4-slice toaster takes. It’s rated at 1,800 watts which is about the maximum allowed for a single kitchen appliance. Are toasters in 230 volt countries more than that? If not, then the voltage really doesn’t matter. More watts in the case of a toaster could just mean it burns the bread. Anyway, all built-in ovens and stovetops in the US are 240 (or 208) volt. Plug-in toaster ovens are going to be limited to the same 1,800-ish watts but is that really a big deal? I don’t see the relevance of voltage to the Toast-O-Lator video. Back to the OP, my toaster has stronger/hotter elements on the outsides than on the divider between slices, because the elements on the sides lose more heat to the exterior. With two slices of bread being toasted, if the middle elements were the same size they’d toast that side of the bread too much because the heat is “sandwiched” in. However, even though there is a metal shield between the toast slots, if one slot has no bread in it, then those middle elements lose heat to the empty slot, leading to under-toasting that side. So as they’re usually set up, you get even toasting with two slices, but a single slice is likely to be underdone on the side facing the empty slot. Where there’s a “one-slice” label that usually indicates where the temperature sensor is, so even if the toast is uneven it should still be consistent with your settings on side. Without a label, maybe there is no sensor and it’s just working on a timer alone? That would suggest if you toasted two more slices of bread right afterwards, they’d come out darker because the toaster still had a bunch of residual heat left in it, whereas a sensor would mitigate that. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/67 "2021-08-05T22:07:46Z")
> [@jjakucyk](#): > > It’s rated at 1,800 watts which is about the maximum allowed for a single kitchen appliance. Are toasters in 230 volt countries more than that? If not, then the voltage really doesn’t matter My toaster says 750 watts. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/68 "2021-08-05T22:28:30Z")
My toaster cost about $5 USD new. It toasts unevenly both with single slices and with both slots filled. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2021, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/69 "2021-08-06T02:58:14Z")
If I’m ever single again, I’ll go back to the toaster over. My lovely wife, however, likes a slot toaster, and who am I to stand between my beloved and her toast machine preferences? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2021, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/70 "2021-08-06T04:13:49Z")
So let me ask the obvious follow-on question here, which I don’t think anyone has mentioned yet – However many slices you toast at once, do you put the peanut butter, or tuna, or egg, or whatever on before you toast it or after? I just have this intuitive notion that you’d get different results one way or the other, but who really knows? (I was actually going to mention that **Cecil** already discussed the one-slice problem, albeit very perfunctorily, but I see that’s already been pointed out.) ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2021, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/71 "2021-08-06T15:02:33Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > do you put the peanut butter, or tuna, or egg, or whatever on before you toast it or after? This method seems to assume a toaster oven - I can’t imagine the mess caused by applying tuna salad to a slice (or two) of bread and then stuffing it into the slot of toaster. And even with a toaster oven, the side of the bread with the spread on it is not going to get toasted. I guess some might prefer that, but for me, I definitely toast prior to applying a spread. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/72 "2021-08-06T16:09:08Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > All my appliances run at 220 volts, so my toaster will pop out a couple of perfectly browned slices in about the same time as it takes to get plates and take the butter etc out of the fridge. My fan-assisted electric oven heats up to 200C in around 8 minutes and the outside barely feels warm to the touch in use. The hell with toast. You guys have 220 because it heats water for tea a hell a lot faster than our 110 heaters. I was amazed the first time I experienced water boiling at 220. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2021, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/73 "2021-08-06T17:05:32Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > sounds like a perfect question for an experiment. What make and brand? I will try the experiment with my toaster as well. Everyone in the Dope needs to contribute data to this important question! Please report back on your results. 🙂 Luckily, some experimentation has already been done & posted by noted ~~scientist~~ humor columnist [Dave Barry](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/magazine/1993/06/27/toaster-terror/b68eca0f-45b7-4d27-9f33-234423cb52d0/); yes, the same Dave Barry who did much to publicize the little know [Oregon Highway Dept whale removal division](https://www.theexplodingwhale.com/evidence/resources/dave-barry-article) ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2021, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/74 "2021-08-07T05:51:06Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > This method seems to assume a toaster oven - I can’t imagine the mess caused by applying tuna salad to a slice (or two) of bread and then stuffing it into the slot of toaster. Toaster bags. I think more common in Germany than in the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2021, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/75 "2021-08-07T12:00:40Z")
TIL about toaster bags. I think my average slice of bread is such that two wouldn’t fit into my toaster slot, but an interesting gadget. ---
**Author:** ![Remember\_me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/82dd89/32.png) [@Remember\_me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Remember_me)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2021, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/76 "2021-08-08T13:17:37Z")
German here: Never heard of toaster bags. I don’t think they are “a thing” over here. ---
**Author:** ![mundylion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundylion/32/3604_2.png) [@mundylion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mundylion)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2021, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/77 "2021-08-17T22:40:57Z")
I’ve bought toaster bags. My son and I both used them for leftover pizza. Really works well. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/78 "2021-09-18T18:55:08Z")
> [@Vesicant](#): > > What happens if I don’t put my one slice of bread in the toaster’s ONE SLICE… Yep. Microwaves won’t melt the plastic but a toaster oven will. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/79 "2021-09-18T18:56:45Z")
Microwaves don’t heat up. They vibrate the water molecules of the contents until they steam. A toaster oven actually applies heat to the contents. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400/80 "2021-09-18T19:00:57Z")
Those instructions were on dinners intended to be heated in an oven, often with a foil tray. The instructions would not include any microwave option and would say something like, _Preheat oven to 375. Heat for 45 minutes. Do not use toaster oven._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-slice-or-two-toaster-question/919400.md?page=3)