# What does my toaster's "bagel" setting do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 17, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-my-toasters-bagel-setting-do/336086 "2005-12-17T19:37:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-my-toasters-bagel-setting-do/336086/1 "2005-12-17T19:37:25Z")
It has a button that you press after lowering the bagel into the toasting-area. What does this change? Need I press it when toasting my bagels? ---
**Author:** ![jdc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@jdc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdc)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-my-toasters-bagel-setting-do/336086/2 "2005-12-17T20:14:11Z")
You insert cut side toward center of toaster. On bagel setting, the outside elements are not as hot, so the cut side gets toasted but the outside just gets warmed. If you look at the top of the toaster on bagel setting, you’ll see the difference in the red glow of the elements. Also, there should be some kind of indication on the top of the toaster to show which side of the bagel points where. It will be about as clear as the embossed icon that shows you which way to put the envelope into your printer, or the icon that shows you the line vs phone connection on your modem card. ---
**Author:** ![girls\_shoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@girls\_shoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/girls_shoes)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-my-toasters-bagel-setting-do/336086/3 "2005-12-17T21:20:48Z")
I was going to say that. But now I have a new question. What does the snowflake button do? I know it’s for frozen bread, but what does the toaster do different? ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-my-toasters-bagel-setting-do/336086/4 "2005-12-18T04:02:54Z")
Wouldnt the heating elements also spread farther out? Bagels are wider that pieces of bread… no? ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-my-toasters-bagel-setting-do/336086/5 "2005-12-18T20:08:39Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > Wouldnt the heating elements also spread farther out? Bagels are wider that pieces of bread… no? Nope, the heating elements don’t move. Modern toaster have wider slots to accomodate things such as bagels and english muffins. Plus the wider distance between the heating elements has resulted in an increase in time to toast a regular slice of bread. My mother’s old Westinghouse toaster will toast 2 slices of bread in less than a minute, my modern Black and Decker wide slot takes almost twice as long to toast the same bread. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-my-toasters-bagel-setting-do/336086/6 "2005-12-18T20:33:54Z")
And to think, I imagined that little bagel indicator was the toaster-maker’s logo!