History of Bread Toaster
Toasting bread began as a method of prolonging the life of bread. The
word comes from a Latin word tostum, meaning scorching or burning. The
first electric bread toaster was made by Crompton and Co. in Great
Britain in 1893. It was further reinvented with added features in 1909
in United States. This particular toaster required manual work because
it only toasted one side of the bread and the for toasting the other
side the bread had to be turned manually.
Later in 1919, Charles Strite invented the present day pop up toaster.
Charles was frustrated of the burned toast served in the cafeteria of
his workplace and so he was determined to find a way of toasting bread
and he invented pop up toaster with variable timer.
Working of Bread Toaster
- Toasting consist of reducing the bread's water content.
- Toaster works by applying radiant heat directly to a bread slice.
- When the bread's surface temperature reaches about 310 degrees
Faranheit, Maillard reaction begins. It is a
browning reaction caused by external heat wherein a sugar and an
amino acid form a complex.
- Sugar and starches start to caramelize. Caramelization
process is a chemical reaction in which the complex starch molecules
break apart into simpler sugar molecules upon heating. This gives a
sweet taste to the bread.
- The bread turns brown and takes on intense flavor.
Advantages of Bread Toaster
- Quick and easy to use
- Versatile
- Cheap
- Works well with different types of breads
- Automatically pops up the bread when it is toasted
