Café Series TA9200

 

This toaster is part of Sunbeam?s Café Series, which aims to reflect the look and quality of products in a commercial kitchen. In this day and age, it sometimes feels like products are not built to last but this toaster certainly does a good job of doing this through its sleek, yet solid design.

On first impression the toaster seems a little bulky, particularly for small bench tops, but after some toasting its ease of use and solid functionality wins out. The toaster is quite heavy, but this ensures that it sits firmly on a bench top without the risk of it accidentally losing balance and toppling over. Its handles and levers also feel strong and dependable.

The solid aspect of this toaster?s design is not the only thing that seems built to last but also its elements, which not only have a five year guarantee, but are replaceable. The toaster itself also has a 12 month product replacement guarantee.

Performance

The toaster?s extra wide and deep slots ensure all types of breads are accommodated for. The slots are self centering to help evenly toast bread, no matter what thickness. There is also a high lift lever that allows the removal of small pieces of bread, crumpets and muffins without burning fingers. However, this is not labelled on the toaster, leaving it to be discovered during toasting – unless of course the manual is first read.

Once toast is cooked, it is slowly eased to the top of the toaster, ensuring no toast being accidentally flung though the air. Almost burnt toast is saved with the easy to locate cancel button.

For crumpet lovers there is a special setting that emits extra heat from the centre elements to cook the top of the crumpet without burning the bottom. This ensures an evenly toasted crumpet while leaving the middle deliciously soft and hot.

The six setting browning control dial is simple to work out. The handy frozen setting thaws frozen bread while toasting it at the same time to the desired colour, heat and consistency.

In terms of cleaning, the stainless steel finish does mark easily but dirty and grease easily wipes off with a damp cloth. The crumb tray is easily located at the front of the toaster and is simply opened with a small push. The cord is long enough for benchtop use and wraps neatly under the toaster for storage.

Although the manual is probably not needed, its instructions are very clear and easy to understand.

Conclusion

For a no fuss toaster that will last the distance, this model is the one to choose.

Reviewer: Trina Tune

Overall
Value for money
Ease of Use
Design
Reader Rating0 Votes
Solid, durable design, crumpet toasting feature, very easy to use
Middle can get quite hot during toasting, possibly bulk not good for compact bench tops
4.3