2

Every toaster I've owned seems to "leak" crumbs from the bottom, requiring constant clean up. You could put it into a tray of some sort but unless you 3D-print one, its hard to find a tray that exactly fits it. Is there a magic keyword of some sort that would let me find a toaster that doesn't have any holes at the bottom?

JonathanReez
  • 189
  • 1
  • 8
  • How do you intend to get out the crumbs from the toaster when it is closed on the bottom? – rumtscho Jun 21 '21 at 06:53
  • 1
    @rumtscho turn the toaster upside down? That's what I have to do anyway as not all crumbs successfully leave from the botton. – JonathanReez Jun 21 '21 at 06:54
  • 3
    First, there will be fewer crumbs coming out that way, more of them getting stuck and not falling out. Second, you will be tempted to leave it some time alone before cleaning it. Third, the space will be enclosed, and not cooled by air, while all these combustible crumbs accumulate in the bottom. The open bottom sounds like a safety feature. – rumtscho Jun 21 '21 at 07:05
  • @rumtscho not a concern in my case as I'm always present when I'm using the toaster (are some people not present? are Wifi toasters a thing?). If something starts to burn, I'll see it immediately. I have a much more dangerous gas-powered oven right next to it :-) – JonathanReez Jun 21 '21 at 07:35
  • @rumtscho as for crumbs getting stuck... unfortunately my current toaster is impossible to fully clean out unless I take the time to disassemble it. So there's quiet a few crumbs there from toast I made *years* ago. – JonathanReez Jun 21 '21 at 07:37
  • 3
    How do you find one - you go into a big electrical retailer & look underneath every model until you find one. It's not the kind of thing that's going to feature heavily in their product advertising. – Tetsujin Jun 21 '21 at 09:43

2 Answers2

4

Many toasters have removable crumb trays, where crumbs collect instead of falling out the bottom. You then empty the tray once a week or so.

Not all such trays are equally effective, so I suggest using your usual sources of reviews to find the ones which are (Amazon, Consumer Reports, etc.)

picture of toaster with tray full of crumbs sliding out

FuzzyChef
  • 58,085
  • 18
  • 142
  • 218
4

You could put it into a tray of some sort but unless you 3D-print one, its hard to find a tray that exactly fits it.

Finding a tray that fits is possible with a bit of smart shopping or DIY.

One way to find an tray that exactly fits under your toaster is to trace around your toaster on a piece of paper and cut out the tracing to bring with you to the store. Go to a flea market or large secondhand store (eg, in the US, find a larger branch of Salvation Army or Goodwill). The advantage of shopping secondhand is they'll have a hodgepodge of different sizes and shapes, including sizes and shapes that are no longer widely sold new. Plus it'll be cheap. Alternatively, you can try shopping at yard sales, but you'll probably have to visit more than one to find the right pan.

If you're up for a little DIY, get one of those cheap aluminum foil pans that are meant to be single-use, like the kind you would use to make lasagna to take to a potluck. Get the size closest to your toaster's size. Use pliers and tin snips or an old pair of scissors to reshape the pan to exactly the right size. If you cut the metal, make sure you leave enough extra so you can fold over the cut edge so you won't cut yourself on it.

csk
  • 3,118
  • 8
  • 16