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 | Blogs > CB_2 > I admit, I like to be spanked > French kitchen appliances! |
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CB_2
8/5/2008 4:53 amLast Read: |
I need to vent about this! The French, right, have lots of lovely little gadgets for their kitchens - bean grinders, espresso makers etc. But they traditionally have no use for kettles or toasters. It's only in the last 10 years or so that I've even seen either of these products commercially available, and toasters really only in the last 3- 4 years. To be fair, they now seem to have grasped the kettle idea fairly well. But they haven't quite got to grips with what toasters, in particular, are supposed to do. Rather than bring a toaster from the UK, I decided to buy one over here. Firstly, because of the lack of choice, they are hideously expensive. Secondly, and I don't see how else I can put this, they are shit. My toaster is round, to start with. I googled round toasters, and even after 20 pages of images by this brand, I couldn't find a pic. So the one attached gives you only an idea. Mine is much fatter and not as tall. Put it this way, it takes up a fuck of a lot of space on the worktop. Update: Now found a pic of the right product, so I've updated the pic to this post. Despite being the size of a small spaceship and having three slots, the slots take only tiny slices of bread. Three mouthfuls and your slice is finished. But that's ok, because the French sliced bread that now exists is also tiny. (It's also sweet, but that's a different subject entirely - it's like eating candy). But the thing about this toaster which really really pisses me off is that it doesn't toast. At least, not in any sense that you or I would understand. It vaguely warms and dries out the edge of the bread. And that is on the top setting (6 ). I can't begin to imagine what difference it must do on setting 1. Sigh. I keep trying to remind myself I should bring out a decent toaster from the UK. I can't survive on this much longer. I need a toaster that belches out black smoke while it reduces my toast to a crisp. At least, then, it is toast, and not just bread that tastes like it has been left on the window sill for too long. Blogito ergo sum. |
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8/5/2008 6:02 am |
uhuh really don't think i could survive without a toaster. i don't use it every day, but hot buttered toast and marlade on toast are among my favourite things.  REVOLTING
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 8/5/2008 6:30 am |
Heheheh give me the address and I'll ship one out for you .. hehehe
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8/5/2008 8:34 am |
I'm fairly certain that dial that sets the level doesn't even do anything ...I think they just put them there to make us feel like we have some level of control over how burnt it gets!
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8/5/2008 9:12 am |
Here in the US we have mostly abandoned the kettle for the microwave. Microwaves have a single button beverage setting. Toasters vary a lot here too. For a while the "toaster oven" was popular as you can even heat up a while mini pizza in them. But it is large and takes up a lot of space on the counter. The bread problem sounds like the biggest problem you face though. As bread is typically something you can only get fresh locally and regularily. I do put bread in the deep freeze to keep it for longer then a few days so I dont have to run out and pick it up as often. Perhaps you too can bring some in from home and store it? We even have these wonky lil machines called bread makers, thats you pour ingrediants in, and it mixes, kneads, rises and bakes the bread. I havent used mine in a few years, but it used to be nice to wake up to the smell of fresh bread. ( You can even put it on a timer). - Arti -  rtimus Bard of Norcal
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 8/5/2008 12:05 pm |
Sigh...you are all making me very hungry...for toast. Alas, I have none of the above, either bread ot a toaster. Being a single person, I rarely buy a loaf, so don't need a toaster. So, bread is only eaten when I am babysitting.    Take off your clothes and visit me in the Red Room. All friends are welcome
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8/5/2008 12:51 pm |
There are serious problems in both France and Spain. Neither nation really understands the concept of the sandwich loaf - their equivalents are very very sweet. And neither nation really understands toast. To be sure, you get French toast in France - but that is namby-pamby-sized bits of once toasted bread. In Spain, even the croissant gets short shrift by being disgustingly sweet. However, you do get bread and bizarrely inefficient toasters. Spanish people will be content with passing their bread through such a toaster once. I have to pass it through three times to get the requisite degree of toastedness - to amazed looks from Spanish fellow hotel guests. Theu like it par-grilled, so they can brush it with tomato paste.... Need I say more?
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8/5/2008 12:57 pm |
Ahhhhh CB the answer is to flick the switch down twice or even 3 times until the sweet little squares of pretend bread turn brown. I empathise as I miss Warburtons & Mothers Pride sooooooooooooo much. I have brought bread over from the UK and frozen it and it toasts very well... mmmm yummy all those preservatives  Ohhh and I found english bread at Ocean hypermarket in Beziers but it's such a pain to go there just for bread.
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8/5/2008 4:20 pm |
"Here in the US we have mostly abandoned the kettle for the microwave. Microwaves have a single button beverage setting." But how could you make tea??? The water would be cold before you could get it to the teapot! B&R xxx  
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8/5/2008 4:52 pm |
By the way... I found quite a good flour in the Pas De Calais. From Le Moulin "La Tourelle". Makes quite good white bread. I've never found anything remotely like wholemeal. B&R xxx
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8/5/2008 6:49 pm |
I've had experience with the non toasting toaster. A while back I had roommates who had a perfectly normal looking toaster on the kitchen counter. So on my second weekend living there I decided to have a couple of frozen waffles for breakfast (actually I wanted lots of melted butter and maple syrup for breakfast and I needed something to put them on). Anyway, I slipped two waffles into the toaster and set the thermostat to 2 (out of 6) because I didn't know how well this thing worked and I didn't want to burn my waffles. After a surprisingly long period of time and an almost wheezing noise, my waffles popped up. There was just one problem. they weren't done. Hell the ice had barely started to melt. "Maybe it just needed to warm up," I muttered to myself as I put the waffles back in the toaster. There was more wheezing and and after another surprisingly long period of time. The waffles popped up again. And in a stinging refute to the laws of thermodynamics, they were not any more cooked then when I put them in. Ok, 2 wasn't getting the job done. In fact 2 was pretty f@*&king worthless, and in fact someone at the factory should have manned up and just put "off" where 2 was on the thermostat. I set the toaster to 4 and gave it another try. There was an even longer period of time and louder wheezing which got me to wondering if it's possible for an electric appliance to have asthma. About half way through this cooking period I began to wonder if I'd over reacted and was going to end up with two little smoldering nuggets instead of waffles, but when the waffles popped back up I received firm evidence that I worry way too much. My waffles were not burnt. I think the fact that they were still cool to the touch had a lot to do with that. At this point my waffles may not been hot, but there was steam shooting out of my ears. I cranked the toaster all the way up to 6 and put the waffles back in for the fourth time. the wheezing went on for what seemed like forever, but finally my waffles were done. Do you know what waffles should be when they are done? They should be crispy, golden brown and it goes with out saying, hot. The two waffles starring me in the face, were to use a term I heard in the South while in the army, "as limp and wilted as your grandpa's pecker." At this point I'd been cooking my frozen waffles for about a half hour and used a very technical term usually only used by professional chefs. "aw F@#*k it," I muttered and put the waffles on a plate. What? What's the point of this story? Point? There is no point. However, if your over has a broiler, you might use that for toast. You just really have to watch the bread like a hawk to keep it from burning.
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8/6/2008 2:28 am |
Hi M, I've stuck up a couple of pics of excellent toaster designs on my blog. If you'd like to pop over some time... B&R xxx
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8/6/2008 7:32 am |
Does your oven not have a grill? Okay it will only toast one side at a time but at least you will toast it.
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8/6/2008 10:34 am |
"And instead of believing my niece when she read out the model number of my toaster, I've now read it myself, and googled it - so the pic is of my toaster now. Fat, eh?" Quite obese... B&R xxx
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8/6/2008 4:00 pm |
I watched in dropped-jaw horror as an amazingly cute Spanish lady brushed her inadequately toasted bread with tomato paste at breakfast one day....
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8/6/2008 4:20 pm |
not at all - a glass of patxaran plus beating my daughter in 2 frames of pool...that is triumph!
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8/6/2008 7:14 pm |
"You see. Even when you comment on my blog, you capture the essence of the story better than I do" Oh come on, you're the one who came up with the good subject for a post, all I did was bore people with yet another in a long string unfortunate waffle incidents from my life. 
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8/6/2008 9:32 pm |
My, that looks like it was designed for form, instead of functionality. My roommate has a toaster that I swear is possessed by Satan. Throw something in that is supposed to be toasted on low and you have to use medium. Throw something in that should be toasted on medium and you'd better use low if you don't want black and charred. But the thing is so old that no matter what the setting, it takes five minutes. Literally. That is, when the button decides to stay down. It's possessed, I'm telling you.
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8/8/2008 4:15 pm |
CB_2 replies on 8/6/2008 11:29 pm: Yes, Beziers is a bit of a treck from the Sarthe! I've not heard of Ocean supermarket before - you don't mean Auchan, do you? Whoops YES  sorry.. I blame it on the wine... hic! Thanks for the welcome...
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