Good-bye Little Toaster

Alas, my 'little toaster that could' died on us this morning.

I bought this very generic toaster at Rite-Aid soon after I moved into my Belltown apartment in Seattle, 10.5 year ago. I was probably $10, at most. It's out-lasted our Cuisineart coffee maker, our DeLongi espresso machine, and our toaster oven. Well, we just got rid of that last one, but it was in working condition. And, it even had the consideration to putz out on us with no fuss. There wasn't a scary "POP!" sound, or any sparks, or smoke, or anything. It just simply didn't turn on when we plugged it in and pressed down this morning. Luckily, our bagels were still fresh, so the toasting was just a bonus. The kids didn't even notice the difference.

We are now in the market for a new toaster. Funny thing is, I gave it no thought when I bought that one. It was the cheapest one, I was poor, and I had no expectations of it lasting more than a year or so. Now, I don't know what to get! I'm pickier, too. Sheesh.

I was at Target this morning looking at toasters, and I've narrowed it down to two choices: A Black and Decker 4-slice machine, with large slots for bagels, or an Oaster 2-slice, with extra long slots, that can also accommodate bagels. Both the same price. I'm leaning towards the latter, cuz it's sleeker looking. Stay tuned!