Engineered in England and hand-assembled to the last detail, the Dualit 2-slice toaster is that ideal accomplishment--a hardworking kitchen appliance with an elegant presence. Its square-yet-curvy retro shape is undeniably handsome and its structural components withstand the rigors of a high-octane kitchen. In fact, the toaster can output up to 65 slices per hour, should the entire apartment building ever depend on you for breakfast or tea.
The key to Dualit's exceptionally even browning is the toaster's system of patented ProHeat elements, a series of flat bars behind a smooth, transparent coating. The result is an efficient, durable design, suitable for everything from brioche to sandwiches. The elements are encased by a rugged, stainless-steel housing that you may not even recognize as a relative of its lightweight, plasticky peers. Each slot measures 28 mm wide and is extra deep to allow for the use of the Dualit sandwich cage (sold separately). One adjustable leg accommodates uneven surfaces and rubberized feet protect your countertop.
The Dualit toaster has manually operated functions and is designed for people who like to engage with their appliances. Operation is simple but rewarding. A rocker switch selects 1- or 2-slice toasting, and a 4-minute timer knob lets you fine-tune browning time. Instead of a pop-up function that can prematurely cool toast, the unit comes with an ejector knob that you raise when you're ready for it. For bigger households or busy kitchens, the company also makes 3- and 4-slice models. All Dualit toasters come with a one-year warranty.
--Emily Bedard
Customer Reviews
My husband is very very picky about his toast. I can honestly say that we went through more than 10 toasters of various prices - high and low - half of them made unacceptable toast - and half of them broke while making unacceptable toast - and then we found the Dualit. This was about 5 years ago - in a true panic, I thought I would just go out and buy the most expensive toaster there was - and found this one at williams-sonoma. Sticker shock, but I've recommended it since, to everyone who toasts. And it has made perfect toast since the day we bought it. It's great - it is really easy to clean. There is no relying on electronics to decide how toasted the bread is - you figure it out and you know forever - about 2 minutes for a piece of toast for wheat bread from the fridge into cold toaster - if second round of toast and toaster is hot, cut it by 25%. The little ticking sound while it's fixing your perfect toast is nice to keep you remembering that you have toast - and when the ticking stops (no cha-ching), you know you are ready. I have zero regrets and hundreds of absolutely perfect toasting experiences. And we paid full price - this was before amazon got into this market. Dualit is the best toaster in the world -and me? - I am the toaster queen.
