DO NOT BURN THE TOAST

DO NOT BURN THE TOAST

The toaster oven was an integral part of her life. Nary a day past when she didn’t make use of the appliance.

One day she was extolling the praises of this modern cooking marvel to her grandmother who told her that all these modern contraptions were okay, but could not hold a candle to the old-time appliances. Grandma particularly remembered a toaster from the 1920s.

These old contraptions were electric, consisting of a heating element enclosed in two wire frames to hold pieces of bread in place. The entire apparatus was mounted on a porcelain base. The gizmo posed a burn hazard to anyone charged with preparing breakfast. The toaster featured a spring-loaded door on each side that hinged down. When one side of the bread was toasted, the operator opened the sides and flipped each piece toward the heating element. There was no timer. It was strictly a feeling to see when one side was ready.

Typically, the toaster was placed on the breakfast table to make sure one diligent person would try to make sure the toast did not burn, which was quite usual.

These toasters were quite a luxury. Some cost up to $25.00 (over $300.00 in today’s prices).

Grandma fell in love with grandpa because of that toaster. Grandma’s sister was dating grandpa. Grandma, her sister and grandpa were having breakfast together. The toast started to burn. Grandma quickly opened one side and burned her hand. The boyfriend acted quickly, chopping a piece of ice from the top of the ice box, wrapping it in a napkin and placing it on grandma’s burnt fingers. It was love at first sight! From that moment on their love endured.

Of course, her sister, to this day, never forgave her.