Our not so old toaster at Bryn Brooke had turned into a scary, inefficient beast. Bread slices wouldn’t stay down in half its four slots, and it demanded considerable coaxing for the other two. Multiple attempts were necessary to convert pale bread to an appetizing brown. Unless the toaster charred the poor bread out of spite. When the infernal machine started sparking and smoking, we showed it the door.
So, off to our favorite local appliance store, Advantage Maytag in Oneonta, NY. One of the Johns (is seems that everyone who works there is named “John”) could surely meet our need of a quality, reliable, American made toaster.
Hahahahahahaha.
Apparently, we were seeking an extinct species. We’ve bought a number of appliances (all made in America) from the Johns over the years, but even they couldn’t help in the toaster search. Almost all toasters are made and assembled overseas, primarily in China. Based on my anecdotal research, they have the quality of a Crackerjack prize and a planned obsolescence of about a dozen BLTs.
In a Googling frenzy I succeeded in finding an American made toaster. One, lone American made toaster. The Holman is made in Tennessee and offered by Star Manufacturing of St. Louis. Since it’s a commercial toaster, I expected a heftier price. Restaurant quality equipment usually costs more because the base components are better grade, they meet NSF standards, and they’re workhorses. After a few calls to restaurant supply houses in Syracuse and Utica, Flihan’s (Bleeker Street, Utica) offered the best price going at (gulp!) $428, plus shipping. Flihan’s is well respected and worth a trip for top quality kitchen equipment. Forget the frills and the designer colors; buy kitchen tools for real use. Plus, Flihan’s is next door to Caruso’s Italian Pastry shop. I took the toaster and the cannolis.
The Holman model is simple. It’s a nine pound stainless steel box with two slots only, and they’re for sliced bread- not bagels, not Texas toast. No multiple slots, nothing extra wide, no “stay cool” sides. In fact, in bold red letters it says, “Caution: Hot”. It claims to turn 150 slices of bread into toast in a single hour, which I don’t doubt, since the power cord is about as thick as your ring finger.
At the end of that power cord is an odd plug, for which there was no receptacle anywhere at Bryn Brooke. One of its three prongs is turned sideways. This toaster doesn’t share current with any other appliance. A call to Rodney, the Super Electrician, provided the suitable outlet and added another $85 to the cost of this already expensive bread browning implement.
The final cost for this simplest of household appliances?
Time: A month, counting research, order and ship time, and waiting for Rodney to return from vacation.
Money:
$428.00 - Toaster
$30.11 - Shipping
$85.00 – Electrical Adaptation
$543.11 - Total
Is the Holman Toaster worth it? I certainly hope so. We put a lot of time and faith into a small appliance, especially considering that cheaper toasters abound and a trip to any big box store could have replaced Old Smokey in a matter of minutes. The Holman does make exceptionally fine toast, and right quick, too. Beyond that, finding the last remaining American Made Toaster became a quest. We prevailed, with a bruiser of an appliance that should serve the b&b well for many years. I expect to bequeth the Holman to my someday grandchildren, who will, I suspect, consider their grandmother slightly mad for spending $500+ on a simple toaster.
