It also has a touchscreen interface that really reimagines what a toaster should look and behave like in 2023.
I’m a big member of the ‘If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’ camp, and I don’t think toasters are broken. They do their job well, are really easy to use, and if you asked me yesterday, I’d say a toaster definitely doesn’t need a touchscreen or new features. Today, I might have changed my tune a slight bit.
The Tineco Toasty One is to the toaster what the microwave is to the OTG oven, or the Nespresso is to the French Press. It takes the core function and sees how technology can make it better. Microwaves make heating more efficient, Nespressos make coffee efficient and easier, and the Tineco Toasty One just makes toasts more consistent and browned-to-perfection. The touchscreen interface is central to the Toasty One’s function. Now normally I’d call bullshit on any random kitchen appliance suddenly having a touchscreen, but it makes sense for the Toasty One. The toaster’s multiple functions make having a screen much more intuitive. A slider on the screen lets you adjust your toaster’s temperature setting, and a small toast icon goes from white to golden to brown as you move your finger across the slider. This is much more intuitive than a numbered knob that really doesn’t tell you anything about how brown your toast’s actually going to be. Moreover, the touchscreen also lets you do something that no other un-smart toaster can – simultaneously cook two separate slices to different levels of done-ness.
Designer: Tineco
Arguably the most impressive feature I’ve seen on a toaster, the Toasty One lets you choose multiple levels of brown-ness for your left and right toast. This means each toast gets cooked at different temperatures, because not everyone likes their toasts done the same way. I’m a golden-toast person and my dad likes his on the well-done side of the spectrum. The Toasty One lets you simply choose how brown you want each toast, and the toaster really figures the rest out.
The way it does this is using an ‘IntelliHeat’ toasting algorithm which monitors and regulates the heating coils, making sure each side of the toast is browned to even perfection. It dials in the hot zones to make sure you don’t see major grill marks on the toast, and even detects the bread state to know when it’s done. I’m not one for tech jargon, but the toaster even employs a ‘GoldenCrispy’ technology that makes sure each toasted piece of bread is crisp on the outside but airy and flavorful on the inside.
The toaster has a few other tricks up its sleeve, like allowing you to save presets (so you don’t need to work the slider every time), and even do things like reheat or defrost/thaw food. Its design also misses the notable plunger, which lets you lower the toasts into their cooking chamber. Instead, the Toasty One automates the process with an auto-lower and auto-lift feature. Admittedly, this takes the one truly fun interaction out of the toaster, but it does make the overall experience convenient. There’s no auto-crumb-clean feature, though. That stuff’s still manual!
