If You Ever Wondered how Does a Toaster Work – Read This

You’ve probably noticed that in the movies, when people eat breakfast, they usually eat toast. Pop up toaster has become so mainstream now that almost every house has it. It’s cheap, easy to use and effective for making your slice of bread crispy and tasty!

How does a toaster work?

It uses electrical heat to burn your piece of toast in a matter of seconds. But how does it do that so fast? And how does electricity it receives transform into a different kind of energy?

Well, the electric toaster is built with dozens of miniature radiators inside it. You’ve probably noticed that when you turn the toaster on, glowing red wires which face the bread appear. Electricity flows through these wires and is transformed into heat, which burns your toast.

Electric current flows through the wires up and down. It is carried through the length of the wire by electrons, which are very small particles located in the atoms of the metal. The electrons collide with each other while the electricity flows, and through the metal, they emit heat.

The rule is that the thinner the wire is, more electricity will flow through it, meaning there will be more collision between the electrons. Thus, more heat will be generated.

But heat is not the only thing electricity produces in the wire. Have you ever wondered how those wires in the toaster begin glowing red? Well, the temperature rises so much that the wires begin to emit light. The wires are absorbing too much energy. They become unstable, and then they release some energy in the form of light in order to become stable again.

Another thing that might come to mind when you’re thinking about how does a toaster work is the following question – How do toasters know when to turn themselves off? Well, there are 3 ways toasters do that:

1. Some toasters work with timers – the bigger the selected level of toasting, the more the toasting will last. A simple clockwork is used to switch off the flow of electricity after a certain period of time has elapsed.
2. Some have a thermostat which switches the electric circuit on and off to keep constant temperature. It is located near the toasters heating element, and when the right temperature is reached, it will switch off the heating element.
3. Some toasters work with a photoelectric cell. This is an electric component which generates electricity when light shines on it. In the toaster, there is a flashlight which emits light onto the bread at a certain angle. As the bread becomes darker, its reflected light fades. When the bread is completely toasted, it stops emitting light on the photoelectric cell.

Warning: If you ever need to remove bread from a toaster which is hot, always unplug it first. The wires are very hot and if you touch them not only can you get burned, but electrocuted as well.

How to use it?

So, you understood how does a toaster work, but you’ve used one. If you’ve just bought an electric toaster and never used it before, follow these simple steps and you’ll learn how to use it in a couple of minutes.

Step 1 – Plug the toaster in an electrical outlet

Place your electric toaster at a place nearby an electrical outlet. Like all electric appliances, this one doesn’t work when it’s not plugged in.

Step 2 – Put your bread of choice in the toaster

Pick a slice of bread of your own choice – white, dark, toast bread, etc. Simply put them in the empty spaces where metal heat will burn them.

Step 3 – Adjust the level of toasted and pull down the lever

Almost all toasters have the option to choose how much you want your toaster burned. Usually, this knob is found on the side of the toaster. The higher the number, the more toasted your bread will be. Once you’ve selected your desired level, pull down the main lever (also commonly located at the side of the pop-up toaster).

Step 4 – Wait for the toast to pop up

You will notice that the toaster is glowing red. Watch out – the toaster will now be hot, and you should not put anything inside it. Just be patient and let the toaster hold the bread as long as it takes. Simply wait for the pieces of toast to pop up.

Step 5 – Pull out the toast and enjoy your meal!

Once the toasted bread has popped up, take it out of the electric toaster. Be careful with this since the bread is still hot.
There you go, you just toasted your bread with an electric toaster, and you’ve also answered the question of how does a toaster work! Enjoy your meal, and after that, don’t forget to clean the bread tray!

Final thoughts

Toasters are just one of many electric appliances that create heat when electricity flows through them. Radiators, hair dryers and irons function in the same way as the toasters. This concept was revolutionary in the 20th century, while now, it’s pretty common and basic knowledge.
We hope that you learned something new by reading this article! Bon appetite!