The electric toaster was a new type of domestic product, made possible by electricity, using the technology of current-resisting elements from electric irons and heaters. Its predecessors were the toasting fork, held over an open fire, and the toasting rack, supported over a gas flame. The electric toaster was as cheap to purchase as an electric iron and almost as simple to manufacture.

Earliest types

The electric toaster was a British invention by Crompton and Co. in 1893. The first toaster in the USA, a Westinghouse of 1910, was advertised under the slogan 'Breakfast without going into the kitchen'. Its instantaneous use was seen as a great advantage: in 1917, Mrs Peel, in The Labour-Saving House, stated that 'you do not need to ring for more toast but make it yourself and eat it while it is crisp and hot'. These earliest models consisted of a nichrome element wound on to a vertical mica plate (similar to the heating pad in the electric iron), protected by a wire cage (against which bread could be propped) and mounted on to a cast-iron or folded steel plinth. The bread had to be turned by hand halfway through the cooking process.

The 'turn-over' toaster

A great refinement after 1918 was a proper casing for the element and bread with slots for cooling. The wire cage was made safer by the addition of a spring-loaded door on each side which hinged downwards. Two slices of bread could be placed on each door and after toasting one side, opening each door let the bread drop down, automatically presenting the un-toasted side to the element when the door was closed. This type of toaster therefore became known as the 'turn-over'. Its non-automatic nature meant constant surveillance, hence its use on the breakfast table, and it achieved great popularity from the mid-1920s until it was overtaken by the automatic pop-up toaster in the late-1950s. Like the electric iron, toasters appeared under many brand names with only subtle variations to distinguish each make.

Automatic toasters

Automatic toasters first appeared in the UK in the late-1930s. The first American example was the pop-up Toastmaster of 1926, using a clockwork mechanism to time the toast. The advantages it offered were described as 'making perfect toast, every time, without watching, turning or burning'. A novel British model from the 1930s used a similar mechanism, but ejected the toast sideways in a wire basket. The first popular British-made automatic toaster appeared in 1948 from Morphy-Richards and was clearly influenced by pre-war streamlined automatic toasters from the USA.

Check some of the toaster links from the front page to see some exciting American toasters.

• 1912 Universal
• 1926 Toastmaster
• 1932 GEC Magnet 5601
• 1938 GEC 5620
• 1947 Hotpoint
• 1947 Kenwood
• 1948 Morphy-Richards
• 1958 Swan

1912 Universal model E947 USA Very early design based on pioneer exposed element design, pre-turnover type. Operates on 200/210 volts. 'Doors' swing round on vertical axis to toast both sides. Elegant open-lattice design with scooped top and sides. Tiny side handles for carrying/ positioning. Folded steel, heavily nickel-plated. UK patent numbers 15,962 (1912) and 22,258 (1912), plus USA and Canadian numbers from 1906, 1913 and 1920. Available until early 1920s, replaced by turnover toaster models.
1926 Toastmaster model 1-A-1 USA Minneapolis First domestic pop-up (automatic) toaster, based on larger, multiple-slot, commercial version by Waters Genter of Minneapolis. Original mechanism invented by Charles Strite, 1919. Single slot, separate levers for lowering bread and activating clockwork timer. Browning controlled by variable depth of timer lever. Fabricated pressed steel construction, nickel-plated. Slots in side panels for cooling. Earliest versions (6.26-9.27) have no serial numbers and red nameplate, later versions black. 210 volt version imported into UK by Hector C Adam (London). Patents given 18.8.21 and 18.10.21.
c1932 GEC Magnet model D5601 UK London Decorative, de luxe gec/Magnet turnover-type toaster based on earlier (c1920) Magnet design, with larger doors and permanent side flex entry. Chromium-plated pressed/folded steel body, doors and more ornate plinth. Circular warming panel on top with same free-style fretwork design as doors. Black-glazed ceramic feet and flex securing block. Nichrome wire element wound on to vertical mica board provides heat. Turned wooden door handles. Sold for 27/6 in mid-30s, 10/- more than model D5605.
c1938 GEC model D5620 UK London Turnover-type manual toaster based on earlier gec/Magnet model D5605, but re-designed with cleaner lines with streamlined detailing. Probably designed by Douglas Scott in US industrial designer Raymond Loewy's London office (as other late-30s GEC appliances). c1938 design, but may not have been produced until after 1945. Chromium-plated steel doors, black phenol plastic plinth and ribbed quadrant-shaped handles.
c1947 Hotpoint model 80854 UK Post -war version of original 1930s Hotpont turn-over toaster with glass inserts in doors. Based on pre-war Premier design (Hotpoint took over Premier c1945), but with glass inserts replacing decorative door grilles. Folded and riveted aluminium construction, flexible and fragile, also available in chrome-plated steel. Vertical etched strips in glass panels. Small, cylindrical door knobs (black phenol plastic) replaced by larger solid blocks c1950.
1947 Kenwood model A100 UK Woking First Kenwood product; late, conventional turnover-type very similar to 1930s basic Magnet toaster. Produced 1947-1957, replaced by visually identical model A101 (1957-1970). Chromium-plated steel body and plinth with radius-ended slots. Black phenol plastic feet and handles. Usual nichrome wire element wound on to vertical mica board provides heat.
1948 Morphy-Richards model TU1D UK St. Mary Cray First popular automatic toaster, classic streamlined chromium-plated design strongly influenced by late-30s US auto toasters (for example, Toastmaster). Has become the popular icon for pop-up toasters. Black phenol plastic handles, browning dial and plinth. Push-button reset facility. Long production run into the 60s with various colours/finishes. Uses bimetallic strip technology from thermostat irons. Patents applied for 1948.
c1958 Swan model 703 UK Birmingham One of the last new toaster designs of the 'turnover' type. Similar in appearance to contemporary GEC model. Single-piece cast alloy body with dark grey stove-enamel finish. Usual nichrome wire element wound on to vertical mica board provides heat. Chrome- plated steel wire doors mark odd reversion to pre-c.1925 minimal doors and poor safety implications (see Universal). 'Fifties 'sheerline' styling with twin-facetted ends and top.