Choosing A Commercial Toaster

Whether you're looking for a sturdy commercial toaster for use in your home, in an office break room, or on a hotel or motel continental breakfast line, or if you need a conveyor toaster or a large toaster oven for restaurant use, there are a number of different models available to accommodate a variety of toasting needs.

Volume, Variety, and Speed Matter

As you make your choice, the first thing you should consider is volume. Pop-up toasters like the two slice West Bend Toaster are great for low volume production, while others are rated by manufacturers to produce as many as 300 slices per hour as the Waring Toaster is. A few pop-up toasters are rated for up to 400 slices of toast per hour, however most pop-up toasters are best for venues that produce closer to 200 pieces of toast each hour. If your restaurant or institution produces any more than that, you are probably better off with a conveyer toaster.

The Belleco Toaster is a nice conveyor toaster with a small footprint that can produce plenty of toast with very little human intervention, however it and other conveyor toasters often cannot efficiently toast thick items such as bagels, pastries, or muffins. Most of these items will not fit in a pop-up toaster either in which case a toaster oven or larger conveyor toaster is best. While the Belleco toaster is economical and capable of producing 350 slices of toast or 350 bun halves per hour on a continuous basis, the Star- Holman Toaster QCS3-1000A can produce over 1000 slices of toast or 1000 bun halves per hour.

Most commercial toasters are constructed with stainless steel exteriors. Some are chrome plated for a more attractive, less industrial look. Most use radiant heat, however convection is becoming more common. With a variety of safety features such as cool touch exteriors, and with energy efficient power saver modes, individually controlled heating elements, and toasting controls that allow double or single sided toasting there are a lot of options available to you. Additionally, most of these toasters are equipped with removable crumb trays to make cleaning a snap.

Besides the brands we have talked about, there are many others available from top manufacturers such as Globe, Gold Medal, APW Wyott, Adcraft, Procter Silex, Hamilton Beach, and more. Remember to choose a toaster with a good warranty, and be sure to select one that will fit in your workspace. With so many options available, making perfect toasted products can be easier than ever.