104 slices of toast, 26 crumpets and a smoke alarm: my toaster-testing marathon

Loaf and behold: there’s much more to testing toasters than simply eating a lot of bread. Photograph: Rachel Ogden/The Guardian

I like toast. You probably do too. What’s not to like? It goes well with almost anything. But would you like to make 104 slices of it over two days?

This is the reality of testing toasters for the Filter. An inauspicious start should have been my first clue that things might be less than straightforward. Before I began, each toaster needed to have its element coating burned off. You may be familiar with the acrid smell: it dissipates fairly quickly from a single toaster.