KitchenAid KMT223 2-Slice Toaster with One-Touch Lift/Lower and Digital Display - Silver

I consider good toast one of life's simple, but deeply satisfying, joys. Whether a chewy bagel spread with cream cheese or a slice of whole wheat topped with mayo, sliced tomatoes, and lemon-pepper, I am often happier eating good toast in my own kitchen than the overhyped but mediocre concoctions of mainstream suburban eateries (and even some supposedly amazing high-end restaurants that disappoint).After several years of limping along with an old and cheaply made toaster picked up in a thrift store (an appliance which seemed to be losing the ability to properly time the end of the toasting cycle between "barely warm" and "burned"), I began shopping seriously for a proper toaster to prepare one of my favorite daily staples.When I was a kid, my parents had what I think was a Sunbeam toaster with a single long slot. It was designed to sit along the back edge of a kitchen counter or table, with its controls on the long edge. But what I remembered most about the toaster, and didn't realize the rarity of until I had my own home, was how technologically advanced it was for the early 1970s. Namely, it dispensed with the push-to-drop-the-toast lever for a single pushbutton in the center of a degree-of-toasting control knob. Press the button, and the toast quietly lowered into the toasting chamber, and elegantly rose without an annoying "clunk" when the toast was done.I waited many years for some small-appliance manufacturer to rediscover and revive this cool toaster feature, and was delighted to find an Australian maker, Breville, which had done so, in coordination with an electronic count-down display that visually indicates how much of the toasting cycle remains. I almost bought the Breville, but decided against it at the last minute due to what I felt was its boxy styling.Soon thereafter, I was browsing the site of a big-box electronics retailer, known for its big yellow tag logo, and discovered that KitchenAid had a toaster with similar features and superior styling. Being a long-time fan of the KitchenAid brand, but deterred by their existing commodity-grade toaster products, I immediately headed over to Amazon where I found the same model in stock. (Please be aware that there's a similar-looking model with the electronic display but a normal up/down toaster handle rather than the motorized up/down control of this model.) I ordered immediately and received it only days later. What I found:Pros: Attractive styling; wide slots; accurate centering of toast; reliable operation; ultra-cool auto-lower and auto-lift feature; controls for defrost, bagel (toasts just one side), warm (holds toast in toasting chamber for additional minute without over-toasting it), and reheat; digital toasting "shade" control ("1-7") and remaining-length-of-toast-cycle progress bar on display; loud triple-beep alert when toast is done; a one-year warranty with a KitchenAid customer service number you can call for possible repair/replacement issuesCons: No way to disable beeping or control its loudness (a no-brainer feature, and electronically trivial to add); stainless steel portion of appliance casing is (like all stainless steel) easy to smudge and hard to clean; unevenness of toasting side to side (the sides of bread in each slot facing the center of the toaster get a bit darker than the sides of bread facing the outer edges of the toaster, even when bagel button is not engaged--I may have to call KitchenAid about this)One more thing that's not necessarily a pro or a con--just something to be aware of: The existence of a clear transparent ring around each of the four small buttons on the display (like "Defrost") might give some buyers (like me) the impression that they light up when pressed. In reality, only the main button really has a meaningful glow around its perimeter, a pleasing blue color that appears whenever toasting is actually occurring. There is a little "spillover" of this light, behind the control panel, to the rings around the other buttons, but the "engaged" status of the other buttons is actually indicated by an appropriate word on the digital display.Overall, I would consider this the ultimate toaster if the "cons" listed above were fixed. As it is, I'll say it's pretty good and step up from the ancient piece-of-crud toaster I was using before.

My old DeLonghi toaster oven gave out a couple weeks ago. After reading the reviews on several possible replacements, realizing my severe lack of counter space, and that my microwave also functions as an oven, I decided to go with a traditional toaster.Pro:* Attractive design and isn't oversized.* The push button rather than a traditional lever to start the toast cycle is a cool, modern feature and you don't have the problem when the lever isn't pushed down all the way and it pops back up.* The "shade" of your food item is adjusted from a 1 to 6 on the LED display using a traditional dial.* There are several options (buttons) that will tailor the toaster cycle to your need. If you're toasting something that was frozen, like a waffle or bagel, you can push the defrost button when you start the cycle. Additional buttons customize the cycle for keeping an item warm, reheating a previously toasted item, and bagels (face the cut portions to the center and the heating elements toast that side while just warming the outer half).* The wide slots are more than adequate for fitting items such as bagels.* An LED progress bar that starts fully across the display under the shade number and decreases as the cycle processes provides an idea of how long until the toasting cycle is completed.* A single beep sounds when you start the cycle and three beeps when it's completed. Several people have complained about the loudness of the beeps but I really can't agree. Will you hear it in another room? Sure, but isn't that the point? You can walk away and if you forget you had something in the toaster, you'll be reminded when it's done.* A removable crumb tray* The underside is designed so that you can wrap-up the unneeded length of AC cord so that you don't have a long cord unnecessarily cluttering your countertop.Con:* Like so many traditional toasters, it doesn't toast both sides of a slice of bread exactly the same. It's not a drastic difference, but enough that you may want to flip the bread around in its slot and give it a quick second cycle.Overall, I like this toaster. I think the price is fair given the new features it has like the push button start and the ability to customize for the type of food you're toasting.

I bought this toaster for my parents and use it almost every day. It is very simple to use, very clear buttons. We have not yet tested the defrost use, but the "keep warm," "reheat," and "bagel" features all work as explained. We have had no issues with the automatic button/lift mechanism and even with a smaller sized item to be toasted, like an english muffin, there have been no complaints as to the "lift" not going high enough. I love the simplicity of the cancel button, as opposed to the push down/pull up levers on most standards that tend to be the cause of breaking the lever. The product notifies when something has finished toasting with one beep. Unlike many other reviewers, I did not find that it was too loud and believe it is at decent frequency where I did not annoying or difficult to hear. In my opinion it's perfect for putting something in the toaster, being able to leave the room, and still be able to hear it. I waked up early for work and think this feature is great--I can put something in the toaster while getting ready in the morning and cut a few minutes out of my routine without the english muffin / bagel getting cold or burnt.I would say the true-color of the SILVER product (referred to as contour silver on other similar KitchenAid products) sides is more similar to the image with the bagel in it then the images with the white background. The item is *slightly* larger than I imagined when referencing the pictures, but is a quality product. I also appreciate that KitchenAid has a matching line of products is the same color and style.

One thing to note is on Bagel setting it toasts more in one side. But other than that, good toaster.

Extremely pleased with KitchenAid toaster. For the price, it can't be beat.