The Biggest Misconception About Your Toaster

Toasters have been changing lives since the 1890s when the first electric toaster was invented. This contraption gave homeowners the ability to enjoy a crisp slice of bread (though only on one side, initially) without having to stand over an open flame with a metal fork or waiting for it to crisp up in a skillet. Toasters are incredibly intuitive and very convenient. Just pop your slice of bread in, set the toaster to your desired level of crispiness, and then wait a couple of minutes for the perfect slice.

Considering that making toast is one of the most common uses for your toaster, you'll find that many probably leave the appliance plugged in at all times, and with the wall switch still on. It's not really something we think about. After all, unplugging your toaster after every use seems silly. But there's a misconception that, as long as your toaster isn't hot, it's safe to keep it plugged in. Unfortunately, that's not quite true.

A toaster is a fire hazard, even when it's not in use, because bread (and the crumbs left behind after toasting) is highly flammable. So, if the element happens to heat up, even for a moment, it could spark and catch the crumbs on fire. If the toaster is near other electrical appliances, water, or flammable objects, such as curtains, paper towels, or kitchen towels, it could easily lead to a fire in your kitchen.

A toaster works by sending an electrical current through the nichrome wires in the inside cavities of your toaster. This electricity causes the wires to heat up, and through infrared radiation, they toast your slice of bread. This causes the toast to brown on the outside and warm up on the inside. An automatic shutoff function, set by your toasting timer, then pops your bread out. As with any electrical appliance, if your toaster remains plugged in, electricity will continue to run through it from the power source. Even if you've switched it off on the wall, phantom electricity (or vampire power) still occurs. With electricity still present around flammable substances (such as the remaining breadcrumbs), the potential for fire is there.

The best way to prevent a toaster fire is to turn the power off on the wall and unplug the item completely. Store it in a ventilated area so that any latent heat has space to dissipate as the toaster cools down, and always keep it away from flammable objects and water. Remember that water is a powerful conductor of electricity, so if your toaster is near a kettle that has boiled over, or any other water source, that phantom energy can be carried by the water to other appliances or flammable objects. While there are so many creative things you can do with toast, be sure to keep your kitchen safe in the process.