A Toast to the Cuisinart CPT-120 Toaster!

The Cuisinart CPT-120 is by far the best toaster I've ever owned.


Features

The CRT-120 has two bread slots. Both are extra wide to accommodate bagels and other thick slices.

The carriage control lever, which lifts the bread up and down in the toaster, has an "extra lift" feature on it. This is one of the aspects of this toaster that I really like. When the bread pops up, but you can't quite reach it, you can manually push the lever upward and it lifts the bread high enough so that you can pull it out without digging for it. This is a real safety feature as well as a time-saver.

Also, the carriage control lever has a very smooth up and down action, and locks into place immediately when in the "down" position. It requires no fiddling around or pushing downward more than once.

As with other toasters, there is a browning control dial that allows the time to be set to produce toast color from dark to light. There are 3 distinct settings for light, medium, and dark. Within each of those, there are 3 further gradations, allowing for a total of 9 different color settings. I usually set mine slightly above the mid-point and get crisp, brown toast without any burning.

In addition to the browning control dial, there are four settings on the toaster: bagel, defrost, reheat, and cancel.

* The bagel setting adds toasting time for the extra thick dough of the bagel. My bagels come out crisp and lightly browned - perfect!

* The defrost setting adds extra time to defrost bread and then toast it to the desired color. This setting is great not only for frozen bread, but for frozen waffles.

* The reheat feature warms the toast, but doesn't darken it. I especially like this feature, because I have a habit of preparing my toast too far ahead of the rest of the meal. So, I simply pop it back in the toaster and it warms. This works perfectly for me, since I don't like really dark toast.

* The cancel button stops the process. This button seems extraneous, because the same effect can be achieved by lifting the carriage control lever.

Using these various features together, it's hard to get a bad piece of toast. I've had consistently good results.


Maintenance

The toaster is almost effortless to clean and maintain. It has a smooth white exterior. A damp cloth or sponge easily removes debris or dirt. Even sticky substances come free without much rubbing.

The interior is easier to keep clean than any other models I've owned in the past. With the toaster held upside down, a quick shake removes crumbs. I'm not very vigilant about doing this every time I use the toaster, and I still don't have any problem getting all of the debris out by shaking it.

A tray on the bottom of the toaster slides completely out to one side. Crumbs that might have settled to the bottom can be easily dusted off with a paper towel.

The electric cord is neatly wrapped around several prongs positioned underneath the toaster, so that it is completely out of the way when not in use.


Warranty and Durability

Cuisinart provides a limited 3-year warranty against defects in quality and materials. The warranty holds up under "normal home use," and specifically excludes retail or commercial use. Problems with the appliance can be reported to the Consumer Credit Center at their toll-free telephone number.

I've owned the CPT-120 for almost 2 years, and have had no operating problems with it. I find that most toasters I've owned in the past haven't lasted too long. This model, though it doesn't weigh much, seems sturdier than most others.


Final Comments

I recommend the Cuisinart CPT-120 Toaster. I've found it to be easy to use, producing perfectly toasted bagels and bread. I've even used it to toast pound cake and other types of non-crumbly sweets.

Next time you're looking for a replacement toaster, give this one a try.