The Toast-R-Oven was a General Electric product - now its manufactured by Black and Decker. Back in 1984, GE sold off its small home appliance division to the power tool giant. But the real change is not in the manufacturer's name, nor in its new sleeker design. The true change is under the hood or in this case under the toaster tray. The original units were built like tanks and would last forever. My family had the same Toast-R-Oven for more than twenty-five years. And ever since that original oven toasted its last piece of toast and reheated its final slice of meatloaf, I have been lamenting its demise. In a moment of what I can only call absolute madness, when the old Toast-R-Oven died I said let's buy a new one, why take this oven to the small appliance repairman. After all a Toast-R-Oven is a Toast-R-Oven and this new one will be a sparkly and look ever so pretty on the counter. So the old guy was unceremoniously tossed in the trash and a new one was purchased.
Since that trash day, I've bought more than 10 toasters/toaster ovens. Expensive ones, mid-range models and of course the Black and Decker Toast-R-Oven. Had I only known I would have taken that mid-1960s Toast-R-Oven to my town's equivalent of Emmett's Fix-it-Shop.
So here is to that wonderful old Toast-R-Oven - it might not be as sexy as some of the newer toasters out there. And if you think having this baby sitting on your high end granite counter-top is unrefined, that's your problem.
