Toast, glorious toast. A mainstay of breakfasts all over the world. Some toasters are put to task every morning and are our loyal servants for quick snacks. But do you know how to store a toaster?
This question can actually be quite controversial for people with small kitchens! Do we leave it on the side? Or do we have a special drawer just for the toaster?
Many people don’t know how to store a toaster and have a cluttered worktop because of it. Using kitchen cabinets or clever little tricks to hide your appliances will give you the clutterless cooking space you want.
How can I easily store my toaster?
If you have money to spare, getting some new kitchen furniture can easily hide a toaster and other small appliances. But clever arrangement with bread boxes, chopping boards, and your existing cupboards can work just as well.
Where to put a toaster in the kitchen
On the worktop
Storing your toaster on the worktop is the simplest of our toaster storage ideas. You might even keep it next to your bread box – it’s a logical thing to do. But there’s a few drawbacks.
Toasters have rubber feet that stop them from slipping, so pulling them over your counter can damage your toaster or the work surface itself. Although this only sounds minor, long-term wearing could mean that you will need a new toaster far sooner than you really need.
Toasters also give out rising heat, which can be a real pain for the cabinets above the worktop. Long term exposure to heat and dampness can lead to mold or your cabinet boards getting damaged. Mold is not good for cooking and cabinets that fall apart are even worse.
Pro tip #1: Using a chopping board to protect work surfaces
Instead of leaving it on the worktop, place it on a chopping board. You won’t be dragging the rubber feet over the surface, but easily sliding your toaster from under the cabinet, making some delicious toast, and sliding it back. And the chopping board is there in case you need to slice!
Use a toaster storage box
A toaster, a bread box, a chopping board. Seems like an awful lot of equipment just to make toast, right?
Why not combine them and buy a toaster bread box combo? This combination tool allows you to turn your homeless toaster into an elegant piece of modern kitchenware. Now you can take the toast straight from the bread box and place it in the toaster right on top.
When trying to feng shui your kitchen, finding appliances with more than one function is a must. With the use of a clever cooling system, your bread will remain at room temperature while you toast your breakfast.
Pro tip #2: Using a Toaster Storage Box Can Give the Same Finish
If you don’t want to commit to a combined toaster / bread box, there are many toaster storage boxes available that allow you to store a toaster and all necessary paraphernalia like knives and butter in one easy space. The large examples also have bread boxes attached.
Kitchen cabinets that hide appliances
The Super Susan
Renovating your kitchen can give you amazing storage spaces for small appliances. The best example is the Super Susan (an improvement on the Lazy Susan) for those tight corner cupboards that are difficult to get into.
By removing the flimsy pole and attaching the spinning disks to fix cupboard shelves, you can now multiple rotating shelves fitted into your kitchen. Not only are they aesthetic, but they give you access to everything in your cupboard without having to pull everything out.
Putting your toaster and other small appliances on one of the Super Susan’s shelves means that you can not only put away your gadgets in an easily accessible space, but also expand your storage area for new and exciting gizmos.
Pro tip #3: Use all the space in your Super Susan
Each disk of your Super Susan is designed to hold up to around 50 lbs. Most toasters only weigh around 2 ½ lbs, meaning that you have plenty of extra room for canned goods, groceries and other appliances in there. Don’t be afraid to stack your white goods in there!
The Toaster Drawer
If you have more storage space than you need (first, of all, I’m jealous), you could turn a regular drawer into a toaster drawer. It only needs to be as deep as your toaster and allow access to a power outlet.
There are lots of examples of this online, but our favourite is a drawer with a cutout in the wood where you can configure the settings. Not only does this mean that you can easily make a tasty toasted snack without taking the device out of the drawer, but that it is also easy to change settings for picky eaters.
Pro tip #4: Put Your Toaster Drawer in an Easy to Reach Spot
You could put a toaster drawer anywhere you like, but you really want it at waist height. If you have to bend down or reach up to access your toaster drawer, it becomes more of a chore than actual clever design. Alternatively, just use a drawer to store the toaster and bring it out when it is needed.
Conclusion
The eternal question of how to arrange appliances in a small kitchen comes down to adapting the space that you have or combining your appliances for multiple purposes. The toaster is one of the most commonly used white goods, so many will want to keep it out.
Think about how often you use your toaster and if you can justify keeping it on your worktop. Purchasing a toaster bread box combo could clean up your sideboard and turn an appliance into storage, a bonus for those wanting to know how to arrange appliances in small kitchens!
But getting a Super Susan or toaster drawer will give you a sleek, modern cooking space where you can store your white goods and access them with ease.