I see ... I see ... the future of toast

BEHOLD the future of toast (maybe): two vertical sheets of glass rising from a gleaming chrome base to encase a slice of bread, like an edible ant farm. That’s the Transparent Toaster.

The sheets of glass cover the whole slice and grip it tight, so there’s a minimum of underdone spots. And because the glass is transparent, you can see exactly how brown the bread is, on both sides, from second to second. It’s the ideal toaster -- except that it doesn’t exist. At the moment it’s just an idea from Inventables Concept Studio in Chicago.

Toasters have been getting plenty of attention lately, with innovations not only in looks but also in function. Think about it: What else could your toaster be doing besides just sitting there making toast? Couldn’t it entertain you, say, or cook something else?

Today there are toasters with all kinds of wacky ambitions -- toasters that yearn to perform. They slice bagels, they cook eggs, they tune in FM stations!

Breakfast, at least during the week, is ruled by a deadly duo, haste and grogginess, so it’s often a streamlined meal, something we can make on the fly when we’re barely awake. That’s an open invitation to inventors -- and they’ve been trying to upgrade our morning food technology for 150 years.

In the 19th century, breakfast gadget innovations mostly had to do with coffee. There was one percolator that could poach an egg in some of the boiling water (hoping the eggshell didn’t break and give you egg-flavored coffee). A pretty scary one would start making coffee when a match connected to your alarm clock lighted an alcohol lamp.

So there’s historic precedent for this spate of toasters with added special features -- and they look cool, in an Inspector Gadget sort of way.

But the question we tackled in The Times Test Kitchen is, how well do these features work? And even more important, how well do they make toast?

Meanwhile, why can’t we buy any Transparent Toasters yet?

“We don’t make products,” explains Inventables technology envisioner Osman Ozcanli. “We help design departments in corporations by educating them about new materials,” in this case, a transparent coating that conducts electricity.

So far, the coating doesn’t actually get hot enough to toast bread, mind you, but the vistas are staggering.

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The bagel monster

The Westinghouse ToasterSlicer (WST3001W)

What’s the difference: Slices bagels as well as toasting them. On the back end of this huge (13- by 6- by 9-inch) contraption is a chute with a plunger handle. You slip a bagel into the hole and press down, while pushing the “slice” button, and the bagel gradually disappears only to reappear in the toasting slots, sliced and ready to toast.

What we thought: The bagels slice up neatly, if rather noisily (we’re talking sawmill), much the same as they do in a hand slicer but with less effort. The heating element is large enough for bagels but too small for sandwich bread and leaves the edges of an average slice under-toasted. Good for bagel-lovers who like convenience and have plenty of counter space.

How much: $35 at Internet shopping sites such as www.amazon.com, www.shop.com and www.smartbargains.com.

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A juggling act

The Back to Basics Egg & Muffin Toaster (TEM500)

What’s the difference: Not only does it toast bread or English muffins, it also cooks eggs and heats breakfast meats. (Hey, the drive-through breakfast experience in your own kitchen!) It uses steam to poach a single egg in a shallow pan or soft- or hard-boil up to four eggs in a rack. It can make toast at the same time

What we thought: “Back to Basics,” our Aunt Frannie. This gizmo is an awful lot to deal with first thing in the morning. The manufacturer instructs you to spray the poaching pan with non-stick cooking spray, break an egg into it and then break its yolk with a fork (so it will have that authentic mass-produced drive-through breakfast sandwich quality). Then you measure water into the heating tray, insert the steaming tray and set the poaching pan on that and top it with the optional meat-warming tray. Finally, you put the lid on the egg gadget and insert your bread in the toast slots.

Still, it works (though the center of the slice gets decidedly browner than the edges), and it’s cleverly timed so that the poached egg, warmed meat and toast are all ready at the same moment. (You can’t make toast while steam-boiling eggs, though.) It might be useful in a dorm room.

How much: $40 at selected Ace Hardware, Bed Bath & Beyond, JCPenney, Linens & Things, Robinson’s, Target and Wal-Mart stores, also at www.amazon.com, www.hammacher.com, www.qvc.com, www.sears.com, www.target.com and www.walmart.com.

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Snazz with snags

The Kenwood Radio Toaster (TT756)

What’s the difference: It’s a toaster! It’s a radio! It’s a toaster and radio!

What we thought: Despite the Jetsons-esque futuristic look, it has primitive functions. The radio has no dial, just a search button, so you have to search anew for your favorite station every time you turn it on. Browning is irregular; tops of slices tend to get overdone, as did a bottom corner in one slot of the model we tested. The bagel function toasts OK but it heats the outsides (tops and bottoms) of a bagel a little more than it should. For fans of ‘60s TV cartoons.

How much: $30 in silver at JCPenney stores and www.amazon.com; $35 in silver, red, green or yellow at www.theshoppingchannel.com.

-- Charles Perry