Toast, a breakfast staple, is a delightful addition to any meal and great as a light snake. Because of its versatility and simplistic nature, how to make toast is one of the very first things people learn in the kitchen. There are three main ways to make this culinary creation, each bringing its own unique taste, texture and possibilities.

Toastmaster industrial-grade toaster, capable of toasting sliced bread and bagels. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The easiest and most often used method of making toast is with the use of a toaster. The modern toaster, reinvented in 1919 by Charles Strite, is a wonderful electric kitchen appliance that revolutionized toast by making it less time consuming and freeing the cook to focus on other aspects of the meal.

Now a days the verity of available toasters very as much as the type of bread that can be toasted. Despite this, using them is universally easy. An internal heating element uniformly browns the bread creating the crisp texture and butter melting temperature. A timer allows you to control the degree of darkness to suit your personal taste and the needs of a particular recipe.

Using a toaster is very simple. Once you select the type of bread and the degree of darkness place the slices into the slots and push the button or lever. Then wait a few minutes while the toaster does the work for you. Once done, the toast will “pop” up and you can top with the condiment of your choosing. As with any kitchen appliance, use caution and follow the manufactures directions.

Another way to make toast is with your oven’s broiler feature. The extreme heat “flash” toasts the bread cutting the cooking and waiting period down to a fraction of the normal time. This creates one sided browning and is perfect for making garlic toast, cheese toast and other pre-topped toasts. The use of a broiler also allows for larger quantities of toast at once.

Making toast with a broiler is a bit more tricky than with a modern toaster but the outcome is as pleasing and more versatile. First pre-heat your broiler and spread your selected bread in a single layer on the broiler tray. At this point you can add toppings such as garlic butter or cheese. Once your broiler is hot, carefully place the tray under the heating element and close the door.

Because of the extreme heat you must watch the bread carefully to ensure it does not burn. There are several factors that influence the time needed to achieve the perfect level of browning and with practice you will become more confident in broiler toasting. Again, be careful when removing the tray and follow all manufactures directions for you oven’s model.

The third most common way to make toast is pan toasting, also called grilling. This method allows for stuffed toast as well as topped and coated toast, and again the possibilities are endless. Pan toasting uses a less direct heating source, generally through a metal or ceramic pan, and can be more time consuming than its brother methods.

To pan toast, pre-heat your selected pan while you prepare the bread by buttering both sides, giving it an egg bath or any of the other many options. Once the pan is warmed, gently place the bread in the bottom and wait while it cooks. To check dankness, lift one corner with a spatula and peek at the underside. When the desired level of darkness has been achieved, quickly flip the bread with the spatula so the toasted side points up. Repeat with the other side, removing the toast when done and enjoy. As with the broiler method, pan toasting requires practice to master but the result will lead to many well received meals in the future.