10 Wacky Tech Toasters

This is one of the first toasters we've seen with an LCD control panel! The Krups FEM3 2-Slice Digital Toaster is made of stainless steel with a 1100-watt chamber for "high-speed" toasting. The backlit LCD displays nine levels of browning and counts down the seconds until the end of the cycle. It also features a Bagel function, which toasts bagels on the cut side while warming the crust. There's also a Defrost function for warming frozen bread. And the $79 price tag isn't bad for what it can do!

Should toast really belong in a fairy tale? The V55201 Stainless Steel Cinderella Toaster from VillaWare features two extra wide slots, a five-setting browning control, removable crumb tray, and an imprint of Cinderella's glass slipper on each piece of toast. When the toast is ready to pop up, it plays a waltz. Just be careful when using this device after midnight. It sells for $17.99 at Amazon.com.

Arrr, what would Jack Sparrow have t' say about this Skull Toaster? This black toaster lea'es a skull and crossbones imprint on each piece o' toast, gar! Unfortunately, tis' only sold in Europe for 32.95 Eur ($43.99 USD) at tomwet.de.

At PC Magazine, we're all about combo devices, but a toaster that also lets you cook an egg is going a bit too far. Still, the Paula Deen Egg N' Muffin Toaster is ideal for the person who doesn't have enough time to heat a frying pan on the stove. Just pop in some bread or an English Muffin and cook or boil an egg at the same time in 4 minutes. Make an egg sandwich for $49.99 at MoreKitchenAppliances.com.

Even though most of today's toasters feature different degrees of toasting levels, it's still easy to burn toast. So, why not develop a Transparent Toaster? The designers at Inventables jumped at this concept: "This idea is based on the transparent heating glass...Although the glass does not currently get hot enough to toast bread, someday this application may be possible." And hopefully some day it will!

What did artist J.C. Escudie of Portland, Oregon decide to do with a retro toaster? He turned it into a guitar amplifier! Hottie Amps are fitted with a 9-volt battery and a six-inch Jensen speaker. When connected to a guitar, the Hottie is said to spread "its transitory grind at home-approved volume through the two toast slots. You can get a little more sonic oomph from the Hottie by laying it on its side and opening the crumb door." Hmmm. The company to date has sold over 300 Hotties worldwide and is out stock, but check back soon for new products.

If a toaster can be transformed into a guitar amp, then building a Toaster Kitchen PC couldn't be much harder. Using a GE 4-slot chrome toaster, Via M9000 motherboard, and 40GB hard drive, that's just what DIYer Adam Bertram did. So how'd he do it? Very carefully! He removed the base and toasting heater, cut some holes, installed the motherboard and hard drive, closed up the sides, and connected it to a monitor and keyboard. But you may not want to actually try and toast bread; you'll burn both the bread and your computer!

Forget the conventional, wide-slot toaster. Singapore-based industrial designer Jaren Goh took a different approach to the toasting machine with his Rollertoaster. The idea is to insert bread at one end and watch it roll through the heater and plop right in your plate. Perhaps one day we'll see this toaster roll on over to the States?

This device looks more like a wine chiller than a toaster! The 930-watt Bugatti Volo Toaster features a motorized toast lifting system to easily remove toast, six browning controls, wide slots, and a warming rack. Now that's high-tech, considering the £175 ($345 USD) price tag!

What if you could wall mount your toaster? That's what the designers of the Zuse had in mind. It works like a printer to create 12 by 12 pixel images onto toast. Although the Zuse has appeared at several design shows, it's not available for sale as of yet. Too bad, because this device sure could be a space saver!