How can I safely make a toaster variable (dimmable?) temperature?

Submitted by ButtonholePhotophile t3_yec4uu in DIY

My 83-year old grandmother has requested that I make a variable temperature toaster for her birthday. I have a toaster. How can I make it variable temperature? I’m thinking adding resistors or an external dimmer. Would it be safe?

As to why: she likes her toast sous vide. She needs to decrease the temperature so that the toast can remain longer in the toaster without burning. This toasts the bread deeper or throughout; I’ve never experienced it, so I’m not sure.

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broken2302 t1_itx7cg3 wrote

Buy one that has the feature. She won't know the difference.

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Shimasanawa t1_itxejm9 wrote

I did this a different way… I bought an American toaster 120v 60hz. I run it on Japanese power 100v 60hz. You might try a step up/down transformer. A more fun option would be to program a variable toasting program. Low power to warm the bread through, followed by a higher setting to brown the outside. Run several hundred toasting experiments to dial it in to perfection.

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rededelk t1_ityncc1 wrote

I bought a Breville, pricey but does lots of things really well

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gdsc t1_itz0kxx wrote

This is going to sound crazy, but you can actually make toast in the oven, with the temp set exactly how you want it

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paulmarchant t1_iu0tu7g wrote

You'll likely run into problems trying to do that with a modern toaster.

The last few I've seen in bits use a resistive tap off the heating element to provide 12v power for the control PCB.

If you reduce the power to the heating element (by whatever means - triac dimmer, Variac etc) you'll proportionately reduce the 12v going to the control PCB.

A small change in voltage won't be a problem, but if you're going to aim for 50% or the like, the control PCB won't work, and the latch function which holds the mechanism down won't work, so no power at all to the element, no toasting.

If you were going to go all-out, then a triac type lighting dimmer with sufficient power handling (my guess is 1kw - 2kw depending on the toaster size), and an external 12v transformer for the control board would do it.

This would be tricky to fit within the limited spare space in the housing.

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saml01 t1_iu1pde5 wrote

If it's insurance or inheritance money you're after, there are easier ways to kill your grandmother and make it look like an accident.

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ButtonholePhotophile OP t1_iu1r7er wrote

She’s got natural gas. It would be easy to make it look like an accident. The problem is I’m trying to not kill her while still getting her a fine piece of toast. Toast, might I add, that isn’t my cup of tea - so I don’t understand the goal fully.

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Material_Community18 t1_iu32irj wrote

Your average toaster is 1500-1800W. Your average light dimmer will fry itself almost immediately. You need a Variac which will be almost the size of the toaster.

But more importantly, sous vide toast is just wrong and you should not be enabling such an abomination.

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CanadianBaconMTL t1_itydnzk wrote

A dimmer is a solution. I would just buy a proper toaster but a dimmer will work

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