page_title: Toast
section_title: Preparation
hierarchical_section_title: Toast / Preparation
caption_attribution_description: This is a two slice Sunbeam toaster.
context_page_description: Toast is a form of bread that has been browned by toasting, that is, exposure to radiant heat. The browning is the result of a Maillard reaction, altering the flavor of the bread and making it firmer so that it is easier to spread toppings on it. Toasting is a common method of making stale bread more palatable. Bread is often toasted using a toaster, but toaster ovens are also used. Pre-sliced bread is most common.
  Toast is commonly eaten with butter or margarine, and sweet toppings, such as jam or jelly. Regionally, savory spreads, such as peanut butter or a yeast extract, may also be popular. Buttered toast may also accompany savory dishes, especially soups or stews, and be topped with heartier ingredients like eggs or baked beans as a light meal. Toast is a common breakfast food. Bagels and English muffins are also toasted.
  Toast may contain carcinogens caused by the browning process.
context_section_description: In a modern home kitchen, toast is usually made in a special-purpose electrical appliance, a toaster. Sliced bread is placed into the slots on the top of the toaster, the desired level of doneness is set, and a lever is pushed down. The toaster pops up the toast when it is ready.
  Bread toasted in a conventional toaster can "sweat" when it is served (i.e. water collects on the surface of the cooled toast). This occurs because moisture in the bread becomes steam while being toasted due to heat and when cooled the steam condenses into water droplets on the surface of the bread.
  It can also be toasted by a conveyor toaster, which device is often used in hotels, restaurants, and other food service locations. It works by having one heating element on the top and one on the bottom with a metal conveyor belt in the middle which carries the toast between the two heating elements. This allows toast to be made consistently as more slices can be added at any time without waiting for previous ones to pop up.
  Bread can also be toasted under a grill (or broiler), in an open oven, or lying on an oven rack. This "oven toast" is usually buttered before toasting. Toaster ovens are special small appliances made for toasting bread or for heating small amounts of other foods.
  Bread can also be toasted by holding it near but not directly over an open flame, such as a campfire or fireplace; special toasting utensils (e.g. toasting forks) are made for this purpose. Before the invention of modern cooking appliances such as toasters and grills, bread has been produced in ovens for millennia, toast can be made in the same oven.
  Many brands of ready sliced bread are available, some of which specifically market their suitability for toasting.
caption: A classic two-slot toaster
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