Comparison Zelmer ZSM7400 vs TRISTAR SA-3065

Electrical power consumed by the device during operation. A more powerful appliance spends less time cooking to readiness; at the same time, the high consumption of electricity is often offset by the speed of cooking (in other words, the device simply does not have time to "eat" a lot of energy). However, such a device will also cost more. Therefore, it makes sense to specifically look for such a technique mainly in cases where “every extra second matters” — for example, if a toaster is bought for a cafe or diner where you need to cook quickly and in large quantities.

Also note that a device with a large capacity will inevitably require a higher power.

The maximum number of individual products that can be cooked in the appliance at the same time.

For toasters, this parameter corresponds to the number of standard rectangular pieces of bread that fit into the device. Accordingly, if the size of the blanks used differs from the standard, then the capacity may be more or less than the claimed one.

If we are talking about a waffle iron, cake-pans or other device of a similar design (see "Type"), then the number of products is usually indicated by the number of notches on the working surface. In this case, note that the larger the capacity, the smaller the size of each product (especially since the working surface area for different models does not differ so much).

The number of roasting levels provided in the device.

This parameter is relevant primarily for models with step adjustment (see "Control"). Each degree of roasting corresponds to a certain fixed power setting in them. Accordingly, the more such steps, the more options the user has, the more accurately he can set the preparing mode. At the same time, we note that even for an advanced model, 8 – 9 steps are considered quite sufficient, a larger number is extremely rare. And for simple household use, more than 5 – 6 steps are rarely required — unless you plan to cook according to specific recipes.

Note that the number of degrees of roasting can also be indicated for equipment with smooth adjustment. However, these are not fixed settings, but only auxiliary divisions on the adjustment scale; they are applied in order to make it easier to navigate for the user. So you can not pay much attention to this moment when choosing a device with smooth adjustment.

— Auto-centering. Function found in toasters (see "Type"). Thanks to auto-centering, each slice of bread is placed in the centre of the compartment during cooking, at the same distance from the heating elements, and toasted on both sides equally.

— Heating. Operating mode of the toaster (see "Type"), in which the product is not fried, but only slightly warmed up. This function can be useful, for example, to reheat previously cooked toast.

— Defrosting. Toasters often include a specialized function, found in their features (see Type), for toasting frozen bread. Frozen bread cannot be directly fried, as it requires defrosting first. The toaster's defrost mode provides a convenient way to defrost frozen bread quickly and efficiently.

— High lift. Possibility of lifting cooked toast above the standard height. This feature is useful when toasting small slices of bread that would otherwise be difficult to remove from a hot toaster.

— One-sided frying. Possibility to toast on one side only. This function can be useful, for example, when making toast from a piece of bread — on the one hand, it no longer needs to be fried.

— Readiness indicator. An external indicator, typically in the form of a light, is used to signal the completion of cooking in certain toasters...(see Type). It's worth noting that in traditional toasters, this function is relatively uncommon. Instead, the completion of toasting is indicated by the toast popping up from the compartments accompanied by a noticeable click and sometimes an additional sound.

— Overheat protection. Safety system that automatically turns off the device when the heating element or body reaches a critical temperature. This allows user to avoid unpleasant consequences, ranging from a breakdown of the device and ending with a fire.