Don't be fooled by the KitchenAid name!
This is an AWFUL toaster. If you want regular old toast, you need to turn the darkness setting to the highest, and watch it...the top will become somewhat burnt, and the bottom half of the toast will be slightly brown. Any setting less than the highest, the top will be slightly brown, and the bottom will not be toasted at all. The &quot;heating coils&quot; heat extremely slowly, and never seem to get to a very high temperature. For toasting bagels, it's a tad (small tad) better at toasting. Since the slots are so wide, and the bagel is also wide, at least the bagel is up closer to the &quot;heating coils&quot;.This toaster is awful, I am so sorry I got it to go with my other KitchenAid appliances. That's what you get for being concerned with the name brand of a product! If all you want is a toaster that looks nice, but doesn't function at all, you found your perfect toaster!