BALMUDA The Toaster | Steam Oven Toaster | Compact Size 14.1" W x 12.6" D x 8.2" H | 5 Cooking Modes: Sandwich Bread, Artisan Bread, Pizza & Pastry, Oven | Baking Pan Included | US Version | Gray

If you are reading this review you may be torn about paying such a premium for a toaster. And it’s a toaster. It’s not an all-in-one appliance. So here are my thoughts on why you should buy it if, like me, you really enjoy a perfect slice of artisan bread toast or are used to croissants that are crispy and flaky and not the mushy thing sold at grocery stores. For years, our family has known that running wet hands down a baguette before placing it in the oven, or a quick spritz of water on artisan bread or croissants produces a crunchy crust and moist interior. The trick also works with stale bread. Enter the Balmuda. Its simple trick of introducing water into the toasting process produces perfect, crunchy toast, evenly browned. Flaky crisp pastries. Crispy left-over pizza. Perfect English muffins and nice open face tuna melts. I have had the Balmuda for a month now and put it through its paces. It shines. Part of its magic is that the heating elements go on and off which seems to retain a moist interior while making a perfect crust. Note that, on purpose, the top will be perfectly browned and the bottom not so much; this ensures that your toast does not turn into Melba toast. Tip: Also but an 8” small silicone baking mat for the baking tray for those cheesy sandwiches and trim it down to size. I was concerned about the number of 1 star reviews based on reliability. I even called their tech support and received some advice on avoiding damage to the door and the cover for the water intake (i.e., so long as you don’t mishandle the device you should be fine). The upshot is that if you buy from Amazon, for $30 you can get 3 year protection. I did that because this is a pricey commodity. It’s self-indulgent to be sure, but you’ll never go back. If it’s just too pricey, use our family’s spritz technique with a small spray bottle and you may come close.

We are very happy with this toaster after 10 days of use, with a lot of experimentation for toasting time and toasting function. It is amazing that bread which has been sitting in the freezer for a couple months, comes out as fabulously fresh toast because of the steaming function. That alone is worth the price. We also made grilled cheese sandwiches in a few minutes, reheated, pizza, dehydrated homemade biscotti, warmed and puffed up croissants and more. I include a picture of my set up with measuring cup and a small plastic bottle to hold distilled water. You don’t have to use distilled water, but over time tapwater will leave mineral deposits inside the oven heater. Having the water near the oven is super convenient and the Lab style pipette makes it easy to squirt off 5 cc. The oven is very high-quality design and manufacture. I read reviews on this in many places, and I’m glad that I ignored the overdramatic critiques.

Due to the fact that I make my own bread and am somehow incapable of making bread that fits a normal toaster I needed to go old school. After looking around I spotted this gem, it's pricey that is a big drawback otherwise works as intended. It's recommended settings lean to lightly toasted bread so don't be shy about cranking it up. It makes toast, toasties and grilled cheese like a champ. I haven't tried pizza nor am I tempted to. Spoiling the toaster with grease just seems like a bad way to go. There seems to be something to the misting function because even when I crank the timer up to 10 the center is still soft while the surface of the bread is what you would expect from being toasted for 10 minutes. It's one heck of a crunch but instead of the burnt brick I was expecting it was a dark tan with a soft inside, though once again I make my own bread store bought might react differently due to higher sugar content and whatnot (has to be something as my breads shelf life is much lower than the stores). Final judgement: It makes good toast, I haven't been let down even when trying to mess it up. you can toss in a slice of bread topped with ham and cheese 6-8 minutes later you have a tasty snack. Can't go wrong with that. Is it worth the money? That's a tough one I'd say it's perfect price point would be $150 possibly $200 if the internal build quality is up to snuff but I haven't seen one cracked open to know if the parts are top shelf of standard issue. I was a bit nervous because I kept reading about it not shutting all the way so I tried to recreate it. If you unlatch the pullout tray from the door the door no longer shuts all the way. I'm assuming this is the user error unless I see the same symptoms down the line

First, I will say this is the best toaster oven I have ever used. Bread toasts evenly on top, mostly even underneath. The reason the bottom of the toast doesn't match the top is because the bottom of the toast rests on a rack, of course. The toast tastes great. The toaster appears to be of good quality. It also looks nice. If you want or need a toaster oven and don't mind the high price, I think you will happy with your purchase. I do feel the steam feature for toasting bread does make a difference for the better. I deducted a star because there's absolutely no love for frozen toaster waffles, either anywhere in the instructions, or on the unit itself. Toaster waffle sales in the USA amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Perhaps, toaster waffles are not popular in Japan, which might explain why there's no mention of them and why they do not include any instructions, such as whether to use the steam when toasting them or not, or recommended times, etc. This just means that people who want to regularly heat their frozen waffles will just have to do experimenting until they find what's best for them. Sure, that might mean there will be some that are wasted, but maybe not. Let me share my frozen waffle experience with the Balmuda. First, I emailed the company and asked if they had a recommendation when it comes to these. They wrote back saying to toast them using the regular toast setting for 4 minutes, and use the 5cc of water so it'll steam. So, I did that. The waffles fell apart when I tried to eat them. The inside was too soft. So, then I tried the same setting and the steam for 5 minutes, then 6 minutes. Still not good for me. Then, I tried the Pizza and other product settings. Still, not satisfactory. I finally gave up on the idea of steaming the waffles. I then switched to the traditional 400 degrees. I pre-heated the toaster oven for 5 minutes at 400 and then added two waffles. I cooked for 5 minutes (not cooked enough), then 6 minutes (not cooked enough), and then 7 minutes. I was finally satisfied with: Preheat at 400 for 5 minutes, then heat the waffles for 7 minutes. Assuming the Balmuda holds up for a long time, I am glad I bought it.

I’ve been saving up for this toaster since it came onto the US market. I’ve been getting by with my Breville counter oven that also toasted bread/bagels but this toaster was everything my husband thought we didn’t need. Even admitted to loving it. We’ve been making bread weekly and it truly brought out the best in our homemade artisanal bread. If you ever stood and watched the toaster work, the browning doesn’t happen until the last segment of toasting. Each slice comes out perfectly moist but crunchy, what you expect toast to actually taste like. It’s easy to use, directions/heating times are conveniently written on top so you don’t have to keep the manual handy. The timer will turn off automatically after a few seconds once complete. The size is perfect a top our buffet/coffee area and just looks so aesthetically pleasing next to our Balmuda The Kettle sister. I cannot wait until the Balmuda Oven comes to US market and voltage because that is next on our list.

I wanted to LOVE this toaster. I LOVE the small footprint, the way it looks and the controls. Unfortunately, it simply doesn't toast - anything. It takes at least 10 minutes to get any color on a piece of sourdough, cut 1 cm thick. The upper element, only stays on for a few seconds at a time, then it goes dark, it takes forever. Though I use water as directed, my toast is very crunchy, not soft and moist in the center, I think because it takes so long to brown, to get ANY color at all. I've also tried toasting store bought sandwich bread, bagels, pastries etc... For general heating, it is fine, but it simply does NOT toast. There is no browning in under 10 minutes, for anything. I am SO incredibly disappointed. This was a complete waste of money - arguably a lot of money for a toaster. I'm looking for a replacement as I'm tired of subpar toast.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Just received it and made my first piece of toast, and wow, I’m glad I got this thing. If you’re looking for the Lamborghini of toasters, this is it. The steam feature is actually pretty cool - I think it makes a difference in making the bread a bit more gooey on the inside. Then it browns the outside perfectly, and wow. I often toast either homemade or artisan sourdoughs, and I already know it’ll be better to have something that easily accommodates toast of any thickness. The price is freakin high, but if you’re ok paying a premium to have the best toaster out there, then this is it. The unit seems very well made. Im excited to show this to my family and friends! Status update after one week: I’ve made toast roughly 10 times and am totally loving this thing. It’s so awesome. Really glad I splurged on a nice one. Status after 6 months: This thing is freakin incredible. I just ate three pieces of toast and said to myself, yet again, that this thing is WAY better than any other normal toaster. My wife and I are really glad we got this over a normal slot toaster, and the whole steam thing is actually true - the toast is consistently moist and soft on the inside, with a toasty and crunchy layer on the outside. It's seriously the perfect toast. I love this thing and would highly recommend it to anyone with enough spare cash to afford it. Yes, it's expensive. But I'm very glad I got it. Update after a year: I continue to absolutely love this thing. SO GLAD that I made the investment. Update after 3.5 years: It finally died on me. It was toasting and then died half way through, and now it won’t turn on. I spoke with customer support and it’s out of warranty and they offer no repairs, so I’m taking it apart to see if I can fix it. Even if I can’t, I’m still gonna buy a new one; they’re just that good.

This can bake bread, heat up, toast precisely as I wished. I think I made one of the best investment in the 5 years.

El horno funciona bien pero a los 3 meses de uso la puerta dejo de cerrar por completo y se cae al menor movimiento. No espero que pase esto por el precio.

The best thing in toasters my family has ever experienced. It's just level beyond their competition. Also, this seller is great. When ordering I've forgotten to ask for Eu power plug, so seller contacted me to change this in order. Overall, great product, and best experience with seller on Amazon ever.

Slightly bemused that on sale in UK but item supplied was US Version with US 12O Volts and US plug. Not entirely sure why EU version not supplied. Returned unused

Why are you selling US voltage against amazon marketplace rules?

I like this oven: it is small, easy to use, and the toasted food is delicious.