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Some early examples of toasters in the kitchen exhibit at the Mill from before the invention of the Pop-up Toaster.

A Toast to the Toaster, and One of Its Friends

By Dan Harshman

Whether you are a bagel, English muffin, or a basic slice of bread fan; you know what a joy that perfectly toasted treat can be. You might not know that the invention of a specific filament wire is what made the electric toaster possible. Prior to that, simple utensils for toasting bread over an open flame started appearing in the early 19th century. These could have been a simple sheet of metal with a grid and a long handle; or a more complicated four slice contraption made to sit on a source of heat.

In 1905, things began to change with Albert Marsh’s invention of “Nichrome” wire. Nichrome is a filament wire with an alloy of Nickel and Chromium that is safe and durable when heated. It is able to sustain a toaster’s repeated heating to high temperatures. Armed with this new invention, Frank Shailor, with General Electric, was able to invent the first electric toaster in 1909. His Model GE D-12 was a single sided toaster.

By 1913, the Copemen Electric Stove Company introduced a toaster that turned the bread to brown both sides. A gentleman named Charles Strite came up with the ultimate solution to turning the bread when he invented the pop-up toaster in 1919. He revolutionized the toaster by adding a timer and springs that provided consistent browning to both sides. His invention first found its way to the kitchen’s of restaurants where the convenience and consistency were a welcome change.

By 1926, a redesigned version of the Strite toaster was available as the brand name Toastmaster. It was the first household toaster that could brown both sides simultaneously, set the heat on a timer, and eject the toast when it was finished.

As the years passed, we saw the 2 slice toaster go to 4 slices, the openings got wider to handle things like a bagel, and a few more whistles and bells were added that might, or might not, have made for a better toaster. No matter what, the basics of the 1919 Strite toaster are still in use today; and for many a nice slice of toast is even better with a morning cup of coffee.

When I was growing up there were two kitchen appliances on our kitchen counter; a toaster and a coffee pot. Or I should say an electric coffee percolator.

The coffee percolator, invented in the early 19th century, revolutionized the brewing of coffee. What the percolator replaced was the brewing technique sometimes called “Cowboy Coffee”, which is simply boiling water with coffee grounds mixed into it over an open fire or stove top; served without filtering.

A percolator works by continuously cycling near boiling water through the coffee grounds using gravity and heat. As water in the bottom of the pot heats up, it is forced up a center vertical tube. When it reaches the top of the tube it is sprayed over the top of coarsely ground coffee that is held in a basket. The water filters back down through the coffee grounds and repeats the cycle until the desired strength is achieved.

The hot water has a distinctive bubbling sound as it reaches the top of the center tube where it can be seen through a glass bubble in the center of the metal lid of the percolator. It usually takes about 5 minutes from the time you first hear the bubbling sound until the coffee’s color in the glass bubble tells you it is ready to drink. Of course there is always the perfect color that is based on the coffee drinker’s personal taste. The percolator will continue to do its thing until it is removed from the heat source.

An Illinois’ farmer named Hanson Goodrich is credited with coming up with the first modern stove top percolator. He took out a patent on the pot in 1889. In his patent application, he describes his invention as being able to create “a liquid which will be free of all grounds and impurities.”

Percolators did result in coffee that was “free of all grounds and impurities”; but it could be bitter and/or very strong coffee. This was caused by the high heat required to create the steam pressure needed to encourage a vacuum which was needed to get the water to rise in the center tube. Add to that the fact that every time the water cycles through the coffee grounds it is extracting additional coffee again and again, dissolving more and more of the coffee material. But you still have to admit it was way better than stirring coffee grounds in boiling water.

The coffee percolator was the dominant coffee maker from the late 1800s until the 1960s, favored for its simplicity and strong brew. It also came in a variety of sizes with large capacity units still being used in many churches and other larger meeting places. For home use, it has been largely replaced by electric drip coffee makers. I’m sure many of you remember the percolator being replaced on the kitchen counter with that new fangled “Mister Coffee”.

Whether you have a 2 slice or a 4 slice, a percolator or a drip coffee maker; I think we can all agree that perfectly done toast and a good cup of coffee is sure to put a smile on the face of many each morning. You can see some very early toasters, before the pop-up, and a few attractive percolators at the Edinburg Mill’s Museum. Make sure to come check them out; maybe after you’ve had your breakfast for the day.

Attractive percolators that would have looked great on anyone's kitchen counter, on display at the Mill.