Balmuda’s Toaster Pro was released in September.
When I think of two things that should never go together, water and a toaster are high on the list. Not anymore. But it’s a bit more complicated than that. Let me explain.
Balmuda, the Japan-based brand known for its sleek kitchen appliances and home goods with thoughtful design, recently released its new and improved toaster oven, The Toaster Pro. With three different heat settings and four steam toast options (more on this in a below), the Toaster Pro does a lot for its compact size. I’ve been testing it for more than three weeks. toasting everything from fresh bread and a half-eaten bagel to leftover pizza and even baked potatoes.
Here’s what I absolutely love about it — and what could be improved on this small but mighty toaster.
The toaster’s capabilities
The Toaster Pro comes in at just over 14 inches wide and 12 inches deep, so it doesn’t take up too much space on my cozy kitchen counter. The original Balmuda toaster debuted in the U.S. in 2019 and is the same size, but there are slight differences between the two appliances.
The original, priced at $310, has five modes: sandwich bread, artisan bread, pizza, pastry and oven mode. The Toaster Pro has golden toast, pizza, croissant, oven mode, plus a salamander grill mode, which is described as a “high-heat setting for golden, flavor-packed finishes.” It’ll cost you slightly more at $379.
For the oven mode, three heat settings are offered: 350, 400 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit. But what sets this toaster apart from other countertop toaster ovens is its steam element. A tiny plastic mug — which holds 5 cc of water — comes with the toaster. If you’re using any of the modes besides oven mode, you’ll pour the small amount of water into the top slot and let the toaster do its magic.
Crisping up leftovers has never been easier
On the day I opened the Toaster Pro, I had some leftover pizza in the fridge, which made for the perfect first testing subject. Because I was using oven mode, I didn’t pour any water in the toaster. I was thoroughly impressed with how quickly it worked. The toaster heated up the thick slices within a couple of minutes and perfectly crisped up the edges.
Later in the week, with a leftover burrito, I followed the same steps and the reheated meal genuinely tasted better than when it was fresh. I thought to myself, “I’m going to love this thing.”
It only took about three minutes to reheat a leftover burrito.
On its website, Balmuda offers a handful of recipes to cook in the toaster, including these festive spooky fig brownies, which can be cooked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit on oven mode, and grilled padrón peppers, which would use both oven mode and salamander mode.
Does a little steam produce better toast?
After testing out the oven mode numerous times, it was time to see what adding water to the toaster would do. I placed two pieces of wheat bread on the racks, set it to toast mode, added water to the slot and waited. But not for long. About 30 seconds into toasting, the see-through window began to fog up due to the steam, but about a minute later, it cleared back up.
The toaster can only fit two pieces of bread at a time.
When the timer went off, I opened it to see two extremely toasted pieces of bread. I noticed the tops of the bread were slightly overtoasted, but I chalked it up to leaving the pieces in the toaster for too long as I learned how quickly the appliance works. The timer on this toaster can go up to 10 minutes, but it heats up so quickly that I’ve never needed more than four — except when I’m crisping up baked potatoes.
Later, though, when I toasted a pumpernickel bagel (which I ended up hating, but that’s besides the point) the top of the bagel got over-toasted again. It’s easy enough to scrape off the burnt bits, but I didn’t expect to have to do that with a nearly $400 toaster oven.
The top of bread often got more toasted than the bottom.
Burnt bits aside, the steam feature delivered my ideal level of crispiness — perfectly crisp on the outside without drying out the bread.
As I was figuring out how many minutes are needed to get a good crisp, but avoid burnt bits, I threw a half-eaten bagel I had in the fridge from testing other toasters into the Toaster Pro, set it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and set the timer to a mere two and a half minutes. Once again, this method made the food taste even better than it did the first time around.
Even bagels with toppings already on them heated up perfectly on oven mode.
Baked potato perfection
In one of my final tests, I tried CNET editor David Watsky’s baked potato hack — which he accomplishes with the help of a trusty air fryer — and I got restaurant-quality results. The only downside came after I stuffed the baked potatoes with leftover buffalo chicken dip (did someone say Sunday night football?). I wanted to add some extra cheese on top and put it back in the toaster oven to try the salamander mode, but once it was stuffed, it wouldn’t fit back in without hitting the ceiling of the appliance.
Three whole potatoes fit comfortably in the Toaster Pro.
Final thoughts
Despite its limitations, I really like this toaster. I’m sure it’s partially because of how sleek it looks on my countertop and because it truly made my leftovers taste even better than the original meal, but this is a great toaster oven for what I need it for. Part of that is how sleek it looks on my countertop, and part is how it makes my leftovers taste even better than the first time. For what I need, it’s a great toaster oven.
I often need to reheat leftovers that would turn out soggy in the microwave, and I like the ability to toast bread, sandwiches, bakery items, and more no matter what size or shape they are.
Now, if you only want to use it to make toast, investing in a smart toaster like the $400 R180 Connect Plus Smart Toaster is probably a better bet, given that you can completely control the brownness level with that appliance and don’t have to worry about uneven toasting. However, if you’re looking for versatility and a bit more space, the Balmuda Toaster Pro is a great option.