How a Vintage Dualit Toaster Can Change Your Mornings
David Kahn |
Those perfect Aussie breakfasts—when the tea is hot, and your perfectly browned sourdough toast has a poached egg resting on it, cooked just the way you like it with perfectly sliced avocado. Like most Aussies, you tend to only enjoy these on weekends when you go to your favourite cafe with friends and family. Sadly, far too many of us rely on a cheap plastic kettle which produces off-tasting tepid tea, and toasters that burn more often than they brown. What about a morning where the spring in the poor quality toaster breaks as you are starving and rushing to get to work? So what’s a lover of a proper breakfast to do? The good news is that with an investment in the right kitchen appliances, it’s easy for you to inject some style and taste (both kinds) into even the greyest winter mornings.
With the iconic words “Handmade in England,” Dualit speaks volumes.Their founders meet customers who are on their second or third generation using a single toaster. These toasters are built to last. As the company itself puts it “they’re virtually unbreakable.” That longevity comes out both in terms of performance and style. But what does great performance really mean here? One element is the precise browning control. The standards set here are high. Every (and they mean every) piece of toast that comes out of a Dualit Classic Toaster needs to be perfectly browned and crunchy on the outside, but soft and tender in the center. Once that’s guaranteed, the toaster needs to keep reliably performing for decades. It’s a high bar that requires relentless dedication and is proven when “half of all Dualit products are bought by restaurants and hotels”.So how do they do it? First, there’s the ProHeat® elements. Unlike in most toasters, the heating elements in Dualit are protected from stray knives, the odd flammable crumb, or anything else you might throw at them. Then, there’s the repairability. By ensuring that each part is replaceable or repairable, Dualit Classic Toasters manage to be both long-lasting and environmentally friendly.Still, toast alone doesn’t make a breakfast. Every Australian knows a proper cup of tea is just as essential.
You’re probably wondering why buying a Dualit Kettle in Australia makes more sense than getting a cheaper plastic knock-off from China. It comes down to an ever-growing number of crucial details that make a great product and truly great tea (or coffee or absolutely perfect hard boiled eggs).For instance, take essential usability functions like easy-to-read clear windows that allow you to read the water amount in both cups and litres. Or, for those mornings when the quiet just can’t be disturbed, there's a patented Whisper Boil™ feature. Combined with patented anti-wobble feet, these features mean your mornings can be as peaceful as the feeling that comes with your first cup of tea.Of course, all the great features in the world aren’t worth much on a broken kettle. That’s why Dualit has gone through the trouble of obsessively designing a heating element that allows each individual component to be replaced, just like with their toasters. That means you can look forward to passing this beautiful machine down to the next generation. If you’re ever willing to give it up, that is.
The Dualit Story
Where does this kind of precision and devotion to quality come from? It all started when German-born entrepreneur Max Gort-Barten finished up a stint fighting for Great Britain in the Second World War. When he returned to his adopted home in the UK, he searched for a way to apply his entrepreneurial and engineering skills.
He found it in a small factory he purchased in Camberwell. By 1952, he had captured everyone’s attention with his innovative six-slice toaster with a built-in timer, the first of its kind. But Gort-Barten didn’t stop there. By the 1970s, he was collaborating with graduates of the Royal College of Art. The results were increasingly innovative and iconic designs, which became must-haves for anyone with an eye for elegance and a love of good toast and tea.Since then, besides constant tinkering to improve every tiny detail of their products, not very much has changed at Dualit. Gort-Barten’s son runs the business with his own son by his side, continuing the long-standing tradition of proud family-owned businesses in the UK. As we're sure Dualit would say, if it’s not broken, why fix it?
Investing in History, Beauty, and Good Breakfast
Ultimately, there’s no doubt Dualit products are a serious investment. However, there’s a reason we just love them. Decades later, they’re still bringing joy to their owners, performing with the resilience and elegance of another time, far removed from today’s disposable kitchen products.Whether you’re looking for a gift to last a lifetime, or something special for your own kitchen, a Dualit toaster or kettle is an investment you won’t regret.
With the iconic words “Handmade in England,” Dualit speaks volumes.
Their founders meet customers who are on their second or third generation using a single toaster. These toasters are built to last. As the company itself puts it “they’re virtually unbreakable.” That longevity comes out both in terms of performance and style. But what does great performance really mean here?
One element is the precise browning control. The standards set here are high. Every (and they mean every) piece of toast that comes out of a Dualit Classic Toaster needs to be perfectly browned and crunchy on the outside, but soft and tender in the center. Once that’s guaranteed, the toaster needs to keep reliably performing for decades. It’s a high bar that requires relentless dedication and is proven when “half of all Dualit products are bought by restaurants and hotels”.
So how do they do it? First, there’s the ProHeat® elements. Unlike in most toasters, the heating elements in Dualit are protected from stray knives, the odd flammable crumb, or anything else you might throw at them. Then, there’s the repairability. By ensuring that each part is replaceable or repairable, Dualit Classic Toasters manage to be both long-lasting and environmentally friendly.
Still, toast alone doesn’t make a breakfast. Every Australian knows a proper cup of tea is just as essential.
You’re probably wondering why buying a Dualit Kettle in Australia makes more sense than getting a cheaper plastic knock-off from China. It comes down to an ever-growing number of crucial details that make a great product and truly great tea (or coffee or absolutely perfect hard boiled eggs).
For instance, take essential usability functions like easy-to-read clear windows that allow you to read the water amount in both cups and litres. Or, for those mornings when the quiet just can’t be disturbed, there's a patented Whisper Boil™ feature. Combined with patented anti-wobble feet, these features mean your mornings can be as peaceful as the feeling that comes with your first cup of tea.
Of course, all the great features in the world aren’t worth much on a broken kettle. That’s why Dualit has gone through the trouble of obsessively designing a heating element that allows each individual component to be replaced, just like with their toasters. That means you can look forward to passing this beautiful machine down to the next generation. If you’re ever willing to give it up, that is.
The Camberwell Factory / via.
