BALMUDAThe Toaster | Steam Oven Toaster | 5 Cooking Modes: Sandwich Bread, Artisan Bread, Pizza & Pastry, Oven | Precise Heat Control | Steam Technology | Baking Pan | 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.

Excellent simple toaster oven. Makes perfect toast (ideal for artisan breads), heats small items. Small footprint, attractive in the kitchen. Does exactly what I want it to do!

I love our Balmuda. We learned these were popular in Japan so looked into it. The steam feature is a big deal so it gets our toast, croissants and especially reheated pizza just right. A little bit of soft but a little crispy. Watch the height headroom though as we use it for specific things. Its fast. Easy to set the dial and helps with a guide for different food. Our family got hooked on using it when visiting

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.