1 June 2023 - It's Electrifying!

 

I got chills, they're multiplying

and I'm losing control 

Cause the power your supplying...

It's Electrifying!

Today is all about safety when using a toaster.

Now remember, our Almanac was written in the 1970s, and the modern electric pop-up toaster was commercialized around the 1920s. That is almost 50 years and barely a generation of this metal death trap taking up counter space in modern homes.

In fact, toast has been one of the most popular ways of eating bread since the Roman Empire and was likely a way to preserve bread rather than make a tasty snack.

Even with more modern technology, you are most likely to be killed by your toaster than by a shark. The electric contraption kills an average of 700 people a year, with over 300 of those deaths occurring in the United States.

The most common injury is attempting to remove stuck food from the toaster with a utensil.

This was Kindergarten 101 for me. I remember firefighters giving my entire school a healthy dose of childhood trauma by telling us about all the ways a fire can start and how we could die in that fire.

I have a core memory of army crawling through a hallway with smoke just to give us a real-life sense of how to escape a burning building.

Since then, I have always viewed the toaster as an adversary worthy of respect.

Here are the best ways to help prevent a toast accident or fire:

1. Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen.
2. Keep your toaster clean. Be sure to unplug it before doing this!
3. Maintain distance while using it. Make sure no other objects are close by while toasting.

Now you know, and knowledge is power. Your toaster should only be used as directed, and for the love of all that is holy, don't try any "toaster hacks" you might see online.