Tom Scott Tests the Internet Rumor Claiming the Numbers on Toaster Dials Correlate to Minutes of Cooking Time

Tom Scott (previously) posted a video testing the Internet rumor that claims the numbers on toaster dials correlate to minutes of cooking time. Scott starts four different toasters on the same setting at the same time to see how long they each take to pop and explains how the timing function of a toaster actually works while the toast cooks.

Three of the four toasters all pop well before two minutes, but the high-end toaster used in the demonstration (apparently a Russell Hobbs 18117 Deluxe Four Slice Toaster) pops at almost two minutes exactly, possibly disproving Scott’s claim. Although the instruction manual for the 18117 doesn’t mention anything about the numbers on its dials relating to specific times, the toaster manufacturer Dualit recently released a line of toasters that use an advanced algorithm to calculate the ideal temperature for the toaster relative to its surroundings, showing technology advanced enough to cook toast for a specific length of time is not unprecedented in the toaster industry.