Harts Kitchen Icon
BREAD WINNER
We’d like to propose a toast to Dualit, makers of the
most iconic toaster in the world for bringing great
British engineering to our kitchens for over 70 years…
T
hanks Brian. If you’ve
enjoyed a uniquely crispy
slice of toast from a Dualit
anytime in the last two
decades, chances are it was made in
a toaster hand sprayed by Brian, who
has worked for Dualit for 20 years.
In fact, if you took the end casing off
one of their Classic Toasters, you will
probably see his handprints.
Each Dualit Classic Toaster is hand
built by the same person from start
to finish in its factory in West Sussex
(their name will be on the base
plate). It’s been this way, bar factory
moves, since 1952, when Dualit first
engineered a commercial six slice
toaster with a built-in mechanical
timer that bears a striking
resemblance to today’s model.
The company itself was founded
in 1945 by German born Max GortBarten, who bought a factory in
Camberwell along with army surplus
two-tonne Bliss Power Presses (some
of which are still in use today).
His initial inventions included the
Dual-Light electric fire which gave
the company its name. A patented
cocktail shaker, onion chopper and
custard mixer followed before the
iconic toaster. Dualit now make
2000 Classic Toasters each week and
sell them in 54 countries. They are
ubiquitous in commercial kitchens
and much-loved in homes, hotels and
cafés as well aircraft cabins, the QE2
and even a nuclear submarine.
Although an obvious design classic,
the Classic Toaster also shows Dualit’s
commitment to innovation as it has
been refined and improved over
the years and features replaceable
parts for great longevity. At its heart,
the patented, virtually unbreakable
ProHeat® Element ensure that the
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bread is toasted more evenly.
With Max Gort-Barten’s son
Leslie and grandson Alex driving
the company, invention is still key
to Dualit and reflected in over 100
patents and trademarks they hold.
Great British engineering can be seen
in all their toasters, kettles, coffee
and catering products. Their new
Studio range, for example features a
kettle with Sure Pour, a patented non
drip spout. They also pioneered fine
tea capsules for use in their Dualit
and Nespresso drinks machines. It’s
fitting that a British company could
bring such innovation to the very
important business of tea and toast.
Obsessed with quality, only Dualit
could be famous for its “Crunch Test”,
which demands that every toaster
leaving the factory has to make toast
that is crunchy on the outside, soft
and fluffy on the inside.