<P> A toaster, or a toast maker, is an electric small appliance designed to toast sliced bread by exposing it to radiant heat, thus converting it into toast . Toasters can toast multiple types of sliced bread products . Invented in Scotland in 1893, it was developed over the years, with the introduction of an automatic mechanism to stop the toasting and pop the slices up . </P> <P> The most common household toasting appliances are the pop - up toaster and the toaster oven . Bread slices are inserted into slots in the top of a pop - up toaster, which make toast from bread in one to three minutes by using electric heating elements . Toasters have a control to adjust how much the appliance toasts the bread . Toaster ovens have a hinged door in the front that opens to allow food items to be placed on a rack, which has heat elements above and below the grilling area . Toaster ovens function the same as a small - scale conventional oven . Toaster ovens typically have settings to toast bread and a temperature control for use of the appliance as an oven . </P>

What do the lines on a toaster mean