Chub Folding Toaster

RRP £5.99

Whilst watching the March issue of Carp TV, Korda Tackle’s Tom Dove described the Chub Folding Toaster as being an “essential tackle item that he won’t leave home without”.
How can a bit of stainless steel to hold a bit of bread, earn such accolades? Only one way to find out, so I contacted Hardy/Greys marketing boss Gavin Burn, who agreed to send one over so I could see what all the fuss was about.

First Impressions

This easy to use Toaster is genius in its simplicity. Its first obvious feature is how compact it is, it simply folds down flat and will store in any pocket of a standard carryall without taking any storage space. To set the Folding Toaster up simply pull the handle up until it is fully extended. When the end panels are parallel, simply lock the retaining panel to the right of the handle in place and job done!

To get the best from the Folding Toaster, I was advised to pre-heat the heat diffuser (the wire mesh on the base) using a low heat for about a minute or until it was glowing red. Once ready you simply place the bread on the top griddle and regularly check (nothing worse than burnt toast) rotate the bread until it toasted all over. Repeat on the other side and in just over a minute or so you have perfect toast.

Top Tip

if you can leave the bread that you are going to toast on a plate in the sun for about half an hour or so turning regularly to dry out evenly, it dramatically reduces toasting time and saves on gas.

Now not being a man to except the fact that it was designed as a toaster for bread, I had one of my weird ideas (I prefer experimental brainwaves) and decided that I would use the Folding Toaster to heat Savouries as well. So I experimented with a Ham and Cheese Slice, turning the heat up slightly higher than I would have it for normal toasting and after 5 minutes of regularly tuning the Slice over to avoid burning the pastry, I had a steaming hot savoury snack (Pukka)

Caution I recommend that after you have heated up a savoury which contain either cheese or gravy fillings, leave it to stand or check the inner temperature, and don’t do what I did and burn half your taste buds of your tongue, check to make sure it isn’t too hot before you fill your face.

Final Thoughts

The Folding Toaster has been around for a few years now and having now used one, I don’t know how I ever survived without it. The simplicity of the Folding Toaster and its floorless performance makes it a design classic that I will always have on the bank with me even on short day sessions. Let’s face it you can’t beat a good cup of tea and a slice of toast any time of the day, especially on those freezing cold winter sessions.

“A brilliant piece of kit”