The BALMUDA toaster

With BALMUDA The Toaster, you pour 5cc of water into the little opening on top before toasting, so steam moistens the surface of the bread before it toasts. Refrigerated sliced bread or a day-old croissant done this way comes out crisp on the outside and still soft inside.

It's really just a small oven with a small chamber, so it can't do much at once. Roasting chicken legs or baking gratins is still a job for the combination microwave (オーブンレンジ). The people who get the most use out of it are the ones who often have sliced bread and soft rolls for breakfast.

A new model came out at the end of September 2026, the first major redesign in 11 years. The size and the 5cc-of-water routine haven't changed. The old baguette and croissant modes have been merged into a single "Bakery mode" (ベーカリーモード), and there are new modes for sourdough and for reheating fried food. The Pro also adds a "Salamander" mode (サラマンダー) that blasts the bread with heat from above.

Both generations may show up on Amazon at the same time, so check the model number before ordering: the old standard model is K11A, the new standard model is KTT02JP, and the new Pro is KTT03JP. If you only toast sliced bread and croissants, the old one is plenty.