People Are Just Discovering This Hidden Feature on Every Toaster and They’re Speechless

published Jul 10, 2023
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Toaster crumb tray halfway pulled out.
Credit: Nathan Hutsenpiller

When was the last time you actually sat down and read through the user manual of a new product? Unless you need the instructions for a feature that isn’t blatantly obvious, you probably just toss it to the side and start pushing buttons. As the intuitive beings that we are, figuring something out without the instructions is part of the fun — not to mention it strokes your ego when you’re successful. But you have to be careful, because doing so opens up the possibility that you will miss out on a feature that you might have known about had you read that pesky manual. 

Recently, a video of a toaster has been getting a ton of attention online because of its so-called “hidden feature.” In the video posted to TikTok by Australian-based creator Kacie of The Big Clean Co., she calmly asks, “When did you last clean out your toaster tray?” She then reaches her hand over to the toaster and slides a tiny tray out from the bottom of it. 

Now, if you’re like me, you discovered your toaster’s crumb tray years ago when you flipped it upside down to shake all the crumbs out and into the garbage can. Depending on where you set your toaster up in the kitchen, however, this tray could be hidden against the wall, so it becomes out of sight and out of mind. And that seems to be the case with a lot of people who displayed their shock and disbelief in the comments, claiming they had no idea that the tray existed.

“Uhh, I have never, and I mean never, known this,” claimed one surprised commenter, with another quickly warning, “I clean it every week … those crumbs could cause a fire.”

Credit: Nathan Hutsenpiller

Another commenter who was disappointed in the overall lack of knowledge from viewers joked, “Wait until they realize the drawer under the stove is intended as a warmer, not cookware storage.”

In an interview with The Sun, Kacie stated, “There are cleaning hacks going around the internet that are not really hacks at all — they make it harder.” She continued to say, ”This week I was sent one: ‘Clean your toaster with a hairdryer.’ Just tip it in the bin,” and she laughed. 

We live in a time of instant gratification, and while there is surely a TikTok hack for every single scenario we can come up with, some solutions are already right there under our noses. And in the case of cleaning out your toaster, the ultimate hack is already built into the product.