Vertical or horizontal is the first significant decision you must make when purchasing a conveyor toaster. These two methods give bread products a crisp, browned the outside by using a conveyor belt to move the bread through a cooking cavity. You should consider the following when choosing between the two. What are you going to toast? How much and how quickly you'll need to produce, how much space you will need for the unit, and the cost.

Choosing between Vertical and Horizontal

With a vertical toaster the bread is inserted into toaster through a top opening. The bread is then removed from the machine and placed back inside where it toasts again. With a horizontal toaster the bread still comes out at the bottom, but it has an opening on the front of the appliance rather than the top. The only distinction between horizontal and vertical toasters is how the machine is shaped overall, the toasted product will be the same in both cases.

A vertical toaster would be your best bet if you have a kitchen with limited counterspace but still need to make a lot of toast. Vertical toasters tend to take up less room, as these units are typically thin and tall requiring less counterspace. Horizontal toasters require more counterspace since the bread is fed from the front rather than the sides. However, since the bread is fed through the front rather than the top of the unit, a horizontal toaster can be placed beneath shelving or cabinets.

Both Vertical and Horizontal conveyor toasters are rated by how many slices of bread per hour they can toast. You will want to consider how many customers you serve during your busiest hour and how many slices of toast each customer will require to determine how many slices per hour you'll need. You can estimate how many pieces of toast you need to make per hour by multiplying your total hourly customers by 0.5, which should be used as the minimum toasting speed you require for your machine if half of your customers order an entrée with one slice of toast. This will then help you determine the belt width that you will need to efficiently serve your customers. The width of the belt affects how many pieces of bread can fit side by side, which in turn affects how many slices can be produced in an hour. High-capacity machines typically have wide belts, while low-capacity machines will have narrower belts.

Choosing between Manual vs Electric

Next, you will want to decide whether you want a manual or an electric conveyor toaster. Both Vertical and Horizontal toasters are available with electric or manual controls. Electronic controls require less cleaning than manual controls because there are fewer moving parts for dirt and grime to get caught in. Manual controls are less likely to have electrical issues that need to be repaired. Manual controls, which are the most popular choice between the two, include one or more dials or switches that change the toasting settings, including speed, power, and product type. Whether you want to use a manual or electric toaster will depend on how many toasting settings and speeds you require.

At Cook’s we have a wide range of commercial foodservice equipment and supplies available and ready for same day shipping. If you have any questions regarding the purchase of new foodservice equipment, we are happy to assist you.