Why do toasters even have a “burnt” setting?

The best toast is light-to-medium dark, when the bread gets a little crispy, a little crunchy, a lot warmer, but still pliable and bready.

That’s why you’re eating bread, and that’s why you’re toasting it – you want toasted bread, not burnt bread dust.

Anyone who wants their bread super dark, well cooked, and hard could depress the toast lever twice, and cause the desired effect.

But when a toaster has no top-end limit, then any bread runs the chance of being overly toasted or burnt. Burnt bread is garbage – dry garbage – and it stinks up the kitchen. You could save on your home air freshener budget by just burning toast instead.