
“World’s most expensive toaster” from Mitsubishi uses rice cooker technology to toast bread to perfection.
If you think of a Japanese breakfast, images of rice, fish and miso soup might come to mind, but these days, it’s becoming more and more common for people to have toast for breakfast as they go about their busy lives.
Toast here is a whole different ball game, though, with people eschewing regular pop-up toasters for toaster ovens with pull-out trays. It’s not uncommon for people in Japan to toast one slice at a time as well, with bread being available in super thick slices that result in a delightful crunch on the outside and a soft, fluffy texture inside.
To satisfy the desires of the toast-loving public, toaster oven technology is always being improved upon here, and Japanese company Mitsubishi Electric produced a game changer in May last year with the introduction of the TO-ST1-T bread oven. Retailing for around the 30,000 yen mark (US$290.82), this is one of the most expensive toasters on the market right now, and its specs proved to be so enticing that one of the most famous unboxing channels on YouTube couldn’t resist testing it out for their 16 million subscribers.
Canadian presenter Lewis Hilsenteger, who fronts the popular Unbox Therapy channel on YouTube, was blown away by the toast produced by the Japanese bread oven, lost for words after putting it to the test alongside toast from a regular pop-up toaster.
Take a look at the “World’s Most Expensive vs Cheapest Toaster” below:
In the clip, Hilsenteger unboxes the expensive toaster first, saying he knows it’s premium straight away as it comes with a recipe booklet. This booklet contains recipes for tasty options like egg sandwiches, tuna salad toast, Caprese croissants, apple cinnamon toast, and Ujikintoki French toast, which contains matcha and adzuki red beans.
While they love the wood grain detail on the machine, they also love how easy it is to use, with a series of buttons allowing you to toast regular or frozen bread, as well as bread with toppings and French toast.
There are also buttons for varying degrees of toasting, with Hilsenteger mentioning that Mitsubishi uses the same tech from their rice cookers to help keep the moisture inside the bread while toasting it.
As expected, the cheap pop-up toaster just doesn’t cut it against Mitsubishi’s miracle toast machine. Both the supermarket bread and the bakery-bought premium bread turns out to be dry and unevenly toasted in the cheap machine.
▼ However, in the TO-ST1-T, even the cheap bread becomes evenly toasted and fluffy inside.
Though no water is added, steam rises from the back of the machine, as the product uses moisture from the bread itself to help retain its fluffy texture.
Once they put the premium bread into the premium machine, Hilsenteger is lost for words, walking away with his hands in the air as his taste buds experience the most perfect toast they’ve ever known.
Once he does manage to get his words back, he says, simply: “Unreal” and “SO good“. He’s sold on using premium bread in the premium machine and his mate, Will Du, agrees, saying “That’s a game changer.”
While it’s a high price to pay for a great piece of toast, Hilsenteger points out that over the course of a year, it would actually work out to be less than a dollar a day “for that premium toast experience” to uplift your mood as you start your day.
From our point of view, that makes it worth every dollar and we’re hoping we’ll be able to get our hands on one soon. After all, we’re the “weirdos” who’ve already taste-tested both the Twin Chef rice cooker and the bento box rice cooker, and there’s no price we won’t pay in the pursuit of deliciousness.
Source, images: YouTube/Unbox Therapy
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!






Japanese Sumi Toaster brings charcoal cooking technology to sliced bread
Potama serves up epic rice balls like no other, and there’s only one store in Tokyo
Drift ice in Japan is a disappearing winter miracle you need to see now
Family Mart ups its convenience store food game with special burger from beef bowl chain Matsuya
Japanese restaurant chain serves Dragon Ball donuts and Senzu Beans this spring
Hey! You Can Drink Sweet Potatoes, says Japanese beverage maker with new drink
Japan Extreme Budget Travel! A trip from Tokyo to Izumo for just 30,000 yen [Part 2]
Yakuzen ramen restaurant in Tokyo is very different to a yakuza ramen restaurant
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino
Saizeria meal hack by foreign diners introduces us to a secret dish that’s not on the menu
Fully posable “Titan Eren” figure to debut next year, looks just as nude/terrifying as expected
Highest Starbucks in Japan set to open this spring in the Tokyo sky
Tokyo Skytree turns pink for the cherry blossom season
Japan Extreme Budget Travel! A trip from Tokyo to Izumo for just 30,000 yen [Part 1]
Japan has only one airport named after a samurai, so let’s check out Kochi Ryoma【Photos】
Japanese drugstore sells onigiri at pre-stupid era prices, but how do they compare to 7-Eleven?
Burning through cash just to throw things away tops list of headaches when moving house in Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
The 10 most annoying things foreign tourists do on Japanese trains, according to locals
Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth
Naruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos]
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting the lines at a popular Tokyo gyukatsu restaurant?
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says