The humble toaster is ubiquitous in kitchens around the world. And no matter how fancy, they all tend to work the same way: bread goes into slots at the top, thermal elements line the inside, and a slider or dial decides how long the bread is heated for.

But a research team led by Australian engineers has been working to break that mould for the past 10 years, wanting to alleviate the minor everyday frustrations of re-toasting bread, burning toast or guessing at settings for unfamiliar loaves. And this week, their efforts have finally borne fruit.

“In a typical household 20 years ago, everyone would have been eating white toast,” said Tom Groundes-Peace, head of research at Breville. “These days though, if you look at the supermarket shelves or you go to your local bakery, the variety of

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