What does a toaster do?

A toaster works by using infrared radiation to toast a slice of bread. The infrared radiation is created by electricity running through nichrome wires inside the toaster, which begin to heat up and glow red. The radiation dries the bread and chars its surface to a golden brown color.

After the toaster has completed toasting the bread, the appliance pops the bread out using a spring-loaded tray. This feature removes the need to turn the appliance upside down to remove the toast. Some toasters have a timer feature that automatically turns off the toaster when the toast is complete and releases the spring-loaded tray simultaneously to push it up.