Oh yeah. Let's do this. We're talking toasters baby. It all started with someone on twitter posting a poll about whether your toaster stays out on the counter 24/7 or do you put it away every time you are done using it.
This is obviously one of those issues that depends entirely on three things;
1. Personal preference for kitchen aesthetics (do you like your space clear of clutter),
2. How often you use the toaster, and
3. Whether or not you have room to either store it/or the room to keep it on the counter.
For my family, we use the toaster mostly on the weekends. That's when we have time to have big breakfasts that involve several components or we make a run to our local bagel shop whenever it's 'pumpernickel bagel' weekend. The Bagel Maker only makes pumpernickel bagels once a month and my husband marks it on the calendar.
My toaster in it's crumb-protecting shoe box. Photo: Tess Connell
So our toaster lives in the cabinet the rest of the time. BUT here's my trick. The toaster also lives inside a shoebox inside the cabinet. I took the lid off of a shoe box and just set the toaster inside the shoebox when I put it away. That way when you're moving the toaster in and out of the cabinet, you're not spilling crumbs all in the cabinet, counter top, or yourself in the process. Then you just periodically shake out the box every now and then. Voila! Tidy counters, happy toaster, and LOTS of weekend bagels.