At Giz, we're in the habit of introducing new products every day, and in the world of gadgetry, specialty kitchen products are a dime a dozen. Today, though, I was taken by surprise by the simplest of inventions: a flat, barbecue-style toaster. When I spotted the Fagor TP-2006 X (with "acoustic warning device") on Appliancist today, not only did the form of it surprise me, but—after a little Googling—so did the fact that the flat toaster is not a new concept:

That's not to say it's common, perhaps because however cool or useful it is, it's decidedly more dangerous than other two standard toaster types. It would beat hell out of the Black & Decker my wife and I got for a wedding gift, but then so would a lighter held perpendicular to a piece of bread at 6 inches. There is a crumb tray that you can slide out, but that still doesn't prevent jackasses from trying to fry a burger on its grill—surely that's one of the many reasons this format is not favored. That and the fact that the heat dissipation must be crazy, and right up in your face. Still, somehow, I want one.

You know we've written about toasters, toasters and more toasters, but tell me, have you ever heard of a flat toaster? [Fagor via Appliancist PLUS Toaster Pics; Web Marketings; Nomura; Zannell]

Send an email to Wilson Rothman, the author of this post, at wilson@gizmodo.com.