A:AnswerThe sides of the unit stays cool to the touch however the top of the toaster gets hot where the toast comes out. As always follow fire safety guidelines.
A:AnswerI just received mine and it appears that I have the same issue with the bagel mode.
I press the bagel mode and all four sides glow.
Using a Watt meter, the toaster measures about 940 watts and all three modes and on every click 0 to 7.
This is rated at 1000 Watts.
I would expect about half that if the middle elements were not activated.
A:AnswerI just received mine and yes the black stainless steel matches my appliances. I have LG but I'm pretty sure they are the same color as Samsung.