How long did it take you to realise that the numbers on a toaster represent minutes cooking and not degrees of toastiness?

Well, you've told me something I didn't know, but it comes to the same thing, doesn't it?

Having know that the toaster was a few wires glowing from excessive current being pumped through them, I knew there was no regulation on heat, so I can't say I thought much about it, but I always knew the process and realized that the only variable of light toast and burned to a crisp toast was the length of time the bread was exposed to the short circuit down there.

I'm not aware. I don't have a toaster.

I really never thought it meant anything other than minutes. I set mine to about 4. 

I didn't realise that, but the two are strictly correlated, so it does also represent degrees of toastiness.

Wow, thanks for that, I learn something every day.