Well Greg, There must be a reason why they don't ground toasters. I agree with your train of thought about the path taken for an electrical shock. I agree that all things working properly, the GFCI would prevent one from a lethal shock, but there is one thing we both know " you can protect the fool, but you can't protect the damn fool". Anyone who is stupid enough to stick a metal object into an electrical appliance without unplugging it is a "damn fool". I believe the main reason for not grounding the metal parts of a toaster and many other appliances is because of the realistic possibility of somehow getting into a polarity issue and ending up with a hot metal part setting on the counter next to the sink or other grounded surface. I respect your comments and have always enjoyed the banter your offer.
As a side note you could do what I do when an english muffin don't pop up high enough to grab with my fingers, I flip the lever that John mentioned and the muffin actually flies out of the toaster.
