6 Best Toasters of 2024, Tested by Experts | gastroback
We also liked that the bagel setting cooks the inside of the bread without making the outside overly crispy. The toaster also has a lift feature called “toast boost” that makes your toast easier to remove without burning your fingers. Finally, the exterior of the toaster remains cool to the touch even after making breakfast for the whole family, so you can scoot it across the counter or store it away in the cabinet without having to wait for it to cool down. It may not work as well for extra-long artisanal slices, but it handles standard sandwich bread and bagels beautifully. The Breville also has a helpful printed icon on the top of the toaster to show you which direction to insert a sliced bagel.
- Four-slot toasters offer double the capacity, so you can produce more toast quickly, which is nice for feeding a large family.
- Don’t be alarmed if it smells a bit–just make sure the room is ventilated.
- At just about $50, it features a long slot design perfect for fitting a single piece of artisan sourdough or two slices of sandwich bread side by side.
- It’s also a smart option for those who plan on using the other functions; in our testing of the best toaster ovens, we were especially impressed with the evenness of the broil function.
As with any toaster, to keep the heating elements intact, you should avoid shaking or banging the machine (say, to remove crumbs). But again, electrical failures are probably more likely to occur before the heating elements fail in either model. In theory, this helps keep the “inner moisture and flavor from escaping,” but this wasn’t always true in our tests. The Balmuda toaster oven also has just three temperature settings—350 °F, 400 °F, and 450 °F—plus four presets, and it can only fit two pieces of bread. Toaster ovens with convection and those marketed as “air fryer toaster ovens” are not very different.
Two-slot toasters
What’s more, the plastic body and slide-out crumb tray were easy to clean and, critically, it had a feature that pops the toast up extra high, making bread removal simple and safe. Two-slot toasters are more compact, which is ideal for a kitchen that’s short on space. Four-slot toasters are bigger and allow larger families to crank out fresh toast at the same time.
Cuisinart 2-Slice Digital Toaster with MemorySet
This was one of our favorite features, and we also liked the beep alert that sounded with three seconds to go. There’s a “more time” button that adds 25 seconds to your cycle and can be pressed at any time during the toasting process. The All-Clad was one of the most consistent toasters we tested; 12 slices of bread toasted on the first setting came out perfectly, even once the toaster was warmed up after multiple rounds. You’ll find designated settings for bagels, English muffins, toaster pastries, and waffles. And if your bread is frozen or just needs to be reheated, it can handle that too. According to the manufacturer, smart sensors customize the heating process based on the type of bread (there are 34 options, including gluten-free, to choose from), voltage level, and toaster temperature.
The other tests all involved either fresh or frozen white bread, fresh or frozen white bagels, and fresh English muffins. As far as aesthetics go, this glossy stainless steel toaster has a classic look and isn’t too bulky. We noted that the button placement (on one of the long sides) allowed it to be “scooched back” against a wall, which freed up counter space.