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Today’s Top Toasters

by Maryellen Driscoll

Toasters just keep getting savvier. These days, many models can toast bagels on the cut side only, reheat toast without further browning, defrost bread, or cancel at the touch of a button. Nice as these extras may be, they’re not what makes a toaster a keeper. What matters most is how well a toaster can toast. After testing 11 of the more cutting-edge models on the market, we found that the best ones were those that could consistently toast bread just the way you like it—whether pale or nearly burnt—in just one cycle.

In our tests, the toasters that met this standard had a full browning spectrum: At the lowest setting, a slice of white bread came out pale yet crisp and warm. At the highest setting, it came out burnt. And in between was that ideal golden slice. If a toaster can’t deliver this range of browning intensities, it’ll have trouble handling different kinds of breads (heat that nearly burns plain white bread is just what a moist English muffin or a dense slice of sourdough needs), and you’ll get stuck toasting your bread for two cycles—or worse, one and a half—and hovering over it to make sure it doesn’t burn. Now, that’s no way to start a morning.

Break in your toaster Most new toasters need to be used a half dozen times or more for the heat elements to adjust and work properly.

Nearly all of the toasters in our tests had their merits, but after toasting loaf after loaf of bread, the five machines shown below stood out as our favorites.

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How we tested

We tested 11 of the newest two-slice toasters on the market. Each cost no more than $150 and had at least two “extra” features, such as a bagel mode or a cancel button. After breaking in the toasters (most new toasters need to be used a half dozen times or more for the heat elements to adjust and work properly), we evaluated each model by toasting one slice at a time at each browning setting and then toasting two slices together at each setting to evaluate toasting range and evenness of browning. We also toasted two slices four times in a row to assess heat buildup. To evaluate the toasters’ versatility, we toasted bagels, English muffins, and thickly sliced artisan bread and tested extra features.

The other toasters in our review included (in alphabetical order): Black & Decker Toast-It-All Plus T123, Cuisinart CPT-160, Hamilton Beach Classic Chrome, Krups FEM3, T-Fal Avanté, and Toastmaster Vintage Platinum Toaster TMT2.

Top picks

DeLonghi Brushed
Aluminum Toaster
(model DTT900)
$129.95 at Cooking.com

Even browning: excellent
Range of browning: excellent
Features: cancel button, warming rack, extra-wide self-centering slots, removable crumb tray

This is one impressive toaster: It automatically lowers bread, and a soft bell rings when the toast is done. Toast rises well above the slots, so no high-lift feature is needed. The lowest setting can reheat toast without further browning. A warming rack that can be set on top of the toaster is the one feature that failed to impress.

KitchenAid
(KMTT200)
$89.99 at Kitchenaid.com

Even browning: excellent
Range of browning: excellent
Features: bagel and reheat modes, extra-wide self-centering slots, removable crumb tray, stay-cool sides, extra-lift lever

When toasting just one slice, most toasters brown one side more than the other because heat radiates from the empty neighboring slot. KitchenAid’s newest model was the only double-slotted toaster in our tests that didn’t do this. Ironically, with two slices you get one side that comes out a little lighter than the other.