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Toast is an absolute essential for any delicious breakfast. But there are also an overwhelming amount of choices out there, and the last thing you want to do is waste your money.
So we did the research, tested a wide variety of toasters, and aggregated tens of thousands of reviews. After extensive testing, we were able to find the best toaster. Here are our top picks.
Our Top Pick
Cuisinart CPT-142
Our top pick for the best toaster, this model from Cuisinart is a stellar choice. The 3,100+ positive reviews agree with our assessment – an absolutely flawless machine. Our top pick.
Other Great Picks
Hamilton Beach Warm Mode
With over 3,500 positive online reviews, the unanimous opinion is that this model from Hamilton Beach is great. Highly recommended.
Cuisinart CPT-420 Touch to Toast Leverless
For anyone looking for a perfect toaster, this is one of the best picks. With 2,600 positive online reviews, and a great price point – it doesn’t get much better than this. Definitely recommended.
Oster TSSTTRJBG1
Our staff loved this model from Oster, and so do the 1,900 glowing online reviews . A truly great pick.
Cuisinart CPT-180
With a great price point, and flawless performance – we loved this one. The near-perfect online scores, from over 3,000 customers – definitely agree.
Hamilton Beach Cool Wall
With over 1,500 stellar online reviews, and an amazing price point – this toaster from Hamilton Beach is a fantastic pick. Definitely recommended.
Black + Decker TR1410BD
1,500+ glowing online reviews can’t be wrong. This toaster is a great pick for anyone looking for great performance – at a budget price point.
AmazonBasics 2 Slice Extra Wide
With over 1,100 positive online reviews, this toaster is perfect for anyone. A great price point, perfect functionality, and a sleek minimalist design.
HoLife 2 Slice
Over 825 positive online reviewers agree – this toaster is a fantastic pick. It delivers a great price point, sleek design, and peak performance. Highly recommended.
Black + Decker TR4310FBD
With over 260 glowing online reviews, this toaster is a perfect fit for anyone. We love the sleek black color, and the performance was flawless. Definitely recommended.
What Makes A Good Toaster?
Let’s be honest – hardly any of us spend much of our time thinking about what toaster sits in our kitchen. Even if you’re a frequent consumer of bread or toast – there are many other things going on in our lives.
However, this is not to say that you should not pay attention. When it’s time to buy a new toaster – you’re going to want to consider a few things.
First – how often do you plan on using it? If you’re a daily toaster user, your needs will look far different than someone who only busts out the toaster once a quarter.
Secondly – how many people will be using the toaster? If you have a family, and are frequently rushed to make breakfast in the morning – you’ll want a toaster with more slots.
Third – how much do you want to spend? While toasters have remained largely unchanged for quite a long time, there are now some very extravagant options out there. If money is no object, a more deluxe toaster will definitely give you great results – along with a plethora of advanced features.
How We Tested
After aggregating hundreds of thousands of online reviews, we narrowed down our list to the top models. Using the feedback of millions of consumers, we knew what to look for, and what weak points each model might possess. We then began our testing.
Since we are big fans of carbohydrates, we tested our favorite carb-rich foods in each model. This mean each toaster got a grueling workout – waffles, white bread, bagels, English muffins – you name it, we tested it.
While there were certainly features that made some models better than others – we mainly looked for even toasting. This means that the settings on the toaster were accurate, the model performed reliably, and there were no problems. Under the hood, nearly every toaster is largely the same, but extra features (as well as reliability) – can make or break the reviews for this type of household appliance.
One of our favorite features? The removable crumb trays. While this doesn’t sound like it would be a big deal, once you’ve had to clean a traditional toaster – you will greatly appreciate the removable crumb tray.
Instead of having to turn the toaster upside down, and shake it over your sink or garbage can – you can simply pull out the crumb tray – and you’re done. Few features make cleaning an appliance that much easier.
Another feature that gave a toaster a higher grade, was wider and deeper toasting slots. Since most consumers don’t simply toast bread, we viewed toasting flexibility as a major grading factor. In our favorite models, you can just as easily toast a jumbo bagel, as you can a piece of plain white bread.
How We Chose The Best Toaster
Once we had chosen the top models from hundreds of thousands of online reviews, and tested each and every one – it was time to arrive at a decision. We factored in price, as well as what most consumers would want. Since the average consumer does not want to replace their toaster every year, durability was also a key factor in our final decision.
What Features Are Important For A Toaster?
There are a number of features that should be present, for a toaster to be referred to as a ‘best’ model. For starters – does it toast evenly? Is the machine reliable? Does it make cleaning a cinch? It is affordable enough for the average consumer?
On top of this, there are a plethora of important features, which are also ideal to have. This includes compactness, as you don’t want a toaster that takes up too much counter space. There are other considerations as well, such as buttons like ‘bagel mode’ – so you can get that ‘just right’ level of crunchiness.
While this may sound like a minor detail – you really want a bagel that is crispy on the cut side, but softer on the outside. If you only want to spend $20 on a toaster, you may not be able to expect features like this, but our best picks combine advanced features as well as affordability.
Other great features we looked for included a manual lever (allowing you to easily lift food out of the toasting slots), accurate settings (the lowest setting doesn’t burn your food, nor does it take forever to toast), and glass walls. Admittedly, glass walls are not a necessity, but they do allow you to keep an eye on your food while it’s toasting.
Other Important Features
If you want to spend more money, you can even start to take the look of the toaster under consideration. While most of us probably aren’t too worried about how our toaster looks on the countertop – if you’re spending upwards of $100 – you might.
On the other end of the spectrum, do not spend too little on a toaster. The very cheap models may work decently enough for a month or two – but they are often made with poor quality materials, and fall apart. Worse yet – a toaster malfunction can cause a fire – something you will obviously want to avoid.
Less expensive models also are notorious for poor toasting speed, quality, and unevenness. If you’ve ever had a piece of toast with only one side fully toasted – you’ll already know why these seemingly small details, can instead end up becoming big problems.
Another issue to look out for, is if a toaster only toasts part of the food. While you might think this would be a rare occurrence – we found that it happens quite frequently, especially with cheaper models.
Toasting For Your Family?
If you have a large family, make sure you choose a toaster model that can easily toast multiple items at once. In our testing, some of the lower-end models had trouble toasting evenly, when the toaster was fully-loaded with different things to toast.
This is another reason why it’s a good idea to err on the side of caution, and opt for at least a slightly more expensive model.
How Fast Should A Toaster Be?
Speed is another key feature to look at, especially if you are routinely going to be toasting multiple things at once. Some models take quite a while to completely toast an item, while other models quickly (and easily) toast multiple pieces of food.
Advanced Features To Consider
While we have covered the most important features for everyday toaster use, there are some other features (commonly found on slightly more expensive models) – which you may want.
One feature we really liked, was ‘defrost mode’. This allows you to pull bread or waffles right from the freezer, and with the press of one button – have a perfectly toasted breakfast. Well, at least in theory.
In practice, these defrost mode buttons rarely get it 100% right, and occasionally we had to give our food a light second round of toasting, to really achieve perfection.
Another overlooked feature? The ability for the outside of the toaster to remain cool, even while toasting. If you’ve ever burned your finger on your toaster – you know why this is important.
While many lower-priced models avoid getting hot, we did find that the more expensive models had better control over their outer temperature.
What About Toasting Gluten-Free Products?
Another key feature – testing your toaster with gluten-free products. Since gluten-free is now mainstream, it’s important to understand how your toaster may react to non-traditional bread types. Gluten-free bread tends to be a little denser, so your toasting time may slightly vary.
Depth And Width Of Toasting Slots
To really get into the nitty gritty details, you can even look at the depth and width of the toasting slots. Wide slots are great for bagels, thick bread slices, and croissants.
Longer toasting slots are great for French bread, as well as artisan bread. The best toaster models have multiple toasting slots, with self-adjusting width.
Replacing Your Toaster
More deluxe toasters will also have guarantees on all parts – meaning every part is replaceable, as well as serviceable. Instead of having to buy a new model when one part breaks – you can simply have it fixed. This means that – in theory – one single purchase of a toaster, could last for the remainder of your lifetime.
Value like that is rare these days, and we think that a slightly higher stick price today, bodes well for the future reliability and durability of the product. Just like a car, you should think about how well your purchase will hold up in five years – not just how great it might seem today.
On the other end, you can still find great value in a $20 toaster. While most models will only have one function at that price (simply one button that reads ‘toast’) – if your toasting needs are minimal, and your budget is tight – it could be a perfect fit for you.
While it’s hard to imagine toasters becoming internet-connected – the simple reality is that one day soon, this will probably be the case. We are not quite sure yet, what exactly you might be able to do with a toaster connected to the internet – but we said the same thing about smart fridges, not very long ago.
What To Know About Toaster Bags
One nifty hack, is using a toaster bag. This newer invention allows you to put anything in your toaster – and we do mean anything. Pizza, grilled cheese – it doesn’t matter.
Simply place any food in a toaster bag, close it up, and put it in your toaster.
Since a toaster won’t dry out your food, it’s a perfect vehicle for reheating. We were pleasantly surprised with the results of heating last night’s pizza in our toaster, and would recommend the toaster bags to anyone.
It is pretty wild that some clever souls are still finding new and creative ways to use a decades-old appliance.
How Much Should You Spend On A Toaster?
Toasters range in price, but generally are still one of the most affordable kitchen appliances on the market. Ranging from just $20, and going all the way up to $400, most consumers will want a model squarely in the middle of that price range.
While toast quality does not vary much between a low-end model and a deluxe toaster – reliability and durability are greatly increased, as you spend more.
The Best Toaster
There you have it – our picks for the best toaster. There are a ton of great kitchen essentials besides these, so be sure to check out some of our other reviews, in the kitchen and home categories.