All the best toasters that we tested and loved

The Breville Bit More 4-Slice Toaster(opens in a new tab) retails for $149.99, and while that might seem expensive at first glance, this toaster makes some of the best toast of the bunch. Out of all of the toasters we tested, this one toasted the most effectively, almost completely browning the bread and the crust. 

The only issue we had with this toaster is that the instruction book was not in the product box, but instead inside the delivery box; this seemed counterintuitive at the time of testing. 

Although this toaster took the longest to toast to the darkest shade (this toaster has 5 levels that can be toggled to using the variable browning control slide), the nearly four minutes it took was worth it for the slice of crispy bread that was produced. We also appreciated the toaster’s “high lift” feature which helped raise the toast up to prevent burning fingers when removing it. 

Its LED progress display was a nice visual element and helpful so we could determine when the toast was going to be ready, and the “Lift & Look”™ lever was especially nice for checking on the progress of the toast without having to shart the process all over.

This is a great toaster for anyone who makes toast regularly but doesn’t want to pay for a premium-priced toaster. For just under $40, the Proctor Silex 2 Slice Toaster with Extra Wide Slots(opens in a new tab) is a viable option 

Like other models we tested, this toaster was easy to use and didn’t require a lot of outside knowledge. We found the instruction paper to be hard to digest though, as it was filled with a bunch of information in tiny font across multiple columns. 

What makes this toaster stand out is its One Slice Sure-Toast™ button, which provides a single slice of toast with even color on both sides.  

In just under three minutes, this toaster was able to evenly toast the two slices of bread we put in, but emitted some strong burning odors in the process. Even with the lower price tag, this machine produces some high-quality toast and is worth adding to your cart.

If you’re looking for a simple toaster that will produce a thorough toast, you should consider the Hamilton Beach Brushed Stainless Steel 2-Slice Toaster(opens in a new tab). Even though this brushed stainless steel toaster may not produce the most thorough toast as some of the other toasters we tested (like the Breville Bit More 4-Slice Toaster or the Cuisinart CPT-520 2-Slice Motorized Toaster), it does a wonderful toasting job considering it retails for around $40.

During testing, we found this toaster to be easy to use. All we had to do was plug it in, place the bread in the slots, select the toast shade, press down on the bread lifter, and wait for the toast to pop up. The toasting time was what we found to be average at about three minutes. Since this toaster and the corresponding instruction sheet do not describe the toast shades at varying levels, we had to infer that 1 would produce a lighter shade and 7 would produce a darker shade. 

Another selling point is that this toaster lives up to its promotional hype. It promotes itself as having two extra-wide slots, and the larger slices of whole wheat bread we used when testing fit into the slots without an issue. Additionally, this toaster comes with a slide-out crumb tray which makes for fast and easy clean-up. 

From the moment we opened the box, to the moment we cleaned it up, we were impressed with the Cuisinart CPT-520 2-Slice Motorized Toaster(opens in a new tab). Out of all of the toasters we tested, this one had the most buttons at six: bread type (white bread, pastry, bagel, English muffin, whole wheat, waffle), toast shade, memory, defrost, single-slice, QuickView, and +30 secs. 

This toaster made it easy to know what to expect from each of the settings with its detailed instruction booklet outlining every little detail. The toast we made during testing came out the best out of all of the 2-slice toasters we tested, as it produced an even toast that browned the entire middle and a majority of the crust of both slices. 

The only downside we experienced while testing this toaster was that it made a noise. Although the noise wasn’t unbearable, it’s not the most ideal if there are any light sleepers in your home. Cleaning was made easy with a removable crumb tray, although we found it a bit difficult to find at first since it wasn’t pictured in the diagram in the instruction booklet. Once we located the tray, it was easy enough to slide out and get rid of crumbs.  

Considering this toaster was one of the more advanced and expensive models tested, we deemed it to be one of the better options if you plan on using a toaster to toast more than just bread. 

If you’re somebody who is always in a hurry, the Cuisinart CPT-122 Compact Plastic 2-Slice Toaster(opens in a new tab) may just be what you need to ensure you have some breakfast in hand before heading out the door. 

During testing, we found that the toast produced was not nearly as thorough as that of the other options we tested. Although the toaster did brown the bread, the shade produced at the highest setting looked as though we had opted for one of the medium shade settings. 

For $55, we liked its compact size and how quickly it was able to toast, taking about two minutes and thirty seconds (which was faster than any of the other toasters we tested). Plus, this toaster had a crumb tray so cleaning up was easy.