According to Ohio State, the Breville has a more-robust construction with more fasteners than the Cuisinart. Both Signe and Michael said they wish the toaster offered a bit more lift.
But as a solution, Michael recommends using mini tongs to rescue stuck pieces of toast just be careful not to hit the heating elements, since this could damage them. To help us understand why modern toasters seem to fail so quickly or start to toast unevenly over time, we wanted to compare them to vintage toasters, which historically have had much longer lifespans—in fact, many of them are still working today. They broke apart each toaster to compare their structural design, wiring, thermal output, and heating element alloys.
You can read more about their in-depth work and see more photos of the insides of toasters in our blog post , but there were a few main takeaways. That said, the researchers also told us it would be unlikely for the heating elements to be the main or only cause of malfunction. Modern toasters also have much more complex electrical connections than toasters of old, and those connections can break with a little rough treatment say, if you shake the toaster to get crumbs out.
We liked the look of the Zwilling Enfinigy 2-Slot Toaster , but the controls are labeled with symbols rather than words, making this model less intuitive to use out of the box. It also toasted inconsistently from batch to batch. Unfortunately, we found its long, slender shape awkward to use and not conducive to every space. Like the Zwilling, this model toasted inconsistently from batch to batch and completely failed to toast during one round of our back-to-back tests.
Occasionally, it popped toast out of the slots so aggressively that they ended up on the floor. Although our previous two-slot pick, the Oster Jelly Bean an older version of the Oster 2-Slice Toaster , still browned bread better than most other budget toasters, it paled in comparison with the Cuisinart. These white tops get even bigger if you forget to push the bread down as far as it will go in the slot—something we found irritating and hard to remember.
The Dualit 2-Slice NewGen Toaster looked like a steely fortress that could toast well beyond the average human lifespan, but its limited, analog settings made it difficult and unwieldy to use. This model also took up almost twice as much counter space as some of the smaller toasters. Like the Dualit, the Magimix is inconveniently large for a two-slice toaster. The Magimix did produce mostly even toast, but each piece had a few white streaks around the top and bottom. When we peeked into the slots, we saw the toaster had crooked heating elements that stopped partway up the walls of the toaster which could be reason.
The toaster also became too hot to touch after multiple rounds of toasting. Though it was a company best-seller when we tested it in , the Hamilton Beach Keep Warm 2-Slice Toaster gave us pale bagels and streaky toast with white tops. The toaster also beeps loudly three times before your toast pops up, which gets annoying fast. If you push the lever to bring the toast up to the top, the machine tips over.
It has the same functionality as our two-slot Breville pick , the Bit More, as well as a button that automatically lifts and lowers your toast this might be nicer in theory than it is in practice, since pressing a lever would be faster than waiting for your toast to lower. The Smart Toaster is more expensive and will take up a considerable chunk of your countertop.
But its exterior is built like a tank, and it offers more features than any other two- or four-slot model we considered. The four-slice, long-slot Breville Bit More BTAXL was one of the few models we tried that was able to swallow an entire oval slice of rustic sourdough without any of the bread sticking out of the slot.
Unfortunately, it overcooked white bread on its middle setting. When we toasted two rounds of bread on the same setting, the second batch inexplicably turned out lighter than the first. The Cuisinart CPT 4-Slice Metal Classic Toaster toasted bread unevenly from batch to batch, leaving some pieces pale golden brown and other pieces burned. Some pieces had hot spots or were burned, while others remained pale. In our tests, it toasted bread inconsistently from slot to slot.
Phil McKnight, global business manager for beverage products at Breville, interview, May 1, Eric Murrell, publications chair and former newsletter editor at the Toaster Collectors Association, phone interviews, May 1, , and October 22, Peter Reinhart, baker and author , interview, May 1, Michael Sheafe, toaster repair person , phone interviews, November 22, , and November 4, Hugh Rushing, former executive vice president of the Cookware Manufacturers Association , phone interview, October 20, Glenn Daehn, Mars G.
Michael Sullivan has been a staff writer on the kitchen team at Wirecutter since He has worked in various facets of the food and restaurant industry for over a decade. Our pick. Cuisinart CPT 2-Slice Compact Plastic Toaster The best two-slot toaster This inexpensive, ordinary-looking toaster browned bread more evenly than almost any other model we tested.
Upgrade pick. Everything we recommend. Why you should trust us. Who should get this. Select your region. Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter. Specifications Dimensions: Settings: Bagel, Defrost, Reheat, Cancel. Reasons to avoid - Extra lift is limited. Settings: Bagel, frozen, A Bit More. Reasons to avoid - Expensive - More to go wrong.
Specifications Dimensions: 7. Settings: Bagel, frozen. Reasons to avoid - Only available in two-slice design - Toaster racks cost extra. Specifications Dimensions: 13 x Settings: Defrost, Reheat. Reasons to avoid - No bagel mode.
Settings: Reheat, Bagel, Defrost. Reasons to avoid - Only two colors. Dualit 4 Slice Newgen Toaster. Settings: Defrost, Bagel. Reasons to avoid - Manual controls are fiddly - Expensive given the features. Smeg TSF01 toaster. Settings: Defrost, Bagel, Reheat. Reasons to avoid - Very expensive. Cuisinart 2 Slice Compact Plastic Toaster. Specifications Dimensions: 6. Settings: Bagel, Defrost, Reheat.
Reasons to avoid - Some report uneven toasting - Higher settings burn fast. Cuisinart CPT 4 slice toaster. Settings: Bagel, Reheat, Defrost. Reasons to avoid - Limited design options. KitchenAid Artisan 2-Slice Toaster. Specifications Dimensions: 16 x 5. Reasons to avoid - An expensive one slot option. Specifications Dimensions: 7 x 12 x 8 inches. Settings: Reheat, Frozen, Bagel. Reasons to avoid - Expensive - Only neutral colors available.
Dash Clear View Toaster. Settings: Defrost, Reheat, Bagel. Reasons to avoid - Overenthusiastic ejection - Can be hard to fit two slices in. Some reviewers note that the range of toast settings between 2 and 6 there are seven total is hard to differentiate but that it does a good job of toasting evenly. If good looks take all in your kitchen, the Smeg 2-Slice Toaster is worth the price. With its bright, glossy finish that comes in nine colors!
When you select a setting, it locks into place so you know you've set it precisely. Also available in 4-slice size.
This smart toaster has a touch screen tablet as a control panel. When the screen is idle, it features the current date and time. Plus, the screen brightness is adjustable. The manufacturer claims the toaster will heat quickly, resulting in better-tasting toast because it can toast the exterior without drying out the inside.
Reviewers agree, but some claim that it toasts slightly unevenly. If there's more than two of you racing to make breakfast at the same time, a 4-slice toaster is probably your best bet. If counter space is a concern, however, you may want to opt for a 2-slice toaster. Opt for long slots if you love sourdough or other artisanal breads. You'll rarely be able to fit a whole slice in a traditional toaster without cutting it in half. Another model to keep an eye out for is toasters with wide slots: These make toasting bagels and thicker slices of bread easier and fuss-free.
There's also the aesthetic to consider. In our tests, we found that toast quality wasn't compromised either way. For example, the bagel setting usually toasts only the inside of a bagel and warms the outside so you don't have to worry about an overly dry or crunchy bite.
A defrost setting is great for frozen waffles or bread; it typically adds more time to the toasting process so you get the same results as you would if the waffles or bread were fresh. Reheat typically toasts bread or other ingredients for a short amount of time, perfect for a toaster pastry or adding a touch more color.
Product Reviews. Home Ideas. United States. We had to set the browning control to 4. Once the setting was correct, our toast was evenly browned - even when we made several batches in quick succession. It copes well with thick sliced bread and the long two-slot design allows for larger than normal slices too. However, looking at the functions, it is lacking a keep warm setting and offers fewer shade settings than average. This toaster delivers a winning performance for a fraction of the price compared to the others in our roundup.
It scored near to full marks for browning a variety of bread types, whether dealing with frozen bread or thick slices. The results were still crisp and bronze, though. With the Dualit Architect range, there are interchangeable panels which fit on to the sides of the toasters.
This means you have a range of 16 patterns and colours to choose from if you want to change the look of the appliance. You even have three choices for the finish of the main body as well cream, grey and black , so it can really be personalised. This 4-slice toaster has eight shade settings but it lacks a keep-warm function. When it comes to performance, this toaster was another high scorer, achieving an even and consistent colour when defrosting and toasting frozen bread.
It would suit someone who wants to add some personality to their kitchen without compromising on performance. Key Specifications Type: 4-slice Colours available: Cream, black and grey and 16 interchangeable panels Number of shade settings: 8 Functions: Defrost, bagel setting Accessories: Interchangeable panels Weight: 3. This is the same Architect toaster from Dualit, but with a two-slot design. It also gives you the option to buy interchangeable panels to customise it to your kitchen.
It performs as well as the 4-slice model, scoring well for consistency and the evenness of browning. On test, it toasted bagels well but it did struggle with farmhouse bread, just like the 4-slot version.
Key Specifications Type: 2-slice Colours available: Cream, black and grey with 16 choices of panel Number of shade settings: 8 Functions: Defrost, bagel setting Accessories: Interchangeable panels Weight: 2kg Power: watts.
This toaster impressed us with great results when toasting round after round of bread, even if it was frozen or thick. The slices were crisp, golden and toasted all the way to the crusts.
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