The Best Toasters to Buy, According to Testing

We have tested many Cuisinart toasters over the years, all of which have received high testing scores. This one offers a more digitized experience by housing most of the settings on a screen on the front of the toaster. "It offers different settings for different types of bread [white, whole grain, bagel, sweet, waffles, English muffin and gluten-free], which is helpful now that people are eating more than just packaged white bread, which toasts differently than something baked with less sugar and preservatives," says Nicole Papantoniou, director of the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab.

There is also a shade selector that allows you to choose anywhere from lightly toasted to dark (levels one through seven) and options for defrosting and toasting single slices.

We recently tested the Cuisinart CPT-540 4-Slice Motorized Toaster too; it performed very well and would be a great option if you have a larger family or want to designate a separate set of slots to gluten-free bread to avoid any contamination. In our tests, we were impressed with how evenly and consistently bread was toasted.

We were impressed with this toaster's superior combination of performance, features and affordable pricing. 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. Its narrow design also means it takes up less space on your countertop. We love that it features a clear window to monitor how toasted your bread is getting, and it comes in seven different colorways (black, white, cream, gray, aqua, red and yellow) to add a pop of color to your countertop.

In our testing, we especially appreciated how easy it was to remove the crumb tray to keep the toaster tidy. This model received a perfect score when testing for consistency — all slices of toast came out the same shade of golden brown. One thing that did surprise us was how forcefully it ejects the toast: You won't have to worry about getting toast out of this toaster, but its force did startle us once or twice.

This stainless steel model is dependable for toasting white bread to a delicate golden color as well as rye bread to a deeper brown. It's great for entertaining too — it toast up to four slices at once. This model features dual independent control panels so you can toast a frozen bagel on one side and a fresh piece of whole grain bread on the other, and each will be cooked to the correct doneness. While we haven't tested this specific model yet, Krups toasters have performed very well in previous testing – able to turn out slice after slice to the same degree of doneness without burning by the second or third batch

Additional features include six browning settings, plus defrost, reheat and bagel. A high lift lever helps retrieve smaller pieces of toast. Reviewers have noted that this toaster takes more time to toast each slice of bread, thankfully you can toast four at a time.

The Breville Die-Cast Two-Slice Toaster took the top spot in our test, but we did not name it our best overall due to its nearly $160 pricetag. That said, if you value consistent toast, it's a champion. We made five batches of toast consecutively, and it toasted consistently from batch to batch. With the push of a button, the grates lower your toast automatically — no lever-pressing. It also features extra-wide slots for bagels and thicker slices of bread. We found the "Lift and Look" setting to be particularly convenient: It allows you to check on your toast's progress, and if your toast isn't browned enough, you can use the "A Bit More" setting to add extra time.

A pull-out crumb tray on the base makes it easy to clean, although it is not dishwasher safe. Also worth noting: The sleek die-cast metal housing with brushed steel exterior makes it major eye candy for your countertop.

This super sleek toaster from Zwilling features two long slots perfect for toasting up to four slices of sandwich bread or two long slices of sourdough bread. This model comes with a shade selector featuring seven different levels of browning and preset buttons that feature bagel, defrost and reheat. In our Lab tests, slices of bread came out very evenly toasted (no un-toasted edges, like some competitors), and the shade selector did produce different results, offering users a variety of toast shades.

This toaster also offers accessories you can buy, like a bun warmer for getting perfectly toasted muffins or hamburger buns and a sandwich rack for making toaster paninis. Take note that long-slot toasters mean a larger footprint, so it will take up more space on your countertop than some other toasters on the market. We did also find that this toaster toasted bread more slowly than other toasters we've tested (3 minutes on setting four versus 1:45 minutes on setting four from our fastest toaster tested), but if you're not in a rush, its results are worth the wait.

This Hamilton Beach model is super basic but affordable, with seven toast shade options. Papantoniou especially loves that the stainless steel exterior makes it a bit more elegant-looking than other basic toasters, which are often plastic. And with its small dimensions, it's perfect for apartments, small kitchens or even motor homes.

While this model does not feature different bread settings like the other toasters on this list, it does feature extra-wide slots for thick-cut Texas toast or bagels. (Take note: You may have to adjust the shade setting or for thicker or frozen pieces of bread.) This model also features family-friendly cool-touch sides to avoid burns.