![Breville Die-Cast 2-Slice Smart Toaster displayed on wooden surface](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.foodandwine.com/thmb/k9g2cRJlql0Yxux2rhDuWbtIAkI=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Food-Wine-Breville-BTA830XL-Die-Cast-SmartToaster-4-Slice-Long-Slot-Toaster-Fred-HardyII-101-3x2-1-2090ace5a4d44052b14bbac1c874b649.jpeg)
Food & Wine / Fred Hardy
Although we’re living in the age of multipurpose, smart kitchen appliances, there are some tools we prefer to keep on the simple side. A quality toaster tops the list. After all, perfectly golden-brown toast, English muffins, and toasted bagels are the cornerstone of some of our favorite brunch recipes.
But with so many options available, finding the best toaster is tricky. Are luxury toasters worth it? Are cheap toasters a waste of money? We tested more than 20 top-rated options from brands including All-Clad, Breville, KitchenAid, and Smeg to find out. In our tests, we carefully evaluated each toaster across specific metrics, including ease of use, cleaning, performance, and design to determine which ones were worthy of coveted kitchen counter space. After using the toasters daily and performing targeted tests, we landed on seven of the best toasters worth investing in.
Best Overall
Breville Die-Cast 2-Slice Smart Toaster
Minimalist, modern looking, and moderately sized, this is a highly efficient toaster with lots to love.
You have to pay close attention to your toast on the higher settings or risk it getting almost burnt.
Breville’s Die-Cast 2-Slice Smart Toaster earned the top spot on our list for good reason. In fact, we liked this toaster so much that we described it as the “Rolls Royce of toasters” in our testing notes. The side grids expand and hug the bread when the start lever is lowered for maximum heating efficiency. And it��s not just for basic bread, either. We had no problem fitting chunky bagels and hamburger buns in the extra-wide slots.
The “a bit more” function allows you to add a smidge of extra time, although we noted the bread should be monitored closely. That’s easy to do with the “lift and look” feature, which pauses the cycle, allowing you to check on the toast’s progress. We were impressed with the consistency across tests. No matter what your preferred doneness level is, you can be certain it won’t vary. We also appreciated the controlled lower and release of the toast.
When it’s done, instead of popping up, the toast gently raises to an easy-to-grab height — no helper forks or wooden utensils needed. It’s easy to clean, as well: the crumb tray glides out seamlessly.
Dimensions: 6.75 x 10.25 x 7.5 inches | Weight: 7.12 pounds | Functions: Five browning settings, “a bit more,” and “lift and look” features
![Breville Diecast Toaster 4 Slice Long Slot](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/1QaNiC9a1GYCR4YES9DBnWhNS2E=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Food-Wine-Breville-BTA830XL-Die-Cast-SmartToaster-4-Slice-Long-Slot-Toaster-Fred-HardyII-101-b43793b89f9d4483b44127ffb102277e.jpg)
Food & Wine / Fred Hardy
Runner-Up
KitchenAid 2 Slice Long Slot Toaster
This eye-catching toaster is narrow and tall, making it a good fit for counters with limited space.
It comes in just two colors, red and black, and the lack of a stainless steel finish may not suit all design tastes.
KitchenAid’s 2-Slice Toaster is an appealing, efficient option at a nice price. Instead of side-by-side slots, this toaster has one long slot that allows you to toast two slices in a single row. Although the obvious appeal here is in the counter space you’ll save, we found a lot to like about the versatility of the slots. During testing, we were able to fit in an entire piece of naan bread without rotating it halfway through, and the KitchenAid performed equally well no matter what it was toasting.
The display panel is intuitive to navigate, with simple pictographs on the front for choosing the desired browning level, plus other special features like toasting frozen bread. With six doneness settings that can be selected on a sliding scale, it was sometimes tricky to nail the desired color across a variety of tests, although we found that even the darkest setting produced attractively browned, never burnt toast. We also liked the high-lift lever, which safely popped the toast up well above the heating element.
Dimensions: 5.4 x 16.1 x 7.9 inches | Weight: 7 pounds | Functions: Six browning settings, toast from frozen, defrost, bagel function, “a little longer” function, cancel function
Food & Wine / Jeanne Geer
Food & Wine / Jeanne Geer
Food & Wine / Jeanne Geer
This nicely-priced toaster has a lot of desirable features for a fraction of the cost of some other models on our winners list.
It gets very hot during use, and we experienced some burning on the two highest settings.
With a similar footprint and profile to the KitchenAid long-slot toaster but a price that’s nearly cut in half, the Russell Hobbs 2-Slice Glass Accent Long Toaster is a great budget buy. We praised the “easy to operate” control panel, which is situated on one of the long sides of the toaster. The roomy slot could handle every item we toasted and was big enough to fit two Pop-Tarts side-by-side.
There are six doneness settings, although in our tests we found the best results from four and below. It’s a consistent performer, with no variation in browning level, even after multiple rounds of sandwich bread. The standout of its special features is a “warming” option that works with a removable metal rack situated directly on top of the slot. In testing, we used it to warm cheese sticks, which we noted had the potential to become messy. But for less melty options (like keeping a homemade scone or other baked goods warm), this is a valuable added feature.
Dimensions: 5.2 x 14.8 x 7.8 inches | Weight: 4.1 pounds | Functions: Six browning settings, toast from frozen, bagel function, cancel function, warm function
Food & Wine / John Somerall
Food & Wine / John Somerall
Food & Wine / John Somerall
Best Splurge
Smeg 2-Slice Toaster
By far the most design-minded model we tested, Smeg’s toaster brings aspirational attractiveness to an otherwise basic appliance.
This toaster is pretty expensive, especially without special features like “just a bit more” to rationalize the cost.
There’s no denying the visual appeal of this toaster. With a retro design, the Smeg 2-Slice Toaster would be right at home on your favorite Instagram influencer’s countertop. There are over a dozen finishes to choose from, including matte pastel options and glossy metals. We had no problem navigating doneness levels during testing. Instead of buttons, browning is adjusted with a dial. The control panel is simple and intuitive to use. We particularly liked the extra-large “cancel” button which immediately released the toast upon pressing.
As far as performance, this was a reliable, consistent contender in our tests. The four-to-five doneness range was ideal for moderately brown toast. We noted that oblong slices of bread stuck out of the top slightly and needed to be rotated midway through. However, traditional sandwich-style bread wasn’t an issue. The colorful powder-coated finish was easy to clean, and the slide-out crumb tray could handle a lot. On average, we only needed to empty it every other week. While we noted this may not be the highest-performing toaster out there, it's by no means substandard. If aesthetics matter to you, the Smeg gets points for its visual appeal.
Dimensions: 7.75 x 12.25 x 7.75 inches | Weight: 5.4 pounds | Functions: Six browning settings, reheat function, defrost function, bagel function, cancel function
Food & Wine / Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
Food & Wine / Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
Food & Wine / Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm
Best Smart
Revolution InstaGLO R180 Toaster
This innovative toaster uses smart technology to nail a perfect doneness every time. It completes toasting cycles quickly, too.
This is the second-most expensive toaster we tested, and it's only a good investment if you plan to use the smart settings.
The first-ever touchscreen toaster, the Revolution InstaGLOW R180 uses smart technology that adjusts to whatever you’ve popped in the slots. It’s faster than conventional toasters. During testing, we noted that toasting on level 4 produced perfectly done toast almost faster than the time it took to retrieve our serving plate and butter dish. It’s a consistent performer, too: we detected no difference in doneness, even after four consecutive rounds of toasting. Like all smart technology, this one has helpful maintenance features; in testing, we were alerted that the crumb tray was full and needed to be cleaned.
The display panel is entirely digitized, all accessed through a touchscreen. When not in use, it displays either a digital or analog clock, a handy feature we appreciate. It’s easy to dial in the settings for your perfect piece of toast — or bagel, waffle, etc. — and we noted that this would be a smart buy for families with picky eaters.
Dimensions: 6 x 11.5 x 8.33 inches | Weight: 6.6 pounds | Functions: Seven browning levels, bagel function, waffle function, English muffin function, toaster pastry function, reheat function, defrost function
Food & Wine / Michael Navarro
Food & Wine / Michael Navarro
Best Digital
All-Clad 2-Slice Digital Toaster
This toaster has a countdown clock and a digital display, as well as other, more common features (like defrost and reheat).
This toaster gets quite hot to the touch when in use.
The All-Clad 2-Slice Stainless Steel toaster toaster makes good use of a digital display. The doneness level is selected with a dial, and you can monitor the time to completion with a countdown clock. This was one of our favorite features, and we also liked the beep alert that sounded with three seconds to go. There’s a “more time” button that adds 25 seconds to your cycle and can be pressed at any time during the toasting process. The All-Clad was one of the most consistent toasters we tested; 12 slices of bread toasted on the first setting came out perfectly, even once the toaster was warmed up after multiple rounds.
As far as aesthetics go, this glossy stainless steel toaster has a classic look and isn’t too bulky. We noted that the button placement (on one of the long sides) allowed it to be “scooched back” against a wall, which freed up counter space. The slots are adequately roomy, and although we did struggle to fit homemade bread in, it can easily accommodate bagels.
Dimensions: 5.29 x 12.91 x 8.98 inches | Weight: 4.89 pounds | Functions: Five browning levels, bagel function, reheat function, defrost function, more time function, cancel function
Food & Wine / Rachel Shalla
Food & Wine / Rachel Shalla
Food & Wine / Rachel Shalla
Best 4-Slice
Zwilling Enfinigy Cool Touch 4-Slice Toaster
This toaster gets top marks for consistently browned toast, every time.
The matte black finish shows smudges easily.
The Zwilling Enfinigy Cool Touch earned top honors in our best 4-slice toaster tests. With four wide slots that can accommodate hearty bread or bagels, you’d be hard-pressed to find something the Zwilling can’t handle. There are seven doneness settings, allowing for a wide variety of preferences. No matter what we toasted, it came out evenly done, with a nicely crispy exterior and no scorched hot spots.
There’s an “extra lift” feature that allows the toast to be raised safely above the heating unit, and in testing, it was hard to ignore its eye-catching matte black finish. Despite its extra large size, this attractive toaster could be left on the counter without detracting from the decor.
Dimensions: 11.3 x 12.2 x 8.1 inches | Weight: 8.38 pounds | Functions: Seven browning levels, defrost function, reheat function, bagel function, cancel function
Food & Wine / Fred Hardy
Food & Wine / Fred Hardy
Food & Wine / Fred Hardy
Best Compact
Ninja Flip Toaster Oven
It is incredibly versatility since it operates as a toaster and toaster oven.
The exterior is easy to dent if you are rough with it.
Sometimes, deciding between buying a toaster and a toaster oven is hard because both are useful in any kitchen. A toaster oven is handy when you want to cook chicken nuggets or reheat a slice of pizza, but it takes a lot of counter space. The Nina Foodi 2-in-1 Flip Toaster Oven is a great choice when you can't decide, and it is also perfect for kitchens with limited counter space. As the name suggests, the Foodi Flip has two functions: an upright toaster and a toaster oven.
The Flip looks like a standing slot toaster for bagels and toast with seven different browning levels when upright. However, you can flip it down and use the provided tray to transform it into a toaster oven. The toaster oven can reach 400 degrees, which is plenty for most tasks. Depending on the item, browning is relatively even, although the tray is smaller, so you can't cook a meal for a family in this toaster oven. Its stainless steel exterior is easy to clean but can get dented if you drop it or bang it with something heavy.
Dimensions: 6.7 x 16.54 x 8.42 inches | Weight: 9.68 pounds | Functions: Seven browning levels, and toast, defrost, bake, broil, bagel, and reheat functions
Our Favorite Toaster
The Breville Die-Cast 2-Slice Smart Toaster rose to the top of our list due to its consistent performance and convenient features, like its "a bit more" and "lift and look" functions. We liked it so much that we called it the "Rolls Royce of toasters" in our tests.
How We Tested Toasters
We tested over 20 different toasters, both in our labs and our homes, to evaluate how well they could deliver a finished product that was well-browned and crispy. We started by assessing the level of browning the toasters achieved at each setting and compared the shades of every finished slice. In addition to testing the doneness level at each setting, we also wanted to determine if each toaster could deliver consistent results across different bread types and after continued use. To measure each model's efficacy in that category, we toasted several pieces of pre-sliced bread consecutively on the same setting to see if the subsequent slices suffered from increased browning or burning from uninterrupted use.
![Person putting a bagel in the Cuisinart CPT-640 4-Slice Custom Select Toaster](https://www.foodandwine.com/thmb/7eWJH1WetjqJsV1G5Hr3i0N2_p0=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Testing-Cuisinart-CPT-640-4-Slice-Metal-Toaster-Fred-HardyII-285-3x2-57483a5a15c141fa8f557f4c8db8021e.jpeg)
Food & Wine / Fred Hardy
We also toasted everything from frozen waffles and bagels to English muffins and more to see how well each model did with other types of food and assess any additional features or functions they had to accommodate them. Then, we made sure to clean them thoroughly according to the manufacturer's instructions to see how easy or difficult they were to maintain and care for.
Factors to Consider
Toast Settings and Special Features
How much control do you want over your toast? Generally speaking, the ability to choose between toast, bagels, and a defrost setting is standard. All of the 2-slice toasters we tested had at least four browning settings, too. Toasters with more settings, including options for toaster pastries and reheating, tend to cost more.
Some of the toasters we tested had highly specific features. If you appreciate smart appliances, you may want to spring for a smart toaster, like the Revolution InstaGLO. A digital toaster is another option, and they're slightly more affordable with many of the dialed-in features that allow for custom toasting. We recommend the All-Clad 2-Slice Toaster as a great option in that category.
Ease of Use
A toaster with a large variety of settings and features can come with a learning curve. Look for a toaster that is intuitive to use, whether or not it has a plethora of doneness options. We also recommend toasters with roomy slots, easy-to-adjust buttons and dials, and pronounced springs. If you plan on toasting smaller items, like English muffins, an “Extra Lift” feature or springs will help raise the bread to safe heights.
Aesthetics
You don’t have to store a toaster on the counter, although many cooks choose to. If you have the space and plan on using it at least daily, it’s worth keeping out for ease of use. In evaluating our tested toasters, we considered design and aesthetics. While not the most important factor, a good-looking toaster can add to your decor, rather than detract from it. You can choose a toaster that’s made to stand out (like the Smeg) or one with a more classic look that will blend in seamlessly with any kitchen decor (like the Breville).
Size
In the age of pressure cookers and XL air fryers, a toaster is likely not the largest appliance on your counter. Still, you’ll want to consider how much space it takes up. Special features like wide slots add to a toaster’s bulk. A couple of toasters on our list, the KitchenAid and the Russell Hobbs, were elongated and narrow. Of course, four-slot toasters will be bulkier than two-slot models.
Other Toasters We Tested
Strong Contenders
Revolution Cooking InstaGLO R270 Toaster ($399 at Amazon)
The R270 is an even more luxe version of our pick for Best Smart Toaster, with the same touchscreen capabilities and even more toasting options. During testing, we liked the visual aids for making perfect toast every time, and the toastie press insert was a simple, safe way to make grilled cheese in a toaster. But the $400 price tag is hard to swallow.
Zwilling Enfinigy 2-Slice Toaster ($140 at Amazon)
Although the 4-slice version of this toaster took home the overall best title in another review, the 2-slice Zwilling Enfinigy didn’t impress us as much. It’s a basic toaster without many bells or whistles, and we noted in testing that not all bread shapes and types fit into the slots. Smaller items, like English muffins, were tricky to retrieve without burning our fingers.
What Didn't Make the List
Compared to our top picks, many of the other toasters we tried didn't hit the mark. Some lacked features that might have helped them rank higher, while others didn't perform at the standard we were expecting. While the Amazon Basics 2-Slice Extra-Wide Slot Toaster could accommodate bread of all sizes (including thick Japanese milk bread), the coloring was uneven in some settings, and the construction felt cheap.
We loved Beautiful by Drew Barrymore's 2-Slice Touchscreen Toaster for its attractive aesthetic and flashy touchscreen display, but it didn't come with some features that are standard on most toasters. It also performed just average in our tests, and we noted its tendency to break down within a year or so. Other models we tried produced less-than-satisfactory results across the board, so we couldn't recommend them with confidence.
Our Expertise
- Rochelle Bilow is a food writer and editor with over a decade of professional experience. Previously a senior associate editor and social media manager at Bon Appétit and Cooking Light magazines, Rochelle is also a novelist, a culinary school graduate, and a former professional baker and line cook.
- In researching this article, Food & Wine editors tested over 20 toasters across all budgets, evaluating them based on ease of use, performance, design, and ease of cleaning.