While toasters can be considered very basic, this essential appliance does come with certain features that are worth noting and a wide price range. And a toaster oven could even meet your bread browning needs while providing more cooking function.
Toasters are pretty basic. But even these humblest of appliances are being designed to look at home in custom kitchens. Design gurus seem to have devoted less attention to toaster ovens, which tend to be boxy, though some have fairly sleek trim and details. When deciding what type of toaster you to buy, you might want to consider style as well as substance.
| Toasters Two-slice models outsell four-slicers by about 3 to 1. Toasters come in a variety of exterior finishes, such as chrome, copper, brushed metal, and colors. Toasters have morphed beyond the square metal box. Retro and contemporary designs abound, as do models that look perfectly at home in high-end designer kitchens. | |
| Toaster ovens Toaster ovens come in two types: countertop models that entail a trade-off between counter space and capacity, and models that mount underneath cabinets. The "footprint" a toaster oven leaves on your counter might be a concern if you're tight on space. | |
Toaster features and accessories
Looking for something more? We've listed toaster settings and other extras to keep an eye out for:
- Defrost function for frozen bread
- Pause and check - one of the newest features developed - allows you to use the cancel button to let the toast pop up so you can see how brown it is, then resume the programme where it left off
- Bagel settings are increasingly common and brown just the cut side of the bagel
- Energy-saving, single-slot mode - only heats up one slot to toast a single slice
- Independent controls for the left and right-hand slots on 4-slice toasters
- Countdown feature lets you judge how long you have to wait until your toaster is ready, sometimes down to the second
- A bun warmer - a separate metal rack attached to the top of the toaster - can heat rolls and croissants, though we've found their effectiveness a bit hit and miss
Toasters produce quicker toast and often more consistent browning, toaster ovens are more versatile – great for preparing toast and adding a second smaller oven for cooking, reheating and more.
Consinder the following tips before buying:
| Consider versatility Toasters and toaster ovens will brown a piece of bread. If that's all you want, go with a basic toaster. Most toaster ovens, on the other hand, will melt a cheese sandwich, broil a hamburger, or roast a 4-pound chicken. But toaster ovens generally don't toast bread as well as toasters do. They leave stripes on one side and take longer--4 to 6 minutes, versus 2 to 3 minutes for a toaster on a medium setting. Decide what you're willing to spend Toaster ovens are generally more expensive than toasters because they're bigger and can do more. If you want to economize, you'll find top-performing toasters for as little as $15. Low-priced toaster ovens that did well in our tests cost about $70 to $80. Simple to use toasters | |
Toasters are regularly used kitchen items, so make sure yours is simple to operate. Here are a few pointers:
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Written by Nicolas Yang
