Testing 19 Toasters to Find Which One Toasts Best ($24 to $400) | Epicurious

Quick Overview

The Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster produced the best overall toast quality, offering the most even results across four slices and justifying its high price, while the Dualit Classic was rated as a return due to its uneven toasting and manual operation, and the $23.99 Amazon Basics toaster was rated as buy for budget-conscious consumers.

Key Points: The Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster ($249.95) achieved the best overall toast quality, demonstrating superior evenness across all four slots in both test rounds. The Dualit Classic 4-Slice Toaster ($379.99) was marked for return because it produced inconsistent toasting, especially on the side closest to the machine, and required manual lifting of the toast. The $23.99 Amazon Basics 2-Slice toaster performed adequately for its price, producing toast that was slightly darker on the interior side compared to the exterior. The $49.96 Beautiful by Drew Barrymore toaster was marked for return due to significant unevenness between the front and back slots, and its touch-sensitive controls were deemed impractical with wet hands. The $379.00 Balmuda Toaster Oven produced excellent, evenly crisp toast with a soft interior due to its steam function, but its high price and inability to toast more than two slices at a time led to it being placed on the return shelf. The Revolution R180 Connect Plus ($399.95) produced very even toast but was ultimately returned because the presenter disliked the smartphone-like interface. The Haden Dorset toaster ($74.99) produced decent toast, but the unevenness on the second round placed it in the 'keep your receipt' category.

Context: Culinary Technologist Dave Arnold from the Museum of Food and Drink tested 19 different toasters and toaster ovens across a price range of $23.99 to $399.95 to determine which one makes the best toast, using Wonder Bread for consistency and testing for evenness, speed, and features like bagel settings and smart technology.

Detailed Analysis