Two-Slice Toasters

Best toasters for performance and durability

Although toasters may perform well in professional reviews, they may break down or fail to brown bread consistently over the long term. That's why we looked for models that not only passed professional evaluation, but also scored highly in user reviews.

The KitchenAid KMTT200 two-slice toaster (*Est. $70) earns high marks from owners posting to Amazon.com and Cooking.com, who say it toasts evenly, looks attractive and feels sturdy. This 5-pound toaster has stainless-steel housing (with or without colored side panels), self-centering and extra-wide slots, a bagel setting and a dishwasher-safe crumb tray. We didn't find many expert reviews of this toaster, but owners are very happy with it. Editors at Fine Cooking magazine say that the KitchenAid KMTT200 toaster browns evenly in a wide range of shades. Several owners point out that the KMTT200 is larger than basic toasters.

The less expensive and more compact two-slice KitchenAid KTT340 (*Est. $50) comes in a choice of colors, including red, white, black, tangerine and pink. (KitchenAid will donate a portion of the profits from the sale of each pink toaster to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer foundation.) It has wide, long slots and a polycarbonate housing that owners say is easy to clean. A special bagel-toasting button allows one side to toast more than the other. The KTT340 toaster also has a dishwasher-safe crumb tray. This toaster is highly rated by several professional reviewers. However, many owners on Amazon.com report that they have to toast bread and English muffins a second time before they are well browned.

It's expensive, but the good looking Breville Die-Cast 2-Slice Smart Toaster BTA820XL (*Est. $130) is the all-around winner in CoolHunting.com's test of four designer toasters. Editors love the way the motorized lever smoothly slides bread into the toasting slots, and the toast itself had a "consistent brown color from crust to golden crust." Editors even say this pricey toaster "seemed to have a personality." Most owners posting to Amazon.com are equally delighted with this toaster, praising the blue LED readout that counts down the toasting time and a button that allows you to extend toasting time slightly. The majority of owners say that this pricey toaster is worth the money, particularly if looks matter.

An equally sleek toaster, the DeLonghi DTT900 (*Est. $80) is the overall winner in tests at Slate.com and Fine Cooking. It boasts a rounded housing, cord storage, a warming rack for pastries and a motorized carriage that allows you to lift and lower bread with the push of a button. Professional reviews say that this toaster is easy to clean and beautifully designed: Tom Bartlett of Slate.com calls this toaster's crumb tray "the most elegant solution to the crumb problem I've seen." Some owners complain that the slots aren't wide enough to accommodate bagels and rolls, but most say that the DTT900 does its job well -- and looks good doing it.

At the other end of the price spectrum lies a simple, inexpensive toaster that gets the job done: the two-slice Proctor-Silex 22605 (*Est. $19). This standard toaster doesn't win any big comparison tests, and its user reviews are average -- but it costs far less than most other basic toasters that get similar owner ratings. Most users call it consistent, but it's short on features and doesn't break any new ground style-wise. Its plastic housing is easy to wipe down, and it comes with a darkness-control dial and bread lift. The slots are wide enough for bagels. Some reviewers caution, however, that the sides of this no-frills toaster can get very hot. It's also available in black or in stainless steel with either black or white end panels.

Although it sounds gimmicky, we found good reviews for the wildly popular Back to Basics 2-Slice Egg and Muffin Toaster TEM500 (*Est. $30), which can simultaneously make toast and poach or hard-boil an egg. A warming tray reheats breakfast meats, although reviewers say that crisp bacon may become soggy from rising steam. Poached eggs and toast are ready in about five minutes. You can even add vegetables to beaten eggs for a mini frittata. Reviewers say that you must pour off condensation that builds up in the egg cooker, which becomes quite hot. The surface of the egg pan is non-stick and dishwasher-safe, and users say that it's easy to clean. The toaster has a crumb tray, a cancel button and touchpad controls.

The Back to Basics Egg and Muffin Toaster has great user feedback at Amazon.com, Epinions.com and elsewhere, but several owners report flaking Teflon in the egg pan and say that the manufacturer acknowledged the defect when they called about it. Users who contact the manufacturer are offered replacement pans, but some say that the company is slow in sending them. The toaster's black matte finish shows greasy fingerprints, and its shape is somewhat awkward. A few owners complain that grease from breakfast meats drips onto eggs below. There's also a four-slice version of the Egg and Muffin Toaster, the Back to Basics TEM4500 (*Est. $60).

Toasters with extra features and designer looks

Toasters come in all price ranges, but reviewers say that if you decide to spend more than about $60 for a two-slice toaster, you'll mostly be paying for looks, not new technology. If you don't plan to keep your toaster on the countertop, reviewers say you're probably better off buying a basic model. Pricey toasters often boast extra features, such as settings that keep the toast warm inside the toaster and removable warming or sandwich cages.

The majority of toasters on the market automatically pop up the toast at the end of the cycle. This makes it easy to grab your toast, but it also means that your toast starts to cool down right away. A few toasters, such as the Dualit Vario 20297 (*Est. $240), keep toast warm until you eject it by pushing a button or raising a lever. Not only does this ensure warm toast, it also alleviates the problem of failing pop-up mechanisms -- a problem that plagues many older toasters. One downside to toasters with stay-warm features is the added expense: These toasters can cost five times as much as basic models. Furthermore, reviewers generally prefer toasters that pop up toast to models that keep toast warm.

The two-slice Dualit Vario 20297 (*Est. $240) has many fans who love its retro design, sturdy build and 13 color choices, including pink. This heavy-gauge toaster, which weighs 9 pounds, was first produced in England in the late 1940s. The toaster generally receives low marks in professional reviews for its inability to toast consistently. Gourmet magazine notes that it doesn't have self-centering slots, which means that bread doesn't stay centered between heating elements. Other drawbacks include its timer, whose ticking some owners find irritating. The toaster must be preheated, and its slots are too narrow for most bagels.

Dualit markets a handy accessory for its toasters: a sandwich cage with a drip tray and a stay-cool handle (*Est. $20). Owners posting to Amazon.com say that it's best to use thinly sliced bread in the sandwich cage. Dualit also makes a four-slice version of this toaster, the Dualit Vario 40415 (*Est. $305).