How to Choose the Best Toaster – Buyer’s Guide

Breakfast is the most important meal of our day. Without a proper breakfast, most of us have a lazy day, or they end up starving. Also, when it comes to breakfast bread is a common thing that plays an important role.

Many people out there love to eat bread’s different version toast along with a cup of coffee and egg. In case if you are also one of such persons who starts their day with toasts, then you might want to get yourself a toaster.

However, when it comes to buying a toaster many people get confused. Since toasters are available in different sizes, price tag, slots, and other things.

Hence, as a result, it might be a difficult task for many to pick up the right toaster for themselves.

However, to help you out, we have mentioned a couple of points that you should consider while purchasing a best toasters of 2018. So let’s go ahead and check out those points:

Types of Toasters ( 2 Slice/ 4 Slice Toaster):

First of all, you need to understand the types of toasters available in the market. Well mainly there are two types of toasters are available in the market. These toasters types are the Pop-up toasters and Countertop Toaster Oven. However, to give you a better idea, let’s talk about both of the types of hosting in a detailed way:

Pop-Up Toasters

Pop-Up Toasters are also referred to as toasters. These ones are the most common home appliance that we get to see. These types of toasters come with two or four bread slots on the top of the toaster.

In this type of toasters, you have to fill your bread or bagel then press the down level and you are done. The bread pops up when it is ready.

However, these type of toasters are only designed for toasting and comes in different sizes. Some of the pop-up toasters have thin slots, and some of them have a wide one.

The slot size depends on what you are going to toast. Like is it only bread or is it bread and bagel?

Also, pop-up toasters are super affordable and easy to use also they are tiny in size. However, it does not offer you any advanced features though. But it can do only one job which is toasting your bread or bagel.

Advantages:

• Very affordable.
• Save space.
• Easy to use.

Disadvantages:

• It only lets you toast two or four bread slices at a time.
• It can only toast thin food that can fit into the slots.

Countertop Toaster Oven

Now coming to the counter toaster oven. These type of toasters are known not only for making toast, but it can help you a number of other things as well. Even there are people who get themselves a counter toaster oven as a replacement of standard oven.

However counter toaster ovens are not tiny in size. In fact, they end up taking quite a lot of kitchen space. But the plus point is that using a counter toaster oven you will be able to make six to nice toast at a time. So in case if you have a large family, it will be pretty useful to you.

Also on the other side counter, toaster ovens come with a little bit expensive price tag compared to the pop-up toasters and it is quite justified as well since they let you do a hell lot of stuff. Like you can cook pizzas or bake cookies.

Advantages:

• You can cook different types of food apart from toasts.
• Best for a large family.
• Saves electricity compared to a traditional oven.

Disadvantages:

• Huge in design.
• A little bit expensive compared to the pop-up toasters.

Now that you know the different types of toasters. Let’s talk about the top factors that you should consider while purchasing a toaster.

Things to Consider While Purchasing a Toaster:

Size:

We all are living with limited space and filling the space with unusual stuff is something we should avoid. Even when it comes to buying a toaster the size matters.

Just in case if you have a little kitchen space and wondering which type of toaster you should go with. Then try answering these three questions:

1. How many slices will you need at once?
2. Howe big those slots should be?
3. Do you have enough space in your kitchen?

Well looking for a toaster on the basis of slot count is not that hard. You can easily find the slot info in the name of the toaster or in the product description. Pop-up toasters mainly come with 2 or 4 slots so picking up won’t be an issue.

However, when it comes to countertop toaster ovens, you may need to go through the product description carefully.

The second question is only for those who are going to pick up a pop-up toaster. Well, pop-up toaster slots come in different sizes. Some slots are pretty thin, and some of them are pretty large.

So if you mainly toast think slices of bread, then you may not have to look for popup toasters that have a large slot. However, if you also plan to toast English muffins or bagels, then a popup toaster with a large slot is all you need.

The last question applies to those people who have a very limited kitchen space. In case if you are going with a popup toaster, then you will not need a huge space. Popup toasters are tiny in size, and you can place them wherever you want.

However, for the countertop ovens, you need to look for space. Since countertop ovens are huge in size so you will need enough space to put it. But if you can make space in your kitchen, then a countertop oven will definitely help you out in many ways.

Cost:

Now coming to the cost, well many of you obviously do not have a huge budget for a toaster and it can be one of the main factors for many people out there.

However, when it comes to popup toasters, the price is not too high. In fact, you can get a toaster as low as $20, and the cost can go up to $200 or more. It completely depends on which model you are choosing the brand name.

But when it comes to the countertop toasters, the price is not cheap. In fact, the price starts at $100, and it can go up to $300 to $400 depending on the brand and model.

The price of the toasters varies because of so many reasons. The cheap toasters lack built quality in features. Some of the toasters offer awesome built quality at a decent price, and some of them offer lots of advanced features at a higher price tag.

But many of you may not need those advanced features, and all you need is a good built quality or you may need both features and built quality. So it completely depends on your own needs.

Also if we talk about the countertop ovens, there are also lots of options are available. Some of them come with convection cooking option which is known to be the fastest yet popular form of cooking. Also, they do have lots of settings and features.

Uses:

Talking about the uses, well this is the most important thing that you need to figure out. Like how you are going to use the toaster?

Most of us have very basic needs and going to make toasts in standard sizes only. If this is the case with you, then you can go with almost any toaster out there. Just look at the slots count and built quality and you are good to go.

But on the other hand, if you want to roast something apart from bread such as English muffins, bagels, waffles and so on. Then you need to look for a toaster that has a large slot. Else your items will not fit into the slots.

However, if you are someone who is planning to save money in the cost of kitchen space. Then going with a countertop oven might be a right decision. A countertop oven can help you to replace your oven plus you will be able to make different types of food pretty easily.

Settings:

Most of the toasters come with basic settings. Like you can toast your bread as light, medium, and dark and these are the settings that most of the people need.

But apart from these basic settings, there are toasters which have some of the advanced features. For example, a pop-up toaster can have a special bagel feature which will only toast one side of the bagel. Some of the toasters also come with a defrost button and so on.

However, when it comes to countertop ovens, there is a wide range of settings so you can do a wide range of stuff. These settings undoubtedly enhance your cooking experience and help you to cook your food in the fastest way possible.

Ease of Use and Cleaning:

Easy to use is also something that most of the people cares about. However, thankfully most of the toasters are easy to use. Even some of them come with some pre-set settings which makes it easy for you to get started with the toaster instantly.

But when it comes to the cleaning part, it is a little bit complicated. But toasters with crumb tray are easier to clean. Also, a countertop toaster with nonstick interior will help you keep the oven clean without any struggle.

Durability:

Durability also matters. Like you do not want to buy a new toaster every year. Instead, you need a toaster that lasts long for several years. That is why while purchasing a toaster you better look at the brand’s reputation and read reviews. Even do look for the warranty period.

However, it is not so hard to choose a toaster on the basis of durability. Since the online stores like Amazon let you read what other people have to say about a particular product. So before you finalize a product, just go through the reviews and see what real people said about the product. After that, you can take a decision easily.

Features to Look for:

Apart from the above factors, there are some features that you must look for. These features are the:

• Self-Adjusting Guides: Self-Adjusting Guides helps you to make sure your bread is placed in the correct way so you can have a perfect toast.
• Cancel Button: If you want to stop toasting immediately, a cancel button comes handy.
• Crumb Tray: Crumb try are designed to collect the crumbs so you can easily keep your toaster clean.
• Convection Heating: Countertop ovens that come with convection setting can easily cook foods in a faster way.
• Rotisserie: Countertop ovens with the rotisserie setting are great for cooking chickens and other types of meets.

Popular Toaster Brands:

Now let’s talk about some of the most popular toaster brands that we have in the market. A brand name matters a lot. Since a well-known brand will surely offer you a top-notch product. So, as a result, you will get a surety about the product and after sale services.

To help you out with the brand’s name, we have gone through the customer reviews and made a list of the top brands. So let’s go ahead and check those brands out:

Avanti

One of the toaster ovens of Avanti has massive popularity in the market. A wide range of customers reviews the product on the basis of their daily needs. Their oven is capable of baking, broiling and comes with features like the rotisserie.

Also, there are products which have a burner on top of it. Even, the price of the toaster is entirely justified, and it allows the customer to do a hell lot of things. However, one of the common complaints that we have found was the process of making toast was slow. Also, some customers did mention that you cannot use oven and burner simultaneously.

Black and Decker

Black and Decker is another popular company known for its toasters varieties. The company makes both two and four slots popup toasters and even countertop ovens.

Also, most of the reviews are very positive for all their products. Black and Decker are also known for their amazing toasters that comes in different colors. However, some of the customers did complain about the design features. Like the placement of the wire cord is not justified and so on.

But the majority of the customer has really positive things to say about the company. Also, most of their products are very affordable.

Breville

When it comes to high-end toasters, Breville is the common name that we get to hear. Even the company has got mostly positive feedback from the users.

Also, their toasters are quite famous for their look, LED displays and lots of useful and amazing features. Even their countertop ovens are also quite popular around the customers. But the setback of the company is that the pricing.

The pricing of the Breville products is not cheap, but they are good in quality. They also make 2 slice toasters and 4 slice toasters.

Cuisinart

Cuisinart is another popular company is famous for manufacturing both types of toasters. Almost all of their toasters have received positive reviews from the customers. But we are not saying that there are no negative reviews.

In fact, eh company has received mixed reviews for their countertop oven and pop-up toasters. Some say that their popup toasters only toasted one side of the bread. Also, some customers did mention that their countertop toasters are not good for toasting bread.

Hamilton Beach

Hamilton Beach is also one of the other company that is famous around the customers. They do make both types of toasters and have received lots of positive reviews.

According to most of the customers, Hamilton Beach is said to offer value for money products with good design and top-notch performance.

KitchenAid

In the high-end toasters segment, KitchenAid is another popular company. They have received quite a lot of good reviews for their pop-up toasters. But the same does not go with their countertop ovens.

Customers have found their pop-up toasters value for money and pretty useful plus they do look great. On the other hand, the countertop ovens have received lots of negative reviews.

Oster

Oster is also one of the top toaster makers.  Talking about their products, well the customer base mixed reviews about them.

Some of the customers praise the kind of products that Oster offers and their amazing features. Talking about some of their top features, Oster toaster includes LED timer, frozen food button and so on. But when it comes to negative reviews, most of them have said that their products do not last long for the price.

Panasonic

In the end, we have the Panasonic. Panasonic is a worldwide famous company. The company manufactures both types of toasters, and they have received killer reviews.

However, on the other hand, there were customers who did mention that the price of their products is not cheap. But when it comes to offering value, they are best in it. Among both types of hosting, their countertop toasters have received better reviews.

At last

So those were a couple of points that you should keep in mind while purchasing a toaster. In a quick summary all, we would say that always look for the positive reviews of a toaster, care about the brand value and look for the warranty.

Also do look for the features and most importantly the built quality of the product and you are good to go. Anyway, if you have any questions to ask you can comment below, and we will surely help you out. or visit our blog for more information.