Some people just buy the cheapest toaster they see, but doing a bit of research is worth the bother if you want to buy the best toaster possible.
Whether it’s toasting consistency, ease of use or design, there are lots of little things that make the difference between a decent toaster and the very best.
When looking for the best toasters we look for the following things:
Ease of cleaning
This is an easy to overlook issue, but a vital one. No matter how stylish your toaster looks, you'll love it a lot less if it empties its contents all over the floor. Only toasters that are easy to use make it into our best toaster list.
Evenness of tosting
A toaster isn't much use if it burns some of the slice and leaves other parts untoasted. To test evenness we use Hovis Seed Sensations loaves because it's one of the tallest loaves around.
Toasting speed
We want good toast, but we don't want to wait forever for it. We don't expect miracles, but the best toasters combine evenness and reasonable speed in one.
Flexibility
Toasters aren't just for sliced bread. We also test things like thick, hand sliced bread, pitta breads and bagels. We also look at how well they toast frozen bread.
Style
Some people care about style, some don't, but the latest toasters are keen to play up their looks, so we judge them on that, too.
Read on to find out why a see-through toaster is great and a how a toaster can cook you a full English breakfast without dirtying a single pan.
