It turns out, most toasters do pretty well on that test, says Tara Casaregola, CR’s test engineer who oversees toasters. We also evaluate how long it takes to get your toast to that standard golden-brown shade. In addition to the tests that help you determine the quality of your toast, we consider convenience factors, including how easy it is to use each toaster and how much effort is needed to clean it. We also included a relative newcomer to our ratings that only slightly misses the mark. Below, we’ve provided reviews of four toasters that sit in that rarefied group, listed in alphabetical order. But less than a quarter of the models excel at toasting one slice the ideal shade of golden brown, and even fewer receive top marks across all three categories. Of the 100-plus toasters in our ratings, the vast majority earn high marks in our color range test-a measure of how well each toaster produces both very light and very dark toast-and our full batch test, a reflection of the evenness among all the slices in a batch. The best of these models, deliver an evenly browned medium toast that matches the shade on the toast-color chart. While set to medium, each toaster is judged on how well it makes a single slice of toast, as well as a full batch-two or four slices- depending on the model. It includes nine colors, ranging from very light to burnt. Test engineers at Consumer Reports have toasted hundreds of slices of bread to find the best and worst two-slice and four-slice models, scoring every slice against an industry-standard toast-color chart established by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. "A higher price doesn’t mean it toasts better, as proven by our testing," says Bryant. But nice-to-haves are one thing performance is quite another. Materials used in the construction of the toaster can also drive up the cost, says Min Kim Bryant, CR’s senior market analyst for toasters. Many of those features come at a cost, which is why you’ll see prices for toasters range from just under $40 to as much as $400. The most basic toasters come with a lever for lowering your bread and a dial for selecting its color, but more models are offering bells and whistles like touch-button controls, settings for specific types of bread, and even digital screens. Though these manufacturers continue to embrace the tried-and-true design of a conventional toaster, many have added a few features along the way. You’ll see more than 30 brands represented in our toaster ratings, including Breville, Cuisinart, Hamilton Beach, KitchenAid, and Toastmaster. Whether you’re making avocado toast, PB&J, or an egg-and-cheese sandwich, a solid toaster is almost as important as the ingredients themselves. It does one thing and does it really well, consistently serving up a beautifully browned slice of bread. Despite all the talk of multitasking countertop appliances, there’s something satisfying about a great toaster.
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