The Best Toasters of 2022

The Philips HD2650/90 is a very solid toaster, built to last for a long time. The toaster can toast two slices of bread at the same time and has a very generous toasting space. Getting half a bagel into the four cm wide opening is no problem at all. Ordinary toast is as easy to load as it is to scoop up after toasting. The toasting time is perfectly normal and, regardless of how or which bread you put in, you get a nice and evenly toasted slice of bread.

With one exception, all of the toaster’s controls are located on one short side. This makes the Philips HD2650/90 easy to place on the kitchen counter, even if it is crowded between other machines, it can be accessed. The three buttons for heating, defrosting and stopping are clear to use. The heating can be adjusted to 8 different levels with a rotary knob. Unlike many other toasters, there is a real difference in the degree of toasting between the different levels. This makes it easy to find and return to the exact desired degree of toasting.

Stylish and effective toaster

The design of the toaster feels both appealing and well thought-out. Although the stainless steel parts have the ability to quickly get grease stains, they are also easy to clean away. To raise the heating point, the control on the other short side of the toaster must be pressed down. There is also the opening for the crumb tray. This has a good fit and does not drop crumbs.

If you want to criticise something about the Philips HD2650/90, it might be the size. It’s not the smallest and most compact toaster. However, given the construction quality and functionality, the Philips HD2650/90 is well worth the space it takes up. Whether you toast your breakfast bread daily, or only when it’s time for a prawn sandwich, this is a toaster you’ll be happy with.

The Electrolux Explore 7 toaster has a stylish grey-black cover with copper details. It’s relatively high and feels designed to have on display: it looks good in your kitchen, doesn’t get greasy fingerprints and toasts bread evenly in just under 2 minutes on the medium setting.

Smart lift-and-check feature

If you love croissants, bagels and other bread that won’t fit in the toaster, it has a separate warming rack and a special setting. The rack’s easy to place and fits neatly when inserted into the slots. The disadvantage is that you have one more loose part to keep track of, and which you risk losing in your kitchen cupboards. There’s also a dust cover included to place on the toaster when not in use – so watch out if you usually preheat the toaster and make sure to remove it first.

While many toasters have a high-gloss or brushed steel surface, the Explore 7 has a matte black, slightly shimmery surface. The test panel really loved this – no annoying fingerprints from melting butter and other messy breakfast items. The panel also highly approved of the inertia in the browning control, which clicks each time you change the browning setting – so there’s no risk of clumsily changing the setting accidentally.

But best of all is the is the lift-and-check feature, which allows you to lift the bread up to check the browning without restarting the cycle when you lower it back down. This is a great feature that saves many slices from burning when they only need just a tad more browning.

The main drawback of the toaster is its size. At a height of 21 cm, it’s noticeably bulky and takes up a lot of space in a cupboard. But if you like having your toaster handy for daily use, this is a great choice with everything you could wish for in a standard toaster.

The Bosch TAT8613 is a toaster that’s been around for a while and has gradually been updated over the years. It’s a durable model that maintains consistent quality even when a family with children has used it every weekend for a long time. The Bosch TAT8613 is very practical in its design. Not only is the size compact, but Bosch have also placed all the buttons on one end at the top of the toaster. This means that no matter how you position it, you can still easily access the buttons.

Toasting speed for the Bosch TAT8613 is good. With the heat set exactly to medium, the toast pops up after just over 2 minutes and 15 seconds. A little more colour would have been nice, but the slices are hot and crispy all the way through. The cord can be twisted up in a coil on the underside of the toaster. The model is also equipped with a crumb tray that can be easily pulled out and emptied. This is a very affordable model that lives up to all toaster requirements. And the clever positioning of the buttons really stands out.

Russell Hobbs Attentiv 2S is a toaster for those of you who care about looks and attractive controls. Because this is not just a toaster – it’s a gadget.

A toaster with many functions

The Russell Hobbs Attentiv 2S certainly doesn't skimp on promises: it can thaw, reheat, toast on the supplied grate, toast according to a timer AND toast with colour sense technology.

Colour sense technology is a way of toasting, where the toaster senses the surface temperature of the slice of bread to monitor the colour it has turned. This technology should ensure that you always get the same toasting result, regardless of whether the bread is moist, thick or thin, or the toaster is already hot.

The colour sensor toasting is the toaster’s default setting, and it can be set to six different levels. We've tried them all on very light sliced bread, and definitely think level 4 gives the best result - and it only takes about 1 minute. For slightly more wholegrain (darker) bread and ryebread, however, we prefer level 5.

Reheating, defrosting and extra grate

The other functions also work pretty well. When a slice of toast got cold before it was eaten, we reheated it to a nice, freshly toasted result.

The supplied grate is easy to mount on the top and you can use it to toast bread that doesn't fit inside the toaster. This is a very smart feature if you want to warm up a bread roll or croissant. The grate needs removing completely every time however, so it could well turn into one of those things that's easily lost in the kitchen if you don't often use it.

We must admit that we haven't tested this function yet. We had planned to toast a frozen bagel – but discovered that only half a bagel would fit in the toaster. We have not yet succeeded in finding anything frozen that's thin enough to fit in the toaster.

Toaster with touch screen

The attractive touch screen is half the pleasure of using this toaster – the other half being eating the toast, of course!

With its LED lights, the touch screen shows the different settings options and reacts with clear – but not annoying – sounds when we press on them. Next to it is a dial that you can use to set the toasting level from 1-6.

The control panel is located on the side of the toaster so it needs to stand on the electrical connection when in use. It takes up a fair amount of countertop space, as it's 34 cm wide, 22 cm deep and 21 cm high (24 cm with the top grate mounted).

The cord can be wound up in the base. You do have to turn the toaster upside down to roll it up, however. There is no room for the plug itself – so that's left hanging out and dangling when the cord is wound away. On the other hand, it is equipped with a crumb tray that's easy to click out at the base and empty.

Conclusion of test of Russell Hobbs Attentiv 2S

If you love kitchen appliances with loads of smart features – and that can do a little more than all the other machines – then the Russell Hobbs Attentiv 2S is the toaster for you. But if you just like toasted bread, then there are other toasters at a slightly better price that are just as good.

For the slightly larger family, or for those who really like toast, it’s a good idea to invest in a toaster with room for four slices instead of just two. Dualit, which is a British brand, offers real statement machines for the design-hungry toast fan. But liking good design isn’t enough. Because if you want this in your kitchen, you’d better take out the ruler first and check that your counter space is big enough.

This is a pretty big toaster, and if you’ve only got a small kitchen, it may be far too big. On the other hand, if you’ve got plenty of space and an eye for retro design reminiscent of the 1950s, then the Dualit Lite 4 might be just right for you.

It takes about 2 minutes and 20 seconds to produce four beautiful and evenly toasted slices of bread. Settings for thawing bread, heating bread and only toasting one side of the bread (the so-called bagel function) are also available and easy to access on the lower side of the toaster.

Something very practical about this toaster is that it actually consists of two separate toasters, in effect, and therefore has two levers for starting. If you always toast four slices anyway, you might think this is unnecessary. But if you sometimes only toast one or two slices, you’ll soon appreciate this function as it’s nice not to have to have empty compartments in the toaster still being heated.

This is a toaster for a large household with a large kitchen. If you have the space, the Dualit Lite 4 Slot is an attractive and efficient addition to the kitchen. But do double-check your kitchen measurements to make sure the machine will fit in your space.

For those interested in design with a good eye for 1950's aesthetics, the Dualit Lite 2 slot toaster could be ideal. It's hard not to smile at its chubby and rounded retro feel.

Just like the Dualit Lite 4 slot toaster, this toaster for two slices provides evenly and finely toasted bread slices in just over 2 minutes and 20 seconds. You can also thaw frozen bread and toast bagels. Bagel toasting means that only one side of the bread is toasted, which is something you want if you're toasting a bagel.

Although this is a toaster for only two slices, it’s not a small appliance. It’s a toaster that takes up a lot of space, but on the other hand you probably buy a Dualit because of its design. It has clear retro vibes that liven up any kitchen, regardless of whether you have a modern and austere interior, or are totally into the 1950s style.

The Dualit Lite 2 slot is a good, stable toaster. Buttons and so on are comfortable to use and firmly attached – on some toasters it sometimes feels like the buttons are about to come loose. Not on this machine.

If you want good, evenly done toast and a bit of flair in the kitchen, then this could be the toaster for you. It may cost a bit more than many other toasters, but it undeniably stands out in terms of appearance.

A SMEG product is recognisable from a distance thanks to the brand's characteristic design and wide range of playful pastel colours. And the SMEG TSF01 toaster is no exception. Of course that makes it something of a statement product, both in terms of the price, which is pretty high, and also in terms of size. The SMEG TSF01 is not for the faint hearted. But you do get real quality for your money. Buttons and knobs are solid. The dial you turn to regulate the heat both clicks pleasantly and lights up during toasting

The toasting time is a bit slow. With the heat set to medium, the toast pops up after just over 2.5 minutes. However, the SMEG TSF01 is consistent and takes the same amount of time regardless of whether it has already warmed up or not. And the results are very good. Two slices of bread are evenly toasted and get a very nice colour with the heat set to medium. This is a toaster for those with plenty of space, who don’t mind paying for design. But you definitely get nice, crisp slices of toast from the SMEG TSF01.