The best high-design toaster: Smeg '50s Retro-Style Toaster Worth sacrificing the bargain performance? Probably not. And the lever squeaks a bit when depressed.

A few quibbles: most slices come out of the toaster with a little “bald spot” on top-the result of the bread not sitting fully submerged in the slot. The evenness of its toasting is particularly impressive at higher settings-so if you like your bread on the crunchy side, take note. (And, if you’re looking for a pop of color in your kitchen: Amazon lists a bright eggplant purple as another option.) For the most part, the Oster Jelly Bean ticked off all the toasting boxes with passably consistent sliced bread, perfectly crisped waffles, and golden, chewy toasted bagels. Among the contenders surveyed, stainless steel (or faux-stainless) was the default finish, but the Jelly Bean goes a different route: The model we tried came with a curvy, matte charcoal exterior which, though not necessarily high-design, cleaned easily and seemed conveniently fingerprint- and smudge-proof. Though, predictably, the build-quality of all the lower priced plastic toaster models was a little flimsy, the Oster toaster was better than almost all of the competition. One glowing Amazon reviewer dubbed this model the Cadillac of toasters-and after putting it through its paces, we agree.Īnother great budget two-slice toaster: Oster Jelly Bean

Some of the little touches that made it even more appealing: a smooth motorized lift that lowers and raises the slices from the toaster at the touch of a button, the sliding knob that sets the level of toastiness and flashes to count down the remaining cook time, and the pleasant 'ding' that sounds to remind you when the job is done-a feature we suspect could be a godsend during hectic morning multitasking. It turned out remarkably consistent results during all three tests, evenly toasting each slice of bread, easily defrosting and crisping waffles, and ably accommodating bagels. The toasting slots were generously proportioned to handle both tall and thick slices, and the digital controls were attractive and intuitive to use.

Well-built, with a weighty frame and a stylish minimalist exterior, it was extremely stable on the counter without feeling bulky. The Breville Die-Cast is an investment, but the sleek, leverless model called to us as soon as we took it out of the box-and once we set it up and started toasting and reheating, it didn't disappoint. The best two-slice toaster overall: Breville Die-Cast

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