The Best 4-Slice Toasters for Fuss-Free Mornings, According to Our Tests (2024)

A perfectly toasted piece of bread is a tasty meal in and of itself, and whether you want a savory snack, a sweet treat, or a sandwich, a toaster is a crucial part of the equation. Yes, toaster ovens are undeniably versatile, but traditional slotted toasters are the best way to quickly and evenly toast bread, bagels, waffles, and Pop-Tarts. And when it comes to serving up breakfast for a crowd, nothing is more functional than a 4-slot toaster.

After toasting mountains of bread, bagels, and waffles in 20 different 4-slice toasters, we determined which models yielded the most perfectly golden brown and crisp results. The appliances ranged from the basic-but-serviceable to what we've deemed the “Tesla of Toasters.”

Each toaster had a removable crumb tray and a high-lift lever (to give a little extra oomph to shorter pieces of bread that might be otherwise hard to reach). Keep scrolling to learn more about the best and not-so-great 4-slice toasters on the market.

Our Favorite

In all of the toasters we tested, it took some fine-tuning to find the perfect setting for perfectly golden-brown toast. Across the board, the lowest setting barely warmed the bread and imparted no color, while the highest setting toasted bread to unappetizing shades of dark brown or, worse, set off the smoke alarm. Overall, the best option is the Zwilling Enfinigy Cool Touch Toaster.

Factors to Consider

Features

Beyond toasting performance, a good toaster should be intuitive to use, with easily identifiable controls (some models have unintelligible icons for specific settings – for instance, on the Smeg ​​the bagel button more closely resembles a baguette), and easy to use temperature adjuster. The most basic features should include temperature controls (usually between 150 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit) and adjustable toast-shade settings. If you keep your bread in the freezer, it’s important to choose a toaster that has a defrost function so your food is reheated to perfection. For bagel lovers, toasters with a bagel setting are a must to give the sliced side the ideal texture and color.

Appearance

Toasters typically live on the countertop full-time, so it’s important that you like the way they look. If the majority of your kitchen appliances are stainless steel, you might consider a 4-slice toaster with the same finish. There are plenty of neutral color options, but you can also find vibrant shades if that’s more your style.

Ease of cleaning

With regular use, your toaster will attract fingerprints and build up crumbs that fall to the bottom of the slots. In our tests, the Smeg showed no fingerprints at all, and the Zwilling showed very few. Otherwise, most models were restored to their luster with a damp cloth wipe down. One underwhelming exception was the All-Clad, where wiped fingerprints simply turned into stubborn streaks. To tackle crumbs, make sure you get a model with a removable crumb tray (nearly all do). Not only will this make cleaning easier, but turning your toaster upside down to dump out crumbs can damage the delicate heating elements.

The Tests

In our test kitchen, we compared 20 different 4-slice toasters, putting each model through a series of tests. The first test for each toaster was, unsurprisingly, bread. We toasted four slices of bread in each toaster three times (on low, medium, and high settings) and took notes on the results, evaluating how evenly toasted the bread was, the doneness, and how long each of the settings took. Then, if the model had a bagel setting, we placed four bagels and evaluated the results. For our final test, we used frozen waffles to see how well toasters with a defrost setting performed. In addition to these three tests, we scored each toaster on ease of cleaning, the look and feel of its components (buttons, knobs, and casing), and the overall intuitiveness of its features.

What Didn't Make The List

Strong Contenders

All-Clad TJ824D51 Stainless Steel Digital Toaster ($180 at Amazon)

This model had some useful features, such as the countdown timer, but we didn’t like that you couldn’t select settings until the food was dropped down. For a higher price, it didn’t wow us during any of the tests.

KitchenAid KMT4115 4-Slice Toaster ($80 at Amazon)

If you’re looking for a toaster primarily for bagels, this one is a good choice, as it gave the exterior a nice crunch and left the inside fairly soft. As for bread, the toaster skewed dark to burnt.

Smeg Retro-Style 4-Slice Toaster ($250 at Amazon)

There’s no denying that this is a stylish toaster for those who love a retro-inspired design. However, its performance wasn’t as impressive as its appearance.

Proctor Silex 4-Slice Toaster ($40 at Home Depot)

While this toaster is a great value, it was very clear which side the heating element was on — there was a clear ombre of browning from right to left in the toast.

Elite Platinum Cool Touch Long Slot Toaster ($35 at Amazon)

The long slots were nice for rustic bread, but this toaster didn’t include a bagel function. We also found that the knobs and weight of the toaster felt cheap.

Results Still Simmering

Breville BTA830XL Die-Cast Smart Toaster 4-Slice Long Slot Toaster ($200 at Amazon)

The automated function of lowering and raising the bread was a plus, but ultimately, it's a "fashion" function that doesn't serve a real purpose. Plus, we felt that the progression was too extreme for the doneness settings because the high setting was way too dark.

Cuisinart CPT-435 Countdown 4-Slice Toaster ($79 at Amazon)

This wasn’t the worst toaster we tested, but it wasn’t the best. At the same price point, there are superior options available. It also skewed hotter than any of the other toasters — on the highest setting the toast was black and smoking.

Breville BTA720XL Bit More Toaster ($150 at Amazon)

We like the “bit more” feature, but took points away when the unit started to smoke. Any setting above three produced burnt-like results.

Oster Black Stainless Toaster ($60 at Amazon)

It looks great but doesn’t perform great. The toasted bread had inconsistent browning, and the bagel function was a flop — both sides were heating the bagel, leaving the exterior charred.

Hamilton Beach Extra Wide Slot Toaster ($55 at Amazon)

For the price, we were fairly pleased with the results from the bread test, producing a beautiful golden brown finish. However, the features didn’t work as promised, especially the bagel function.

Low Performers

Sunbeam Wide Slot 4-Slice Toaster ($45 at Amazon)

This toaster missed the mark on all our tests and felt cheap. The bagel feature didn’t work, as both sides were very dark, and there was inconsistency during the bread test.

Cuisinart CPT-142 4-Slice Compact Plastic Toaster ($50 at Amazon)

“This is not the reliable toaster you want in your kitchen,” one tester said. It skews high on browning, and the slots are tight for bagels.

Cuisinart Classic 4 Slice Toaster CPT-180WP1 ($60 at Amazon)

This toaster runs very light, even on the highest setting, meaning you would have to toast your bread a few times to get a true dark color. The bagel function didn’t work and, overall, felt cheaply made.

Dualit 4-Slice, 4-Slot Toaster ($380 at Amazon)

This toaster emits a loud whirring noise while it toasts. That, plus limited features and inconsistent toasting didn’t impress us.

KRUPS 4-Slot Toaster ($80 at Amazon)

A lot left to be desired here. The bulky size takes up a lot of room on the countertop, and in testing, the browning was inconsistent. It’s also a fingerprint magnet.

Our Expertise

Liz Mundle is a writer, editor, and chef in New York City with over a decade of experience in kitchens and magazines. Her writing has appeared in Food & Wine, Saveur, and Domino, among others. She is opening Circus Provisions, a specialty grocery store in Brooklyn, early next year. For this article, she analyzed the insights from our tests to determine the best 4-slice toasters on the market.