It's a good thing toast is the food of the gods, because toasters and toaster ovens can be so boring that you'd barely have incentive to buy one otherwise. But, wait until you see this Dash toaster. It has a window in the side, so you can actually witness your bread's transformation into toast — genius.
And, with nearly 10,000 5-star reviews on Amazon, we clearly aren't the only ones who think it's brilliant. This see-through toaster is one of our favorites, but there are plenty of other great ones, too.
Shop this article: Dash Clear View Toaster, Cuisinart Four-Slice Countdown Toaster and Elite Gourmet Long-Slot Four-Slice Toaster
You already know that this toaster is see-through and, frankly, genius but it has more than that to offer. From slot size and capacity to preset functions, we'll take you through some of the most notable features of the Dash Clear View Toaster.
With a single extra-long slot, the Clear View fits either two regular slices of bread or one large slice. This is good news if you bake your own bread or regularly pick up artisan sourdough loaves from the farmer's market. You won't have to contend with flipping your slices part of the way through cooking or ending up with some parts more toasted than others. The slot is also extra-wide, so it will fit your chunkiest bagels or English muffins.
The browning setting on a toaster — sometimes also known as the shade setting — is what dictates how well-done your toast comes out. Set it to low for something that's more like warm bread than toast, if that's your jam, or set it to high for toast that's dangerously close to burned. This toaster has seven browning levels that you can adjust with a simple dial, letting you easily get your toast just how you like it.
You might be sick of hearing this by now, but in case you didn't get the memo, this toaster has a window in it. Fantastic. But, maybe you're wondering what happens when that window starts to get gross and you can't see inside so well. Luckily, the people at Dash already thought of that. The glass window is removable and washable, so you can keep it clean and always have a perfect view of your bread getting toasty.
There are three preset functions on this toaster: defrost, reheat and bagel. The defrost setting is for frozen bread. It tacks on a little extra time to let the bread defrost before toasting it. The reheat setting gives already-toasted bread a quick, low blast of heat to warm it back up without burning it or drying it out. The bagel setting toasts just one side of a bagel. It's great if you like the outside of your bagel toasted and the inside just warmed so that it's not too crispy and retains that characteristic bagel texture.
Another great thing about the Dash Clear View is its range of colors. It comes in five hues: black, white, gray, red and aqua. The black, white and gray versions are understated, for people who like their appliances to blend in, while the red and aqua shades are great for anyone who wants a pop of color on their counter.
Cuisinart Four-Slice Countdown Toaster
While you can't see inside this toaster to check when your toast is done, it does have a countdown timer so you'll know how long you've got to wait. It has a four-slice capacity and a digital display you can use to set the brownness level of your toast.
Elite Gourmet Long-Slot Four-Slice Toaster
The long-slot design is perfect for anyone who bakes their own bread or tends to toast artisan loaves. But, of course, it fits sliced bread and all other standard bread products as well. It has six doneness settings and presets for defrosting and reheating.
Hamilton Beach Two-Slice Toaster
Thanks to its extra-wide slots, this toaster fits bagels, English muffins and other thick bread products that narrower-slotted toasters can struggle with. Aside from this, it's a fairly simple two-slot model with a drop-down crumb tray and seven shade settings controlled by a dial.
As solidly built, reliable and good-looking as you'd expect from a KitchenAid appliance, this toaster is a reliable four-slot model that doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles but does its job well. It has five shade settings and a bagel mode, with each pair of slots controlled separately.
This popular GE toaster comes in two-slice and four-slice versions, both with extra-wide slots to fit all kinds of baked goods, such as rolls, crumpets and English muffins. It has a bagel setting and a setting to toast frozen bread, as well as a choice of seven shade settings.
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Lauren Corona writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
