The 10 Best 2 Slice Toasters
This wiki has been updated 22 times since it was first published in March of 2015. Spruce up or speed up your morning routine with one of these 2-slice toasters that will add a stylish touch to your kitchen while browning your bread, bagel, or waffle to the perfect shade. We've included something for everyone, from the economical to the highly advanced to the stylish. But whichever you choose, remember to keep it clean, as built-up crumbs can become a fire hazard. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki. Skip to the best 2 slice toaster on Amazon.
10. AmazonBasics Black
9. Keenstone Compact
8. KitchenAid Pro Line
7. Oda Kitchen Long
6. Hamilton Beach Cool Touch
5. Black & Decker Stainless Steel
4. Dualit Classic
3. Breville Die-Cast
2. De'Longhi Icona Vintage
1. Cuisinart CPT-122
Special Honors
Revolution Cooking R180 The touchscreen isn't the only thing to love about the Revolution Cooking R180 smart toaster, as it heats up faster than conventional models, saving some of your precious time in the morning. Not everyone will enjoy the price, though. revcook.com
Editor's Notes
November 29, 2019:
When all you need is a couple of slices of toast, and not all the fancy features of a toaster oven, we think any of these 2 slice toasters should do the trick. We have paid attention to safety, especially, but note that any toaster can be a fire hazard when used improperly and not kept clean and free of crumbs.
Because of its lever lift to keep your fingers away from the hot elements and its plain but handsome styling, we still like the Cuisinart CPT-122. But if you find that plain here translates to boring, there's also the De'Longhi Icona Vintage. It has a retro look that's hard not to love. We added the Keenstone Compact, which also has a vintage vibe, as a less expensive alternative. As for the KitchenAid KMT222ER, we have replaced it with the KitchenAid Pro Line. The latter isn't exactly cheap, but the former suffers from ongoing issues with the lever, making it perhaps not the best for the long-term. And speaking of replacements, we selected the Black & Decker Stainless Steel in place of the Black & Decker TR1200SB, which has currently become tough to find.
From Pyramids To Pop-Ups
The first electric bread toaster was invented by Alan MacMasters in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1893.
Toasters have become a symbolic representation of bringing families together for mealtime. In popular culture, the word toast was used in the 1400s to describe warmed bread placed into a drink. Today, the word is still used to salute to a person's good fortune and health or as an affirmation of accomplishment with a large group of people as they raise their celebratory libations during a party. But the history and evolution of the actual toasting process involving bread dates quite a bit further back in time.
As early as 6,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians realized that if they left bread dough out to bake in the warm sun, the dough would expand and rise. If the dough was baked in an enclosed oven, it would retain its fluffiness. This process wasn't fully understood until the 17th century when the microscope revealed that yeast cells were responsible for the leavening process.
Before the invention of the electric 2-slice toaster, several other methods were employed, which included using a heated hearthstone, a long-handled toasting fork, and placing bread within a hinged metal frame to heat it over a fire.
The first electric bread toaster was invented by Alan MacMasters in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1893. Macmaster's toaster was commercialized by Crompton, Stephen J. Cook & Company of the UK as a toasting appliance and was referred to as the Eclipse. The main problem at this time of the electric toaster's development was in the construction of its heating element, as iron wiring was unreliable and a potential fire hazard. This issue was solved in 1905 by Albert Marsh, developer of Nichrome wire, which had the advantage of withstanding high levels of heat for extended periods of time. This innovation was the catalyst for the continued development of the electric toaster market.
The first commercially-marketed electric toaster was released in 1909 by General Electric (GE) and patented under the name D-12. In 1913, Lloyd Groff Copeman and his wife, Hazel Berger Copeman, developed the first toaster with an automatic bread turner. By 1919, Charles Strite patented the commonly-known pop-up toaster. Strite's patent was later marketed for home use by the Waters Genter Company as the first automatic pop-up toaster, capable of browning bread on both sides and allowing for setting its heat timer. By the middle of the 20th century, some pop-up toasters featured automatic lowering and raising functionality, thanks to a built-in bimetallic sensor that was activated by heat passing through the bread. This meant that even frozen slices of bread could be heated to the same degree as those slices kept at room temperature.
A Toast To Butter Wishes & Jam Dreams
There's something about the idea of freshly toasted bread that just delivers instant gratification to your morning breakfast routine. After all, heating an ordinary slice of bread brings out its sweetness, adds plenty of crunch, and provides an easy-to-use blank slate on which to spread a variety of things. Breads also come in many different flavors, sizes, and consistencies, so there is always something for everybody.
This is why that slice of delicious toast is light, crunchy, and somewhat caramelized on its surface.
A toaster is a small electric appliance that utilizes radiant heat to singe or brown slices of bread. The heat is produced by conducting electricity through nichrome wire. The toasting process itself consists of reducing the water content in a piece of bread, which is typically 35% of the bread's total weight. This is why that slice of delicious toast is light, crunchy, and somewhat caramelized on its surface.
Have you ever wondered why your bread always tastes sweeter once it's been heated? The caramelization process is a chemical reaction, also referred to as the Maillard reaction in which the starch molecules break down into simple sugar molecules. That's what gives toast its sweet flavor.
Multi-slice toasters are common for households as they take up little room and offer a quick way to prepare a hearty breakfast. Many 2-slice toasters are pop-up style and with wide slots for accommodating thick items like bagels, pop tarts, crumpets, scones, and waffles. The evolution of heat-resistant plastics also affords the ability for modern 2-slice (and 4-slice) toasters to be fashioned in a variety of different shapes, sizes, and designs.
Turning Up The Heat And Keeping It Sweet
Common features built into the design of most 2-slice toasters include defrost/reheat functions, variable browning control, separate crumb trays for easy cleanup, and wide slots for heating all types of bread, thick and thin. After all, it's convenience, reliability, and great taste that really matters. That said, you just want to be sure that the toaster you buy is reliable, sturdy, and easy to put virtually anywhere in your kitchen.
Many 2-slice toasters have retractable power cords, which is a great feature if your counter space is limited. If you're really into nostalgia, other 2-slice toasters have a chrome exterior and are often painted in bright colors that are reminiscent of those old diners from the 1950s.
Easy-to-read digital displays come in handy when the toaster has automatic bagel functions or countdown timers for dealing with breads that require different amounts of time inside the unit to heat appropriately.
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Melissa Harr is a language-obsessed writer from Chicagoland who holds both a bachelor of arts and master of arts in English. Although she began as a TEFL teacher, earning several teaching certificates and working in both Russia and Vietnam, she moved into freelance writing to satisfy her passion for the written word. She has published full-length courses and books in the realm of arts & crafts and DIY; in fact, most of her non-working time is spent knitting, cleaning, or committing acts of home improvement. Along with an extensive knowledge of tools, home goods, and crafts and organizational supplies, she has ample experience (okay, an obsession) with travel gear, luggage, and the electronics that make modern life more convenient.