A toaster is a small appliance designed to toast bread by exposing it to radiant heat. Toasters can be equipped with a variety of features, including adjustable darkness settings, reheat and defrost functions, as well as a crumb tray to catch breadcrumbs and make cleanup easy.
It is an economical and time-effective method of cooking food, especially during the morning hours when people don’t have much time to spare. They allow you to cook a healthy and fulfilling meal without having to spend a lot of time cooking. Therefore, it won’t be an exaggeration to say that toasters are an inseparable part of our lives.
4-slice toasters are ideal for larger families or anyone who likes to have their toast ready in a hurry. What’s interesting is that they’ve recently become a more popular choice as compared to the two-slice toasters.
These toasters are usually heavier than the basic versions and are equipped with way more settings as compared to the 2-slice toaster. For instance, some of the advanced settings in a 4-slice toaster automatically keep the toaster warm.
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What To Look For In A 4-Slice Toaster
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Slot Size
Slot sizes are relevant only in the context of pop-up toasters. When you opt for a 4-slice toaster, make sure that it offers deep slots which allow you to toast large slices of bread with relative ease. Some toasters also offer variable width slots which adjust themselves to better fit both thick and thin slices.
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Lifting Mechanism
When it comes to lifting mechanisms, most toasters simply push the toast slightly once it has been toasted. Yet there are other toasters that offer the high lift feature that pushes the slices higher up than their naturally pop. This feature, therefore, allows you to remove the toast without burning yourself.
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Shade Settings
Conventionally, shade settings indicate the duration for which the toaster will run before popping. However, that’s not always the case. More often than not, shade settings offer you an insight into where on a browning scale, your finished toast will fall. Therefore, if you choose a toaster with a wider scale, you’ll have more browning options available to you.
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Standard Features
Two standard features or settings that must be offered by almost every toaster are defrosted and reheated. The defrost function allows you to defrost and toast bread when it’s straight from the freezer. In this setting, the toaster first defrosts the bread and then moves straight to the toasting cycle. Most of the 4-slice toasters in the market today offer this feature. Likewise, the reheat function allows you to warm up the toast that has cooled down without any further browning.
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Extra Features
There are several 4-slice toasters in the market today that offer additional features if you wish to do more than just heat bread using your toaster. Settings like the crumpet setting, the bagel setting, and a fruit loaf setting have been introduced to cater specifically to the needs of the bread in question.
Some toasters are equipped with a progress indicator that enables you to see the time left before your toast is ready to eat. In fact, some models even display the countdown in seconds. Therefore, it all comes down to your needs at last.
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Heat Settings
The heat settings that must be offered by a 4-slice toaster or a toaster, in general, include warm, reheat, and defrost food. Other heat settings that can ease your toasting experience include bagel, cancel, and high lift.
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Consistent And Even Browning
The best toasters in the markets provide a wide variety of heating options to choose from, ranging from very light to very dark. Additionally, they master the art of producing consistent color across all the toasts in a single batch. If you’re toasting in a good quality 4-slice toaster, the toasts from multiple batches will emerge in the same shade of brown.
The 10 Best 4-Slice Toasters In 2024
Best Overall: Cuisinart CPT-142P1 Compact Toaster
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Best Long Slots: Elite Gourmet ECT-3100 Toaster
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Best Stainless Steel: Oster Long Slot 4-Slice Toaster
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Best With Features: Breville BTA730XL 4-Slice Toaster
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Best Dual Controls: KRUPS KH734D 4-Slot Toaster
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Best Aesthetics: Sencor STS6073VT 4-Slot Toaster
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Best Retro: BUYDEEM DT640 4-Slice Toaster
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Best Durable: KitchenAid 4-Slice Toaster
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Best Digital Control: Oster 4-Slice Toaster
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Best In Budget: SACVON 4 Slice Long Slot Toaster
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Best Overall: Cuisinart CPT-142P1 Compact Toaster
The Cuisinart 4-Slice compact toaster measures 10.8 x 10.7 x 7.2 inches and weighs 4.5 pounds, making it the perfect size for small spaces.
This toaster has four wide slots that can accommodate bagels and more. It offers seven shade control settings so you can get your food just the way you like it.
It also has a variety of convenient features, including a cancel button, and comes with a slide-out crumb tray for easy cleaning.
This toaster provides dual independent toasting controls so you can toast different items at once, and it’s made with BPA-free plastic.
It also includes a limited 3-year warranty, so you can be confident that your toaster will last for years to come.
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Cons
Best Long Slots: Elite Gourmet ECT-3100 Toaster
The Elite Gourmet long slot toaster has two extra wide 1.25″ toasting slots, so you can fit up to four extra thick slices of bread.
Choose from 6 different toasting levels to get your toast just the way you like it. The LED display shows you what level you’re on, so you can easily keep track of your progress.
This toaster features auto-adjusting toasting time, so you’ll always get perfectly toasted bread, and the defrost & bagel functions make it easy to toast frozen bread or bagels.
Plus, the built-in warming rack keeps your toast warm until you’re ready to eat. For an added touch of style, the toaster comes in a brushed stainless steel finish that will complement any kitchen décor.
It also features a slide-out crumb tray that makes cleanup a breeze, and the cancel button lets you stop the toasting cycle at any time.
Pros
Cons
Best Stainless Steel: Oster Long Slot 4-Slice Toaster
The Oster 4-slice toaster has seven shade settings, so you can always get the perfect toast. The extra-long slots make it ideal for thick or artisanal bread, and the high-lift lever makes it easy to remove smaller items.
The stainless steel design with black accents is both stylish and durable, and the removable dishwasher-safe crumb tray makes cleanup a breeze.
This toaster has dual auto-adjusting bread guides that adjust to the thickness of the bread, so you don’t have to worry about burned or undercooked toast.
It also has advanced toasting technology that evenly toasts the bread on both sides.
Pros
Cons
Best With Features: Breville BTA730XL 4-Slice Toaster
The Breville 4-slice toaster comes with some impressive features. The first is the A Bit More button, which allows you to add a few extra seconds to the timer if needed.
The cancel button is also a helpful feature, allowing you to stop the toasting cycle at any time. The toaster has 8.1 x 16.1 x 7.6 inches dimensions and it weighs 5.5 pounds.
The toaster comes with an extra-wide slot that can accommodate thicker slices of bread. The toaster also has a high lift lever that makes it easy to remove smaller items.
This toaster has five settings that allow you to choose the perfect level of doneness for your toast, and it also includes an LED indicator that lets you know when your toast is ready. It comes with a 1-year warranty.
Pros
Cons
Best Dual Controls: KRUPS KH734D 4-Slot Toaster
The KRUPS 4-slot toaster has a sleek design that will look great on any countertop. The toaster has four slots that can accommodate various bread thicknesses.
With 6 browning settings, you can choose exactly how light or dark you like your toast. The dual independent control panels allow you to toast different items at different settings, so you can tailor the toast to your exact liking.
It has 4 push button functions: defrost, reheat, cancel, and bagel. The high lift lever allows you to easily remove smaller items without burning your fingers.
It has blue LED indicators that make it easy to see when the toaster is in use. Also, it comes with a 2-year warranty.
Pros
Cons
Best Aesthetics: Sencor STS6073VT 4-Slot Toaster
The Sencor STS6073VT 4-slot toaster is a reliable toaster with a stylish design. It measures 11 x 12 x 8 inches and weighs 5 pounds.
It features 9 toasting levels, so you can choose the perfect setting for your toast. With its sleek, stainless steel design and electronic timer, it adds a touch of style to any countertop.
The four slots allow you to toast multiple items at once, and three functions control ensures that your food will be cooked to perfection.
The removable crumb tray makes cleanup easy, and the cord wrap prevents tangles and clutter.
Pros
Cons
Best Retro: BUYDEEM DT640 4-Slice Toaster
The BUYDEEM 4-slice toaster has four wide (1.4”) slots with self-centering guides, so you can toast any type of bread evenly.
The dimensions of this toaster are 6.97 x 12.2 x 11.02 inches, making it the perfect size for any kitchen countertop.
With 7 different toast settings, you can customize your toast to be just the way you like it.
This toaster also features a bagel setting, so you can enjoy your bagels perfectly toasted every time.
It offers dual independent control panels. This means that you can use one side for toasting bread and the other for making English muffins.
The removable crumb tray makes cleanup quick and easy, and the cord wrap ensures that your countertop stays clutter-free.
Pros
Cons
Best Durable: KitchenAid 4-Slice Toaster
The KitchenAid toaster is a reliable and durable toaster that is built to last. It has a sleek design that will complement any kitchen, and it comes in a variety of colors to suit your personal style.
This toaster has four wide slots that can accommodate a variety of bread, and it also has a manual high lift lever that makes it easy to remove smaller items.
It also features five shade settings, so you can choose the perfect level of toastiness for your tastes.
Perhaps best of all, the toaster features a removable crumb tray that makes cleanup a breeze.
Pros
Cons
Best Digital Control: Oster 4-Slice Toaster
The toaster has a dimension of 12.83 x 12.99 x 8.66 inches and weighs 6.06 pounds. This toaster has a sleek design that will look great on any countertop.
The toaster has a touchscreen interface for easy control, and the digital countdown timer ensures that your toast is always perfectly cooked.
The toaster also features extra-wide slots for thick bread, bagels, and waffles, and the removable crumb tray makes cleanup a breeze.
This toaster features 6 toast shade settings, so you can customize your toast to your liking. It also includes 3 different toast functions: bagel, frozen, and reheat.
The cancel button lets you do so without having to start all over again. The removable crumb tray makes cleanup a breeze.
Pros
Cons
Best In Budget: SACVON 4 Slice Long Slot Toaster
This toaster has four extra-long slots that can accommodate even the thickest slices of bread. And with six different browning settings, everyone can have their toast just the way they like it.
The extra-long cord makes it easy to plug in and the removable crumb tray makes it easy to keep clean.
This is made with stainless steel and has a sleek design that would look great in any kitchen. It comes with a big timer that allows you to see how much time is left on your toast.
It also comes with a defrost button that allows you to defrost your bread before toasting it. The toaster also has a cancel button that allows you to cancel the toasting process at any time.
Pros
Cons
FAQs
There are several reasons behind this occurrence. For one, moisture and bread type might affect the toasting procedure. Since the moisture content found in certain bread types such as white bread takes up a lot of heat, your toaster might toast just one side.
Another reason could be the temperature of the toaster. The spacing of the wires that induce the heat to the bread may result in an uneven distribution of heat to different parts of the slot. The toast space might be another possible reason behind this occurrence. Just like smaller slots can’t accommodate larger slices of bread, large slots cannot hold the smaller bread. In such scenarios, inefficient heating may result in a one-sided toast.
It is often suggested to clean a new toaster before you actually start using it to make toasts. Cleaning a new toaster, however, is not as cumbersome a job as cleaning a used toaster. Firstly, take a damp cloth and wipe down the exterior of the toaster.
Then, check the inside of the toaster. If you find any loose particles, simply shake them off or you can use a brush to remove them carefully. Use a microfiber cloth to shine it and once done, it’s ready for use.
The numbers on the toaster determine the duration for which the bread is going to be toasted. Once the timer ends, your toast simply pops out of the top of the toaster. In technical terms, the numbers indicate the time taken by the capacitor to charge which in turn affects how long it takes before your toast is ready to be served.
The primary function of the bagel setting is to toast items, such as English muffins or a bagel. Bagels and English muffins have more mass than normal bread. As a result, they take a longer period of time to toast. The bagel setting, therefore, simply extends the toasting time usually without bridging about any change in the toasting pattern.
Using aluminum foil when cooking food is a commonality. The main reason behind this preference is that aluminum is a good conductor of heat and therefore, can act as an asset in the cooking process. Although you can use aluminum foil in a toaster, you need to be very careful if you choose to do this.
If the aluminum foil, by any chance, touches the heating element of the toaster, it can either damage the toaster itself or in a worst-case scenario, start a fire. Aluminum foil can be a danger to use in a toaster if it starts to melt.
