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The 4 Fastest Toasters For Hectic Mornings
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All toasters may toast bread, but the best ones stand out for their speed and convenience. The fastest toaster can toast bread in one to three minutes and has features like wide slots to fit a variety of bread types and a removable crumb tray for cleaning convenience.
Models
Toasters are typically available as 2-slice toasters, 4-slice toasters, and toaster ovens. Two-slice toasters tend to be more compact, while a 4-slice toaster speeds things up for larger households by allowing you to toast more bread at the same time. Toaster ovens are usually large enough to toast four slices simultaneously and are more versatile for cooking beyond toast; plus, a toaster oven’s size heats up and cooks much faster than conventional ovens.
Toast Time
Toasting time will depend on a few variables — including the type and thickness of your bread — but one study found the perfect piece of toast takes 3.5 minutes for bread that's about .5 inches thick and has just been removed from the refrigerator. That said, one to four minutes on a medium setting is a typical toasting time for a toaster, and toaster ovens can take longer, about 2.5 to 9 minutes. Since speed is a priority here, know that the fastest toasters on my list toast in about one to three minutes. Considering personal preferences and multiple setting options for toast doneness, an exact toast time is sometimes tricky to pin down for most toasters, but I scoured reviews from users who consistently commented on the speed of the toasters listed below.
Features
Quick toasting is always appreciated, but other toaster features to look for include built-in cord wrap for tidy storage, a removable or sliding crumb tray, convenient presets — like ones for perfectly toasting bagels or defrosting frozen items like waffles — and extra-wide slots for thicker bread.
Keep reading for the best fast toasters; they're all highly rated on Amazon, and one pick even comes in fun colors, like aqua and red.
1. The Overall Best Fast Toaster
This 4-slice toaster is the overall best of fast toasters with a 4.4-star Amazon rating after more than 6,000 reviews. Many reviewers rave about its speed, with one writing "I use it to toast frozen waffle too and it's really fast, I use once the defrost and then the regular toast again just to make it crunchy." It has six levels of doneness. An extra-lift lever makes it easy to grab even smaller pieces of toast without burning your fingers, and the extra-wide slots fit thicker slices of bread. Dual controls allow you to toast the different slot sides at two different settings simultaneously.
A slide-out crumb tray makes cleaning the toaster no big deal, and its cord can be stored underneath the appliance. This pick has preset buttons with LED indicators for toasting bagels, defrosting, and reheating, as well as a cancel button. If your kitchen is tight on space or you're shopping on a budget, this pick is also available as a more affordably priced 2-slice toaster.
A helpful review: “I am thrilled with our new toaster. I was hesitant to purchase a 4 slice toaster but for our family of 5 and busy mornings the 4 slots are super helpful to toast bagels for 3 kids fast and efficiently. The black/silver is sharp looking. Overall, the toaster is very durable and works great! Highly recommend.”
2. A Fast Toaster With Digital Controls
Go with this fast 2-slice toaster for a compact pick that takes just two minutes for a medium toast. It's a highly rated pick with over 1,300 reviews, and many reviewers commented they absolutely love its digital controls, which includes shade control that provides the option of seven doneness settings and a countdown timer. This toaster has a nifty LCD display with a blue blacklit function and a motorized lift instead of a traditional lever. This pick has preset buttons for toasting bagels, reheating, canceling, and defrosting.
The extra-wide slots on this toaster accommodate even thicker slices of bread, and a removable crumb tray makes it especially easy to keep this toaster clean.
A helpful review: “I have the toaster for about a week now. What I noticed is how fast it is. Evenly toasted, simple operation. Press the "TOAST" button and the bread magically drops quietly into the machine. Two minutes later, you have perfect toast! [...] between the smooth operation, single button press, motorized lift and digital display...its worth every penny.”
3. The Fastest Toaster Oven
This fast toaster oven can toast up to four slices of bread or bakes a 9-inch pizza in 15 minutes thanks to a curved interior that maximizes internal space. This pick can bake, broil, toast, or keep food warm with a temperature range of 150 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Reviewers report it takes minutes to preheat — as little as three minutes to reach 400 degrees Fahrenheit, according to another reviewer — and can make toast in under five minutes, which is fast for a toaster oven.
This highly rated toaster oven, with over 3,500 reviews, also features a 30-minute timer and a removable crumb tray.
A helpful review: “I liked my Mueller toaster oven because I can toast bread in a jiffy, bake my personal sized pizzas and heat up my [lasagna] in a snap. I really like the easy to read knobs as well. My homemade cookies cooked faster than normal. This little oven packs a big punch.”
4. A Cute Toaster With a Peekaboo Window
This super cute toaster toasts in about three minutes, reviewers commented, and has one unique feature that will help you make your best toast every time: a peekaboo window. This window allows you to monitor bread as it toasts on one of seven browning levels (by turning the dial). The 2-slice toaster is highly rated with over 2,000 reviews and comes in five colors, including red, aqua, and white.
Preset buttons for defrost, reheat, and bagels are convenient, as well as a slide-out crumb tray. Plus, the extra-long slots on this toaster accommodate wider slices of artisanal or homemade bread.
A helpful review: “Wonderful product. This beautiful toaster is a welcome addition to my kitchen .. compact, toasts bread nicely & super-fast. I love that the slot fits a long slice of Artisan bread & that you can check on it through the glass pane!"
