Nothing compliments the perfect breakfast like a good piece of toast. The tried and true pop up design has been around for decades and still is the most popular choice for consumers buying toasters for their own homes. Even though today’s toasters look very much like the ones that have been found in American kitchens for the past several decades, there are a wide variety of modern features meant to make life easier. In this article, we’ll discuss what to look for when shopping for a good deal on a toaster and give you tips for finding one of your own.

What to Know About Buying a Cheap Toaster

We will explore several factors to keep in mind before as you are on the hunt for the best cheap toasters. Before going in-depth, we must examine the type of toasters available in the market.

Types of Toasters

There are three main types of toasters. These are:

• Pop-up toasters
• Conveyor belt toasters
• Toaster ovens

We only considered pop toasters as they are the ones recommended for domestic use. In addition, they are simple and designed for everyday use. On the other hand, Conveyor belt toasters are toasters meant for commercial purposes as they are used in bakeries. The toaster oven is like a small microwave oven that is used for baking and convection cooking.

Having explored the types of toasters, here are the things to consider before buying a toaster.

Important Factors to Consider Before Buying a Toaster

With the best toaster, you can brown your bread and give it the perfect customization to suit your taste. Here are the most important factors to consider before buying a toaster.

Number of Slots

The number of slots determines the number of slices you can toast at once. Generally, toasters come with 2, 4 or 6 slots. Depending on how you will use the toaster, get the toaster slot that serves your needs. Also, the toaster slot should be wide enough to accommodate toast of various sizes.

Automatic Control

The implication of this is that your toaster should pop up your toast once it is done. Not only this, it should switch off automatically. This will save power and prevent you from having burnt toast.

Browning Options

This is the color you want for your bread, which determines how brown it will be. This is one of the most vital features of a toaster. Do you want your bread brown, dark brown, gold, soft, light gold, etc.? This is the feature that determines if you will get your desired output.

In buying a toaster, make sure you purchase the one with simple heating options and levels to allow you to achieve the desired texture and customization you want for your bread.

Presence of Crumb Tray

This is a feature that is individual to each toaster. The crumb tray is important to prevent bread crumbs from accumulating inside the toaster. It makes your toaster easy to clean, as all you need to do is remove and empty the tray.

Reheat and Defrost Feature

There are times we might want to heat or toast frozen items. The reheat feature allows you to heat frozen bread without making it too dry. The defrost option also helps defrost frozen bread without heating it or toasting it. It will be nice for your toaster to have this capacity. Luckily, some of the best toasters we consider in this best cheap toaster review has this feature.

Hi-Lift Feature

If you are toasting pieces of bread with a small size, this feature will come in handy. It will lift the bread for easy retrieval. It is important to prevent your fingertips from getting burned.

Progress Indicator

Some toasters with a digital screen show you the countdown of the time needed before your toast will be ready. We reviewed some of them in this post.

The FAQ on Best Cheap Toasters

What Is the Best Material for a Toaster?

The best toasters are made from a combination of metals, mostly stainless steel. This gives them a pleasing aesthetic and boosts longevity, as well. Also, the steel body allows the toaster to cool down fast. There are suitable quality toasters that come with strong plastic and other durable materials as well. It depends on the manufacturer.

How Much Power Does a Toaster Consume?

A normal bread toaster does consume up to 800W to 1500W of energy when in use. However, the average power consumption of a toaster is 1200W under normal circumstances.

How Does a Toaster Work?

When in use, electrical energy flows through the wire to the toaster. It heats the thin filaments, and they become red hot. These filaments reflect heat to the bread and other items you might want to toast.

What Other Food Items Can You Toast?

Many people might think bread is the only item that can be toasted. However, that is wrong as there are other food items that you can enjoy when toasted. Examples are grilled cheese sandwiches, garlic bread, reheated pizza, Paninis, French fries and onion rings, etc.

Final Words

Choosing the best cheap toaster does not have to be a challenge anymore. Also, you do not have to burn a hole in your wallet before buying the best toaster. We hope this best cheap toaster review will guide you in making the best choice and the most suitable one for your needs.