Breville Ikon Toaster

Toasters are so yesterday. I mean all they do is toast and take up counter space. Breville's CT70XL is 8 inches high, 5 inches long, and has a depth of 11 inches. That's a fair amount of counter space for an appliance that only does one thing.

To be fair, I shouldn't say the Breville 2-Slice Electric Toaster only does one thing. It toasts bread. It toasts bagels. It toasts pop tarts. And it does have some nice features. For a toaster anyway.

The wide toasting slots are self-centering. There's a "toast ready" sound alert and a high-lift lever. With a Lift-and-look function, you can check the toast's progress without interrupting the cycle. And like most toasters there's a browning control dial.

The Breville CT70XL also has settings for toasting bagels, defrosting, and re-heating toast. These are also common features on modern toasters, as is the LCD display. But unlike modern toasters, the Breville has a classic toaster look to it. If it weren't for the LCD display and other modern features like cord storage, you might think the Breville came straight out of the 50's, which I guess makes sense since toasters really are a part of the past.

At least with a removable crumb tray it's easy to clean. But most toaster ovens also come with removable crumb trays, and they can do a whole lot more than just toast a bagel.

Another basic toaster to consider is the Sunbeam Heritage Toaster.

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