The best 4 slice toasters for a delicious breakfast

Toast is an absolute breakfast staple and the perfect way to start the day. Whether you like your toast coated in marmalade, marmite, jam or a simple spread of butter, one thing we all need is for our toast to be cooked just the way we like it.

If you want bread, bagels, crumpets or teacakes toasted to perfection, make sure you have the best kit for the job. And if you really love your toast or have a busy household, a 4 slice toaster might be the best way to go.

Find out which type of toaster best suits your lifestyle and check out our pick of the best 4 slice toasters worth spending your dough on.

Related: How to use a microwave egg poacher

Should I get a 2 slice or 4 slice toaster?

Deciding whether to get a toaster with space for 2 or 4 slices of toast depends on how often you'll use it, your routine and your family's needs. A 2 slice toaster will perfectly suffice if you only have toast once in a while and it's not in high demand come breakfast time.

It also might be better if you have a smaller household as it's unlikely you'll need to toast more than 2 slices at once.

If you're part of a busier household with children, a high demand for toast and a need for it to be served quickly, more often and to a perfect level of browning, a 4 slice toaster comes to the rescue. After all, more slots mean more toast at once!

You can cook up to 4 slices at once and with many 4 slice toasters having dual toaster controls, you can set your toast to start at different times. This is great if the toaster is in demand or if you're in a rush as you won't need to wait until the first 2 slices are ready.

It's a fantastic solution too if you live with someone who has a favourite level of 'toastiness' very different to your own. Designate them a side of the machine and they can set their own browning shade to their liking - you won't need to worry about your toast popping out nearly burnt or underdone if you forget to adjust the toast shade dial again.

Key features to look for in your 4 slice toaster

• Watts: The higher the watts in your toaster, the mightier the appliance. Toasters with higher watts will be quicker and more powerful.

• Size: Not only does the size of the toaster need to work for your kitchen space, as do the slots to make sure they can cook your favourite bready goods. Wider slots work best for thicker sliced bread like Warburtons.

• Reheat, defrost and/ or cancel settings: A cancel button is a must-have on your appliance so you can stop the toasting process if needed. However, you can also find a defrost button for warming frozen bread and even a reheat button for bringing any toast left on the side back from the brink of being too cold to enjoy.

• Lift & Look: This function means you can take a peek at how the toasting is going without having to cancel the whole operation.

• High lift: Good 4 slice toasters will have a high lift function which means you can lift your finished toast higher out of the slots once done - a great help for smaller slices of bread or other baked good.

• Variable browning shades: In order to get the shade you want, toasters will have a dial or alike to turn to set the bake of your bread. You can expect toasters to have 6+ levels to choose between.

• Bread type settings: Not all appliances have this function but some toasters have settings for particular bread i.e. bagels, rye or wholemeal.

• Removable crumb tray: Every toaster should have a removable crumb tray. This is vital not only for keeping your toaster clean but for safety too.

• Design: This is completely down to preference but as your toaster will be on display in your kitchen, you want to choose a design that works with the rest of your space. If you really want to coordinate, you can look to get a matching kettle to add stylish unison across your kitchen.

• Dual controls: Not all 4 slice toasters have this but it's a fantastic feature that means you can choose to toast only 2 slices at a time without using all 4 slots. Great for energy-saving and an upgrade on any 2 slice toaster alone.

• Guarantee: Most toasters come with a manufacturer guarantee so if you run into any problems, you can get your appliance replaced or refunded. We think this is a must so have made sure all the toasters on our list have a manufacturer guarantee.

We think a 4 slice toaster could be a saving grace for your breakfast time routine so if you're looking for a toaster that's a crumb above the rest, pick one of our favourites below.

10 best 4 slice toasters for your kitchen counter

Our verdict:

Our favourite has to be the Breville Impressions 4 slice toaster.

This fantastic toaster has everything you need with variable slots and 9 shade points, great for fussy eaters and all sorts of baked goods. The dual controls mean you can choose to toast 2 or 4 slices at once and with a range of colours available, its sleek design will look good on any kitchen worktop.