Top 10 Best Retro Style Toasters: Reliable toasters with modern conveniences
These retro style toasters will look great in any modern kitchen, even where there are no other matching or retro appliances in the home. They will look good on its own or to complement other small appliances with many colour options to choose from. For reliable toasters with modern conveniences and retro styling keep reading.
If you are keeping a vintage theme in your kitchen, and are looking for a toaster, here are some of the best retro style toasters. Each unique, good looking and stylish toaster comes with modern conveniences such as defrost, reheat, bagel or muffin, high lift, cancel and browning settings.
They also have removable crumb tray to clean out those crumbs collecting at the bottom of the toaster. It also comes with cable storage to keep the counter top tidy or to wrap up the cable for neat storage. If retro looking design is what you want for your kitchen, these vintage, reliable, everyday toasters are your option.
Satisfy all your daily toasting needs while catering to individual tastes, crisps or browning level and different bread or pastries including bagel, muffin, waffle and pancake.
Retro Toasters with Modern Conveniences
Apart from the standard toasting function with various browning or toast shade settings, these toasters have bagel, defrost and sometime reheat functions. These special functions are as the name describes serve to prepare the bagel or toast just the way you want it. The differences are as follows:
- Reheat: this function is not common among toasters. It gently reheats a toast without burning it to bring it up to a butter melting temperature just so you can enjoy a warm toast.
- Defrost: this function gently warms frozen bread to soften it up. If you wish it to be a crispy toast, you will need to then toast it using your preferred browning setting.
- Bagel: here is where the real capability of a toaster is tested. Bagel function warms the bagel on one side and toast the other to produce bagels that are crispy on the top and slightly chewy on the bottom just the way a bagel should be enjoyed.
- Warming Rack: not exactly a function, but an accessory that goes on top of the toaster. The warming rack lets you warm pastries, buns, croissants and whole tea cakes.
Let’s take a closer look,
1. BUYDEEM 4-Slice Toaster
We have featured the BUYDEEM before in our 4-slice toaster series. Here, the extra wide retro stainless steel toaster once again tops our list. Mainly due to its amazingly good value but also for its reliability and style. It comes with two pair of independent toasting slots. Each capable of up to 7 browning levels and special functions including defrost, bagel or muffin and reheat. The lever supports high lift for easy extraction and removable crumb trays slides out from underneath for easy cleaning. Shown below is the light teal version while a brush stainless steel version is also available.
Extra Wide Slots, Retro Stainless Steel with High Lift Lever, Bagel and Muffin Function, Removal Crumb Tray, 7-Shade Settings (Light Teal)
2. Keenstone Retro Stainless Steel 2-Slice Toaster
Another brand name shares this next entry. The Keenstone Retro Stainless Steel 2-Slice toaster below has a similar design to the Redmond with the exception of the lever. The button functions, knob and lever placements are exactly the same. The toaster supports 6 different toasting or browning setting as well as defrost and bagel function. The slots are 1.5-inch wide for thick slices of bread, muffins, bagels and waffles, and it supports high-lift to safely reach the content when ready. Other standard features include cord wrap at the bottom of the unit, removable slide-out crumb tray and anti-slip rubber feet.
The same toaster is also available under the brand Redmond. Pastel Blue, Mint Green, Red Black options are available from Keenstone while White, Deep Green, Mint Green, Pink and Cream colour options are available from Redmond.
3. Nostalgia Retro Wide 2-Slice Toaster
For extra retro detailing with a vintage diner touch, this Nostalgia fire-engine red toaster ought to do the trick. It comes in metallic red and white with chrome buttons, knobs and levers as well as stainless steel top. The two large slots are big enough to accommodate thick slices of bread, English muffins and bagel. Unfortunately, it only supports 5 different browning level but if you love the design, I am sure, you can learn to live with that. Other features include bagel and defrost function, cord storage and removable crumb tray.
Separate companion microwave machine, convection toaster oven and drip coffee maker are also available from Nostalgia to complete that 50s American diner look.
4. Smeg 50s Retro Style Aesthetic 2 or 4-Slice Toaster
A name that is synonymous with retro styling, Smeg offers 50s retro small kitchen appliances like this toaster, kettle, coffee make, espresso machine, coffee grinder, mixer, blender and juicer. Large appliances like oven, fridge, dishwasher, cooker and extractor hood are also available. If you already have one of the aforementioned, chances are, you will want the toaster too in matching colour. Available in two or four slice variety, the toaster only features defrost and reheat function. No dedicated bagel function here. However, you do get a satisfying level with ball handle like those found on Dualit toasters..
Also available, matching kettle in various colours. The colour choices are white, cream, grey, red, pink, blue, green, copper, brass and more.
5. Cuisinart CPT-180P1 Metal Classic 2 or 4-Slice toaster
This Cuisinart 4-slice toaster features dual control panels with huge dials to select the browning level and four dedicated buttons for bagel, defrost, reheat and cancel. The wide 1.5-inch slots comes with extra lift carriage operated by the lever and self centering guides. Other features include convenient cord storage and slide out crumb trays.
6. Russell Hobbs Retro Style 2-Slice Toaster
Next, we have a taller than usual entry from Russell Hobbs, the Russell Hobbs retro style toaster is available in various 50s retro colour options. It measures 7.9 inch tall and comes with a warming rack for buns, pastries, and rolls. The toaster also features lift and look lever to check the toasting progress without stopping the heat.
Other features that it shares with most of the toasters here include 6 browning levels, bagel and defrost functions and removable crumb tray. Apart from the toasting rack, another unique feature is the retro looking toasting timer that lets you know the time it will take to make the toast at the selected browning setting. We love the chrome air grill accent on the top of the unit.
Also available: Heavenly Blue, White, Red and matching Kettle
7. Black+Decker 2-Slice Toaster
This may not be as retro as some other toasters found here but the Black and Decker is a reliable offering. We like the two-tone plastic exterior with a mix of chrome and white, a modern take on the retro style if there is such a thing. It comes with extra wide slots to fit bagels and large artisan bread with the one touch operation for bagel defrost and cancel makes it easy to use.
The cancel button is built into the browning knob. Choose from one of 7 toast shades by simply turning the knob to the desired position. Elsewhere, there is the extra lift to easily remove the food without worrying about burning your fingers, cord storage and removable bread crumb tray for ease of cleaning.
8. Dualit 2 or 4-Slice NewGen Toaster
Easily the most retro as retro can get of toasters, we love the Dualit 4-Slice toaster in mirror chrome finish shown below. It has an unconventional slot orientation, especially the 2-Slice version. The slots are opposite to what a standard toaster would have it. This meant the lifting lever is on the side of the unit.
Another thing to note is the travel of the level. These Dualit toaster have the least travel when you need to dip or lift the bread, the level is short and comes with a big knob handle. It also keeps the toast warm until the level is pushed up. Use the same lift action to check the toast visually between during toasting. One last thing, use the slot selector knob and then choose the browning level via a second timer dial below that.
These new generation toasters from Dualit now come with additional features such as the defrost and bun and bagel settings. Use the selector control for the bun/bagel settings, one, two, or in the case of 4-slice model, three and four slots.
Dualit NewGen Polished Chrome 4 Slot ToasterColour Options: various colours available, see below.
9. REDMOND 4-Slice Toaster Retro Stainless Steel
The Redmond 4-slice toaster has a retro rounded shoulder style and stainless steel finish. The slots are extra wide and it comes with bagel, defrost and cancel function. The unit supports 6 bread shades and the two sides can be operated independently. You can have him and her settings or based on type of bread or food. Selected functions are shown with LED lights.
10. Breville VTT702 Impressions 4-Slice Toaster
Breville may have a wide range of modern toasters but this Breville Impressions has a distinct retro design. Even the buttons and shade selector slider looks vintage. Our unit below is finished in soft cream. You can find the same 4-slice toaster in black or white. It comes with extra wide slots with a variable width function, 9 toast settings, high lift as well as the standard cancel, reheat and defrost functions. As with other toasters here, there is the usual cord storage and removable crumb tray.
