How to choose an electric toaster for your home

The electric toaster is a highly useful small kitchen appliance that you can use to quickly toast slices of bread. Small and compact, with a modern and refined design, contemporary toasters offer many features that simplify daily life. 

Before buying an electric toaster, it’s always important to carefully think about your needs and to research the right product for your kitchen. To help you decide, we’ve created this guide to choosing the right toaster for you – we’ll look at some of the functions you might use your toaster for, along with tips, tricks and fresh ideas for recipes.

How does a toaster work?

Toasters are small kitchen appliances, with one, two or four slots to toast slices of bread. They do this by heating electric elements, and using the heat to quickly heat the slices.

Operating a toaster is straightforward. Simply place the bread slices into the toaster’s slots, set the desired temperature using the control panel and set the timer for how long you want the bread to be toasted. After a few minutes, the toast will be ready and the grates will spring upwards, allowing you to remove the slices.

What can I make with a toaster?

Naturally, electric toasters are predominately used for toasted sandwiches – but they can also produce a range of different meals that are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner and as snacks.

Ham and cheese toasties are an excellent and reliable choice for example, but you can also prepare flatbreads for mezze boards, open sandwiches for platters, and even bruschettas – an Italian-style of browned toast drizzled in olive oil and garnished with garlic, salt and tomatoes.

How to clean a toaster 

Keeping your toaster is a must to keep things hygienic and clean. Since they rely on electricity to power them, cleaning them requires an extra level of precaution to ensure your safety. Always unplug the toaster before cleaning it and turn off its power switch. Never insert anything into the toaster’s slots near the heating coils.

You’ll find that crumbs and pieces of food can gather at the bottom of the toaster on a tray. This tray can be removed in most toasters, and should be emptied regularly. You should then clean down the tray with a non-abrasive sponge and a mild detergent before drying it carefully and placing it back inside the toaster.

How to find the right toaster for you

There are many toaster models available on the market, so it's important to know what features to consider when buying the right appliance for you.

A key aspect to think about is the type of toaster you’ll need. Horizontal models, also known as grills, are suitable for bulky ingredients and allow for the preparation of waffles and pancakes. Vertical toasters are easier to use, take up less space, and are ideal for toasting your regular bread. 

Another feature to consider is the toaster's wattage, which determines how fast you can toast your bread. Models range from 500 watts to over 2,000 watts. 

You can also choose between a two-slice toaster with a single compartment or one with four slots. In most cases, however, you’ll likely want to opt for a model with two compartments. 

Before buying an electric toaster, always check the dimensions of the internal slots to ensure that they are compatible with the type of bread you most often use for toast, sandwiches, and paninis. You should also research different functions on different toasters, like bread defrosting, automatic shut-off, slice thickness adjustment, and automatic ejection.

The new Haier Series 5 Toaster 

The new Haier Series 5 Toaster is a particularly versatile appliance, capable of toasting any type of bread thanks to two slots that are 25% larger than the average products on the market. You can toast slices of bread of up to 17 cm in length and 3.5cm in thickness, with 21 toasting combinations to find the option that suits you best.

The Series 5 also guarantees uniform toasting of bread, with the perfect spread across the entire surface to make crispy and delicious toast. You can set up to 7 levels of toasting whatever your taste – and you can also choose to toast one side of the bread to get your toast just right. Once you’ve found an approach that works for you, you can store your favorite settings to make your ideal toast quickly and reliably.

Need to toast smaller slices of bread? With a high lift lever and a quick-cancel option, making bite sized toast is simple – and once you’re done, the Series 5’s dust cover and removable crumb tray are straightforward to clean, so you can maintain a hygienic kitchen.

Finally, if you’re looking for cooking inspiration, your Series 5 toaster comes with access to the hOn app, featuring a selection of recipes, tips and tricks for your toaster, with guidance on proper appliance maintenance.

Keep an eye out for the upcoming Series 7 Haier toasters, which will feature WiFi connectivity, allowing you to manage them remotely from your smartphone – and to take full advantage of a range of exclusive smart features.

Find out more about our toasters on the Haier website.